Lenore Fischer. Finn MacCool among the Old English by History Hub

Finn MacCool among the Old English by Lenore Fischer.

Presentation recorded at the 2015 Tudor and Stuart Ireland Interdisciplinary Conference which took place from August 28-29 2015 in Maynooth University. Podcasting by Real Smart Media.

Valerie McGowan-Doyle has shown how Lord Howth sought to justify the Old English presence in Ireland by providing them with a history of their successful conquest and efforts. Over and above this he even sought to create a cultural identity for them by appropriating myths from the Irish community among which they lived. His Book of Howth (written in the 1570s) begins with a description of the Fianna, calling them the descendants of the king of Denmark who had been brought in by the Irish to keep order in their land and to protect it from invasion. Starting at Dublin, Howth gives a detailed list of the Fianna members, each with his own designated coastal base. The Battle of Ventry, where the best of European chivalry was gathered to win Ireland is called the equal of the Battle of Troy. The Fianna were eventually destroyed, according to Howth, in the battle of Ardcaghe by the Irish princes themselves, who desired to be rid of them, but Finn MacCool escaped, being away in Rome at the time.

The Tudor and Stuart Ireland conference was generously supported by UCD School of History, UCD Research, Marsh's Library, Graduate Studies Office at Maynooth University, the Department of History at Maynooth University and the Irish Research Council (New Foundations Award).