The Geraldines and Medieval Ireland: The Making of a Myth

From the earliest moments of their involvement in Ireland, the Geraldines (or FitzGeralds) - the greatest of the Anglo-Norman dynasties established in Ireland after 1169 - became shrouded in myths, often of their own creation. This fund of mythology was later appropriated for political and polemical uses by writers across the post-medieval centuries up to the early decades of the Irish Free State. This book, the proceedings of the inaugural Trinity Medieval Ireland Symposium, examines the ‘myth of the Geraldines’ in two senses: the literary and historical evidence from the Middle Ages and its reception from the 16th century onwards; and the myths and misconceptions that have encrusted around aspects of Geraldine history in historical scholarship.