A History of Ireland in 100 Objects

O'Toole (literary editor, Irish Times) originally published these as weekly pieces in the Irish Times over the last two years. He worked with curators at cultural heritage sites in Ireland—including the National Museum of Ireland and the National Library of Ireland—and now gathers the resulting entertaining and informative short essays and photographs into a chronological, object-oriented tour of Irish history. The list begins with a prehistoric fish trap and ends with a modern-day AK-47. In some cases, such as the Fleetwood cabinet owned by Oliver Cromwell's daughter, the object is used as a jumping-off point, allowing O'Toole to make a broader historical argument. The photography of some objects could have been better matched with the text; in some cases, O'Toole is describing a detail the viewer cannot see in the photograph. Objects was assembled with an educational purpose in mind; it comes supported by an online app, teaching materials, and an exhibition trail.