The Irish DNA Atlas: Revealing Fine-Scale Population Structure and History within Ireland
The Irish DNA Atlas: Revealing Fine-Scale Population Structure and History within Ireland By Edmund Gilbert, Seamus O’Reilly, Michael Merrigan, Darren McGettigan, Anne M. Molloy,…
The Soul of Early Irish Monasticism
Not many people are aware that when it comes to Irish religious history, St Patrick only scratches the surface. The island in fact has a rich and fascinating Christian heritage, of which monks and sprawling monastic communities play a central role.
Researchers unlock the chemistry of Irish medieval manuscripts
Hidden away among the letters and words that cover the Gaelic manuscripts of the late middle ages is a world of minerals and chemical compounds. These chemicals have their own tales to tell about the craft and ingenuity of the scribes.
The defensibility of Irish Tower Houses
Recent research carried out at Queen’s University, Belfast has taken a slightly different approach to the study of tower-houses. Instead of looking at the tower as a whole, this study focused on one important feature of the tower-house – the door – crucial to the defence of the tower.
When We Were Monsters: Ethnogenesis in Medieval Ireland 800-1366
Ethnogenesis, or the process of identity construction occurred in medieval Ireland as a reaction to laws passed by the first centralized government on the island.
The Case of the Corrupt Archbishop
How a 14th century archbishop spent years orchestrating an elaborate plot of embezzlement and forgery.
Network Analysis of the Viking Age in Ireland as portrayed in Cogadh Gaedhel re Gallaibh
The year 2014 marked the 1000th anniversary of the Battle of Clontarf, an iconic event in the history of Ireland.
Stay in a Medieval Castle in Ireland!
Are you a history lover looking for a unique experience? Become an authentic medieval “overknighter” at The Black Castle
Ireland in Late Antiquity: A Forgotten Frontier?
This paper argues that it is more fruitful to examine the relationship between Ireland and its neighbors from c. 150–c. 550 C.E., through a frontier dynamic, a dynamic in which religious identity was but one factor among many.
Book Excerpt: Warriors and Kings The 1500-Year Battle For Celtic Britain by Martin Wall
For those of you looking for something Celtic to read this spring, author Martin Wall brings us Warriors and Kings: The 1500-Year Battle for Celtic Britain.
Book Review: Occupying Space in Medieval and Early Modern Britain and Ireland
Our review of ‘Occupying Space in Medieval and Early Modern Britain and Ireland’
The Medieval Magazine: (Volume 3, Issue 5)
The latest issue of the medieval magazine! The Legacy of St. Patrick, Florence – Part II: Visiting the Duomo, How King Arthur became one of the most pervasive legends of all time, A look at Ireland’s mysterious medieval round towers
Irish and British saints of the early medieval period
Irish saints tend to be studied en masse.
Early Irish history: the state of the art
Early Irish studies should be engaging with three distinct audiences: these are made up of scholars within the field, medievalists outside of it and the interested public.
The Desire for Solitude: The Secret Poems of Irish Monks
Medieval monks worked long hours in silence copying and illustrating manuscripts. But what happened when their minds began to wander?
The Tower-House Castle: Not Exactly Fit for a King
By Danielle Trynoski House, Tower, Castle. It’s like a weird hand of Cards Against Humanity or Apples to Apples but these special types…
Druids, deer and ‘words of power’: coming to terms with evil in medieval Ireland
Our focus is on medieval Irish literature—one of the earliest written vernaculars in Europe. Within this rich tradition, the face of evil changes according to genre.
From Ringwork to Stone Fortification: Power and the Evolution of Anglo-Norman Castles in North-Eastern Ireland
It focuses on two key and archaeologically well-explored castles: Trim and Carrickfergus, and their supporting fortification networks.
Hy-Brassil: Irish origins of Brazil
The name Brazil is probably the sweetest sounding name that any large race of the Earth possesses
Soldiers of Christ: The Knights Hospitaller and the Knights Templar in medieval Ireland
In an Irish context, the Knights Hospitaller and the Knights Templar were the most significant expressions of this unusual vocation that sought to combine military service with monastic observance.
The sin of crime: The Mutual Influence of the Early Irish and Anglo-Saxon Penitentials and Secular Laws
One of the most fascinating questions concerning Medieval Irish and Anglo-Saxon society is not one about what was done when all went well, but rather, what was sought to be done when matters were not as they ought to be.
Raiders from the North: Irish Enslavement during the Viking Age
Both the interactions with the Irish as well as the enslavement of the Irish influenced Norse culture.
What is an Irish clan?
This paper looks at the discussion to date of these terms by Irish historians and compares the data to some of the Scottish clan structures in the medieval period.
The Christmas Eve massacre of 986
For the year 986, the Annals of Ulster records, ‘Iona was plundered by Danes on Christmas Eve, and they killed the abbot and fifteen men of the seniors of the church.’ What more can we learn about this attack and why it happened?