First published in 1979 as a tribute to the late Professor J.C. Beckett, this
volume of original essays on the history of eighteenth century Ireland was
conceived both as an exercise in revision, challenging accepted orthodoxies, and
as an attempt to open up new areas of study in a period grown stale with
competing cliches: the 'penal era' for Catholic Ireland which was also the
'golden age' of Protestant Ascendancy.
As a collection, these essays may fairly be said that have inaugurated a new
era in the writing of eighteenth century Irish history, as well as launching the
careers of a generation of young scholars, a number of whom have gone on to
establish themselves as leading authorities in the period.
Twenty five year on, the volume still stands as a landmark, the impact and
freshness of the essays undiminished.
Contents:
Notes on Contributors
Principal Abbreviations Used in Footnotes
Foreword
The Irish Parliament of 1692 - by James I. McGuire
The Beginnings of the 'Undertaker System' - by David Hayton
The Money Bill Dispute of 1753 - by Declan O'Donovan
The Townshend Viceroyalty 1767-72 - by Thomas Bartlett
The Volunteers and Parliament 1779-64 - by P.H.D. Smyth
'The Parliamentary Traffic of this Country' - by A.P.W. Malcolmson
Middlemen - by David Dickson
Change in Ulster in the Late Eighteenth Century - by W.H. Crawford
Irish Republicanism in England: The First Phase 1707-09 - by Marianne Elliott
Index
