William Marshal and Ireland
John Bradley, Cóilin Ó Drisceoil & Michael Potterton, editors
"Bradley, O’Drisceoil and Potterton, have produced an exceptional collection of essays, each of which could function as the basis of an extended monograph … it is an example of the best of medieval scholarship: thoughtful, detailed interdisciplinary and filled with as spirit of collegiality that jumps from the page. It was a pleasure to read this volume", Thomas Finan, Journal of Irish Archaeology (2017).
“Any reader with an interest in the Marshal and his family or in the history and archaeology of Leinster, particularly Kilkenny or Wexford, should make sure to get this volume for their bookshelves, but it has a much wider relevance, and should be read by anyone who is interested in the history of English settlement in Ireland ... these essays, and the volume as a whole, contains fascinating and significant conclusions about the processes by which the English built their colony in medieval Ireland.” Sparky Booker, Journal of British Studies, 57(1), 2017
"[An] excellent book from Four Courts Press, containing a range of papers on the life and influence of William Marshal in Ireland … This volume is well illustrated throughout and is a valuable book for understanding Anglo-Norman Ireland", Duncan Berryman, Ulster Archaeological Society newsletter (Winter 2016).
"In ten papers from a conference in Kilkenny Castle, historians focus on the involvement of Marshal and his wife Isabel de Clare, daughter of Strongbow, in Ireland from 1189 to 1219. Marshal is widely perceived as a courtier, teourneyer, and flower of chivalry; but these studies show him also as an empire builder; a magnate; an administrative and economic strategist; and a builder of towns, castles, and churches", Ringgold (March 2017).
"Packed with maps, drawings and colour photographs, this new collection dazzles with fascinating examinations of a tumultuous Irish era. Essays by esteemed academics, archaeologists, historians, and consultants focus on the life and times of William Marshal (c.1146–1219) and his wife, Isabel de Clare of Leinster … [a] constellation of glittering insights from respected authorities", Mary McWay Seaman, The Celtic Connection (May 2017).
"A must for the bookcase of any medievalist", Linda Doran, Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland (2016).
"The purpose of this book is to highlight the legacy of William Marshal and his wife Isabel de Clare in Ireland and in the Irish Sea region ... The book is unusual in emphasising the contribution of women to the career of a famous medieval knight... The contributors of high scholarly merit,. thoughtfully illustrated and written in a clear and accessible style that will appeal to academic and non-academic readers alike." Clare Downham, Peritia 291, (2018).
“Almost everyone engaged with this period will find something of interest here, and the book forms a fitting tribute to two of the contributors, the late John Bradley and Billy Colfer, and the conference organiser, Emma Devine. Their loss is keenly felt by all those studying medieval Ireland.” Stephen Harrison, Current Archaeology (November 2017)
