Castles in Ireland

<p>The castles of Ireland are an essential part of the study of medieval Europe but were until recently a subject neglected by scholars. A lord's power and prestige were displayed in the majesty and uniqueness of his castle. The remains of several thousand castles enable us to reconstruct life in Ireland during these crucial centuries.<br><em>Castles in Ireland</em> tells the story of the nature and development of lordship and power in medieval Ireland. Ireland formed the setting to the interplay of the differing roles of competing lordship: English and Irish; feudal European and Gaelic; royal and baronial. Tom McNeill argues that the design of the castles contest the traditional view of Ireland as a land torn by war and divided culturally between the English and Irish.</p>