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Professor Sean Duffy
Prof. of Medieval Irish + Insular Histor, History
Prof. of Medieval Irish + Insular Histor, Centre for Irish-Scottish Studies

Biography

Seán Duffy is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin, from which he also holds an M.Litt and a Ph.D. He is a Fellow of the College, where he has lectured since 1993 and is currently Professor in Medieval History. He has supervised 20 current or completed PhDs, has been been Head of Department, a member of the Board of Trinity College Dublin, and Secretary to the Fellows. He has written or edited more than 30 books and more than 40 peer-reviewed journal articles and book-chapters, has organized 27 conferences, given over 30 keynotes or international invited lectures, and served on 10 editorial or advisory boards. Since 1998 he has been Chairman of the Friends of Medieval Dublin, an influential not-for-profit advocacy organization and is much involved in pro bono consultative and advisory work on matters relating to history and heritage, particularly with Dublin City Council. Since 1999 he has organized an annual interdisciplinary conference on medieval Dublin, the proceedings of which are published each year by Four Courts Press. In 2013 he co-founded the Trinity Medieval Ireland Symposium, held biennially, the proceedings of which are published in a new Four Courts Press series, and he also a founder and organizer of prestigious biennial James Lydon Lectures in Medieval History and Culture, the volumes of which appear in a dedicated Cambridge University Press series.

Publications and Further Research Outputs

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Seán Duffy, John Montague, Kevin Mulligan and Michael O'Neill (executive editors, Ann Lynch and Conleth Manning), Dublin Castle from Fortress to Palace: Volume I. Vikings to Victorians: a History of Dublin Castle to 1850, Dublin, Government of Ireland, 2022 Book, 2022

Seán Duffy, 'A Norman invasion? No, it was the English', Review of Plantagenet Ireland, by Robin Frame , The Irish Times, (12 March 2022), 2022, p40 Review, 2022

'Part 1: The medieval period' in, editor(s)Seán Duffy, John Montague, Kevin Mulligan and Michael O'Neill (executive editors, Ann Lynch and Conleth Manning) , Dublin Castle from Fortress to Palace: Volume I. Vikings to Victorians: a History of Dublin Castle to 1850, Dublin, Government of Ireland, 2022, pp1 - 73, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2022

Seán Duffy, Review of The Sea Kings: the Late Norse Kingdoms of Man and the Isles, by R. Andrew McDonald , Isle of Man Studies. Proceedings of the Isle of Man Natural History and Antiquarian Society, XVII, 2021, p183-4 Review, 2021

'Carlingford Castle: whodunit?' in, editor(s)Terence Dooley, Mary Ann Lyons, and Salvador Ryan , The Historian as Detective: Uncovering Irish Pasts. Essays in Honour of Raymond Gillespie, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2021, pp41 - 44, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2021

Robert Peberdy & Philip Waller (eds), A dictionary of British and Irish history, Hoboken, NJ, Wiley Blackwell, 2021 Editorial Board, 2021

Seán Duffy, Medieval Dublin XVIII, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2020, 389pppp Book, 2020

Seán Duffy, Review of Early medieval Ireland 431-1169, by Matthew Stout , Irish Literary Supplement: A Review of Irish Books, 39, (no. 2, Spring), 2020, p20-21 Review, 2020

Seán Duffy, '1169 and All That', History Ireland, 27, (no. 3), 2019, p20 - 24 Journal Article, 2019

Linzi Simpson and Seán Duffy, 'Ireland's "Norman" Castles', History Ireland, 27, (no. 3), 2019, p26 - 29 Journal Article, 2019

History Ireland, 27, no. 3, (2019), 72p, Seán Duffy, [guest ed.] Journal, 2019

Seán Duffy, 'Platform Piece: 850 Years of Oppression?', History Ireland, 27, (no. 3), 2019, p16 - 17 Journal Article, 2019

Seán Duffy, 'Une si longue conquête', l'Histoire, (no. 455, Janvier), 2019, p34 - 40 Journal Article, 2019

Seán Duffy, Review of Norse-Gaelic contacts in a Viking world, by Colmán Etchingham, Jón Viðar Sigurðsson, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, and Elizabeth Ashman Rowe (eds) , History Ireland, 27, (no. 6), 2019 Review, 2019

