PUBLISHER'S NOTICE.

In placing this work at the disposal of the Irish American public, the publisher is glad to be able to announce that he has the authority and good will of Mr. A. M. Sullivan, M.P., the author, and also of Mr. T. D. Sullivan, M.P., the present holder of the author's rights. When he first determined upon. the publication, the publisher opened correspondence with the former of these gentlemen. The reply came from Mr. T. D. Sullivan, and from it the following passage is quoted:

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My brother, Mr. A. M. Sullivan, M P., has sent me a note which he recently received from you relative to the reprinting of "The Story of Ireland," by you in America. He has done so because the copyright of that work passed from him to me on my purchase of this concern from him three years ago. In writing to me, he said he regarded your offer as an honorable one, and felt confident that you would act up to it, and he advised me, as the owner of the copyright, to accord you the permission you desired. I have much pleasure in doing so, on the conditions mentioned by you, and I hope your publication of the work will be in every way successful.

Subsequent correspondence regarding the exact financial arrangements resulted in an agreement satisfactory to both parties.

In one of his letters, Mr. Sullivan remarks, "The sale in this country, (Ireland,) has been and continues to be very great." This is not surprising. The book has all the qualities necessary to meet the wants of the general public. It is so simply and clearly written as to form the best introduction to a knowledge of Irish history that the young, or those hitherto uninstructed in the subject, can find; at the same time it is so spirited in style, so accurate in detail, and so patriotic in tone,

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that even the well-informed may read it with pleasure and advantage.

In the American edition, all the original illustrations are reproduced, and, besides, many portraits have been added, which, it is believed, will give the volume an additional interest. In this edition too, the author's plan of spelling the old Irish names, for the most part, as they are pronounced has been followed, as it is considered that the principal aim, in a popular work such as this, should be to contribute, in all possible respects, to the convenience of the reader.

To the kind courtesy of Mr. Lawrence Kehoe, Manager of the Catholic Publication Society Co., 9 Barclay St., New York, I am indebted for the sketch of Mr. A. M. Sullivan's life, printed in this volume.

PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION.

In the chapters which I have written at the close of this volume I have aimed not so much to continue as to supplement Mr. Sullivan's narrative. The work of that gentleman remains as it came from his pen, unaltered and unabridged. It is, so far as it goes, distinct and complete in itself. Similarly what I have written, I desire to be held separate and distinct from all that precedes it.

Mr. Sullivan, throughout his book, expresses his honest opinions of men and things. I must be in no sense held responsible for these; for, though in general I coincide with him in his views, there are expressions, notably as regards the Fenian movement, which I could in no degree endorse. On the other hand, Mr. Sullivan is equally little responsible for my opinions. He has never seen my work, and I have permitted my own best judgment alone to dictate my utterances.

I am well pleased to aid in bringing before the Irish American public so useful and patriotic a work as the "Story of Ireland." I trust my efforts may contribute to a true understanding of the nation's history, during an era pregnant with future result. I have made such endeavor as was possible, to present the facts of the last sixteen years, clearly and truthfully. My first reliance has been on my own recollections of scenes and events which I have myself witnessed; I have besides collected information orally from those whom I believed to be at once well informed and honest. I have consulted few books, but have been materially aided by Mr. Sullivan's New Ireland," and other works of his; and Mr. John

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PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION.

Devoy's sketch of the Land League, recently published. Finally, I have referred occasionally to the files of the "New York Herald," the Dublin "Irishman," the New York Irish World," and John Devoy's " Irish Nation," the only newspapers to which I had reasonably easy access.

I have only one word more to say. I desire to heartily join with Mr. Sullivan in his dedication of the book to the youth of Irish race in Ireland and America.

J. L.