Government, War and Society in Medieval Ireland

Essays by Edmund Curtis, A.J. Otway-Ruthven and James Lydon

Peter Crooks, editor

Reviews

‘Crooks has brought twenty-odd pieces together to compose an ordered story of government and law, knights, hobelars and levies, and settlement, agriculture and language’, Books Ireland (December 2008).

‘Any reader of Irish history would have encountered the monumental works of three giants in the field of Irish medieval history, Edmund Curtis, A.J. Otway-Ruthven and James Lydon. As three successive holders of the Lecky Chair of History at Trinity College Dublin, they’ve provided an invaluable legacy for modern scholarship. Government, War and Society in Medieval Ireland - Essays by Edmund Curtis, A.J. Otway-Ruthven and James Lydon edited by Peter Crooks brings together in one volume twenty-one of the most important essays by these three major historians’, Michael Merrigan, Ireland’s Genealogical Gazette (January 2009).

‘Government, War and Society in Medieval Ireland is notable not just as history but as a study of historians, three successive holders of the Lecky chair of history in Trinity College, Dublin, from 1939 to 1993. Many readers will be familiar with the work of all three, but the unique selling point of this volume is that it brings together between a single set of covers a collection of essays that otherwise would not be readily accessible. Plus there is the editor’s marvellous “warts and all” introduction’, History Ireland (March/ April 2009).

‘Three experts on Medieval Irish culture, all of whom held the Lecky Chair at Trinity College, Dublin, over their careers wrote several essays on aspects of that. Now edited by Crooks these essays have been selected to give a comprehensive portrait of Ireland under Anglo-Norman rule from the conquest of Henry II in 1171 to the end of the reign of Henry VIII. The book is divided into the general topics of government, war and society, although there is of necessity some overlap. They all address to some extent the question of the survival of the Irish language, customs and social structure over such a long period. The creation of the Pale is part of the answer to this as well as the tendency of some English settlers to “go native”, identifying with the land of their birth rather than that of their heritage. The continued efforts of medieval kings to subdue Ireland are stressed in several essays along with their ultimate failure to do so. This book is valuable both for the information it contains, including a fine annotated bibliography, but also as an overview of trends in scholarship for 1925 to 1993’, Book News (May 2009).

‘A handsome volume, cheaper (and bulkier) than many other academic publications, this book is in itself an historical artefact brought back to life by the skilful editing of Peter Crooks. For the assessment of the intellectual legacy of the Lecky professors and resurrecting from the past work which still holds many points of validity, Crooks deserves our praise’, Brendan Scott, Breifne (Vol. XI, 2008).

‘The volume is a splendid arrangement in that it allows us to see how the history of medieval English-Ireland has developed over the course of the twentieth century through the prism of the holders of the Lecky Chair', Coleman A. Dennehy, NUI Maynooth, Parliaments, Estates and Representations (Vol. 29, 2009)

‘The book ultimately rests on the quality of the essays it contains, and any survey of important contributions would contain most of what we have here. To red them as a single collection is to be struck by their pioneering quality and durability. This is particularly the case with the essays selected to represent the contribution of Otway-Ruthven. In their meticulous and almost wilfully colourless way these took Irish history in fascinating directions that remain fruitful to this day … this [is an] excellent book', Brendan Smith, University of Bristol, Studia Hibernica (No. 35, 2008-9)

‘A work that is entertaining and extremely well written, researched and footnoted. He highlights the importance of the authors’ publications, and includes the individuals’ influences and stylistic differences, while keeping a critical eye on both the authors and their commentators. His account of the Leckys’ historiographical backgrounds can only be described as both fascinating and relevant for anyone interested in the development of medieval Irish history in the twentieth century … In light of the very thorough editing work evident throughout, it should come as no surprise that the book also contains an extensive index and an essay by the editor on recent publications in the field of medieval Irish history with specific reference to government, war and society. It is difficult to find fault with this book. Crooks has been meticulous as an editor and most sensible in his selection of essays … the most important thing the authors have in common [is] their invaluable and lasting contribution to our knowledge of the English colony specifically and medieval Irish studies in a more general sense', Freya Verstraten Veach (Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), Irish Historical Studies (Nov. 2009).



