Introduction

Abstract

A brief narrative summary of the Ulster plantation and the context in which it took place is provided. Farrell introduces the chronological and geographical span of the book, summarising the historiographical debates surrounding the plantation and the existing primary and secondary material available for a study of this nature. The thematic structure of the chapters which follow is explained, as are the key questions they consider. An explicit focus on the native Irish experience of colonisation, and the need for a more native-centred perspective, is defended. The issue of terminology is discussed in relation to this.