Early Christian Ireland

This book provides a fully documented history of Ireland and the Irish between the fourth and ninth centuries AD, from St Patrick to the Vikings - the earliest period for which historical records are available. It opens with the Irish raids and settlements in Britain, and the conversion of Ireland to Christianity. It ends as Viking attacks on Ireland accelerated in the second quarter of the ninth century. The book takes account of the Irish both at home and abroad, including the Irish in northern Britain, in England and on the continent. Two principal thematic strands are the connection between the early Irish Church and its neighbours, and the rise of U? N?ill and the kingship of Tara.

List of maps; List of tables; List of figures; Acknowledgements; Abbreviations; A note on pronunciation; A note on the Chronicle of Ireland; Introduction; 1. Ireland in the seventh century: a tour; 2. Irish society c.700: I. Communities; 3. Irish society c.700: II. Social distinctions and moral values; 4. Ireland and Rome; 5. Conversion to Christianity; 6. The organisation of the early Irish church; 7. Columba, Iona and Lindisfarne; 8. Columbanus and his disciples; 9. The Paschal controversy; 10. The primatial claims of Armagh, Kildare and Canterbury; 11. The origins and rise of Uí Néill; 12. The kingship of Tara; 13. The powers of kings; 14. Conclusion; Appendix: genealogies and king-lists; Glossary: Irish and Latin; Bibliography; Index.

This book provides a fully documented history of Ireland and the Irish from St Patrick to the Vikings. It opens with the Irish raids and settlements in Britain, and the conversion of Ireland to Christianity, and ends as Viking attacks on Ireland accelerated in the second quarter of the ninth century.

Thomas Charles-Edwards is Professor of Celtic in the University of Oxford. His previous books include Bechbretha (1983, with Fergus Kelly), The Welsh Laws (1989) and Early Irish and Welsh Kinship (1993).