Research Profile

David Edwards

Biography

I am a Dubliner, born and raised in Perrystown, and a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin. At Trinity I was fortunate to study under Ciaran Brady, Helga Robinson-Hammerstein, Aidan Clarke and LM Cullen, outstanding early modernists whose lectures drew me into the period and left me wanting to know more; while from James Lydon and Ian Robinson I developed an abiding interest in the medieval period. On my arrival at UCC in 1993 I was able to merge the two areas, partly to plug a gap in the department's teaching, but also to pursue my research interests, which by then had begun to explore continuities between late medieval and early modern Ireland in order the better to identify and measure some of the profound political and social, religious and cultural changes that occurred during the 1500s and early 1600s.

Manuscript Studies/Irish Manuscripts Commission

One of the biggest problems affecting the proper study of Irish history circa 1450-1640 has been the shortfall in available documentary sources from all parts of the country because of the destruction wrought by the wars of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and, worse still, by the blowing up of the old Public Record Office in Dublin by IRA volunteers in 1922. Together with my friend Brian Donovan I attempted to help rectify this situation by conducting a search for surviving Irish historical documents in local and regional archive centres in Great Britain; our search took seven years, running in tandem with our PhD theses. Eventually it bore fruit as a monograph published by the Irish Manuscripts Commission in 1997, British Sources for Irish History, 1485-1641: A Guide to manuscripts in local, regional and specialised repositories in England, Scotland and Wales. (There is also a handlist of earlier material published in Analecta Hibernica no. 37 (1998)). While never compensating for all that has been lost, the 'British Sources' project did succeed in locating and recovering for scholarly use several thousand documents that otherwise would have remained in obscurity. In 2006 I became a Director of the Manuscripts Commission by ministerial appointment, a position that has enabled me to help others search out and prepare editions of key primary materials of late medieval/early modern date. Such work will need to continue a long time before Irish historians can match the range and depth of insights of medievalists and early modernists in Britain. 

Regional studies: the changing world of the lordships

Because of my medievalist foundations I have been inclined to examine developments in sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century Ireland from a variety of local and regional perspectives, rather than from the windows of Dublin Castle. With the great bulk of the country in 1500 controlled by approximately seventy native lords and lineages of different ethnicities - 'Old Irish'/Gaelic Irish, 'Old English'/Anglo-Irish, and Gaelic Scottish - I have tried to discover how the advent of direct English rule after 1534 impacted on the lords' territories and the communities over which they ruled. The large territories of the Butler earls of Ormond was the focus of my early work, and culminated in my 2003 monograph study, The Ormond Lordship in County Kilkenny, 1515-1642, besides numerous essays and articles. It broke new ground by exploring the fortunes of a major Anglo-Irish dynasty and its subjects and followers through both the Tudor conquest and the ensuing Early Stuart colonisation and Protestantisation of the country. By covering a longer timeframe it was possible to identify the extent to which an important region, under the heel of strong and adaptable rulers,  could withstand external pressures for decades yet ultimately, like other areas, it had to capitulate as the power of the central government pressed in, with explosive consequences. 

My work on the Butlers and their followers drew upon the enormous Ormond archive in the National Library of Ireland and the Bodleian Library. Since then I have investigated the Gaelic experience of conquest, colonisation and Protestantisation through the papers of the MacGiollapadraigs of Ossory, which though small in number are rich in detail. I have also delved into the experiences of the O'Byrnes of Wicklow, the O'Briens of Thomond, the O'Donnells of Tyrconnell, the Cruises of the Pale, and the Fitzgerald earls of Desmond.

Colonialism in action: Richard Boyle, 1st earl of Cork

My current principal project, funded by the Irish Research Council, focusses on the career and estate of the notorious 'New English' adventurer Richard Boyle, 1st earl of Cork, whose land-grabbing activities in Munster and parts of Connacht and Leinster helped to transform the social and economic life of early seventeenth-century Ireland. Besides tracking definitively his acquisitions and investments drawing upon his personal papers in the National Library and Chatsworth House, I hope to establish the extent to which he re-peopled large parts of southern Ireland with English and Welsh settlers and artisans to create a supposedly model English colony, and how he consolidated this through his relations with the native Gaelic and Anglo-Irish inhabitants who bordered his lands. Boyle's archive is extraordinarily rich, possibly the most complete for any subject of the crown in seventeenth-century Ireland, and properly approached affords a remarkable opportunity to observe the creation of a great colonial estate piece by piece, from the ground up - something simply impossible for any other colonial figure of the time. While much of what Boyle did was new and was broadly typical of the behaviour of colonial adventurers elsewhere in the seventeenth century, it is also becoming apparent that he was deeply conscious of the medieval heritage of southern Ireland, and he looked to draw upon it and manipulate it the better to acquire legitimacy in native eyes. Careful reading of his estate papers reveals a great deal about the abiding influence of longstanding local Gaelic and Anglo-Irish lineages whose lands Boyle acquired, and about how he relied on native intermediaries as well as English government power to first negotiate acquisition from them and then to manage their displacement.  The picture that is emerging is of a much more pragmatic, and less ideologically driven character than was once thought. Besides a commitment to the Irish Research Council to complete a monograph sudy of his estate (currently under way) it is my intention to publish a major edition of his estate papers and his letter-book as Lord Justice of Ireland 1629-33, and ultimately, in several years' time, a full-length biography of one of the most significant figures of Ireland's 'Age of Plantations'.