Seán Duffy, Medieval Dublin XVII, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2019, 324pp Book, 2019

Seán Duffy, Review of The Cambridge History of Ireland. Volume 1, 600-1550, by Brendan Smith (ed.) , History Ireland, 26, (no. 5), 2018 Review, 2018

Seán Duffy, Medieval Dublin XVI: Proceedings of Clontarf 1014-2014: National Conference marking the Millenium of the Battle of Clontarf, 11-12 April 2014, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2017, 326pp Book, 2017

'Gerald of Windsor and the origins of the Geraldines', in, editor(s)Peter Crooks and Seán Duffy , Peter Crooks and Seán Duffy (eds), The Geraldines and Medieval Ireland: the Making of a Myth, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2016, pp21 - 52, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2016

Peter Crooks and Seán Duffy, The Geraldines and Medieval Ireland: The Making of a Myth. Trinity Medieval Ireland Series 1., 1, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2016, 446pp Book, 2016 URL

Seán Duffy, Medieval Dublin XV: Proceedings of the Friends of Medieval Dublin Symposium 2013, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2016 Book, 2016

'Irish and Welsh responses to the Plantagenet empire in the reign of Edward I', in, editor(s)Peter Crooks, David Green, and W. Mark Ormrod , The Plantagenet Empire, 1259-1453, Donington, Shaun Tyas, 2016, pp148 - 166, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2016

'Man and the Irish Sea World in the eleventh century' in, Seán Duffy and Harold Mytum (eds) , A New History of the Isle of Man, Volume III: the medieval period 1000-1406, Liverpool, Liverpool University Press, 2015, 9 - 26, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2015

Seán Duffy, Review of Michael Penman, Robert the Bruce, King of the Scots (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2014), English Historical Review, CXXX, (547), 2015, pp1531-2 Review, 2015

Seán Duffy and Harold Mytum (eds), A New History of the Isle of Man, Volume III: the medieval period 1000-1406, Liverpool, Liverpool University Press, 2015, 606pp Book, 2015

'The Welsh conquest of Ireland' in, editor(s)Emer Purcell, Paul MacCotter, Julianne Nyhan & John Sheehan , Clerics, Kings and Vikings: essays on medieval Ireland in honour of Donnchadh Ó Corráin, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2015, 103 - 114, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2015

Economy and Trade in Medieval Man in, editor(s)Sean Duffy and Harold Mytum , A New History of the Isle of Man, Volume III: The Medieval Period, 1000-1406, Liverpool, Liverpool University Press, 2015, pp377 - 410, [David Ditchburn and Benjamin T. Hudson] Book Chapter, 2015

Seán Duffy, Review of Matthew Hammond (ed.), New Perspectives on Medieval Scotland, 1093-1286 (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2013), Scottish Historical Review, 94, (no. 2), 2015, pp270-72 Review, 2015

'The saint's tale' in, Sparky booker & Cherie N. Peters , Tales of Medieval Dublin, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2014, 7 - 17, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2014

Seán Duffy, Review of Music and the stars: mathematics in medieval Ireland, by Mary Kelly & Charles Doherty , Books Ireland, no. 356, 2014, 10-11 Review, 2014

Seán Duffy, Medieval Dublin XIV: Proceedings of the Friends of Medieval Dublin Symposium 2012, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2014, 309pp Book, 2014

Seán Duffy, 'Obituary: James Francis Lydon (1928-2013)', Analecta Hibernica, no. 45, 2014, - xxi-xxii Miscellaneous, 2014

Seán Duffy, Brian Boru and the Battle of Clontarf, Dublin, Gill & Macmillan, 2013, 349pp Book, 2013

Seán Duffy and Susan Foran (eds), The English Isles: Cultural transmission and political conflict in Britain and Ireland, 1100-1500 , Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2013, 186pp Book, 2013

'The Turnberry Band' in, editor(s)Seán Duffy , Princes, prelates and poets in medieval Ireland: essays in honour of Katharine Simms, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2013, pp124 - 138, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2013

Seán Duffy (ed.), Princes, prelates and poets in medieval Ireland: essays in honour of Katharine Simms, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2013, 599pp Book, 2013

