The impact of the Irish upon the arts, popular culture, scholarship and politics has been immense. Literature in English cannot be fully understood without consideration of James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats, Samuel Beckett, Seamus Heaney and many others. Names such as Guinness and Fleadh Cheoil are immediately recognisable. The Irish struggle for independence in the early 20th century, and the strife that continues to this day, have captured the world's attention.

The Encyclopedia of Irish History and Culture spans prehistoric times to the present, and treats both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in detail. Entries represent an inclusive, cross-disciplinary approach, written by specialists in history, archaeology, anthropology, geography, politics, economics, the Irish and English languages and literatures, the visual arts and other fields.