From Ireland's first attempts to forge a modern identity in the 1950s to the confident country of the twenty-first century, here is a stunning survey of a beautiful and complex place and people, as seen by the unrivalled talents of Magnum photographers.

The photographs include the extraordinary insights of Henri Cartier-Bresson, Elliot Erwitt, Joseph Koudelka, Inge Morath, Erich Lessing, Eve Arnold, Martine Franck, Martin Parr, Ian Berry, Donovan Wylie, Stuart Franklin and many others. Comment and commentary is provided by six of the most notable Irish writers of our time – Anthony Cronin, Nuala O'Faolain, Eamonn McCann, Fintan O'Toole, Colm Tóibin and Anne Enright.

Organized decade by decade, the images show the lingering influence of rural life in the 1950s; the hidden stories of ordinary Irish men and women – as well as the sectarian conflict – during the troubled 1960s and 70s; and the country's renewed confidence and prosperity over the past three decades, right up to the present day. John Banville, author of the introduction to 'Magnum Ireland', was the winner of the 2005 Man Booker Prize.