Matthew Potter | University of Limerick (original) (raw)

Papers by Matthew Potter

Irish Economic and Social History, 2017

'remained disinterested in and ignorant of Ireland'. However, there was an important development ... more 'remained disinterested in and ignorant of Ireland'. However, there was an important development in the treatises themselves 'in the face of royal indifference'-not only did they become more nuanced, and engaged in factional disputes, but more importantly they began to recommend 'particular reformation' to entice a reluctant king to engage in the 'reduction' of Ireland piecemeal, at the least. The Kildare rebellion forced Henry VIII into 'engagement' with Ireland but not necessarily to reform. Cromwell was keen to receive information about Ireland, but there is 'no evidence that he had read the documents prepared earlier in the reign' (p. 166). It is striking to learn that the letters and papers relating to Ireland that Cromwell amassed, like Wolsey's before him, 'disappeared into the Tower' after his fall (p. 183). In any case, there is 'no sign' that royal policy in Ireland was shaped by the treatises sent from Ireland (p. 170). Nonetheless, the tantalising suggestion is made that St Leger in the 1540s gathered together 'disparate ideas', some of them reflected in such treatises and 'fashioned them into a new political policy for Ireland' (p. 186). To conclude, Maginn and Ellis have done a great job of work in presenting the text of an invaluable compendium from a critical time in Tudor policy formation for Ireland. The importance of this book lies primarily in its consideration of how Tudor policy was formulated. The implication of this work is that we need to reconsider the revisionist paradigm for Tudor Ireland. The sheer ignorance and indifference of the early Tudor monarchs towards Ireland, and the contrasts in conditions in much of the Pale with England (as reflected in the accounts of contemporaries), are not compatible with the notion that an 'English state' encompassed much of Ireland from the later middle ages. The texts in the compendium, and the discussion in this book, show that we need to look again at what conditions in the Pale were actually like and at what an older generation of historians termed 'Gaelicisation'. The Discovery of Tudor Ireland shows that historians of Tudor Ireland have a great deal yet to discover!

The First Decade of an Irish Local Government Association: the Association Of Municipal Authorities of Ireland, 1912-1922

The International Journal of Regional and Local Studies, 2011

Geographical loyalty'? COUNTIES, PALATINATES, BOROUGHS AND RIDINGS

Irish Economic and Social History, 2018

remained a staunch Francophile throughout his life. Nonetheless, this book is admirable in its br... more remained a staunch Francophile throughout his life. Nonetheless, this book is admirable in its breath and range of perspectives from a broad array of scholars. In conclusion, this book is a welcome addition to our understandings of both France and Ireland in the period between 1798 and 1916, and Joannon and Whelan are to be congratulated for producing such a diverse and interesting collection of essays. As they note in the conclusion, the Franco-Irish relationship is more important than ever in the context of a post-Brexit Europe, and this book serves as a valuable examination of the multifaceted nature of this vital relationship over the last two centuries.

Irish Economic and Social History, 2017

'remained disinterested in and ignorant of Ireland'. However, there was an important development ... more 'remained disinterested in and ignorant of Ireland'. However, there was an important development in the treatises themselves 'in the face of royal indifference'-not only did they become more nuanced, and engaged in factional disputes, but more importantly they began to recommend 'particular reformation' to entice a reluctant king to engage in the 'reduction' of Ireland piecemeal, at the least. The Kildare rebellion forced Henry VIII into 'engagement' with Ireland but not necessarily to reform. Cromwell was keen to receive information about Ireland, but there is 'no evidence that he had read the documents prepared earlier in the reign' (p. 166). It is striking to learn that the letters and papers relating to Ireland that Cromwell amassed, like Wolsey's before him, 'disappeared into the Tower' after his fall (p. 183). In any case, there is 'no sign' that royal policy in Ireland was shaped by the treatises sent from Ireland (p. 170). Nonetheless, the tantalising suggestion is made that St Leger in the 1540s gathered together 'disparate ideas', some of them reflected in such treatises and 'fashioned them into a new political policy for Ireland' (p. 186). To conclude, Maginn and Ellis have done a great job of work in presenting the text of an invaluable compendium from a critical time in Tudor policy formation for Ireland. The importance of this book lies primarily in its consideration of how Tudor policy was formulated. The implication of this work is that we need to reconsider the revisionist paradigm for Tudor Ireland. The sheer ignorance and indifference of the early Tudor monarchs towards Ireland, and the contrasts in conditions in much of the Pale with England (as reflected in the accounts of contemporaries), are not compatible with the notion that an 'English state' encompassed much of Ireland from the later middle ages. The texts in the compendium, and the discussion in this book, show that we need to look again at what conditions in the Pale were actually like and at what an older generation of historians termed 'Gaelicisation'. The Discovery of Tudor Ireland shows that historians of Tudor Ireland have a great deal yet to discover!

The First Decade of an Irish Local Government Association: the Association Of Municipal Authorities of Ireland, 1912-1922

The International Journal of Regional and Local Studies, 2011

Geographical loyalty'? COUNTIES, PALATINATES, BOROUGHS AND RIDINGS

Irish Economic and Social History, 2018

remained a staunch Francophile throughout his life. Nonetheless, this book is admirable in its br... more remained a staunch Francophile throughout his life. Nonetheless, this book is admirable in its breath and range of perspectives from a broad array of scholars. In conclusion, this book is a welcome addition to our understandings of both France and Ireland in the period between 1798 and 1916, and Joannon and Whelan are to be congratulated for producing such a diverse and interesting collection of essays. As they note in the conclusion, the Franco-Irish relationship is more important than ever in the context of a post-Brexit Europe, and this book serves as a valuable examination of the multifaceted nature of this vital relationship over the last two centuries.