Seán Duffy (ed.), Medieval Dublin XIII: Proceedings of the Friends of Medieval Dublin Symposium 2011, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2013, 332pp Book, 2013

Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy Section C, Dublin, Royal Irish Academy, [Member of Editorial Board], 2012-2019 Editorial Board, 2012

Seán Duffy (ed.), Medieval Dublin XII: Proceedings of the Friends of Medieval Dublin Symposium 2010, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2012, 306pp Book, 2012

2 entries: 'Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland (1169-1171)' and 'The Bruce invasion of Ireland (1315-1318)', in Gordon Martel (ed.), The encyclopedia of war, London, Blackwell, 2011, [Seán Duffy] Item in dictionary or encyclopaedia, etc, 2011

'The "key of the Pale": a history of Trim Castle', in, editor(s)Alan R. Hayden , Trim Castle, Co. Meath: Excavations 1995-8, Dublin, Oifig an tSoláthair, 2011, 6-28 , [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2011

Seán Duffy (ed.), Medieval Dublin XI: proceedings of the Friends of Medieval Dublin Symposium 2009, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2011, 342pp Book, 2011

'Celtic styles of warfare', in Clifford J. Rogers (ed.), The Oxford encyclopedia of medieval warfare and military technology, 3 vols, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2010, i, 356-8 , [Seán Duffy] Item in dictionary or encyclopaedia, etc, 2010

'Historical background', in Sinead Phelan, 'The bank, the ditch and the water: Hiberno-Norse discoveries at Church Street and Hammond Lane' in, editor(s)Seán Duffy , Medieval Dublin X: proceedings of the Friends of Medieval Dublin Symposium 2008, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2010, pp165 - 197, [ Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2010

3 entries: . 'Courcy, John de' (vol. ii, p. 457); . 'Dublin' (vol. ii, pp 516-7); . 'Man, Isle of' (vol. iii, pp 1073-4), in Robert E. Bjork (ed.), The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages, Oxford, OUP, 2010, [Seán Duffy] Item in dictionary or encyclopaedia, etc, 2010

Seán Duffy(ed.), Medieval Dublin X: proceedings of the Friends of Medieval Dublin Symposium 2008, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2010, 326 p Proceedings of a Conference, 2010

Seán Duffy, Review of Medieval Irish Dominican studies, by Benedict O'Sullivan , Studia Hibernica, 36, 2010, p228-30 Review, 2010

Seán Duffy, Review of Ireland, England and the Continent in the Middle Ages and Beyond: Essays in Memory of a Turbulent Friar, F.X. Martin, OSA, by Howard B. Clarke and J.R.S. Phillips (eds) , English Historical Review, CXXV, (512), 2010, pp 156-158 Review, 2010

Seán Duffy, Review of Ireland and the English world in the late middle ages: essays in honour of Robin Frame, by Brendan Smith , English Historical Review, cxxv, (no. 517), 2010, p1508-10 Review, 2010

Seán Duffy, Review of Power and Identity in the Middle Ages: Essays in Memory of Rees Davies, by Huw Pryce and John Watts (eds), Oxford: OUP, 2007 , English Historical Review, CXXIV , (no. 507), 2009, 390-02 Review, 2009

Seán Duffy (ed.), Medieval Dublin IX. Proceedings of the Friends of Medieval Dublin Symposium 2007, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2009, 250pp Book, 2009

'Ireland, c.1000-c.1100', in, Pauline Stafford , A Companion to the Early Middle Ages. Britain and Ireland c.500-c.1100, London, Wiley-Blackwell, 2009, 285 - 302, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2009

'The Hermits of St Augustine in Medieval Dublin: their History and Archaeology', in, John Bradley, Alan Fletcher, Anngret Simms (eds) , Dublin in the Medieval World: Studies in Honour of Howard B. Clarke, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2009, 202 - 248, [Seán Duffy and Linzi Simpson] Book Chapter, 2009

'O'Kearney (Kearney), Nicholas', in James McGuire & James Quinn (eds), Dictionary of Irish biography, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press and the Royal Irish Academy, 2009, [Seán Duffy] Item in dictionary or encyclopaedia, etc, 2009

