Jim McKeon - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Jim McKeon
Following a detailed examination of St. Nicholas’s Church, Galway, this paper discusses its high-... more Following a detailed examination of St. Nicholas’s Church, Galway, this paper discusses its high-medieval architectural and structural remains. The church has traditionally been assigned a foundation date of c.1320, but based on architectural and stratigraphical evidence it is demonstrated that there are the remains of a thirteenth-century structure within the fabric of the building. Indeed, two phases of high-medieval construction are revealed – phase 1 dating to the initial foundation of the church in the mid thirteenth century and phase 2 dating to the fourteenth century. Comparative architecture from Ireland and Britain is used to support the chronological sequencing advanced in this paper, which is the first structural analysis of St. Nicholas’s Church for over 70 years and only the second survey undertaken. While limited in quantity, documentary and excavation evidence is also used to further support the arguments in this paper. Finally, it is argued that during the formative period of St. Nicholas’s Church in the high-medieval period it received significant patronage, and that despite its location in a frontier town it was among the principal parish churches of the Anglo-Norman colony in Ireland. The Journal of Irish Archaeology Vol XVIII, 2009, pg 95-113
Athenry is one of the best preserved medieval towns of Anglo-Norman origin in Ireland. Over seve... more Athenry is one of the best preserved medieval towns of Anglo-Norman origin in Ireland. Over seventy percent of the high-medieval town wall survives including an extramural fosse and banks – a restored castle towers over the medieval streetscape and a ruined parish church lies within the town walls. The de Bermingham town of Athenry was a wealthy and important urban settlement in the high-medieval period and its status is reflected in the architecture of the Dominican priory of Saints Peter and Paul. This paper combines historical and archaeological evidence to provide an account of the formative years and early development of the Dominican priory of Athenry in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
Journal of the Galway Archaeological & Historical Society Vol 61, 2009, pg 24 - 56.
Following the partial Anglo-Norman conquest of Connacht in 1235, the town of Loughrea was establi... more Following the partial Anglo-Norman conquest of Connacht in 1235, the town of Loughrea was established as the administrative headquarters, or Caput Baroniae, of the provincial overlords, the de Burghs. Today, in contrast to the nearby and contemporary de Bermingham town of Athenry, there are only a few upstanding reminders of Loughrea’s medieval past . This paper argues for the whereabouts of its later medieval parish church, and specifically to three finely decorated grave slabs.
Journal of the Galway Archaeological & Historical Society Vol 65, 2013, pg 1-6
Journal of the Galway Archaeological & Historical Society Vol 65, 2013, pg 1-6
A paper by Oliver Creighton in 2007 reassessed the evidence for medieval town walls in Britain an... more A paper by Oliver Creighton in 2007 reassessed the evidence for medieval town walls in Britain and challenged some previous assumptions regarding their role, meaning, and relationship to the town and its inhabitants. That work provided new and valuable insights into urban defences, focusing mainly on towns in England and Wales. Avril Thomas’s seminal two-volume work on Irish towns (1992) is the only dedicated publication on that theme and forms the touchstone of any enquiry into Ireland’s medieval town walls, but the topic was due a fresh look with reference to current research in Britain. Consequently, this paper examines whether recent findings and ideas about urban defences from the British mainland—particularly those of Oliver Creighton—are applicable to Irish towns, specifically to a ‘group’ of four Anglo-Norman foundations in the west of Ireland that were the subject of a doctoral thesis by this author. Five core issues are addressed: were town walls a defining feature of medieval Irish towns? Was defence the primary reason for their construction? How significant was their economic role? Did they physically define urban space? And were they imbued with symbolic meaning?
Following a detailed examination of St. Nicholas’s Church, Galway, this paper discusses its high-... more Following a detailed examination of St. Nicholas’s Church, Galway, this paper discusses its high-medieval architectural and structural remains. The church has traditionally been assigned a foundation date of c.1320, but based on architectural and stratigraphical evidence it is demonstrated that there are the remains of a thirteenth-century structure within the fabric of the building. Indeed, two phases of high-medieval construction are revealed – phase 1 dating to the initial foundation of the church in the mid thirteenth century and phase 2 dating to the fourteenth century. Comparative architecture from Ireland and Britain is used to support the chronological sequencing advanced in this paper, which is the first structural analysis of St. Nicholas’s Church for over 70 years and only the second survey undertaken. While limited in quantity, documentary and excavation evidence is also used to further support the arguments in this paper. Finally, it is argued that during the formative period of St. Nicholas’s Church in the high-medieval period it received significant patronage, and that despite its location in a frontier town it was among the principal parish churches of the Anglo-Norman colony in Ireland.
The Journal of Irish Archaeology Vol XVIII, 2009, pg 95-113
Drafts by Jim McKeon
As Irish men and women across the country commemorate the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising, it... more As Irish men and women across the country commemorate the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising, it seems fair to also note the anniversary of another huge historical event in Ireland that had widespread ramifications concerning the social and political geography of the island, particularly that of Connacht. This paper discusses the 1316 Battle of Athenry.