Violence and political change

My other principal area of research activity has focussed on the violence with which Ireland experienced conquest and colonisation c.1540-1641. My research on the Tudor government’s reliance on martial law and summary executions, and the scale and activity of the crown garrison, has led me to challenge a prevailing orthodoxy which emphasised the Tudors’ supposed commitment to peaceful ‘reform’ and the extension of English law and institutions. A lively debate has ensued! It has drawn wider international
attention to Tudor and Stuart Ireland, which is now seen by many as having experienced one of the bloodiest colonial conflicts in Early Modern Europe. My forthcoming essay in the Routledge History of Genocide will attempt to clarify the basis on which successive Tudor administrations had recourse to mass killings, and the extent to which such atrocities were in fact perpetrated. 

Other areas that I have investigated include

•The role of religion in English migration into Ireland during the ‘Age of Plantations’: in an essay published in 2005 I explored the high numbers of English Catholics who came to Ireland after circa 1560 to escape mounting persecution at home; as part of my IRC Boyle project I am currently attempting to determine the religious identity of Boyle's English tenants in Munster and Connacht 1600-40 in order to show that even on a supposedly 'model' planter's estate, English settlement was not necessarily Protestant settlement.

•The extent to which the post-1603 Scottish settlers who arrived in Ireland to benefit from the plantations co-operated with, or separated from, their English colonial partners, and what this tells us about the lead-up to the Irish rebellion of 1641. The topic is addressed in detail in my forthcoming edited volume, The Scots in Early Stuart Ireland: Union and Separation in Two Kingdoms (Manchester University Press, 2015).

•The extent of political unrest in Ireland 1610-41, a subject rarely addressed. In addition to my article on this published in 2013 (see Publications list) I will be revisiting it in my forthcoming chapter for the Cambridge History of Ireland (2017, in preparation).   

Studies in Early Modern Irish History
In 2010 I joined with Dr Micheal O Siochru of Trinity College Dublin to approach Manchester University Press about publishing a new series of books about Early Modern Ireland. Given that the study of the period has been undergoing a boom since the 1990s we felt the time was right to bring some of the new insights to a wider international audience, and in doing so to demonstrate the extent to which old orthodoxies have slipped and a new interpretative framework emerged. Our approach was successful. It resulted in Studies in Early Modern Irish History, a series encompassing monographs as well as edited collections. Two volumes have so far appeared, The Plantation of Ulster: Ideology and Practice (Manchester UP 2012), and Ireland 1641: Contexts and Reactions (Manchester UP 2013). A third volume is imminent, The Scots in Early Stuart Ireland: Union and Separation in Two Kingdoms (2015). The first monograph in the series will be written by Prof. Colm Lennon, a study of the Catholic community of the Pale from c.1490-1690.

Impact of my work

Review Articles

•In recognition of their role in developing important new fields of research in Medieval and Early Modern Irish history two of my edited books, Gaelic Ireland, c.1250-c.1650 (2001) and Age Of Atrocity: Violence and Political Conflict in Early Modern Ireland (2007) have received special Review Articles in peer-review journals, viz.

•Neil Buttimer, ‘Gaelic Ireland’, in Journal of the Cork Historical & Archaeological Society, 107 (2002), pp 217-28

•Willy Maley, ‘Something Quite Atrocious: English Colonialism and the License to Violence’, in Eolas: The Journal of the American Society of Medieval Irish Studies (2009), pp 26-40

•Rory Rapple, ‘Historiographical Reviews: Writing about Violence in the Tudor Kingdoms’, in The Historical Journal, Vol. 53, no. 4 (Dec. 2010), pp 829-54: 837-49


 

Research Interests

Power, politics and society in Ireland, 1350-1650; Religion and sectarianism in the Age of Reformations; Migration in Irish and British history, c1500-1640.

I have researched and published on a range of topics dealing with Irish history between 1350 and 1650 (see Publications). My principal area of research inquiry is power and society in Ireland, from the Gaelic resurgence of the fourteenth century to the Wars of Religion in the seventeenth century. My work falls into four related areas: (i) The cultural and political world of the native and colonial lordships; (ii) The violence of English government expansion after 1534 and the Irish response; (iii) Religion and colonialism in Ireland, c.1547-1641; (iv) The searching out and publication of manuscript sources for the history of later medieval and early modern Ireland.  

Research Grants

 ProjectFunding
Body
Start DateEnd DateAward
The wider Gaidhealtachtd/Gaeltacht - Clan Campbell, Gaelic Ulster and Connacht c1384-1513.Irish Research Council01-OCT-1430-SEP-15€23,890.00
The colonal landscapes of Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork.Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS)01-OCT-1231-OCT-13€113,260.00
DigitalBoyleIrish Research Council31-MAR-1430-NOV-14€4,892.00

Contract Researchers

 Researcher NameProjectRoleFunding Body
Dr Brid McGrathColonial Landscapes of Richard Boyle, 1st earl of Cork, c.1602-1643Research AssistantIrish Research Council
Dr Jane FenlonColonial Landscapes of Richard Boyle, 1st earl of Cork, c.1602-1643Research AssistantIrish Research Council
Dr David HeffernanColonial Landscapes of Richard Boyle, 1st earl of Cork, c.1602-1643Research AssistantIrish Research Council
Dr Paul McCotterColonial Landscapes of Richard Boyle, 1st earl of Cork, c.1602-1643Research AssistantIrish Research Council
Dr David HeffernanDigital BoyleResearch AssistantIrish Research Council
Dr James LyttletonColonial Landscapes of Richard Boyle, 1st earl of Cork, c.1602-1643Research AssistantIrish Research Council
Paul RondelezColonial Landscapes of Richard Boyle, 1st earl of Cork, c.1602-1643Research AssistantIrish Research Council
Joe NunanColonial Landscapes of Richard Boyle, 1st earl of Cork, c.1602-1643Research AssistantIrish Research Council

