Richard II and the Irish kings
Darren McGettigan
'When King Richard II arrived in Ireland in 1394, he knew that he was the first English king to visit the island in almost two centuries. What he could not know when he departed in 1399 was that his would be the last royal visit formore than 200 years ... These royal campaigns have been examined closely during the course of the past century ... but Darren McGettigan’s Richard II and the Irish Kings offers a fresh interpretation from the Irish perspective ... McGettigan’s Richard II and the Irish Kings is a timely reevaluation of a well-known event. The narrative is clear and illustrated with genealogical charts, local maps, and some excellent images of contemporary documents and objects. This is a useful addition to the literature of late medieval Ireland', Benjamin Hudson, Renaissance Quarterly (Spring 2018).
‘This book is the story of these remarkable encounters between a late medieval English monarch and his reluctant Gaelic Irish vassals at the close of the fourteenth century. The author has included genealogical tables to assist the reader, especially those unfamiliar with Gaelic names and the interrelationships of the various clans/septs. Dr. McGettigan has also provided and excellent and extensive bibliography. This book is highly recommended for those with an interest in the development of Gaelic surnames and the history of the Irish Gaelic families’, Michael Merrigan, Ireland's Genealogical Gazette (January 2017).
‘It is written in good, clear, English and uses quotations form contemporary sources to excellent effect … The intelligent use made of bardic poetry also ads to our understanding of the motives of the Irish kings with whom Richard II dealt. McGettigan’s conclusions are well argued and reasonable … Not only historians of medieval Ireland, but also of the wider English world, will benefit from reading this book’, Brendan Smith, Parliamentary History Yearbook (2017).
‘This book provides an instructive and engaging overview of later medieval Irish politics and political geography during a remarkable period in the country’s history. It is nicely illustrated with some fine colour prints and a number of maps and family trees’, David Green, Royal Studies Journal (2017).
Shortlisted for DSBA (Dublin Solicitors’ Bar Association) Law Book of the Year Award 2018
