Gaelic Ireland

Jettisoning faith, culture and identity to serve the Crown: Elizabethan grant of land and title to Florence Fitzpatrick, 3rd baron of Upper Ossory, 1581

Painstakingly hand-painted on almost three square metres of vellum, the Fitzpatrick manuscript is written in Latin and decorated with ornate depictions of English fruits, flowers, insects and woodland creatures, redolent of Tudor propaganda depicting a providential reign, in harmony with nature, God and the English people. The evolution of the Fitzpatrick dynasty, hereditary lords of … Read more

Creating facts on the ground:the destruction of Clandeboye

One of Ireland’s most important parliaments was held in Dublin in 1541. This declared Henry VIII to be ‘king of Ireland’ and made all Irishmen, whatever their origin, Gaelic or Norman, his subjects with equal rights under common law. It enacted the ‘surrender and regrant’ legislation and, while English was the official language, much of … Read more

Theatre Eye: Playing the earl: Brian Friel’s Making History

Making History is set in Ulster before and after the Battle of Kinsale and in Rome. The plot is centred on O’Neill’s relationships with those around him—with Peter Lombard, the archbishop of Armagh and his putative biographer; with Mabel Bagenal, his New English wife; with Red Hugh O’Donnell, his son-in-law and principal ally; and with … Read more

The Flight of the Earls: escape or strategic regrouping?

Four centuries ago on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, 14 September 1607, an unnamed 80-ton French warship weighed anchor at Rathmullan, Co. Donegal, and sailed out of Lough Swilly for La Coruña, Spain. Among the 99 persons on board were Hugh O’Neill, second earl of Tyrone, recently restored to his earldom, … Read more