Lecture Details
Presenter:
What do we mean by ‘Gaelic Ireland’ in the period from the arrival of the Normans in 1169 A.D. to the middle of the 14th century? The conquest of Ireland in the years after 1169 was only partial, unlike England in 1066, and large parts of Ireland, particularly in the west and north, remained in some way under the control of native Irish princes and lords. The situation in Ireland bears similarity to Wales which also saw the survival of native Welsh princes alongside incoming Norman barons. In his lecture, Elite settlement in Gaelic Ireland, 1169-1350AD, Dr. Kieran O’Conor will examine the nature of native Irish elite settlement and will argue that while there was change, continuity from the pre-Norman early medieval period was seen too. This lecture will discuss such things as the lack of identifiable timber and masonry castles in Gaelic Ireland during these years, the late use of crannogs and ringforts, the Irish adoption of some moated sites as princely residences, native agricultural and military practices and the deliberate use of the past for contemporary political purposes.