Ireland’s ‘Norman’ castles

What did the ‘Normans’ ever do for us? We can debate the pluses and minuses, but one thing that’s hard to ignore, even today, is our landscape dotted with their castles. By Linzi Simpson and Seán Duffy For many people, the imprint on Ireland of the people often called the Anglo-Normans can be summed up … Read more

NARRATIVE: 1169 and all that

Since history is written by the victors, it is not surprising that our most detailed narratives of the invasion of Ireland that began in 1169 are partisan contemporary accounts by the likes of Gerald of Wales. Can we know what actually happened? By Seán Duffy In the late 1160s Ireland was invaded and—for the first … Read more