Ireland under the Union was a land which most people wanted to leave. In this pamphlet, David Fitzpatrick tackles several questions about Irish emigration. Who left? Why? How? He also stresses the far-reaching consequences for the United States, Britain, Canada, Australasia and above all, Ireland itself. Emigration is treated as one of the great formative factors in modern Irish history. The text is uncluttered with statistics, technicalities or references, but it is supplemented by several simple maps and diagrams, a brief glossary and an annotated bibliography. The aim is to provide a brief but sustained synthesis of recent research on a fascinating and challenging topic.