GO Home New Titles Limited Stock News eNewsletter About Four Courts Press Contact Us Author Guidelines FAQ	Hardback 408pp. Winter 2008 ISBN: 978-1-84682-105-9 Catalogue Price: €55.00 Web Price: €49.50 Government, War and Society in Medieval Ireland Essays by Edmund Curtis, A.J. Otway-Ruthven and James Lydon Peter Crooks, editor Reviews ‘Crooks has brought twenty-odd pieces together to compose an ordered story of government and law, knights, hobelars and levies, and settlement, agriculture and language’, Books Ireland (December 2008). ‘Any reader of Irish history would have encountered the monumental works of three giants in the field of Irish medieval history, Edmund Curtis, A.J. Otway-Ruthven and James Lydon. As three successive holders of the Lecky Chair of History at Trinity College Dublin, they’ve provided an invaluable legacy for modern scholarship. Government, War and Society in Medieval Ireland - Essays by Edmund Curtis, A.J. Otway-Ruthven and James Lydon edited by Peter Crooks brings together in one volume twenty-one of the most important essays by these three major historians’, Michael Merrigan, Ireland’s Genealogical Gazette (January 2009). ‘Government, War and Society in Medieval Ireland is notable not just as history but as a study of historians, three successive holders of the Lecky chair of history in Trinity College, Dublin, from 1939 to 1993. Many readers will be familiar with the work of all three, but the unique selling point of this volume is that it brings together between a single set of covers a collection of essays that otherwise would not be readily accessible. Plus there is the editor’s marvellous “warts and all” introduction’, History Ireland (March/ April 2009). ‘Three experts on Medieval Irish culture, all of whom held the Lecky Chair at Trinity College, Dublin, over their careers wrote several essays on aspects of that. Now edited by Crooks these essays have been selected to give a comprehensive portrait of Ireland under Anglo-Norman rule from the conquest of Henry II in 1171 to the end of the reign of Henry VIII. The book is divided into the general topics of government, war and society, although there is of necessity some overlap. They all address to some extent the question of the survival of the Irish language, customs and social structure over such a long period. The creation of the Pale is part of the answer to this as well as the tendency of some English settlers to “go native”, identifying with the land of their birth rather than that of their heritage. The continued efforts of medieval kings to subdue Ireland are stressed in several essays along with their ultimate failure to do so. This book is valuable both for the information it contains, including a fine annotated bibliography, but also as an overview of trends in scholarship for 1925 to 1993’, Book News (May 2009). ‘A handsome volume, cheaper (and bulkier) than many other academic publications, this book is in itself an historical artefact brought back to life by the skilful editing of Peter Crooks. For the assessment of the intellectual legacy of the Lecky professors and resurrecting from the past work which still holds many points of validity, Crooks deserves our praise’, Brendan Scott, Breifne (Vol. XI, 2008). ‘The volume is a splendid arrangement in that it allows us to see how the history of medieval English-Ireland has developed over the course of the twentieth century through the prism of the holders of the Lecky Chair', Coleman A. Dennehy, NUI Maynooth, Parliaments, Estates and Representations (Vol. 29, 2009) ‘The book ultimately rests on the quality of the essays it contains, and any survey of important contributions would contain most of what we have here. To red them as a single collection is to be struck by their pioneering quality and durability. This is particularly the case with the essays selected to represent the contribution of Otway-Ruthven. In their meticulous and almost wilfully colourless way these took Irish history in fascinating directions that remain fruitful to this day … this [is an] excellent book', Brendan Smith, University of Bristol, Studia Hibernica (No. 35, 2008-9) ‘A work that is entertaining and extremely well written, researched and footnoted. He highlights the importance of the authors’ publications, and includes the individuals’ influences and stylistic differences, while keeping a critical eye on both the authors and their commentators. His account of the Leckys’ historiographical backgrounds can only be described as both fascinating and relevant for anyone interested in the development of medieval Irish history in the twentieth century … In light of the very thorough editing work evident throughout, it should come as no surprise that the book also contains an extensive index and an essay by the editor on recent publications in the field of medieval Irish history with specific reference to government, war and society. It is difficult to find fault with this book. Crooks has been meticulous as an editor and most sensible in his selection of essays … the most important thing the authors have in common [is] their invaluable and lasting contribution to our knowledge of the English colony specifically and medieval Irish studies in a more general sense', Freya Verstraten Veach (Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), Irish Historical Studies (Nov. 2009).	Your cart contains 0 item(s) Total: €0 Similar/Related Titles Bobbio in the Early Middle Ages: Hardback Studies on Medieval and Early Modern Women: Paperback Aquitaine and Ireland in the Middle Ages: Hardback
All information © Four Courts Press 2006. All rights reserved. Disclaimer Design & Build by Studiomime. Powered by Fuel.

Government, War and Society in Medieval Ireland

Essays by Edmund Curtis, A.J. Otway-Ruthven and James Lydon

Peter Crooks, editor

Reviews

Similar/Related Titles