Carmel McCaffrey reached a wide audience writing the companion book to the PBS special "In Search of Ancient Ireland." Now comes a follow-up, "In Search of Ireland's Heroes." This is a broad, chronological overview of the past 10 centuries or so. Much of this might seem familiar to some readers, but for those looking to brush up on the basics of Irish history, this is as good a general history as any. The recurring theme of this book is Irish conflict with England, which has defined the Irish experience going back to the 12th century. McCaffrey is to be credited for lively narrative writing, while offering insightful portraits of towering historical figures such as King Dermot MacMurrough, Oliver Cromwell, Charles Stewart Parnell and, more recently, Pearse, De Valera and Collins. McCaffrey does not rely solely upon previously published summaries, but instead gives readers plenty of material drawn directly from letters, political records and other documents from the era. ($26.95 / 290 pages / Ivan R. Dee)