Medieval Gaelic Ireland

In this episode of Amplify Archaeology Podcast, Neil chats with Dr Daniel Curley about the Uí Chellaig lords of Uí Maine and Tír Maine, and the landscapes of Medieval Gaelic Ireland.

With the Year of the Normans on the horizon, there is undoubtedly going to be a renewed interest in the story of the Norman impact on medieval Ireland. It should also provide opportunities to understand the context into which the Normans arrived, by examining the culture, society, and landscapes of medieval Gaelic Ireland. One such study has already been carried out by Dr Daniel Curley, who examined the Ó Cellaig (O’Kelly) lordship of Uí Maine and Tír Maine, a substantial political territory and influential cultural power in later medieval Connacht.

Daniel’s book follows the story of the Ó Cellaig 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 áiteanna), and define the shifting physical boundaries of this territory through the period.

In this episode of Amplify Archaeology Podcast, Daniel joins Neil to dig into the subject, and discusses the impact of the Normans on this part of medieval Gaelic Ireland.

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Medieval Gaelic Ireland – Key Discussion Points and Show Notes

• How Daniel became interested in this era and landscape – 2 min 50 secs
• A background to the lordship of Uí Maine and Tír Maine – 3 min 58 secs
• What forms of evidence did Daniel use to understand the story of this era and place – 5 min 42 secs
• Where did the O’Kellys come from, and how did they become so prominent? – 8 min 10 secs
• What was the relationship between the O’Conors and O’Kellys? – 10 min 42 secs
• What was the social hierarchical structure of the lordship? – 14 min 15 secs
• How did day to day life change across the period? – 18 min
• Lordly residences through time, cashels, ringforts, crannogs – 21 min 04 secs
• Cultural continuity and tradition – 25 min 27 secs
• What are the differences between the Gaelic and Norman/English? – 28 mins 40 secs
• The church of Medieval Gaelic Ireland – 31 mins 10 secs
• The introduction of towerhouses – 35 mins 22 secs
• The twilight of Medieval Gaelic Ireland – 38 mins 37 secs
• Where you can go to experience Medieval Gaelic Ireland – 43 mins 15 secs

Links to further information

• I highly recommend Daniel’s book The Uí Chellaig lords of Uí Maine and Tír Maine for a much deeper dive into the subject. You can order a copy online at the Four Courts Press website, or in the Rathcroghan Book Shop.
• You can hear Daniel featured on a previous episode of Amplify Archaeology discussing the brilliant Farming Rathcroghan Project. You can find that here.
• And I highly recommend a visit to the Rathcroghan Centre, find more information here.
• I hope you enjoyed the show. I’d be so grateful if you could leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts if you can, or share the episode using the podcast #AmplifyArchaeology – it really does help us to be found!
• If you’d like to dig deeper into the stories of Ireland you’ll love our membership service Tuatha. You’ll find online courses on Irish archaeology and heritage, articles on places to visit, itineraries for great days out, opportunities to join us on our monthly lecture series and on our tours, and lots more! You can learn more and sign up here. And remember to use your coupon code AMPLIFY20 for 20% off.