John McGurk’s Herculean study of the raising, supplying and impact of the Elizabethan army of the 1590s on England and Ireland is the result of years of painstaking research and is unlikely to be replaced as the standard work for quite some time to come. Aside from Bartlett and Jefferey’s recent Military History of Ireland … Read more
This is a ‘popular’ rather than an academic work. The author states at the outset that it is ‘designed merely to keep before the public eye a neglected area of historical research and evaluation and to bring some more anecdotal material into the public domain in an edited, organised and palatable form’ (p.9). By academic … Read more
The presentation of Irish culture as a commodity has developed into a remarkable world-wide phenomenon in recent years. The success of Irish writers, musicians and dancers on the global stage continues to surpass all expectations, and shows no signs of abating. In Ireland itself, the latest economic boom (however selective), combined with the evolving peace … Read more
‘If you would know more of him’, the philosopher John Toland wrote of himself, ‘search his writings.’ This recommendation, as sincere as it probably was, has been of little use to Toland scholars since his death in 1722. He could have just as helpfully advised his readers to consult the Bible in order to find … Read more