Pre-Norman History

Irish Ringforts, Matthew Stout. (Four Courts Press/Group for the Study of Irish Historic Settlement, £19.95) ISBN 1-85182-300-X

This very welcome study by Matthew Stout represents surprisingly the first ever book devoted to the most common field monument of Irish archaeology. During the Early Medieval Period—the Early Christian Period of less secular-minded archaeologists and historical geographers—according to Stout, whose figures must be regarded as authoritative, about 45,000 examples of this homestead-type monument were … Read more

Europe: A History, Norman Davies, (Oxford University Press, £25). ISBN: 0198201710

Reviewed by Philip McGuinness   Eight years after the fall of the Berlin Wall seems an appropriate time for the arrival of new European histories which attempt to give East and West parity of esteem. Such histories are now wending their way to the bookstores. Europe: a History has garnered the most headlines (and sales). … Read more

Warrior of Wood Quay

As the leading figure of the Wood Quay protests of the late 1970s F.X. Martin is well known to the wider public. Recently retired as Professor of Medieval History at University College Dublin, he spoke to Dáire Keogh recently.  DK: Tell us about your background and early interest in history. FXM: I was born in … Read more

Celibacy in the Catholic Church: a brief history

Thomas O’Loughlin     One of the most carefully fostered aspects of the image of the Catholic priest is that he is without a wife. Indeed, this image has been built up by the church administration as an essential part of its own esprit de corps. In recent centuries, certainly since clerical problems in mid-eighteenth-century … Read more

The Problem of Patrick

Charlie Doherty Most people if asked about St Patrick would mention one or more of the following: snakes, slavery, Armagh, Slemish, Saul, Downpatrick, Croaghpatrick and, of course, the shamrock. How many would mention the saint’s own writings—his Confession or his Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus? We have only one fixed point for fifth-century Irish … Read more