This is the most superb and engrossing documentary on the history of ancient Ireland that I have ever come across.It is 170 minutes of expertly crafted explanation of Irelands histoey devided in three parts.
The first hour deals with Ireland before Christianity.It takes us back to over 3,000 years BC and explains the growth of civilization and all the monuments,legends and beliefs prior to the development of Christianity.
Then ,in part two, we are taken through the development of Christianity between the 5th and 9th centuries AD and the development of scholarship,theology and art which helped to bring Europe out of the Dark Ages after the fall of the Roman Empire.
Then in part three,it deals with the coming of the Vikings,the dynastic battles of the Irish Kings,the corrupt practices of the Celtic church leading up to the Norman invasion to the time where Ireland became ruled by outsiders.
This is 3 hours of excellently presented history with many of the most knowledable historians making appearances and explaining this history right at the sites where it took place.
The photography is as excellent as the masterial presented.
The history of Ireland is 6,000 years of highly complicated history,not easily condensed into 3 hours;but this documentary has done it magnificently.It is so well done,I will return to it often.
Included with the documentary is a movie "Over Ireland".It is 60 minutes of spellbinding travel around Ireland ,all from the air .
Watching it,one gets the feel that they are viewing all Ireland as if they were on a magic carpet. I have been to Ireland three times and seen many of the sites,monuments,landsccape villages and cities;but it is not quite the same as seeing it all from the height of a few hundred feet.Not only do we see it all from above,but we are given excellent commentary all along the way.
For anyone who has ever been to Ireland,plan to visit,or simply interested in Ireland's history,art,beauty ;you will be mesmerized with this DVD.

Great video on the history and land of Ireland. I am traveling there in the summer and wanted a DVD which would not only be informative but also show the countryside. I couldn't be happier with my selection. You will learn alot about the people and the country. I can't wait to go!

In Search of Ancient Ireland was good but not great. The other disk, Over Ireland, was not good.

I truly enjoyed this DVD - as someone else said the sites of ancient Ireland are visually wonderful. I did not know that so many of these places are still there as they were in their original state. This three part series tells much about how the Irish lived and what the original culture was like. It begins in the Neolithic time and goes right through to the time of the English invasion. So much of early Irish history was unique and such a surprise to me to learn about. I did not know that the history of Ireland was so rich and that so much information is known about it. I also recommend the book that goes with the series - same title - as it fills in so much of the historical background and scholarship. Excellent!

I bought this DVD after renting it from Net-Flix because I had to own it. Not only is it a wonderful companion to the book of the same title, the addition of OVER IRELAND makes this DVD a must have for anyone who is even remotely interested in Ireland.