M.F. Cusack's history of Kerry is an important nineteenth century work containing a vast amount of information. The book charts the history of the county from earliest times, including extracts from many documents. These include the complete text of the 1673 report on State of Kerry, the Charters of the towns of Dingle and Tralee, etc. The book is particularly valuable for genealogists, as the author publishes important pedigrees of key Gaelic families from Kerry, such as O'Connor, O'Donoghue, O'Connell, O'Mahony, MacGillicuddy, MacCarthy Mor, and O'Moriarty. She also publishes a complete list of members of parliament for the county from 1613, giving extensive genealogical information about each MP. The author also had a special interest in the geology, topography and natural history of the county, which is covered in detail including a fine geological map. The copy of the book used for this publication was printed for a principal subscriber: Daniel O'Connell of Derrynane Abbey, the son of 'the liberator'. It appears he gave it to his sister, who has handwritten a very interesting family history towards the back of the volume, including a transcript of a document written by 'the liberator' himself!
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