From Ireland's first attempts to forge a modern identity in the 1950s to the confident country of the twenty-first century, here is a stunning survey of a beautiful and complex place and people, as seen through the lenses of the unrivaled talents of Magnum photographers.

The photographs reflect the extraordinary insights of Henri Cartier-Bresson, Elliot Erwitt, Josef Koudelka, Inge Morath, Erich Lessing, Eve Arnold, Martine Franck, Martin Parr, Ian Berry, Donovan Wylie, Stuart Franklin and many others. Commentary and context is supplied by Anthony Cronin, Nuala O'Faolain, Eamonn McCann, Fintan O'Toole, Colm Toibin and Anne Enright, six of the most notable Irish writers of our time.

Organized decade by decade, the images show the lingering influence of rural life in the 1950s; the hidden stories of ordinary Irish men and women - as well as the sectarian conflict - during the troubled 1960s and 70s; and the country's renewed confidence and prosperity over the past thirty years.