Four Courts Press Ltd – förlag

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.

The Ó Cellaig (O’ Kelly) lordship of Uí Maine and Tí r Maine was a substantial political territory and influential cultural power in later medieval Connacht. This book identifies and reconstructs the physical appearance of the major Ó Cellaig lordly centres from their emergence as one of the principal offshoots of the Uí Maine in c.1100, to the demise of the lordship around the year 1600. It begins with an historical background, which helps to identify the lordly centres (cenn á iteanna), and define the shifting physical boundaries of this territory through the period. The later medieval physical environment is then reconstructed, with an exploration of the resources and economic conditions which underpinned this inland Gaelic lordship. Thereafter, the focus moves to inspect these cenn á iteanna, their siting, forms and surrounding cultural landscapes. In doing so, the writer investigates a broad range of settlement forms, including the continued use of crannÓ ga and promontory forts, before turning to the tower house castle. This book tackles important themes in later medieval Gaelic society and its physical expression, through the lens of these eastern Connacht lords.

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 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. The book also contains an examination by Patrick Wadden of Richard Stanihurst’ s famous claim that Oxmantown began life in the year 1095 following an invasion of Dublin by ‘ Easterlings’ ; Caitlin Ellis explores links between Dublin and the medieval earldom of Orkney in the era of the battle of Clontarf; Denis Casey offers a critical re-examination of the story of the elaborate feast held at Dublin by King Henry II at Christmas 1171; Shea Brennan discusses the famous triennial ceremonial procession through the suburbs of the city, known as the ‘ Riding of the Franchises’ ; while the volume also hosts Bernadette Williams’ s evaluation of how the Dublin chronicler John de Pembridge chose to portray contemporary English kings and their lieutenants in Ireland. Major archaeological excavations have been conducted by Edmond O’ Donovan at the site of the great St Mary’ s Cistercian Abbey and this volume contains his preliminary report, along with the results of Paul Duffy’ s dig nearby at the abbey’ s ‘ Cemetary Gate’ and outer precinct wall. Franc Myles also presents results from his excavation at Keysars Lane beside St Audoen’ s; Caitrí ona Moore discusses her excavation of a riverfront site at Strand Street Great and Abbey Street Upper; while Muireann Ní Cheallachá in describes the contents of a medieval dumping ground she found at Chancery Street in Oxmantown. Artefactual studies include John Nicholl’ s report on an important assemblage of shoes and other leatherwork dating from the late tenth century onwards, excavated at Strand Street Great.

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.