This volume presents new research on the crisis in Ireland that followed the Catholic rebellion of 1641. The chapters provide fresh perspectives on a number of issues, including the importance of regional history, the nature of English intervention in Ireland, popular politics and the problems of allegiance, authority and legitimacy in church and state. Individual chapters cover the first earl of Cork's reaction to the outbreak of rebellion, the Sea Adventure mounted by parliamentarians in 1642, the struggle for control of supplies to the Protestant forces in the mid-1640s and the experiences of the marquess of Ormond in Dublin, the earl of Clanricarde in Connacht and Lord Montgomery of the Ards in Ulster. Other chapters examine the challenges faced by the Irish Parliament, the Church of Ireland and the Confederation of Kilkenny. The final chapter, on Oliver Cromwell and his war of words with the Catholic Church, asks new questions about the nature of the Cromwellian invasion, and comes to surprising conclusions. As a whole, the book brings a fresh approach to this key period in Irish history, challenging old assumptions and suggesting new directions for research. It is aimed at an academic audience but will also appeal to the general reader. The contributors include not only younger scholars but also renowned experts in the field such as Dr David Edwards of the University of Cork, Dr Bríd McGrath of Trinity College Dublin and Professor John Morrill of Cambridge University.