Publications

Books

 YearPublication
(2012)The Tipperary Hero: Dermot O'Meara's Ormonius (1615).
David Edwards & Keith Sidwell (2012) The Tipperary Hero: Dermot O'Meara's Ormonius (1615). Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols. [Details]
(2003)The Ormond Lordship in County Kilkenny, 1515-1642: The rise and fall of Butler feudal power.
Edwards. D.; (2003) The Ormond Lordship in County Kilkenny, 1515-1642: The rise and fall of Butler feudal power. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
(1997)British Sources for Irish History, 1485-1641: A Guide to manuscripts in Local, Regional and Specialised Repositories in England, Scotland and Wales.
Edwards. D.; (1997) British Sources for Irish History, 1485-1641: A Guide to manuscripts in Local, Regional and Specialised Repositories in England, Scotland and Wales. Dublin: Irish Manuscripts Commission. [Details]
(2014)Campaign Journals of the Elizabethan Irish Wars.
David Edwards (2014) Campaign Journals of the Elizabethan Irish Wars. Dublin: Irish Manuscripts Commission. [Details]

Book Chapters

 YearPublication
(2018)'Policing and social transformation, 1603-1641'
David Edwards (2018) 'Policing and social transformation, 1603-1641' In: Jane Ohlmeyer (eds). The Cambridge History of Ireland, vol. 2: Early Modern Ireland, 1550-1725. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press. [Details]
(2018)''Virginian connections: the wider Atlantic setting of Boyle's Munster estate and clientele''
David Edwards (2018) ''Virginian connections: the wider Atlantic setting of Boyle's Munster estate and clientele'' In: David Edwards and Colin Rynne (eds). The Colonial World of Richard Boyle, first Earl of Cork, 1566-1643. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
(2018)''Boyle's private army: the creation of a colonial security force in Early Stuart Munster' Mode'
David Edwards (2018) ''Boyle's private army: the creation of a colonial security force in Early Stuart Munster' Mode' In: David Edwards and Colin Rynne (eds). The Colonial World of Richard Boyle, first Earl of Cork, 1566-1643. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
(2018)''Nuancing an archetype: Richard Boyle and his colonial world'
David Edwards and Colin Rynne (2018) ''Nuancing an archetype: Richard Boyle and his colonial world' In: David Edwards and Colin Rynne (eds). The Colonial World of Richard Boyle, first Earl of Cork, 1566-1643. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
(2018)'The land-grabber's accomplices: Richard Boyle's Munster affinity, 1588-1603'
David Edwards (2018) 'The land-grabber's accomplices: Richard Boyle's Munster affinity, 1588-1603' In: David Edwards and Colin Rynne (eds). The Colonial World of Richard Boyle, first Earl of Cork, 1566-1643. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
(2016)''Geraldine endgame: Reassessing the origins of the Desmond rebellion, 1573-1579''
David Edwards (2016) ''Geraldine endgame: Reassessing the origins of the Desmond rebellion, 1573-1579'' In: Peter Crooks & Sean Duffy (eds). The Geraldines and Medieval Ireland. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
(1999)''Ideology and Experience: Spenser's View and Martial Law in Elizabethan Ireland''
David Edwards; (1999) ''Ideology and Experience: Spenser's View and Martial Law in Elizabethan Ireland'' In: Political Ideology in Ireland, 1541-1641. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
(2000)''The Poisoned Chalice: The Ormond inheritance, sectarian division and the emergence of James Butler, 1614-1642''
David Edwards; (2000) ''The Poisoned Chalice: The Ormond inheritance, sectarian division and the emergence of James Butler, 1614-1642'' In: The Dukes of Ormonde, 1610-1745. London: Boydell. [Details]
(2004)'Tipperary Liberty Ordinances of the Black Earl of Ormond'
David Edwards & Adrian Empey (2004) 'Tipperary Liberty Ordinances of the Black Earl of Ormond' In: Regions & Rulers in Ireland, 1100-1650; essays for Kenneth Nicholls. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
(2007)''Early Modern Ireland: A History of Violence''
David Edwards, Clodagh Tait; (2007) ''Early Modern Ireland: A History of Violence'' In: Age of Atrocity: Violence and Political Conflict in Early Modern Ireland. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
(2009)''Thomas Butler, tenth Earl of Ormond (d.1614)''
David Edwards; (2009) ''Thomas Butler, tenth Earl of Ormond (d.1614)'' In: Dictionary of National Biography. Cambridge & Dublin: Cambridge University Press & Royal Irish Academy. [Details]
(2009)''The Tipperary Hero: Dermot O'Meara's Ormonius (1615)''
David Edwards & Keith Sidwell; (2009) ''The Tipperary Hero: Dermot O'Meara's Ormonius (1615)'' In: Making Ireland Roman. Cork: Cork University Press. [Details]
(2009)''Richard Butler, first Viscount Mountgarret (d.1571)''
David Edwards; (2009) ''Richard Butler, first Viscount Mountgarret (d.1571)'' In: Dictionary of Irish Biography. Cambridge & Dublin: Cambridge University Press & Royal Irish Academy. [Details]
(2009)''Richard Butler, third Viscount Mountgarret (d.1651)''
David Edwards; (2009) ''Richard Butler, third Viscount Mountgarret (d.1651)'' In: Dictionary of Irish Biography. Cambridge & Dublin: Cambridge UNiversity Press & Royal Irish Academy. [Details]
(2009)''Edmund Butler, second Viscount Mountgarret (d.1602)''
David Edwards; (2009) ''Edmund Butler, second Viscount Mountgarret (d.1602)'' In: Dictionary of Irish Biography. Cambridge & Dublin: Cambridge University Press & Royal Irish Academy. [Details]
(2009)''Elizabeth Butler, Countess of Desmond (d.1628)''
David Edwards; (2009) ''Elizabeth Butler, Countess of Desmond (d.1628)'' In: Dictionary of Irish Biography. Cambridge & Dublin: Cambridge University Press & Royal Irish Academy. [Details]
(2010)''The Plight of the Earls: Tyrone and Tyrconnell's Grievances and crown security in Ulster, 1603-1607''
David Edwards; (2010) ''The Plight of the Earls: Tyrone and Tyrconnell's Grievances and crown security in Ulster, 1603-1607'' In: The Northern Earls and Baroque Europe. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
(2011)''Ireland: Security and Conquest''
David Edwards; (2011) ''Ireland: Security and Conquest'' In: The Elizabethan World. London & New York: Routledge. [Details]
(2012)'Foreword'
David Edwards (2012) 'Foreword' In: The Ulster Plantation in the Counties of Armagh and Cavan, 1608-1641. Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation. [Details]
(2013)''Out of the blue? Provincial unrest in Ireland before 1641''
David Edwards (2013) ''Out of the blue? Provincial unrest in Ireland before 1641'' In: Ireland, 1641: Contexts and Reactions. Manchester & New York: Manchester University Press. [Details]
(2007)'`Securing the Jacobean succession: The secret career of James Fullerton of Trinity College, Dublin¿'
