Beginning in medieval times, the author takes the reader on a fascinating journey examining key events that have shaped Ireland, both spiritually and politically, and which still have repercussions today, with special emphasis on the Puritan era and the leadership of the church exercised by Archbishop James Ussher.

Richard Baxter once said, ‘If all the Episcopalians had been like Archbishop Ussher, all the Presbyterians like Mr Stephen Marshall, and all the Independents like Jeremiah Burroughs, the breaches of the church would soon have been healed.'

‘In this work, Dr Crawford Gribben offers a succinct, much-needed history of Archbishop James Ussher and the Irish Puritans, and, by extension, Irish Christianity. This colourful and, at times, sad history is explained along with major events transpiring simultaneously in England and Scotland. It shows the insights and flaws of some of the greatest church leaders in Ireland and provides valuable lessons for the worldwide church today. A compelling and informative read, this book convinces us that God is not done with Ireland.'
Dr Joel R. Beeke,
President and Professor of Systematic Theology and Homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan


Crawford Gribben is lecturer in Renaissance literature and culture at the University of Manchester, and a member of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Before his current post at Manchester, he taught in the School of English at Trinity College, Dublin and was a visiting lecturer at the University of Lausanne and a visiting scholar at Westminster College, Cambridge. He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. His research interests centre on three major themes: the literary culture of puritanism; relationships between literature and theology, especially in Irish and Scottish contexts; and the history of apocalyptic and millennial thought.