Böcker utgivna av Four Courts Press

The Courts of Justice Act 1924 established the District Court, Circuit Court, High Court and Supreme Court. This book brings together legal scholars, historians and members of the judiciary, to reflect on the legacies of the 1924 Act. Making use of a range of sources and methodologies, the authors analyse the establishment of a new judiciary and some of the challenges facing the new legal order. This book reflects on some of the innovations in the 1924 Act and it includes comparative analysis of courts in other jurisdictions. It traces the position of the Irish language in the courts and considers how both the symbolism and the realities of the new courts were perceived in Irish society.

From the author's extensive collection given to Trinity College in 1996, 105 caricatures, political and social, have been selected that poke fun at the Irish during London's golden age of caricature. Some of them lampoon (or, occasionally, stand up for) celebrated or notorious individuals, among them Edmund Burke, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, the duke of Wellington, John Philpot Curran, Thomas Moore, Viscount Castlereagh and Lady Caroline Lamb. Others target the sturdily built Irish labourers who migrated to London in search of work, and whose undercutting of local wages was much resented. Many prints, too, were published in Dublin, where plagiarism was rife, alleviated occasionally by witty adaptations.

This study examines Carbury's long-established reputation as an unusually stable and prosperous farming community in Co. Kildare. Through the significant challenges of civil strife, famine and the transition from tenancy to ownership, succeeding generations of farmers have sustained not only the land but also a way of life rooted in the soil of Carbury.

On 31 May 1701, the former Jacobite functionary, and notorious cheat, Patrick Hurly of Moughna, Co. Clare, was convicted of perjury for swearing a false affidavit in respect of a ' sham robbery' of gold and jewellery worth £ 1,300. This study, based on the printed trial transcript, an extensive archive created by Sir Donat O' Brien as he worked to ward off Hurly's attempted prosecution, and the state papers, rehearses the complex evidence produced in the trial, the legal manoeuvres undertaken by both sides, and the local rivalry that underpinned the case.

Dú n na nGall, the Irish name for ' Donegal', translates as ' Fort of the Foreigners', but who were the foreigners in question? This book considers that they were Vikings and reviews the archaeological and documentary evidence for Vikings in Donegal and addresses the nature of Viking activity and possible settlement in the county. From Viking silver hoards found throughout Inishowen to a potential Viking-type dwelling at Portnablagh, the evidence for Vikings is strongest in the north and east of the county.

Beginning on the eve of the Leitrim Plantation and concluding in the wake of the Great Famine, this is the story of the St George family and their Carrick-on-Shannon estate. It explores how military prowess and political acuity helped build their wealth, power and status and the extent to which they ultimately became victims of the institutions they helped to create.

This book details the various charitable endeavours of Mary Mercer, from her shelter for orphaned girls (built in 1724), to the later voluntary hospital and her school in Rathcoole, which subsequently merged with the King's Hospital School. Such charitable deeds were supported by imaginative fundraising and donations from wealthy patrons, and are commemorated to this very day by the several buildings and places in Dublin that still bear her name.

This book explores a new way of looking at the reformation in Ireland. Traditionally Irish historians have described early modern religious change on a national basis, from a confessional perspective and have been concerned with short term ' success' or ' failure' . Using St Nicholas's collegiate church in Galway as a paradigm this book approaches the problem from a local perspective, encompassing both the Protestant and Catholic reformations as they were played out in that church. In doing so it reveals religious change not as a something to be measured in the short term but as something that slowly evolved over two centuries, changing not only buildings but hearts and minds also. This is a recreation of the social history of both a building and the communities that used it from the medieval world to the recognisably modern one.

This volume presents a rich variety of new scholarly explorations of life in medieval Dublin, including an analysis by Bruce Campbell of the occupational profile of medieval Dubliners as revealed by records such as the famous Guild Merchant Roll; we also present Valentin Rothaupt's analytical comparison of the spectrum of occupations and the influence of guilds in Dublin with those of Gaffeln in the German city of Cologne; Peter Crooks calls attention to the huge collection of Latin deeds surviving from the medieval city and their enormous historical value, while Sarah Hendriks discusses the records of Dublin's late medieval guild of carpenters.

