Ireland in the Medieval World, AD 400 - 1000: Landscape, Kingship and Religion

by Edel Bhreathnach

This is a study of Ireland's people, landscape, and place in the world from late antiquity to the reign of Brian Borama. The book narrates the story of Ireland's emergence into history, using anthropological, archaeological, historical, and literary evidence. The subjects covered include the king, the kingdom and the royal household, religion and customs, free and unfree classes in society, exiles, and foreigners. The rural, urban, ecclesiastical, ceremonial, and mythological landscapes of early medieval Ireland anchor the history of early Irish society in the rich tapestry of archaeological sites, monuments, and place-names that have survived to the present day. A historiography of medieval Irish studies presents the commentaries of a variety of scholars, from the 17th-century Franciscan Micheal O Cleirigh to Eoin Mac Neill, the founding father of modern scholarship.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ireland, Irish Literature, Medieval History, Medieval

293 pages, Hardcover

First published December 13, 2013

Reviews

[Garret Giblin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable throwback to the OG days

[Alethes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good introduction to the period. Academically written, but still entertaining. Highly recommended.

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please read my review at Celtic Scholar's Reviews and Opinions

[M F]

This would have been really helpful to read at the start of the ASNaC course, because it provides a detailed but not overwhelming overview of medieval Ireland and acts as an effective introduction to the topic. The way this course is structured, students are given detailed essay questions without ever knowing the basics, and it's extremely hard to wade through details without knowing any of the background. This book would have helped substantially with that. It probably isn't detailed enough to be vastly helpful at this stage, but I'm hoping getting a better impression of the big picture will help in the exam anyway, and maybe I'll remember a few more details. Anyway, I'll be adding this to the unofficial list of books I recommend to people on Tumblr who ask me what they should read if they're interested in studying the subject.