A masterly study of the potency of political myths and the ways in which these myths were constructed. Writing with unusual power and insight Dr O'Callaghan offers a reassessment of 'revisionist' history, believing that it too requires clarification. She offers a political reinterpretation of the contentious issues of land and nationality, keeping British policy to the forefront of the problem, rather than seeing nationalism as an autonomous response generated from within Ireland. By examining the dependence of the administration on a network which gathered detailed statistical information on rural disorder, it becomes clear that Ireland, as it was perceived by London, became a problem without a context.