Castles in Ireland

The story of the nature and development of lordship and power in medieval Ireland as displayed through the majesty and uniqueness of individual castles,

The castles of Ireland are an essential part of the study of medieval Europe, but were, until recently, a subject neglected by scholars. A lord's power and prestige were displayed in the majesty and uniqueness of his castle. The remains of several thousand castles enable us to reconstruct life in Ireland during these crucial centuries.
Castles in Ireland tells the story of the nature and development of lordship and power in medieval Ireland. Ireland formed the setting to the interplay of the differing roles of competing lordship: English and Irish; feudal European and Gaelic; royal and baronial. Tom McNeill argues that the design of the castles contest the traditional view of Ireland as a land torn by war and divided culturally between the English and Irish.

'Stimulating and readable. It sets out the particular nature of Irish castelology with clarity, and, in the process, explains the nature of medieval Irish Power bases and networks the book is handsomely produced. It will be the standard work for many years to come.' - Archaeological Journal

Autorentext

Dr Thomas McNeill took his doctorate in archaeology at Queen's University, Belfast, where he is currently Lecturer in Medieval Archaeology. He is the author of The English Heritage Book of Castles and The Archaeology of Ulster (with J. P. Mallory).

Inhalt

Introduction PART I: EARLY CASTLES: TO c. 1225 1 Before 1166 2 Early castles of stone 3 Early castles of earth and timber 4 Castles and the establishing of English lordships in Ireland PART II: FROM THE EARLY THIRTEENTH TO THE MID-FOURTEENTH CENTURY 5 The central period of English lordship 6 Castles in the English fashion 7 Castles in a divergent tradition 8 Lesser stone castles 9 Castles of the Irish 10 Summary PART III: CASTLES OF THE LATER MIDDLE AGES 11 The fourteenth century 12 Enclosure castles of the later middle ages 13 Tower-houses: dates and distribution 14 Tower-houses: structure and use 15 The later middle ages and the end of castles in Ireland, Epilogue