A collection of thought-provoking historical pieces by a leading player in North-South relations and the peace process. Our history has had a profound influence on us as a people. It has certainly shaped the character of this state, and its influence is also fundamental to the difficulty of finding peace in Northern Ireland. The value of looking back is to understand where we are and why; to honour that which was noble; to acknowledge and try to correct what went wrong. Martin Mansergh's writings in The Legacy of History help us to do just that.