This book analyses the history of County Mayo, from the Elizabethan pacification of the county to the first stage of the Land War in the late nineteenth century, with Mayo's most influential son, Michael Davitt being a central figure.As per the book, Mayo was in this period  'transformed from being a remote, isolated, impoverished and hostile region of the country to being at the centre of Irish politics and integrated into an agrarian capitalist economy'. One could argue that we were fine as we were!!

The book is divided into two sections.

The first contains an analysis of the county prior to the Great Famine, and provides the foundation for a core/periphery analysis of Mayo's economic development and its impact upon popular politics in the county.

The second, employing a core/periphery analysis of the post-Famine economic and political transformation of the county, demonstrates that the structural changes that gave rise to the Land War occurred more rapidly in central Mayo than along its western coastline or eastern boundaries. This uneven development helps account for both the initial strength and rapid disintegration of the land movement in the county.

A very interesting book, one would need to give some time to reading it, but all in all I thought it was quite interesting and very informative.