Nick Maxwell The Remonstrance is preserved in manuscripts of Scotichronicon, a great survey of Scottish history that connects Ireland with Scotland’s struggle for independence. Scotichronicon also includes English and Scottish texts documenting the English crown’s attempt to create an insular empire. The text of the Remonstrance survives because of Scottish interest in its attack on English imperialism; … Read more
In Conquest of Ireland Gerald of Wales asserts the English crown’s ‘fivefold right’ to Ireland. (1) The Irish came from Spain, specifically the Basque country, and were given Ireland by Guirguntius, an ancient British king. (2) The Irish King Gillomar paid tribute to Arthur, ‘that famous king of Britain’. (3) English dominions now include Bayonne, … Read more
The English crown first intervened in Ireland in 1171. King Henry II came to curb the power of his Anglo-Norman subjects, who were seizing Irish territories for themselves; Diarmait MacMurchada had brought them here in the late 1160s to help him regain the kingship of Leinster. Henry also wished to impose his authority on the … Read more
Sir,—In ending his review of my book Irish Socialist Republicanism, 1909–36 (HI 21.4, July/Aug. 2013), Padraig Yeates states that I provide ‘many insights into the pursuit of [a workers’ republic] in the 1920s and 1930s that would have been better served by a deeper analysis of the decade before the Treaty’. The review (which, apart … Read more
Sir,—Barry Keane’s article on the cricket match between the ‘Gentlemen of Ireland versus the Military of Ireland’ (HI 21.6, Sept./Oct. 2013) was most interesting, as was the pen portrait of ‘one of Ireland’s greatest sportsmen’, Bob Lambert. Lambert’s cricketing achievements are listed but it might also be of interest to know his badminton accomplishments. He … Read more