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Ireland and the Monarchy
"Taken as a whole, these easily digestible vignettes collectively provide an illustrative, if not quite exhaustive, arc of Irish thought on royalty, adeptly addressing the particular interests of academic specialists without sacrificing clarity for a wider popular audience." – CHOICE
In the twenty-first century there are two jurisdictions on the island of Ireland, and two very different heads of state represent the populations of Ireland and Northern Ireland the elected presidency of the republic, and the hereditary monarchy of the United Kingdom. But the idea of monarchy, and the related notion of aristocracy, has a long heritage in Ireland. There was a native aristocracy long before the British conquest, and British monarchs were not the only monarchs to matter to Irish people. Now, in the third installment of the collaboration between Pen and Sword and History Ireland magazine, a range of experts examine how the role played by monarchs and their monarchies from the middle ages up to the present has had a role in shaping Ireland and its peoples, exploring some unexpected highways and byways along the way. From the Vikings to the Jacobites, and from the high-kings of Irish mythology to Mrs Simpson, this volume looks at king’s, queens, their followers and their opponents to cast light on Ireland’s history from an unexpected angle.
In the twenty-first century there are two jurisdictions on the island of Ireland, and two very different heads of state represent the populations of Ireland and Northern Ireland the elected presidency of the republic, and the hereditary monarchy of the United Kingdom. But the idea of monarchy, and the related notion of aristocracy, has a long heritage in Ireland. There was a native aristocracy long before the British conquest, and British monarchs were not the only monarchs to matter to Irish people. Now, in the third installment of the collaboration between Pen and Sword and History Ireland magazine, a range of experts examine how the role played by monarchs and their monarchies from the middle ages up to the present has had a role in shaping Ireland and its peoples, exploring some unexpected highways and byways along the way. From the Vikings to the Jacobites, and from the high-kings of Irish mythology to Mrs Simpson, this volume looks at king’s, queens, their followers and their opponents to cast light on Ireland’s history from an unexpected angle.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published September 16, 2019
9 people want to read
About the author
John Gibney
35 books11 followersJohn Gibney is a historian attached to the Royal Irish Academy's Documents on Irish Foreign Policy Project. He is a long-time contributor to History Ireland and is the author of A short history of Ireland, 1500-2000 (Yale University Press, 2018).
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 22, 2023
A very nice and informatively short work on the relationship of Ireland, and more specifically, the Irish people with, not just the English/British monarchy but with monarchy in general.
Given that Irish history, as taught and presented, in the 21st century is steeped in nationalist and patriotic republicanism, the relationship between Ireland and monarchy, particularily the English/British monarchy, is often painted as black and white as possible. This has the double effect of reinforcing the justification for the Irish Republican movement and subsequent risings and wars which lead ultimately to Irelands independance in the 1920's but also the removal of nuance in terms of the Irish people's relationship, acknowledgement or even interest in such a form of government as a monarchy.
As an introduction to the topic this book does a good job of discussing not only Gaelic monarchy and the position of the High-King, but also of the willing submission of Gaelic kings and lords to English monarchy, albeit only while they were physically present. It details the loyalty which the Irish people held for the House of Stuart, how Irish nobles sought a foreign king when disatisfied with Elizabeth, and how they served with gallantry for various European royalty. It also highlights the curiosity which Irish people felt towards the monarchy as an insitution, be it gazing at the visiting Empress of Austria in the 19th Century, or watching the coronation of Elizabeth II on very poor quality television. Rather than black and white, this short book of essays demonstrates that the relationship of Irish people and monarchy is far more grey than we are willing to publically acknowledge. Even today for example, many who stated they would never watch the coronation of Charles III in the end did, automatically: 'I am a republican all the way but I was just curious so I had it on in the background'.
My only qualms with this book, other than its lack of footnotes, was with Chapter 9; 'King Billy: A military assessment'. I think this chapter was a missed oppertunity. It feels as though the author new the Williamite War would have to be discussed in some capacity and that this would be a safe inclusion to a thorny subject. It merely assesses William's ability as a comander with reference to the Battle of the Boyne and his blunders on the day. Not a bad chapter, but not right for this book is my assessment. Better it would have been to review the Irish populations loyalty to James, their hopes and aspirations and then looking at their perception of William III after his victory. The events of 1689-91 did more than anything else to shape the Irish perception of monarchy and their relationship to it and sadly the book missed it chance to adress it.
Otherwise a very good little read which I would honestly recommend to the general reader of Irish history, or even to the general Irish public, to get a mroe balanced view/foundation of their ancestors relationship to and with monarchies.
Given that Irish history, as taught and presented, in the 21st century is steeped in nationalist and patriotic republicanism, the relationship between Ireland and monarchy, particularily the English/British monarchy, is often painted as black and white as possible. This has the double effect of reinforcing the justification for the Irish Republican movement and subsequent risings and wars which lead ultimately to Irelands independance in the 1920's but also the removal of nuance in terms of the Irish people's relationship, acknowledgement or even interest in such a form of government as a monarchy.
As an introduction to the topic this book does a good job of discussing not only Gaelic monarchy and the position of the High-King, but also of the willing submission of Gaelic kings and lords to English monarchy, albeit only while they were physically present. It details the loyalty which the Irish people held for the House of Stuart, how Irish nobles sought a foreign king when disatisfied with Elizabeth, and how they served with gallantry for various European royalty. It also highlights the curiosity which Irish people felt towards the monarchy as an insitution, be it gazing at the visiting Empress of Austria in the 19th Century, or watching the coronation of Elizabeth II on very poor quality television. Rather than black and white, this short book of essays demonstrates that the relationship of Irish people and monarchy is far more grey than we are willing to publically acknowledge. Even today for example, many who stated they would never watch the coronation of Charles III in the end did, automatically: 'I am a republican all the way but I was just curious so I had it on in the background'.
My only qualms with this book, other than its lack of footnotes, was with Chapter 9; 'King Billy: A military assessment'. I think this chapter was a missed oppertunity. It feels as though the author new the Williamite War would have to be discussed in some capacity and that this would be a safe inclusion to a thorny subject. It merely assesses William's ability as a comander with reference to the Battle of the Boyne and his blunders on the day. Not a bad chapter, but not right for this book is my assessment. Better it would have been to review the Irish populations loyalty to James, their hopes and aspirations and then looking at their perception of William III after his victory. The events of 1689-91 did more than anything else to shape the Irish perception of monarchy and their relationship to it and sadly the book missed it chance to adress it.
Otherwise a very good little read which I would honestly recommend to the general reader of Irish history, or even to the general Irish public, to get a mroe balanced view/foundation of their ancestors relationship to and with monarchies.
Displaying 1 of 1 review