At Arm's Length [first edition]

Living in Ireland today, unobtrusive and ignored by the greater Irish public, are the descendants of Ireland's former ruling class. Some are directly descended from Ireland's most ancient kings and chiefs, their ancestry stretching back beyond history. Others claim an Irish pedigree of merely five hundred years. But by virtue of history they are, despite their ancestry, regarded as being less than Irish, not of Ireland. At Arm's Length traces the historical and political evolution of this silent division, a missing stratum of Irish society. In an innovative and unique approach, Anne Chambers talks to fourteen present-day Irish chiefs and peers who live and work in the Republic of Ireland. Candid and warm, rich in detail and anecdote, this unique account presents a vibrant portrait of a people apart, a people held forever at arm's length. Accessible, lively and deeply relevant, At Arm's Length is an engaging and thoughtful popular history.