David Dicksinson reveals the untold story of ten Irish cities and their remarkable development before the age of industrialization. Ireland was a backward island on the periphery of Europe in 1600, but underwent profound changes in the following centuries with the rise of a series of port cities. Dublin became Europe's fourteenth largest city by 1750, on a par with Berlin. Beautifully illustrated, this account reveals how the country's cities were distinctive and - through the Irish diaspora - influential well beyond Ireland's shores.