The forebears of the O’Clerys had been kings of Connacht and later lords in Kilmacduagh diocese in south County Galway until Anglo-Norman invaders expelled them in the thirteenth century. According to historian Edel Bhreathnach, the O’Clerys and other aristocratic poets ‘. . . all belonged to families from the north and west of Ireland … Read more
It is hardly surprising that Irish historians have been reluctant to engage with negative later medieval English perceptions of Ireland (see sidebar below), other than to impugn their veracity. In regard to the English Pale, for instance, studies of interaction between Gaedhil and Gaill have aimed to disprove its status as an international frontier; depictions … Read more
In the late twelfth-century Anglo-Norman marriage market, the teenage Isabel de Clare was a very desirable prize. Under Anglo-Norman feudal law, the marriage of her parents, Strongbow and Aoife, and the related succession agreement between Strongbow and Isabel’s maternal grandfather, Diarmait Mac Murchada, united the holdings of the two families. But when Strongbow died in 1176 there … Read more
Sir, —In the Jan./Feb. 2007 issue, on page 12, I noticed some remarks onSt Francis of Assisi that are not quite accurate. It is often said thathis baptismal name was Giovanni, which is correct, and his family nameBernardone. In fact he was Giovanni di Pietro (John, son of Peter), andhis paternal grandfather was Bernardoni. Francis … Read more
The term galloglass (gallóglach) is usually translated as ‘foreign warrior’ but is in fact a short-hand for ‘warrior from Innse Gall (the Hebrides)’. They first entered military service in Ireland in the middle of the thirteenth century. What sort of military technology did they have at their disposal and how effective was it? Ships The … Read more