Major turning points in Irish history and great shifts in societal attitudes are often associated with progress, but can also be mired in violence. Here, historian Fin Dwyer looks at pivotal moments in Ireland’s past—separated by time but tied together by one common trait: murder. From the killing of Michael Fleming during the Great Hunger, a time when death was already so pervasive, to the gruesome murder of Mary Hart by her own son at the turn of the 20th century, a death reflective of the nation’s deeply problematic attitudes to mental health, A History of Ireland in 20 Murders is a singular and intriguing chronicle of Ireland’s turbulent past.