Following a detailed examination of St. Nicholas’s Church, Galway, this paper discusses its high-... more Following a detailed examination of St. Nicholas’s Church, Galway, this paper discusses its high-medieval architectural and structural remains. The church has traditionally been assigned a foundation date of c.1320, but based on architectural and stratigraphical evidence it is demonstrated that there are the remains of a thirteenth-century structure within the fabric of the building. Indeed, two phases of high-medieval construction are revealed – phase 1 dating to the initial foundation of the church in the mid thirteenth century and phase 2 dating to the fourteenth century. Comparative architecture from Ireland and Britain is used to support the chronological sequencing advanced in this paper, which is the first structural analysis of St. Nicholas’s Church for over 70 years and only the second survey undertaken. While limited in quantity, documentary and excavation evidence is also used to further support the arguments in this paper. Finally, it is argued that during the formative period of St. Nicholas’s Church in the high-medieval period it received significant patronage, and that despite its location in a frontier town it was among the principal parish churches of the Anglo-Norman colony in Ireland. The Journal of Irish Archaeology Vol XVIII, 2009, pg 95-113
Athenry is one of the best preserved medieval towns of Anglo-Norman origin in Ireland. Over seve... more Athenry is one of the best preserved medieval towns of Anglo-Norman origin in Ireland. Over seventy percent of the high-medieval town wall survives including an extramural fosse and banks – a restored castle towers over the medieval streetscape and a ruined parish church lies within the town walls. The de Bermingham town of Athenry was a wealthy and important urban settlement in the high-medieval period and its status is reflected in the architecture of the Dominican priory of Saints Peter and Paul. This paper combines historical and archaeological evidence to provide an account of the formative years and early development of the Dominican priory of Athenry in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
Journal of the Galway Archaeological & Historical Society Vol 61, 2009, pg 24 - 56.
Following the partial Anglo-Norman conquest of Connacht in 1235, the town of Loughrea was establi... more Following the partial Anglo-Norman conquest of Connacht in 1235, the town of Loughrea was established as the administrative headquarters, or Caput Baroniae, of the provincial overlords, the de Burghs. Today, in contrast to the nearby and contemporary de Bermingham town of Athenry, there are only a few upstanding reminders of Loughrea’s medieval past . This paper argues for the whereabouts of its later medieval parish church, and specifically to three finely decorated grave slabs.
Journal of the Galway Archaeological & Historical Society Vol 65, 2013, pg 1-6
Journal of the Galway Archaeological & Historical Society Vol 65, 2013, pg 1-6
A paper by Oliver Creighton in 2007 reassessed the evidence for medieval town walls in Britain an... more A paper by Oliver Creighton in 2007 reassessed the evidence for medieval town walls in Britain and challenged some previous assumptions regarding their role, meaning, and relationship to the town and its inhabitants. That work provided new and valuable insights into urban defences, focusing mainly on towns in England and Wales. Avril Thomas’s seminal two-volume work on Irish towns (1992) is the only dedicated publication on that theme and forms the touchstone of any enquiry into Ireland’s medieval town walls, but the topic was due a fresh look with reference to current research in Britain. Consequently, this paper examines whether recent findings and ideas about urban defences from the British mainland—particularly those of Oliver Creighton—are applicable to Irish towns, specifically to a ‘group’ of four Anglo-Norman foundations in the west of Ireland that were the subject of a doctoral thesis by this author. Five core issues are addressed: were town walls a defining feature of medieval Irish towns? Was defence the primary reason for their construction? How significant was their economic role? Did they physically define urban space? And were they imbued with symbolic meaning?
Following a detailed examination of St. Nicholas’s Church, Galway, this paper discusses its high-... more Following a detailed examination of St. Nicholas’s Church, Galway, this paper discusses its high-medieval architectural and structural remains. The church has traditionally been assigned a foundation date of c.1320, but based on architectural and stratigraphical evidence it is demonstrated that there are the remains of a thirteenth-century structure within the fabric of the building. Indeed, two phases of high-medieval construction are revealed – phase 1 dating to the initial foundation of the church in the mid thirteenth century and phase 2 dating to the fourteenth century. Comparative architecture from Ireland and Britain is used to support the chronological sequencing advanced in this paper, which is the first structural analysis of St. Nicholas’s Church for over 70 years and only the second survey undertaken. While limited in quantity, documentary and excavation evidence is also used to further support the arguments in this paper. Finally, it is argued that during the formative period of St. Nicholas’s Church in the high-medieval period it received significant patronage, and that despite its location in a frontier town it was among the principal parish churches of the Anglo-Norman colony in Ireland.
The Journal of Irish Archaeology Vol XVIII, 2009, pg 95-113
As Irish men and women across the country commemorate the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising, it... more As Irish men and women across the country commemorate the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising, it seems fair to also note the anniversary of another huge historical event in Ireland that had widespread ramifications concerning the social and political geography of the island, particularly that of Connacht. This paper discusses the 1316 Battle of Athenry.