Posted in 17th century, Irish history, tagged Kilkenny, Rothe House on September 11, 2012 | 3 Comments »
Rothe House is an early modern mansion in Kilkenny city. The complex was built by the wealthy merchant family the Rothe’s from 1594 onwards. The mansion consists of three buildings seperated by courtyards and was completed in 1610. It has been partially restored, however the displays are at times off putting as there is a jumble of artefacts stretching from the Bronze age to the modern period. Nonetheless Rothe House is very much worth a visit.
Posted in 17th century, Anglo Norman, Archaeology, castles, early medieval, Gaelic Ireland, Irish history, tour, tagged Anglo Norman, castle, Loughmoe, Loughmore, Purcell, Tipperary on April 4, 2012 | 4 Comments »
Loughmoe Castle is situated on the banks of the river Suir in North Tipperary. Built between the 15th and 17th centuries it was the seat of Barons of Loughmoe, the Anglo-Norman Purcell family. The earliest surviving structure on the site is a tower house which was transformed into the northern wing of a fortified house in the 17th century. In its new form as a fortified house the castle composed of two towers joined by what was known in the locality as “the court”. The castle stands outside the village of Loughmoe, close to the ruins of Loughmoe Abbey and the resting place of the famous Cormack brothers. Despite these widespread renovations Loughmoe castle was abandoned by the mid 18th century.
Posted in 17th century, christmas, cromwell, english civil war, Irish history, tagged christmas, cromwell grinch, Irish history, new england, pilgram fathers, puritans on December 22, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Seperated at birth?
A world without Christmas may seem inconceivable, however Christmas wasn’t always the festive public holiday it is today. Its popularity has wax and waned over the centuries being celebrated to varying degrees in different places and periods. In England in the late medieval era it was first officially declared a public holiday by royal decree of 1448. However in 1645 it was banned when radical Protestants – Puritans among them Oliver Cromwell, came to power in England.
Posted in 17th century, historiography, ireland, Irish history, O Neills, tagged 1641 depositions, 1641 rebellion, O Siochru, Ulster plantation on October 29, 2010 | 3 Comments »
Last week the depositions collected in the aftermath of the 1641 rebellion were published online. The depositions, which are free to access, amount to what were witness statements of survivors, collected by government officials. These are an incredible insight into Ireland in the 17th century and how people at the time perceived what was happening around them.
Posted in 17th century, Irish history on October 20, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Photo: Franc Myles
This find by archaeologist Franc Myles in May Lane Smithfield, Dublin deeply personalises the past, highlighting what must have been a tragedy in a now long forgotten family’s life. Following on from the find of other human remains on Friday on the same site, the remains of this child was excavated over the weekend.
Speaking of the find Franc said
“The second remains excavated under May Lane were those of a child, aged perhaps 4 or 5. The child had been wrapped in a shroud and then placed in a small coffin, sometime between about 1650 and 1680. He or she was buried in St. Michan’s church yard (it’s obviously much smaller now) at the same level as the first, adult burial, but slightly further to the east. Where child burials are perhaps especially poignant, this wee one had the hands placed over the pelvis with the thumbs seemingly extended, the tips touching each other. DCC and the contractors have redesigned the level of the pipe to run above the burial soil and hopefully we’ll allow any other bodies rest where they are.”
Franc will be writing an extensive article about the find on his blog www.wastedonarchaeology.wordpress.com
Posted in 14th century, 16th century, 17th century, Annals, Bibliography, Episode 1, Episode 2, episode 3, Episode 4, Gaelic Ireland, Irish history, Medieval history, tagged annals of the four masters, annals of Ulster, Framentary annals, Irish annals, Irish history on September 23, 2010 | 2 Comments »
One of the main sources for medieval Irish history, The Annals of the Four Masters, has an entry for the year 887 which talks about a mermaid 195 feet tall. So can you trust sources with such claims – How could a mermaid be so tall?
Posted in 17th century, Gaelic Ireland, Irish history, O Neills, tagged 1641 rebellion, O Siochru on August 3, 2010 | 1 Comment »
This is an excellent interview with Dr Micheal O Siochru about the 1641 rebellion which was broadcast on local Dublin station Nearfm. The 1641 rebellion is one of the most controversial events in Irish History and was used as a pretext to the Cromwellian invasion.
To download the show go to http://www.archive.org/details/InterviewWithDr.MichelSiochr
