Castles in Ireland

Feudal Power in a Gaelic World

By Tom McNeill

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About the Book

The castles of Ireland are an essential part of the study of medieval Europe, but were, until recently, a subject neglected by scholars. A lord's power and prestige were displayed in the majesty and uniqueness of his castle. The remains of several thousand castles enable us to reconstruct life in Ireland during these crucial centuries.
Castles in Ireland tells the story of the nature and development of lordship and power in medieval Ireland. Ireland formed the setting to the interplay of the differing roles of competing lordship: English and Irish; feudal European and Gaelic; royal and baronial. Tom McNeill argues that the design of the castles contest the traditional view of Ireland as a land torn by war and divided culturally between the English and Irish.

Reviews

'Stimulating and readable. It sets out the particular nature of Irish castelology with clarity, and, in the process, explains the nature of medieval Irish Power bases and networks the book is handsomely produced. It will be the standard work for many years to come.' - Archaeological Journal