The Annals of the Four Masters


Book Description

There was something about the form and substance of the Annals of the Four Masters, compiled in the 1630s, that allowed them to become accepted as an authentic, reliable and comprehensive record of Gaelic society. Drawing on a rich heritage of manuscript sources on Irish history, these annals have long been regarded as an essential element of the cultural capital of a community that valued its Gaelic past. The Four Masters' approach to making their own annals conveys their regard for the older written records that had preserved for them, in manuscript, the history of their ancestors. This study surveys the scholarly and political context, both Irish and European, that inspired the annalists, reconstructing the networks of professional expertise and patronage that contributed to the pursuit of scholarship about the Irish past. The original manuscripts of these annals are used to illuminate how the annalists collaborated in the production and revision of their magnum opus, while comparison with the extant source texts consulted by the annalists reveals their priorities and their understanding of the world in which they lived.







The Irish Annals


Book Description

Collectively the Irish annals represent a substantial and important source for the history and culture of Ireland. These texts provide the primary witness for much of early medieval Irish history, and for many key events and persons up until c.1600. Many of the most important of these texts passed into the possession of 17th-century Anglo-Irish scholars, and it was principally their work which formed the basis for all modern scholarship on them. However, examination of their work shows that a number of the accepted hypotheses rest upon assertions of opinion, and are unsupported by any textual evidence. This book first re-examines the manuscript evidence, commencing with an account of the primary manuscript witnesses for the ten most characteristic annalistic texts. It then reviews the scholarly literature relating to the annalistic corpus and identifies those hypotheses that are not supported by the available evidence. Next, based upon a critical evaluation of both the textual and chronological characteristics of the texts, the book establishes, where possible, the place, author(s), time and salient characteristics of the compilations that have contributed to the development of these ten texts. The penultimate chapter reviews the chronology of these texts and identifies the basis for a synchronised chronology for them all.




The martyrology of Donegal


Book Description




Language and Conquest in Early Modern Ireland


Book Description

The Elizabethan conquest of Ireland sparked off two linguistic events of enduring importance: it initiated the language shift from Irish to English, which constitutes the great drama of Irish cultural history, and it marked the beginnings of English linguistic expansion. The Elizabethan colonisers in Ireland included some of the leading poets and translators of the day. In Language and Conquest in Early Modern Ireland, Patricia Palmer uses their writings, as well as material from the State Papers, to explore the part that language played in shaping colonial ideology and English national identity. Palmer shows how manoeuvres of linguistic expansion rehearsed in Ireland shaped Englishmen's encounters with the languages of the New World, and frames that analysis within a comparison between English linguistic colonisation and Spanish practice in the New World. This is an ambitious, comparative study, which will interest literary and political historians.




The plantation of Ulster


Book Description

This book is the first major academic study of the Ulster Plantation in over 25 years. The pivotal importance of the Plantation to the shared histories of Ireland and Britain would be difficult to overstate. It helped secure the English conquest of Ireland, and dramatically transformed Ireland’s physical, political, religious and cultural landscapes. The legacies of the Plantation are still contested to this day, but as the Peace Process evolves and the violence of the previous forty years begins to recede into memory, vital space has been created for a timely reappraisal of the plantation process and its role in identity formation within Ulster, Ireland and beyond. This collection of essays by leading scholars in the field offers an important redress in terms of the previous coverage of the plantations, moving away from an exclusive colonial perspective, to include the native Catholic experience, and in so doing will hopefully stimulate further research into this crucial episode in Irish and British history.




The Antiquities of Ireland


Book Description




Families of County Cork, Ireland


Book Description

Finding Your Family History in Co. Cork This is the illustrated, book that focuses exclusively on families of County Cork. Part of the Irish Families Project, it includes: Catholic and Protestant; native Irish; settler families from England, Scotland, and Wales; County Map; Coats of Arms; and more.. Information contained here-in dates from the earliest times to the modern era. Expands Upon Earlier Information The Master Volume in the Irish Families series is 'The Book of Irish Families, great & small'. It covers thousands of families from all of Ireland. 'Families of Co. Cork' greatly expands upon the coverage given in that book and adds several hundred new families. In this way both books compliment each other. 'Families of Co. Cork' is the 4th volume in the series, which covers every county in Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was published by the Irish Genealogical Foundation and edited by Michael C. O'Laughlin. An outline of the history of the county as it relates to Irish families, and to Irish research, is included, along with an exhaustive enumeration of thousands of Cork families, sure to help any family researcher. Expanded Information When needed, sources are given for further research. Family castles, dates of occupation and locations are given. Ordinary Cork people, from the 17th to the 19th century are included too. The following is taken from the introduction to this book, and helps set the stage for the family history that follows in the bulk of this work. " The Vikings settled here centuries before the Norman invasion, and are credited with establishing the city of Cork. Their settlement did not lead to the great upheaval that the Norman invasion eventually caused. The Skiddys, Coppingers and Cotters were a few of the 'Viking' families that settled here at an early date, and remained in relative peace. (see surname entries of those families in text of this book). The Norman Invasion Robert Fitz-Stephen and Miles (Milo) de Cogan were granted the entire kingdom of Cork in 1177 by King Henry II. (This did not include however the city and land belonging to the Ostmen, also called Danes or Vikings.) Cork lands could only be taken slowly at first by the Normans. Many Anglo-Norman families and their retainers (undertakers) had to be settled here for that purpose over time. Large tracts of land were held by many of these families subsequently, including the Carews, De Courcys, Fitzgeralds and Barretts. Sir Richard Boyle, who became the Earl of Cork, helped with the plantation of many English here. They were 'settled' in direct opposition to the old Gaelic families native to the land, who stood to lose their homes, lands, and power. Many battles were fought and much blood shed on both sides of the line, which at times became blurred. Castles were numerous and often necessary to protect life and limb. " Families with major entries in this book include: Mc Auliffe; Barry; Callaghan; Mac Carthy; Coppinger; Mac Cotter; Courcy deCourcey; O Crowley; O Daly; O Donovan; O Driscoll; Herlihy; Hyde; O Keeffe, O'Keefe; Lane; O'Leary; Long; O' Mahoney; Nagle; Reardon; Regane; Roach; Sheehan; O' Sullivan; Sweeney; Twomey and Walsh, Welsh....and so on..... There are too many name to display here!




Ireland in the Medieval World, AD 400-1000


Book Description

This is a study of Ireland's people, landscape, and place in the world from late antiquity to the reign of Brian Borama. The book narrates the story of Ireland's emergence into history, using anthropological, archaeological, historical, and literary evidence. The subjects covered include the king, the kingdom and the royal household, religion and customs, free and unfree classes in society, exiles, and foreigners. The rural, urban, ecclesiastical, ceremonial, and mythological landscapes of early medieval Ireland anchor the history of early Irish society in the rich tapestry of archaeological sites, monuments, and place-names that have survived to the present day. A historiography of medieval Irish studies presents the commentaries of a variety of scholars, from the 17th-century Franciscan Micheal O Cleirigh to Eoin Mac Neill, the founding father of modern scholarship. *** "Bhreathnach draws on archaeological evidence to supply insights into a society that has left only oblique views in the written record, proposing a revised view of the place of Ireland in medieval Europe....the book features eight pages of color plates and many photos, and is a must for academic libraries, particularly those with extensive history or archaeology collections. Essential." - Choice, Vol. 52, No. 4, December 2014 *** Featured in 'Outstanding Academic Titles', a prestigious list of publications for the year 2014. - Choice, January 2015 [Subject: History, Medieval Studies, Archaeology, Anthropology, Irish Studies, Religious Studies]