On 1 August 1579 two senior English officials were killed in Tralee. These shocking murders caused huge outrage at the time. They were of great political significance and the fallout from them helped push the Earl of Desmond into rebellion. We know who did it - John of Desmond, brother of the Earl. What is more difficult is finding out why he did this. Furthermore, the disappearance of medieval Tralee is really striking . The dominant structures of early modern and medieval Tralee no longer exist: the Dominican Abbey, the castle, and even the house where the murders were carried out. Also long gone is the Earldom of Desmond. All obliterated. While it is natural that political dynasties rise and fall, such a blatant disappearance of all traces of a long historical period is remarkable.
References
Edwards, David "Geraldine Endgame: reassessing the origins of the Desmond Rebellion, 1573-9." In Crooks, P. and Duffy, S. The Geraldines and Medieval Ireland. Four Courts Press. 2017.
Moore, Martin. Deeds Not Words: The Survival of the Fitzmaurices Lords of Kerry, 1550 to 1603. 2020.
Dunne, Laurence. Murder, Pillage and Destruction: Archaeological Finds from Medieval Tralee
O'Sullivan Beare, Philip, Chapters towards a History of Ireland in the reign of Elizabeth. Available at celt.UCC.ie celt.ucc.ie/pu...
#irishhistory #Tralee #medieval #militaryhistory #Fitzgerald #Geraldine #murder #warfare #medievalwarfare
16 сен 2024
