Dublin in the medieval world
Studies in honour of Howard B. Clarke
John Bradley, Anngret Simms & Alan J. Fletcher, editors
‘Dublin, like other populous ports, has long attracted immigrants. Some arrived as conquerors and plunderers and were hardly welcome. Other have enlivened and enriched the city. One relatively recent arrival, Howard Clarke, the medieval historian trained in Birmingham, belongs firmly to the latter group. Bringing the perspective of an outsider, familiar with urban development in continental Europe, he has applied his skills to uncovering the fabric and elucidating the societies and economy of Dublin before the seventeenth century … The essays [in this collection] range dizzily over time and topic … there is much here to inform and entertain. Mirroring the variousness of Howard Clarke’s own work, the volume is an exciting brand-tub into which to dip … For specialists there is fresh information and interpretations to ponder and even to dispute. For lovers of Dublin, the contributions tell much that is new about the capital', Toby Barnard, Irish Times, WeekendReview (Saturday, 5 September 2009).
‘Howard B. Clarke is the foremost scholar on medieval Dublin … This book begins with tributes to him as a lecturer and historian, and a chronological catalogue of his writings. The remainder is a collection of essays by former students and colleagues on his area of expertise, medieval Dublin. The twenty-four chapters look at Dublin under the Vikings, the cross-cultural influences and the role of the church, for example, as well as considering the various maps and depictions of the city of this era. As a serious and well-illustrated study of Dublin from the Viking age to the 16th century, this is a worthy tribute to a much admired scholar', Books Ireland (September 2009).
'Dublin in the Medieval World sports a series of essays in honour of renowned and highly erspected scholar and 'Dublinophile' Howard B. Clarke. The festschrift deals with a wide-ranging series of topics - political, cultural, historical and archaeological - concerning the medieval city', Tom Condit, Archaeology Ireland (Autumn 2009).
‘A superbly illustrated volume … the present Festschrift celebrates scholar [Howard Clarke] … Clarke’s contribution has been made in distinctive ways: through searching articles, of a markedly international and cross-disciplinary character; and through a formidable record of editing, translating and map-making, often in collaboration with others. His achievements and influence are visible, not just in the four ecomia with which the book opens, but in many of the twenty-four essays that follow. Appropriately, the volume contains the work of archaeologists, architectural and art historians, cartographers and historical geographers alongside that of “straight” historians … the book is topped and tailed by six pieces on the Viking period and five on what might be described as the afterlife of medieval Dublin … a most rewarding collection, whose honourand would be the first to welcome recent signs that new chapters in the history of medieval Dublin are about to be opened', Robin Frame, EHR (August 2010).
‘Scholarship on [Dublin] has proliferated in the last ten to fifteen years and this finely produced volume forms a very welcome addition to the ever growing library on medieval and modern Dublin ... By focusing on one city and its history up to the end of the medieval period, the essays are closely related and all are of interest … For me, the particular strengths of the volume are its architectural and art historical essays, and they would certainly justify buying this volume alone, but all the other studies in this volume with their emphasis on the historical, political, religious, socio-cultural and archaeological make it as focused a collection as is possible and a valuable addition to any library', Colum Hourihane, The Medieval Review (Autumn 2010).
‘The papers [in this book] are consistently of high quality … Given the city’s importance within Ireland and in the Irish Sea area in this period, there is much that will be of interest to those working within these wider geographical areas, and some of the more wide-ranging papers will appeal to a broader audience again. The book’s future use will be greatly facilitated by its index and by its full bibliography of primary and secondary sources … a fitting tribute to [Clarke’s] remarkable and ongoing contribution to the study of medieval Dublin, and indeed its world', Stephen H. Harrison, Medieval Archaeology (Spring 2011).
