Front matter

Abstract

When Professor Mukherjee, Visiting Professor of History in the

University of Sydney and for many years the doyen of the Sydney

Association for the Study of Societies and Cultures, first suggested

that I should put together a collection of my papers for publication

in the Association's monograph series I declined on the grounds that

such a project might interfere unduly with my ambition to publish

new material, in particular a monograph based on my more recent

research in Ireland. However, when he subsequently assured me that

I could include a section on my Irish research I began to see some

merit in his suggestion, all the more so in view of the rather obscure

publications in which much of my earlier work lies hidden. And

now, with the task complete, I am sufficiently pleased with the end

result to express my gratitude to Professor Mukherjee.