The first four chapters, chronological in order, deal with the phenomenon of Irish exile in Spanish lands and the Spanish monarchy's involvement with exiles and their cause back home. Two further chapters trace the progress of the Irish in the Spanish army and the church. During this second half of the 16th Century, the Irish effectively established a new Ireland within Spain. The great strength of this book is the fact that it has successfully mined the Spanish archives for much hitherto unknown material on the subject. This is a revised, synopsized and updated translation by Liam Liddy of Irlanda y el rey prudente (Madrid, 2 vols, 2000 and 2003).