Edwards. D.; (2007) '`Securing the Jacobean succession: The secret career of James Fullerton of Trinity College, Dublin¿' In: The World of the Galloglass: Kings, Warlords and Warriors in Ireland and Scotland. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
(2007)'`The escalation of violence in Sixteenth-Century Ireland¿'
Edwards. D. (2007) '`The escalation of violence in Sixteenth-Century Ireland¿' In: Age of Atrocity: Violence and Political Conflict in Early Modern Ireland. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
(2005)'Ua Neill of Clandeoye'
David Edwards; (2005) 'Ua Neill of Clandeoye' In: Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia. [Details]
(2005)'Coshering'
David Edwards; (2005) 'Coshering' In: Medieval Ireland : An Encyclopedia. [Details]
(2005)'Coyne and Livery'
David Edwards; (2005) 'Coyne and Livery' In: Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia. [Details]
(2005)'Tanaiste'
David Edwards; (2005) 'Tanaiste' In: Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia. [Details]
(2005)'A Haven of Popery: English Catholic migration to Ireland in the Age of Plantations'
David Edwards; (2005) 'A Haven of Popery: English Catholic migration to Ireland in the Age of Plantations' In: The Origins of Sectarianism in Early Modern Ireland (Cambridge University Press). [Details]
(2004)'Thomas Leverous (c. 1487-1577), bishop of Kildare'
David Edwards; (2004) 'Thomas Leverous (c. 1487-1577), bishop of Kildare' In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Vo. 33. [Details]
(2004)'William Walsh (1511/12?-1577), Roman Catholic bishop of Meath'
David Edwards; (2004) 'William Walsh (1511/12?-1577), Roman Catholic bishop of Meath' In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. [Details]
(2004)'Two fools and a martial law commissioner: Cultural conflict at the Limerick assize of 1606'
David Edwards; (2004) 'Two fools and a martial law commissioner: Cultural conflict at the Limerick assize of 1606' In: Regions and Rulers in Ireland, 1100-1650: essays for Kenneth Nicholls. [Details]
(2004)'James [Bocach] Butler, ninth earl of Ormond and second earl of Ossory (b.c. 1496, d.1546)'
David Edwards; (2004) 'James [Bocach] Butler, ninth earl of Ormond and second earl of Ossory (b.c. 1496, d.1546)' In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Vol. 9. [Details]
(2004)'`Dermot O¿Hurley (c. 1530-1584), Roman Catholic archbishop of Cashel and martyr¿'
Edwards. D.; (2004) '`Dermot O¿Hurley (c. 1530-1584), Roman Catholic archbishop of Cashel and martyr¿' In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford: Oxfrod University Press. [Details]
(2004)'Legacy of Defeat: The reduction of Gaelic Ireland after Kinsale¿'
Edwards. D.; (2004) 'Legacy of Defeat: The reduction of Gaelic Ireland after Kinsale¿' In: The Battle of Kinsale. Bray: Wordwell Books, Bray. [Details]
(2004)'Thomas Jenison (c. 1525-1587)'
David Edwards; (2004) 'Thomas Jenison (c. 1525-1587)' In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Vol. 29. [Details]
(2004)'Thomas Butler, tenth erarl of Ormond and third earl of Ossory (1531-1614)'
David Edwards; (2004) 'Thomas Butler, tenth erarl of Ormond and third earl of Ossory (1531-1614)' In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Vol. 9. [Details]
(2004)'Walter Butler [called Ualteir na bPaidrin, Walter of the Beads and Rosary], eleventh earl of Ormond and fourth earl of Ossory (1559-1633)'
David Edwards; (2004) 'Walter Butler [called Ualteir na bPaidrin, Walter of the Beads and Rosary], eleventh earl of Ormond and fourth earl of Ossory (1559-1633)' In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Vol. 9. [Details]
(2004)'Warham St Leger (1525?-1597), colonist'
David Edwards; (2004) 'Warham St Leger (1525?-1597), colonist' In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. [Details]
(2004)'Tipperary liberty ordinances of the 'Black' earl of Ormond'
David Edwards & Adrian Empey; (2004) 'Tipperary liberty ordinances of the 'Black' earl of Ormond' In: Regions & Rulers in Ireland, 1100-1650. [Details]
(2003)'`Roscrea Castle, the Butlers, & the O¿Carrolls, c.1450-1630¿'
Edwards. D.; (2003) '`Roscrea Castle, the Butlers, & the O¿Carrolls, c.1450-1630¿' In: Excavations at Roscrea Castle. Dublin: Dúchas: The Heritage Service. [Details]
(2001)'`Collaboration without Anglicisation: The MacGiollapadraig lordship and Tudor reform¿'
Edwards. D.; (2001) '`Collaboration without Anglicisation: The MacGiollapadraig lordship and Tudor reform¿' In: Gaelic Ireland, c.1250- c.1650: Land, lordship and settlement. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
(2001)''Salvaging History: Hogan and the Irish Manuscripts Commission''
Edwards. D.; (2001) ''Salvaging History: Hogan and the Irish Manuscripts Commission'' In: James Hogan: Revolutionary, Historian and Political Scientist. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
(2001)'Recovering Gaelic Ireland, c.1250-c.1650¿'
Edwards. D.; (2001) 'Recovering Gaelic Ireland, c.1250-c.1650¿' In: Gaelic Ireland, c.1250- c.1650: Land, lordship and settlement. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
(1999)'The MacGiollapadraigs (Fitzpatricks) of Upper Ossory, 1532-1641¿'
D.edwards; (1999) 'The MacGiollapadraigs (Fitzpatricks) of Upper Ossory, 1532-1641¿' In: Laois: History & Society. DUblin: Geography Publications. [Details]
(1998)'In Tyrone¿s shadow: Feagh McHugh O¿Byrne, forgotten leader of the Nine Years War¿'
Edwards. D.; (1998) 'In Tyrone¿s shadow: Feagh McHugh O¿Byrne, forgotten leader of the Nine Years War¿' In: Feagh McHugh O¿Byrne: The Wicklow Firebrand. Rathdrum Historical Society: Rathdrum Historical Society. [Details]
(2015)''Tudor Ireland: Anglicisation, mass killing, and security''
David Edwards (2015) ''Tudor Ireland: Anglicisation, mass killing, and security'' In: Cathie Carmichael & Richard Maguire (eds). The Routledge History of Genocide. London & New York: Routledge. [Details]
(2016)''Scottish officials and secular government in Early Stuart Ireland''
David Edwards (2016) ''Scottish officials and secular government in Early Stuart Ireland'' In: David Edwards (eds). The Scots in Early Stuart Ireland: Union and separation in two kingdoms. Manchester: Manchester University Press. [Details]
(2014)''Fashioning service in a Renaissance State: The official journals of the Elizabethan viceroys in Ireland''
David Edwards (2014) ''Fashioning service in a Renaissance State: The official journals of the Elizabethan viceroys in Ireland'' In: Brendan Dooley (eds). Renaissance Now. London; New York: Peter Lang. [Details]
(2016)''Union and Separation''
David Edwards (2016) ''Union and Separation'' In: David Edwards (eds). The Scots in Early Stuart Ireland: Union and separation in two kingdoms. Manchester: Manchester University Press. [Details]

