Bruce Arnold traces the complex evolution of Irish art through three millennia, showing how it has drawn on Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, Norman and Mediterranean sources. The author repatriates Irish artists who are frequently regarded as "English"--including William Mulready, Daniel Maclise and James Barry-- and explores how Irish paintings and sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, metalwork and architecture together form a rich and distinctive cultural heritage. 179 illus., 20 in color.