The Ormond–St Leger feud. By Alan Bryson By spring 1544 the lord deputy of Ireland, Sir Anthony St Leger, faced growing criticism of his policies, especially among supporters of the most powerful Irish nobleman, James Butler, ninth earl of Ormond. He still had the backing of King Henry VIII, however, and, in comparison with the … Read more
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
In Fenagh, Co. Leitrim, celebrations were held last summer to commemorate a vellum manuscript written there in 1516. By Brendan Scott In 1516 a well-known scribe from Roscommon, Muirgheas Ó Maoilchonaire, was hired by Tadhg O’Roddy, the coarb of Fenagh, to revise and update an earlier version of a manuscript that had supposedly been written … Read more
THE IRISH CONTEXT OF A SCOTTISH DISASTER By Simon Egan On 9 September 1513 the Scots suffered one of their most catastrophic military defeats. At Flodden field an army of 30,000 men under the command of James IV of Scotland was decimated by a smaller English force led by Thomas Howard (d. 1554), earl of … Read more
ON 9 NOVEMBER 1620 MEMBERS OF THE SPANISH DIPLOMATIC DELEGATION TO LONDON DID SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO TWO PAINTINGS (ONE OF THE BATTLE OF KINSALE) DEPICTING ENGLISH MILITARY AND DIPLOMATIC TRIUMPHS IN THE LONG GALLERY AT WHITEHALL PALACE. WHAT WAS BEHIND THIS EXTRAORDINARY INCIDENT? By Hiram Morgan There are confused reports about what exactly happened in … Read more