Edited Books

 YearPublication
(2018)The Colonial World of Richard Boyle, First Earl of Cork, 1566-1643
David Edwards and Colin Rynne (Ed.). (2018) The Colonial World of Richard Boyle, First Earl of Cork, 1566-1643 Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
(2016)The Scots in Early Stuart Ireland: Union and Separation in two kingdoms
David Edwards (Ed.). (2016) The Scots in Early Stuart Ireland: Union and Separation in two kingdoms Manchester: Manchester University Press. [Details]
(2007)Age of Atrocity: Violence and Political Conflict in Early Modern Ireland
Padraig Lenihan and Clodagh Tait , Edwards, D (Ed.). (2007) Age of Atrocity: Violence and Political Conflict in Early Modern Ireland Age of Atrocity: Violence and Political Conflict in Early Modern Ireland. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
(2004)Regions & Rulers in Ireland, c.1100-c.1650: Essays for Kenneth Nicholls
Edwards. D (Ed.). (2004) Regions & Rulers in Ireland, c.1100-c.1650: Essays for Kenneth Nicholls Regions & Rulers in Ireland, c.1100-c.1650: Essays for Kenneth Nicholls. Dublins: Four Courts Press. [Details]
(2001)Gaelic Ireland, c.1250- c.1650: Land, lordship and settlement
Patrick Duffy and Elizabeth FitzPatrick , Edwards.D (Ed.). (2001) Gaelic Ireland, c.1250- c.1650: Land, lordship and settlement Gaelic Ireland, c.1250- c.1650: Land, lordship and settlement. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]

