Registers of Licences to pass beyond the seas, 1573–1677

By Fiona Fitzsimons This collection, the earliest run of travel documents, survives in the Augmentation Office papers in the Exchequer records of the UK National Archives. The Office derived from the Court of Augmentation, a financial court; the safe conduct of travellers was guaranteed by the Crown, for which it was also a useful source … Read more

A short history of the uilleann pipes

A complex, sophisticated instrument that can deliver a unique form of traditional music. By Terry Moylan In early December 2017, at their general assembly in South Korea, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) inscribed uilleann piping in their Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It joins an extensive list … Read more

The curse of Cromwell: revisiting the Irish slavery debate

The real history of Irish slavery on Barbados highlights how much worse slavery was for Africans in the Americas, reminding us that the curse of Cromwell has haunted more than just Irish history. By John Donoghue History and nationalism have long been locked in a troubled relationship. While nationalists base their appeals on history, their … Read more

Anatomy of plantation: the 1641 Depositions

What are they? The 1641 Depositions are witness testimonies by mainly Protestant men and women, from all social backgrounds, concerning their experiences of the 1641 Irish rebellion. The testimonies document losses of goods and chattels, military activity and the alleged crimes of the Catholic Irish rebels, including assault, imprisonment, the stripping of clothes and murder. This body … Read more