The Irish College in Rome was founded in 1628 as a school of theology to train priests for service in Ireland, and the seventeen essays here offer a wealth of interesting information on many people who studied and taught there, and on many activities that they engaged in. All the articles draw primarily on the abundant archives of the college itself, as well as on numerous other primary sources.

Patrick Corish, Thomas O'Connor, and Charles Burns relate how Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi, named Protector of Ireland by Urban VIII, at the urging of Fr. Luke Wadding, an Irish Franciscan, agreed to fund the project and got it underway. Clare Carroll offers a very informative essay on the behavior of many Irish at the college and in Rome in the 1680s.

Some other articles of great interest tell of “The Papal Brigade of St. Patrick” who went to Italy in 1860 to help defend the Holy Father's kingdom from the Italian nationalist forces (Ciaran O'Carroll), the involvement of the rector of the college in the land war of poor Irish tenants in the 1870s (Ambrose Macaulay), and the rather extensive involvement of the rector of the college in the appointment of Irish bishops in the United States (Colin Barr).

All the essays here are of high scholarly quality and much present-day interest. There are also many very interesting photos and illustrations.