A Brief History of Ireland: Land, People, History by Richard Killee Constable & Robinson, 2012, 288 pages, $15.95 Ireland has a history drenched in drama and melodrama that goes back at least 7000 years— possibly much more—yet this fine, de-shamrocked short history manages to make the last, not always lovable, part the most interesting. Richard Killeen does this with an incisive, hard-headed approach to the government and politics. He shows what works and what doesn’t work, not only in Ireland but with an indirect message for closer to home. As with any fair and analytical approach, some charismatic (or should…