Maritime Lordship in Late-Medieval Gaelic Ireland

Abstract

BY THE MIDDLE OF THE 15TH CENTURY a series of lordships had become firmly established along Gaelic Ireland’s western seaboard. These territories were controlled by a number of semi-autonomous kin groups, or ‘septs’. They were not homogenous entities but instead emerged under varying socio-political conditions and negotiated their relationships with society and landscape in multiple ways. Both physical geography and environment played a significant part in shaping the settlement and economic structures of each group. While this was a relatively conservative society, rooted in the traditions of the past, the lordships were also outward facing in their social and economic outlook. Rather than being remote and marginalised, these groupings were embedded within the broader north-western Atlantic social world, tied to the Continent through trade, the fishing industry and the increasingly cultural interconnectedness of society. However, by the close of the 16th century the lordships were under considerable stress following centuries of internecine conflict and increasing pressure from the English administration in Dublin and London.