Studies in Irish History, 1649-1775
Studies in Irish History
1649-1775
Being a Course of Lectures
Delivered before the Irish Literary Society of London
WITH AN INTRODUCTION
BY
R. BARRY O’BRIEN
AUTHOR OF THE "LIFE OF CHARLES STEWART PARNELL," THE "LIFE OF LORD RUSSELL OF KILLOWEN"
BROWNE AND NOLAN, LIMITED
DUBLIN, BELFAST & CORK
London: MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED
1903
Printed by Browne and Nolan, Limited, Dublin.
Introduction
The Irish Literary Society was founded in 1892 to encourage the study of the Irish Language, Irish History, Literature, Music and Art, and to form a point of social union for the Irish in London. In the latter of these objects it has achieved a great measure of success. In the former it has, we hope, done something. It has annually organized lectures on subjects relating to Irish literature, art, music, and history; and it has been fortunate enough to secure the services of many distinguished persons among its own members and among those on whom it had no such claim. It has of late years organized a class for the systematic study of Irish history by its members. It has also, through the generosity of Sir Thomas Lipton, and Mr. William Gibson, been enabled to encourage Irish history and literature by the offer of handsome prizes for essays upon Irish subjects. Further, it may claim a part in establishing the valuable series of books known as the New Irish Library, since the venture was suggested and floated by the late Sir Gavan Duffy, first President of the Society, and other members, officials of the Society, co-operated in the work, The Society also, by organising the subscription list, enabled the invaluable Petrie Collection of Irish Airs to be printed in full. But, owing to lack of funds, it has never, up to this, published any of its transactions, except in such brief record as was found in the Gazette issued for some years to the Society's members.
This year, however, the Society decided, for the first time, to undertake a publication on its own account, and selected, from the many papers which have been read before it, five historical studies dealing with the period from 1649 to 1775. Fortunately the general interest and value of the work seemed sufficient to induce a publisher to relieve the Society of a part of the risk, and the result is the present volume.
The papers here included illustrate the Society’s different activities. General Sir William Butler's discourse on Cromwell was delivered as a lecture to a crowded audience in March, 1902. Mr. Mangan's essay gained the prize of £50 offered by Mr. William Gibson in 1901, and was subsequently read at a meeting of the Society. The remaining three papers, that by Mr. Wilson on Ireland under Charles IT. (which has since been supplemented by a sketch of Tyrconnell’s administration), that of Mr. Gwynn on Sarsfield, and Miss Murray's review of the period after the Treaty of Limerick, were read to meetings of the History Class in the Society’s Reading Room. In so far, therefore, as the Society can be considered as the school for the study of Irish history, which is what we principally desire to make it, these three papers are, in a sense, more representative than the other two which come to us, the one from a distinguished officer who had made his name both as a soldier and as a writer before the Society came into being, and the other from a stranger to whom we were merely able to give the chance of a distinction which he so well merited. But in all cases, for the views expressed in these papers, the writers of the essays must be held solely responsible.
Mr. Mangan's paper was published in the Nineteenth Century; Mr. Gwynn's essay on Sarsfield appeared in Macmillan’s Magazine, minus some historical details, which had to be omitted owing to lack of space. Acknowledgments are due to the editors of, these periodicals for their consent to re-publication.
Irish Literary Society
20 Hanover Square, W.
| page | |
| Oliver Cromwell in Ireland | 1 |
| Lieut.-Gen. SIR WILLIAM BUTLER, K.C.B. | |
| Ireland under Charles II. | 67 |
| PHILIP WILSON. | |
| Ireland under James II. | 125 |
| PHILIP WILSON. | |
| Sieges of Derry and Limerick | 201 |
| H. MANGAN. | |
| Sarsfield | 251 |
| STEPHEN GWYNN. | |
| After Limerick | 289 |
| ALICE EFFIE MURRAY, D.Sc. |
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published in 1903, before the cutoff of January 1, 1929.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1961, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 62 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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