Peer Reviewed Journals

 YearPublication
(2018)''Interrogating Richard Boyle: The Savoy House inquiry of 1599''
David Edwards (2018) ''Interrogating Richard Boyle: The Savoy House inquiry of 1599''. Analecta Hibernica, 49 [Details]
(2017)'The history and archaeology of the Irish colonial landscapes of Richard Boyle, 1st earl of Cork, c.1595-1643'
David Edwards and Colin Rynne (2017) 'The history and archaeology of the Irish colonial landscapes of Richard Boyle, 1st earl of Cork, c.1595-1643'. Post Classical Archaeologies, :299-312 [Details]
(2015)''Kilkenny annals of the reign of Elizabeth I: a manuscript in private keeping''
David Edwards and Kenneth Nicholls (2015) ''Kilkenny annals of the reign of Elizabeth I: a manuscript in private keeping''. Ossory, Laois & Leinster, 6 :1-12 [Details]
(2009)'''Some days two heads and some days four' - Head taking in Tudor Ireland'''
David Edwards; (2009) '''Some days two heads and some days four' - Head taking in Tudor Ireland'''. History Ireland, [Details]
(2010)''Lordship and Custom in Gaelic Leinster: select documents from Upper Ossory, 1559-1612''
David Edwards; (2010) ''Lordship and Custom in Gaelic Leinster: select documents from Upper Ossory, 1559-1612''. Ossory, Laois & Leinster, 4 :1-47 [Details]
(2011)'A Viceroy's Condemnation: Matters of Inquiry into the Sidney Administration, 1578'
David Edwards (2011) 'A Viceroy's Condemnation: Matters of Inquiry into the Sidney Administration, 1578'. Analecta Hibernica, 42 :1-24 [Details]
(2012)''Blind Cruise' the Elizabethan harper'
David Edwards (2012) ''Blind Cruise' the Elizabethan harper'. Ossory, Laois & Leinster, 5 :19-32 [Details]
(2004)'Compensation culture, 1641: The Chancellor of St Patrick's Cathedral'
David Edwards; (2004) 'Compensation culture, 1641: The Chancellor of St Patrick's Cathedral'. Ossory, Laois & Leinster, 1 (*):101-106 [Details]
(2001)'A Seventeenth-century map of Inistioge, County Kilkenny'
David Edwards and Conleth Manning; (2001) 'A Seventeenth-century map of Inistioge, County Kilkenny'. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 131 (*):38-55 [Details]
(2000)'The Ormond Lordship in County Kilkenny, 1515-1642'
David Edwards; (2000) 'The Ormond Lordship in County Kilkenny, 1515-1642'. Irish Economic and Social History, 27 (*):77-79 [Details]
(1998)'British Sources for Irish History before 1485: A preliminary handlist of documents in local and specialised repositories'
Brian Donovan and David Edwards; (1998) 'British Sources for Irish History before 1485: A preliminary handlist of documents in local and specialised repositories'. Analecta Hibernica, 37 (*):191-220 [Details]
(1998)'The Ships' Journal of Captain Thomas Powell, 1642'
David Edwards; (1998) 'The Ships' Journal of Captain Thomas Powell, 1642'. Analecta Hibernica, 37 (*):251-284 [Details]
(1997)'Beyond Reform: Martial Law and the Tudor reconquest of Ireland'
David Edwards; (1997) 'Beyond Reform: Martial Law and the Tudor reconquest of Ireland'. History Ireland, 5 (2):16-21 [Details]
(1993)'The Butler revolt of 1569'
David Edwards; (1993) 'The Butler revolt of 1569'. Irish Historical Studies, 28 (111):228-255 [Details]

Other Journals

 YearPublication
(1997)'Further comments on the strange death of the ninth earl of Ormond'
David Edwards; (1997) 'Further comments on the strange death of the ninth earl of Ormond' Butler Society Journal, 4 :58-64. [Details]
(1987)'Malice Aforethought? The death of the ninth earl of Ormond, 1546'
David Edwards; (1987) 'Malice Aforethought? The death of the ninth earl of Ormond, 1546' Butler Society Journal, 3 :30-41. [Details]

Published Reports

 YearPublication
(2004)`Platform: Carrickmines Castle and the heritage war¿.
Edwards. D.; (2004) `Platform: Carrickmines Castle and the heritage war¿. History Ireland 12/1, Ireland. [Details]
(2003)`The Cork Carrickminder¿.
Edwards. D.; (2003) `The Cork Carrickminder¿. The College Courier, UCC. [Details]
(2003)Historians campaign to save 1916 Rebel HQ.
Edwards. D.; (2003) Historians campaign to save 1916 Rebel HQ. , History Ireland, Ireland. [Details]
(1998)`Communities in Exile: The Irish of London, c1450-1700¿.
Edwards. D.; (1998) `Communities in Exile: The Irish of London, c1450-1700¿. The Graduate, University College Cork. [Details]

Book Reviews

 YearPublication
(2017)Review of John M. Collins, Martial Law and English Laws, c.1500-c.1700.
David Edwards (2017) Review of John M. Collins, Martial Law and English Laws, c.1500-c.1700. Book Reviews [Details]
(2017)Kings, Lords and Men in Scotland and Britain, 1300-1625: Essays in Honour of Jenny Wormald.
David Edwards (2017) Kings, Lords and Men in Scotland and Britain, 1300-1625: Essays in Honour of Jenny Wormald. Chicago: Book Reviews [Details]
(2017)Book Review, Frontiers, States and Identity in Early Modern Ireland and Beyond: essays in honour of Steven G. Ellis, edited by Christopher Maginn & Gerald Power.
David Edwards (2017) Book Review, Frontiers, States and Identity in Early Modern Ireland and Beyond: essays in honour of Steven G. Ellis, edited by Christopher Maginn & Gerald Power. Dublin: Book Reviews [Details]

Editorship

 YearPublication
(2013)Series Editors' Preface.
David Edwards & Micheal O Siochru (2013) Series Editors' Preface. Editorship [Details]

Other

 YearPublication
(2016)Series Editors' Preface.
David Edwards & Micheal O Siochru (2016) Series Editors' Preface. Manchester: Other [Details]
(2015)'Working with Donnchadh'.
David Edwards (2015) 'Working with Donnchadh'. Dublin: Other [Details]

Professional Activities

Honours and Awards

 YearTitleAwarding Body
2003Irish Independent Book of the Year (History) 2003
2014New Foundations Award, 'Digital Boyle' Irish Research Council
2012Senior Collaborative Award, 'Colonial Landscapes of Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork, c. 1602-1643' Irish Research Council
2004Research Achievement Award, Faculty of Arts, UCC
2007My co-edited book Age of Atrocity was named one of the Pageturners of the Year The Irish Times

