The O’Clerys: hereditary historians and poets

The forebears of the O’Clerys had been kings of Connacht and later lords in Kilmacduagh diocese in south County Galway until Anglo-Norman invaders expelled them in the thirteenth century. According […]

The English Pale:a ‘failed entity’?

It is hardly surprising that Irish historians have been reluctant to engage with negative later medieval English perceptions of Ireland (see sidebar below), other than to impugn their veracity. In […]

A medieval ‘power couple’:

In the late twelfth-century Anglo-Norman marriage market, the teenage Isabel de Clare was a very desirable prize. Under Anglo-Norman feudal law, the marriage of her parents, Strongbow and Aoife, and the related […]

St Francis of Assisi

Sir, —In the Jan./Feb. 2007 issue, on page 12, I noticed some remarks onSt Francis of Assisi that are not quite accurate. It is often said thathis baptismal name was […]

Having the right kit: galloglass fighting in Ireland

The term galloglass (gallóglach) is usually translated as ‘foreign warrior’ but is in fact a short-hand for ‘warrior from Innse Gall (the Hebrides)’. They first entered military service in Ireland […]