Centuries of Trial Volume 1. Ireland under English rule from 1171 until 1691
Micheál Mac Seiridh
A new unvarnished history of Ireland under English rule until 1922, volume 1 covers the period from 1171 until 1691. Comprehensive and easy to read. Based mainly on period and long out of print sources with many quotations and first hand accounts. Includes much information and little known facts not found elsewhere. Illustrated with maps. 596 pages
Part 1 – The Failed Conquest, 1171-1551
In 1169, the arrival of a band of Norman adventurers to restore Diarmuid Mac Murrough as King of Leinster heralds the coming of King Henry II of England two years later. Despite a pledge of peace, Henry immediately breaks his word and launches a brutal campaign of conquest. For over three and a half centuries the English are unable to conquer Ireland. Finally in the mid sixteenth century, King Henry VIII offers the Irish a new deal called “Surrender and Regrant”. The acceptance of this policy by the Irish Kings will be the first step in the demise of Gaelic Ireland and their nation’s undoing.
Part 2 – For Faith and Fatherland, 1552-1691
In the second half of the sixteenth century, Queen Elizabeth I uses the adherence of the Irish to Catholicism as her reason to eradicate the Gaelic way of life and supplant Ireland’s Kings. Resistance is met with mass extermination. Large parts of Ireland are “cleansed” of Gaelic Irish and planted with English settlers. A Gaelic rebellion is launched in Ulster in 1594 which spreads nationwide. When it is finally crushed in 1603, Ulster is seized by the Crown and planted with lowland Scottish and English. A great national rebellion in 1641 finally leads to the reconquest of Ireland in 1649 by Oliver Cromwell. Great crimes and massacres against the Irish people are committed. Following the death of Cromwell and the return of the monarchy, the Catholic King James II is deposed and replaced by William of Orange. When James flees to Ireland, the Irish people fight for him in defence of faith and fatherland. In 1691, the Irish finally surrender at Limerick after securing a treaty from the English which promises freedom for the Catholic faith and security of land ownership.
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Sold by: Micheál Mac SeiridhReviews (6)
6 reviews for Centuries of Trial Volume 1. Ireland under English rule from 1171 until 1691
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Rita Hollmann –
This book is so interesting and well written.
Dermot Cassidy –
If you are a follower of fashion or are what a famous son of Ulster dubbed a “chronological snob” then this history is not for you. It unashamedly embodies the kind of history that was fashionable at the start of the twentieth century and hard to find by its end. Good and evil are recognised for what they are and judged accordingly. Great men and heinous villains stand in the foreground, the faceless masses lurk at the back. Wars loom larger than domestic activities. Actions speak louder than words but are to be explained by what men might say about them rather than by “structural circumstances” beyond their grasp. The history is also partisan, not in the sense of biased but by openly taking the part of those it holds to have been wronged – namely the Irish by the English. After reading the book, it is hard to disagree given the weight of detail that the author has provided to back up his case. Atrocity is piled on atrocity until the reputation of England lies buried under a heap of Irish corpses. Of course the Irish are not innocent. Incessant infighting makes them complicit in their own conquest. Even if they will not be subdued they will not unite in their own interests; and the traitor is always on hand to strike the back of those holding their own against a ferocious frontal assault. Irish history, in short, is red with blood and gore. If you are inclined to agree then “tolle lege”, you will not be disappointed!
James Ryan –
A real historical fact based book telling the truth about the Irish Anglo conflict. The author must have spent years researching.highly recommended.
Sean Bailey –
A most enjoyable read. I couldn’t put it down. Unlike most history books, this one is not written for academics. It has awakened in me an enlivened interest in Irish history. A beautiful book
G.Pallin –
Enter any Irish book shop and one is met with a huge array of books examining Irish history. Yet the genocide that occured is dealt with matter-of-factly as if giving a detailed analysis is re-opening ‘old wounds’. However, to gloss over this period would be like a history of China with scant mention of the ‘Cultural Revolution’. If we are to understand what has led to modern day Ireland it is vital that this period of history is given the serious attention it warrants. Mac Seiridh has done a great service to both scholar and student alike by collating the subject matter in large but easily read volumes for the masses.