Professional Associations

 AssociationFunctionFrom / To
Irish Historical Society Member of the Executive Committee (the 'Committee of Seven')01-DEC-02 / 30-DEC-99
Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland Member20-MAY-02 / 30-DEC-99
Irish Manuscripts Commission Director30-APR-06 / 31-MAR-12

Conference Contributions

 YearPublication
(2015)Courts and Viceroys: Viceregal Courts in Comparative Perspective,
David Edwards (2015) Viceregal rule, Prerogative rule: Reassessing the Chief Governors of Tudor Ireland. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Courts and Viceroys: Viceregal Courts in Comparative Perspective, New York University Campus, Bedford Square, London , 15-JUN-15 - 15-JUN-15. [Details]
(2015)Lords and Lordship in the British Isles: The dimensions of aristocratic power, 1300-1600,
David Edwards (2015) The Irish Lordships and the challenge of Tudor Reform. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Lords and Lordship in the British Isles: The dimensions of aristocratic power, 1300-1600, St Andrew's University , 03-SEP-15 - 04-SEP-15. [Details]
(2015)National Library of Ireland Summer Talks,
David Edwards (2015) The Tudor Conquest of Ireland: Untold Stories. [Plenary Lecture], National Library of Ireland Summer Talks, National Library of Ireland, Dublin , 01-SEP-15 - 01-SEP-15. [Details]
(2015)The Renaissance Society of America Annual Meeting,
David Edwards (2015) Before augher: Irish-Scottish relations and the problem of 'British' Identities in Ulster, 1603-1641. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], The Renaissance Society of America Annual Meeting, Humboldt University, Berlin , 26-MAR-15 - 28-MAR-15. [Details]
(2015)Early Modern Military Identity (Society for Renaissance Studies symposium),
David Edwards (2015) 'Campaign Journals of the Elizabethan Irish Wars'. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Early Modern Military Identity (Society for Renaissance Studies symposium), University College Cork , 28-AUG-15 - 28-AUG-15. [Details]
(2015)Gaelic Medical Practitioners in Early Modern Ireland (Irish Texts Society/Royal Irish Academy, lecture series),
David Edwards (2015) Dermot O'Meara: A Gaelic medic and the changing world of Early stuart Ireland. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Gaelic Medical Practitioners in Early Modern Ireland (Irish Texts Society/Royal Irish Academy, lecture series), Royal Irish Academy, Dublin , 18-NOV-15 - 18-NOV-15. [Details]
(2008)Religion, Violence, Memory and Identity: Protestant-Catholic relations in France and Ireland from the 16th century to the present,
Edwards. D.; (2008) `Religious Conflict in Early Modern Ireland'. [Oral Presentation], Religion, Violence, Memory and Identity: Protestant-Catholic relations in France and Ireland from the 16th century to the present, Université de Toulouse-le-Mirail , 01-APR-08 - 01-APR-08. [Details]
(2007)The Flight of the Earls,
Edwards. D.; (2007) `Prelude to Flight: Government Coercion in Ulster, 1603-1607'. [Oral Presentation], The Flight of the Earls, Pontifical Irish College, Rome , 01-OCT-07 - 01-OCT-07. [Details]
(2007)The Scots and Stuart Ireland,
Edwards. D.; (2007) `Scottish officials and secular government in Early Stuart Ireland'. [Oral Presentation], The Scots and Stuart Ireland, UCC , 01-APR-07 - 01-APR-07. [Details]
(2007)Louvain/Leuven 400,
Edwards. D.; (2007) 'Louvain and the Memory of Irish Lordship'. [Oral Presentation], Louvain/Leuven 400, Franciscan Irish College & Catholic University of Louvain , 01-MAR-07 - 01-MAR-07. [Details]
(2006)The Group for Irish Historic Settlement annual conference,
Edwards. D.; (2006) `The Ormond Pasturelands in the 16th and 17th centuries: new evidence'. [Oral Presentation], The Group for Irish Historic Settlement annual conference, Clonmel , 01-MAY-06 - 01-MAY-06. [Details]
(2006)Ireland, Rome & the Holy See: History, Culture, Contact,
Edwards. D.; (2006) 'Hibernian Haven: English Catholic Planters in Early Modern Ireland'. [Oral Presentation], Ireland, Rome & the Holy See: History, Culture, Contact, Pontifical Irish College, Rome , 01-APR-06 - 01-APR-06. [Details]
(2009)The 1641 Rebellion & the Depositions,
D. Edwards; (2009) 'A Bolt from the Blue? Disturbances in Ireland before 1641'. [Oral Presentation], The 1641 Rebellion & the Depositions, Trinity College Dublin , 24-OCT-09 - 25-OCT-11. [Details]

Committees

 CommitteeFunctionFrom / To
Irish Historical Society Executive Committee Member2002 / 1899
History Ireland Editorial committee Member, academic adviser2004 / 1899
Irish Manuscripts Commission Director2006 / 2011
Early Modern Ireland Forum Member1997 / 1999

Employment

 EmployerPositionFrom / To
Trinity College, Dublin Part-time Tutor01-OCT-88 / 01-MAY-92
University College Cork College Lecturer01-OCT-93 / 30-DEC-99
University College, Cork College Lecturer (3-year contract)/
University College, Cork College Lecturer (Temporary full-time, consecutive 1-year contracts)/

Education

 YearInstitutionQualificationSubject
1987Trinity College, Dublin BA
1998Trinity College, Dublin PhD

