How the Irish People Is to Be Conquered? (Gerald de Barry, c. 1189): The Archaeology of Anglo-Norman Castles and Fortifications (1170-1348)

This public klecture is held in the framework of the Faculty Research Seminar.

In this paper I will argue that one of the two contemporary Anglo-Norman sources for the invasion of Ireland at the end of the twelfth century, that of the writings of Giraldus Cambrensis, was surprisingly accurate in his account of the encastellation of the eastern side of the country, and also in his analysis of the warfare that took place there.  Gerald also had the advantage of visiting Ireland twice while he was writing his two works about the country.  Thus it is not surprising that the archaeological evidence that we possess for this initial Anglo-Norman settlement of Ireland, tends to support his interpretation of these events.

Terry Barry is a professor in the Department of History, and Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, where he specializes in teaching medieval archaeology.  His research interests centre on the settlement archaeology of Ireland, Britain and Western Europe in the Middle Ages, particularly its castles and defensive earthworks.   He is the author of many articles and books, including The Archaeology of Medieval Ireland (Digitally Reprinted in 2004 for Routledge), and in 2000 he edited A History of Settlement in Ireland, also for Routledge.  He is currently the Chair of the directorate of the Discovery Programme, the archaeological research company funded through the Heritage Council, and was recently a Council member of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.  He is also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society; a Vice-President of the Society for Medieval Archaeology, and an Honorary Vice-President of the Royal Archaeological Institute.