Nick Maxwell At 11 o’clock on the morning of Thursday 23 June 1642 General Garrett Barry and other leading members of the Catholic army of Munster were admitted to the castle of Limerick. The ancient fort (known today as King John’s Castle) had been closely besieged for the past five weeks until the hungry and sick men … Read more
This year the town of Kinsale chose to commemorate the four-hundredth anniversary of its famous battle according to the new style system of dating. The Irish and the Spaniards fought the battle on 3 January 1602 according to the new calendar laid down by Pope Gregory XIII nineteen years previously, whereas the English fought the … Read more
Before the second half of the thirteenth century no Irish king of Connacht was able to maintain himself without the support of the leading Anglo-Norman family there, the de Burghs. The head of the family, Richard de Burgh, was decisive in the king-making process in Connacht: his choice of king usually prevailed. And so it … Read more
Sir,—It has been brought to my attention that you published thefollowing in your Autumn 1999 issue [‘Scotland and Ireland through theages’]: ‘Nevertheless the Gaels believed their time had come when aking of Irish descent, James VI of Scotland, ascended the throne ofEngland (1603)…’ [‘From the editors’, p.5]. What is the Irishconnection in the line of … Read more
Sir,—Congratulations on a truly excellent magazine for Autumn 2001dealing with Ireland’s relationship with Spain. I was, however,disappointed with the treatment of the Milesians. Your editorial statesthat there is ‘categorically…no genetic link between the Irish andSpain’. However, research by Professor David Goldstein (UniversityCollege London) has found that there is indeed a link between theCeltic peoples (or … Read more