Outreach Activities

 Description

Heritage Campaigning: Commencing in 2002, and continuing for several years thereafter, I became involved in campaigns to save a number of historical sites threatened by building and infrastructure development plans during the 'Celtic Tiger' boom years. The endangered sites included the ruins of the Anglo-Norman frontier fortress at Carrickmines, south Co. Dublin; the ancient landscape of the Tara/Skreen valley in Co. Meath; the Viking longphort found at Woodstown, Co. Waterford; the 1691 battlefield at Aughrim, Co. Galway; the site of the 1647 battle of Cashel in Co. Tipperary; and the national monument at No. 16 Moore street, Dublin, site of the surrender of the Irish rebel leadership. The campaigning involved extensive media work, writing letters to The Irish Times, The Irish Examiner, and The New York Times; appearing on RTE television and Radio News and current affairs programmes; and also on BBC Northern Ireland radio, BBC Wales, and BBC Europe. Though the campaigns failed to save some of the sites, they did contribute to forcing the authorities to spend more  on aextending archaeological works (especially at Carrickmines) to recover as much historical and cultural data artefacts as possible, and because of public pressure the site of the 1916 surrender is now safeguarded by ministerial order.

Journal Activities

 JournalRoleTo / From
English Historical Review Referee01-FEB-14 - 22-JAN-15
Historical Journal Referee01-AUG-09 - 22-JAN-15
Journal Of British Studies Referee01-JUL-14 - 22-JAN-15
History Ireland Member of Editorial Board01-SEP-03 - 01-JUN-05
Analecta Hibernica Referee01-DEC-06 - 22-JAN-15
Renaissance Quarterly Referee01-MAR-13 - 22-JAN-15
Irish Historical Studies Referee01-MAR-04 - 22-JAN-15

Other Activities

 Description

Visits Abroad:

2013 Chatsworth House, Derbyshire. To search through the private papers of Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork, to record new details of his Irish career and acquisitions (1 week) 2014 Chatsworth House, Derbyshire Another visit to digitally record a selection of Boyle's papers for my IRC Digital Boyle project (3 days) 2004 Bodleian Library, Oxford University To draw up a handlist of Irish material (to 1641) held among the Carte Manuscripts 1 month (January) 


Research Talks:

2007 Government security measures before the Flight of the Earls Ulster Society for Irish Historical Studies; Queen's University, Belfast February 

2006 The Violent History of Early Modern Ireland Irish Historical Society, inaugural special meeting in Cork (UCC) April 

2003 The Irish of London, 1390-1610 British & Irish Early Modern Research Seminar, Scholl of History, Trinity College Dublin December 

2003 The Irish of London, c.1400-1600 NUI Galway History Society February 

2002 A Haven of Popery: English Catholic Migration to Ireland c.1540-1640 Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland May 

2000 ‘The General in his Labyrinth: The Black Earl of Ormond and the Nine Years War Military History Society of Ireland November 

 


Membership of State Agency Boards:

Irish Manuscripts Commission (Director), by ministerial appointment April 2006 - 2011 


Conference papers

• Nov. 2014: 'Early Stuart Ireland: Politics and Security, 1603-1641', Cambridge History of Ireland Workshop, Trinity College Dublin
 
March 2014: ‘The People of the Boyle estate’, Renaissance Society of America conference, New York

Feb. 2014: 'Early Stuart Ireland: A new Overview', Tudor & Stuart Seminar series, Institute of Historical research, London

·Sept. 2013:  ‘Geraldine rebellions in Tudor Ireland’, The Geraldines, Trinity College Dublin

· June 2013: ‘Boyle’s Private Army: Colonial Security in Early Stuart Munster’, The World of Richard Boyle conference, UCC

·March 2012: ‘Erroneous Ormonius, or why a Renaissance Latin Epic poem falsified Elizabethan Irish history’, Renaissance Society of America conference, Washington

Nov. 2010:  ‘A Bolt from the blue? Disturbances in Ireland before 1641’, Plantation and Retribution: Ulster 1610-1641, Cardinal Ó Fiaich Library, Armagh

Oct. 2009: 'Political unrest and provincial rebellions: Ireland 1610-41', Plantation and Reaction: The 1641 Rebellion, Trinity College Dublin

· May 2009: ‘Managing Rivalry: Ormond/Kildare relations and the Tudor state, c.1550-85’, Nobility in Early Modern Ireland, NUI Galway


Teaching Activities

Teaching Interests

I teach a range of general and specialised courses for undergraduates, covering various aspects of Irish, British, and European history from the Black Death through the Renaissance to the mid-seventeenth century. Three of my main courses are listed below. It In addition I teach a third year double-unit seminar (Hi3200), 'Murder and Intrigue in Sixteenth Century Ireland, which is designed to introduce the students to the world of historical research and the use of primary evidence. Required to research and write-up an 8,000-word essay on a research topic of their choosing, this current year I am encouraging students to explore the murky world of Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork, using some of the new archival material I have discovered through my Irish Research Coyuncil -funded projects 'The Colonial Landscapes of Richard Boyle' and 'Duigital Boyle'.

Recent Postgraduates

 Graduation YearStudent NameInstitutionDegree TypeThesis Title
1999Clodagh Tait UCCPHDHarnessing Corpses: Death, Burial, Disinternment and Commemoration in Ireland, c.1550-1655
2013David Heffernan UCCPHDTudor Reform Treatises and Government Policy in Sixteenth-Century Ireland
2006Margaret P. Curtis UCCPHDProvincial Government and Administration in Jacobean Munster
2002Niall J. Byrne UCCPHDJacobean Waterford: Religion and Politics, 1603-1625

Modules Taught

 Term (ID))TitleLinkSubject
2020The Tudors and Ireland HI2038The Tudors and Ireland
2020European Imperialism, 1450-1750 HI3095European Imperialism, 1450-1750

Contact details

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School of History

Scoil na Staire

Tyrconnell,Off College Road,Cork,Ireland.

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