Dublin - capital of Ireland and, to some at least, the ' second city of the Empire' - was central to the Irish Revolution. But there were many different ' Dublins', including the city borough and its suburban townships, picturesque seaside settlements and the Dublin and Wicklow mountains to the south, and a rural hinterland to the north and west. The city was a hub for the development of the suffrage and republican movements. It also witnessed the largest industrial dispute in the history of the island in 1913, the bulk of the fighting at Easter 1916, and some of the most famous (and infamous) moments of the War of Independence and Civil War. There was also a relatively large and well-organized unionist minority, chiefly centered around the southside townships. The north and west of the county, meanwhile, shared more in common with neighbouring counties than with the city. This book provides a rounded and original overview of revolution in both Dublin city and county. It highlights the sometimes vast differences in experience in urban and rural Dublin, and the wide range of political and military activity undertaken by Dubliners. In particular, the book focusses on ' ordinary' or rank-and-file participants alongside those who took no part at all but witnessed seminal - and not so seminal - moments in Irish history as they happened around them.

The four Latin ' lives' of St Laurence O' Toole (with ancillary material) were critically edited for a doctoral thesis by Maurice Roche in 1981. Sadly Dr Roche died in an accident in 2003. The thesis went ' missing' but photographs of it were made available to Mary Kelly and from these Charles Doherty and Mary produced this book. Contact was made with Dr Roche's relatives who were happy to see his work in print. It was a two volume thesis (now reduced to one). The first consisted of chapters on the life and career of Laurence and invaluable analyses of each of the ' lives' revealing the relationships among them and highlighting the very diverse approaches of the hagiographers to their material. The second contains the critical editions of the ' lives' . For the first time we have a complete dossier of the hagiography of the saint. Critical editions of documents concerning the canonisation and translation followed the ' lives' . Finally, draft translations of the two most important ' lives' (found by his relatives) are appended. The thesis is of fundamental importance for scholars working in twelfth- and thirteenth-century Irish, English and European history.

This volume brings together Nicola Gordon Bowe's most important writings on the Arts and Crafts movement in Ireland, including insightful essays on its cultural and art historical background and contexts, the leading patrons and artists of the movement, as well as key studies of the metalwork, textiles, stained glass, furniture and book design associated with this dramatic flourishing of art and design production in Ireland between 1894 and 1925. Bowe's ability to scrutinize the decorative arts visually, physically and aesthetically is matched by her awareness of the rich intellectual and cultural contexts that gave rise to its production. Her insights into this significant period in Irish cultural history provide the reader with a nuanced understanding of the diverse motivations and achievements of the craftworkers and artists who produced these objects, as well as the roles played by the networks of patrons, critics and supporters that enabled the movement to thrive. Bowe's research places the Arts and Crafts movement firmly within the contexts of the Cultural Revival.

Since 1824, the Ordnance Survey (Tailte É ireann and OSNI, respectively) has become the essence of cartographic accuracy in Ireland, documenting the ever-changing relationship between people and the environment. Though it has left a detailed and invaluable historical record in its wake, the story of its foundation is, however, less well-known. This book brings to life the fascinating primordial days of the Ordnance Survey of Ireland. In doing so, it delves into the politics, technical logic and complex post-Union social issues that shaped the survey. Initially called upon to aid land-based tax reform, its specifics soon became a source of disagreement between Irish MPs and the imposing figure of Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington. In finding the survey's most suitable path, the island's colourful and often painful history with mapping was exposed, and a new course was set for its cartographic future.

The Irish Jacobite army was the largest body of Irish soldiers ever to go into battle prior to the twentieth century. Although largely a new force, for three years, in alliance with France, it sustained a major war against a multi-national and more professional Williamite army, involving pitched battles, sieges and other military operations throughout Ireland. This book outlines the course of the war, but primarily its focus is on a detailed examination of the army's various aspects. The coverage includes the army's peacetime origins; its reaction to the 1688 revolution; descriptions and analysis of the infantry, cavalry, artillery and engineering corps, and of the legal, medical and chaplaincy services. There is treatment of the army's command and staff structure, its finance and logistics, the French dimension and the roles of various auxiliary forces that supported it. The backgrounds and beliefs of its personnel are also considered. Many of the army's personalities are introduced. The army's eventual fate and its lingering tradition on the continent are described.

