In the final years of the 13th century, Ireland settled into a few years of relative calm after what had been a period of chaos, war and famine known as “the time of disturbance” in 1295. Famine had been more frequent through the late 13th century. They were usually caused by bad weather which resulted… Read more »
Medieval warfare was traditionally thought to be the preserve of men. However 14th century records illustrate gaelic Irish women participated in warfare acting as spies moving between the Anglo Norman colony and Gaelic Ireland. Background Through the course of the late 13th century, society in Ireland became increasingly violent. Wicklow and the surrounding regions were… Read more »
County Kilkenny has perhaps one of the highest concentrations of medieval remains in Ireland. Conquered in the decades after the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169, the area was heavily restructured. This saw an intensive and large-scale building programme begin as towns, castles and abbeys popped up across the landscape. As society became increasingly unstable… Read more »
The mullet is perhaps one of the more controversial of hairstyles. In a low point of modern culture this hairstyle reached unprecedented popularity in the 80’s. However if you’ve braved the taunts and abuse feel proud in the fact that you are in a long line of people facing similar repression over the mullet. In… Read more »
Background of the case The Belfast Project at Boston College has collected an enormous archive of material on Northern Ireland over the past 40 years. Its most controversial project is a research programme that has seen people directly involved in the troubles give recorded testimonies of their experiences.The interviewees are primarily from a republican background… Read more »
IRA, anthony Mc Intyre, Belfast Project, Boston College, Boston College Subpoenas, Brendan Hughes, David Irvine, Dolores Price, Ed Moloney, PSNI, UVF
I am currently finishing episode 14 of the podcast. Hopefully it will be out early next week, in the meantime here is a short photoessay of Ballybeg priory, Co. Cork. Situated close to the medieval town of Buttevant in North Cork the priory itself is in pretty poor condition but is definately worth a look… Read more »
Barryscourt Castle, County Cork is perhaps the best restored castle in Ireland. Situated 10 miles east of Cork City at Carraigtwohill, the towerhouse has been renovated to what it looked like in the late 16th century. Below are a series of pictures from the castle.
In the 14th century Europe experienced one of the worst crises in recorded human history which saw war, famine and plague decimate the population. In Ireland this crisis developed in a society already wracked by deep divisions and political upheaval. Although brewing for decades this crisis began in earnest in 1315 when one of the… Read more »
St Mullins, Kilkenny, Castlecomer, Art Mc Murrough, Dublin, Edward Bruce, hall house, John Clyn, Richard de Clare, Strongbow
We often think of the medieval world as one dominated by piety and respect for the church. Well not quite…..In researching my upcoming audiobook on the 14th century in Ireland I came across this court case heard at Carlow in 1305. A full scale riot broke out in New Leghelyn (Leighlinbridge) when one of the… Read more »
The Rock of Dunmase is a stunning medieval ruin perched on a rocky outcrop a few miles east of Portlaoise, Co Laois. Overlooking the surrounding landscape the ruinous castle was once a formidable fortress. Standing atop a steep rock it is protected on three sides by cliffs while the only accessible side was protected by… Read more »
When the playright John Millington Synge visited the island of Inis Meáin his first impression was far from flattering. He described the island which forms one of the three Aran Islands as a “place was hardly fit for habitation” and in a reference to the barren landscape he said “there was no green to be… Read more »
Situated on the north west corner of Mayo the parish of Aughoose has both amazing scenery and a notoriously wet and windy climate in winter. Standing on the shores of Sruth Fada Conn bay the area is reputedly one of the places where the Children of Lir spent 300 years according to Irish mythology. People… Read more »
Aughoose, Dooncarton, Fr Joseph Foy, Kilcommon, Pullthomas, Rossport
Tour Guides of Kilmainham Gaol call the prison “the labour ward of the modern Irish state”. After taking the tour its hard to argue with this statement. This week alone marks the 130th anniversary of the Kilmainham treaty which saw the release of Parnell an event that effectively ended The Land War while 96 years… Read more »
The following 3 years is going to see a surge in commemorations of Irish history starting next year with the centenary of the 1913 Lock Out. This will presumably reach a cresendo in 1916 with the centenary of the 1916 rebellion. This is a great opportunity for history, hopefully widening its appeal amongst the general population… Read more »
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… Read more »
Loughmore, Anglo Norman, castle, Loughmoe, Purcell, Tipperary
Episode 12. This episode looks at the fascinating story of Dennis Doherty. Born in Derry in 1814, Doherty would spend most of his life in Australian prisons or trying to break out of them. His story is remarkable – he was flogged 3,000 times and spent years in solitary confinement but yet he continually struggled… Read more »
Dennis Doherty, Norfolk Island, Port Arthur, Tasmania, Australia, Derry, Hobart