At the beginning of the sixteenth century, the south Connacht lordships of Clanrickard and Hy Many lay beyond the effective control of the Tudor government. Clanrickard was ruled by the Burke dynasty, descendants of the thirteenth-century Anglo-Norman conquerors and colonists of Connacht, while Hy Many was governed by the indigenous Gaelic Irish O' Kelly lords. The author charts the episodic expansion of English rule into the lordships, while taking cognizance of major government initiatives such as the surrender and regrant programme of the early 1540s, the establishment of the Connacht presidency in 1569, and the composition of Connacht in 1585. The difficulties experienced by the historically hostile political communities of Clanrickard and Hy Many as they endeavoured to accommodate the expanding Tudor state are analysed and discussed, as are the consequent changes in the political, social and economic fabric of the province of Connacht.

St. Brigid is the earliest and best-known of the female saints of Ireland. In the generation after St. Patrick, she established a monastery for men and women at Kildare which became one of the most powerful and influential centres of the Church in early Ireland. The stories of Brigid's life and deeds survive in several early sources, but the most important are two Latin lives written a century or more after her death. The first was composed by a churchman named Cogitosus and tells of her many miracles of healing and helping the poor. The second source, known as the Vita Prima, continues the tradition with more tales of marvellous deeds and journeys throughout the island. Both Latin sources are a treasure house of information not just about the legends of Brigid but also daily life, the role of women, and the spread of Christianity in Ireland. This book for the first time presents together an English translation of both the Life of Brigid by Cogitosus and the Vita Prima, along with the Latin text of both carefully edited from the best medieval manuscripts. Also included are an introduction, notes, and commentary to help general readers, students, and scholars in reading these fascinating stories of St. Brigid.

Éigse is devoted to the cultivation of a wide range of research on the Irish language and its literature, embracing both textual and contextual studies. Volume 41 contains articles ranging from an edition of a medieval Irish text to modern regional dialects. Other contributions in both Irish and English, from established and emerging scholars in Ireland and abroad, include the fields of place-names, keening, lexicography, the revival movement, and the contents of a recently identified Gaelic manuscript in Massachusetts. This volume also contains substantial review articles on Amrae Coluimb Chille, the lives of the saints, and the history of theatre in Irish, as well as a broad range of book reviews on many aspects of Irish studies.

The turbulent revolutionary period in modern Irish history from 1912 to 1923 had a profound impact on the political, economic and social make-up of Laois. The issue of land that had dominated the landscape of Laois from the late nineteenth century onwards, continued to do so during the Irish revolutionary years, often intertwined with the major political developments of the era. Cormac Moore's book explores how seismic national events from the Third Home Rule Crisis, through to the First World War, the 1916 Easter Rising, the War of Independence and the Civil War affected Laois. Moore's book provides a comprehensive extensively researched account of how the Irish Revolution impacted on all sections of Laois society at the time, with its effects reverberating for years after.

As Ireland descended into war in 1689, Londonderry was isolated and besieged. Unable to stop the Irish advance or to control the "ungovernable rabble" that flooded into the city, the governor deserted. The city's defence was left to men described by their commander as "rogues" and "sons of whores." In the desperate fighting that followed, every assault on the city's walls ended in failure, as did every attempt to drive the Irish off. Exasperated by the inexperienced Irish officers, the French took over the siege. The city was saved by a combination of the sturdy defences and an outbreak of typhus which killed almost half the population (and all the children), a tragedy without which the city would have been starved into an early surrender. This new book casts a critical eye over these sources, and for the first time provides a thorough analysis of the wealth of material that has since come to light recently. Every aspect of the siege is held up to careful scrutiny and retold. The result is an account of the siege very different to any published to date.