Seán Duffy, , Review of Ireland and Wales in the Middle Ages, by Karen Jankulak and Jonathan M. Wooding , Irish Historical Studies, XXXVI, (no. 143), 2009, 429-30 Review, 2009

Seán Duffy, Review of De Courcy: Anglo-Normans in Ireland, England and France in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, by Steve Flanders , Irish Historical Studies, XXXVI, (no. 143), 2009 Review, 2009

Seán Duffy, Review of The medieval manuscripts of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, by Raymond Gillespie and Raymond Refaussé (eds) , Catholic Historical Review. Journal of the American Catholic Historical Association, 95, (no. 2), 2009, pp 338-9 Review, 2009

Seán Duffy (ed.), Medieval Dublin VIII: Proceedings of the Friends of Medieval Dublin Symposium 2006, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2008, 256pp Book, 2008

'The prehistory of the Galloglass' in, Seán Duffy , The world of the galloglass: kings, warlords and warriors in Ireland and Scotland, 1200-1600, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2007, 1 - 23, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2007

'Henry II and England's Insular neighbours', in, Christopher Harper-Bill and Nicholas Vincent , Henry II: new interpretations, Woodbridge, Suffolk, The Boydell Press, 2007, 129 - 153, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2007

Seán Duffy (ed.), The world of the Galloglass: kings, warlords and warriors in Ireland and Scotland, 1200-1600, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2007, 219pp Book, 2007

'"The western world's tower of honour and dignity": the career of Muirchertach Ua Briain in context' in, editor(s)Damian Bracken and Dagmar Ó Riain-Raedel , Ireland and Europe in the twelfth century: reform and renewal, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2006, pp56 - 73, [Sean Duffy] Book Chapter, 2006

Seán Duffy (ed.), Medieval Dublin VII: Proceedings of the Friends of Medieval Dublin Symposium 2005, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2006, 256pp Book, 2006

'The royal dynasties of Dublin and the Isles in the eleventh century', in, editor(s)Seán Duffy , Medieval Dublin VII: Proceedings of the Friends of Medieval Dublin Symposium 2005, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2006, pp51 - 65, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2006

'Introduction to this edition' in, editor(s)Goddard Henry Orpen , Ireland under the Normans, by Goddard Orpen with an introduction by Seán Duffy, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2005, ppxi - xxxii, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2005

'A reconsideration of the site of Dublin's Viking Thing-mót' in, editor(s)Tom Condit and Christiaan Corlett , Above and beyond: essays in memory of Leo Swan, Dublin, Wordwell, 2005, pp351 - 360, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2005

6 entries: . 'Bruce, Edward' (pp 51-3); . 'Courcy, John de' (pp 108-9); . 'John, king of England' (pp 240-43); . 'Limerick' (pp 276-8); . 'Ua Briain, Muirchertach' (pp 459-62); . 'Ua Néill, Domnall' (pp 480-81), in Seán Duffy (ed.), Medieval Ireland: an encyclopedia, New York & London, Routledge, 2005, [Seán Duffy] Item in dictionary or encyclopaedia, etc, 2005

'Town and crown: the kings of England and their city of Dublin' in, editor(s)Michael Prestwich, Richard Britnell, and Robin Frame , Thirteenth Century England X. Proceedings of the Durham Conference 2003, Woodbridge, The Boydell Press, 2005, pp95 - 117, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2005

Seán Duffy (ed.), Medieval Dublin VI. Proceedings of the Friends of Medieval Dublin Symposium 2004, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2005, 256pp Book, 2005

Seán Duffy (ed.), Medieval Ireland: an encyclopedia, 1st edn, New York and London, Routledge, 2005, xxxii+546pp Book, 2005

14 entries: . 'Brian Bóruma [Brian Boru] (c. 941-1014), high-king of Ireland'; . 'Burgh, Richard de, second earl of Ulster [called Red Earl] (b. in or after 1259, d. 1326), magnate, lord of Connacht'; . 'Cathal mac Conchobair (d. 1010), king of Connacht'; . 'Conn na mBocht (d. 1060), ecclesiastical leader'; . 'Courcy [Courci], John de (d. 1219?), conqueror of Ulster'; . 'Gilbert [Gille, Gilli, Gillebertus; called Gilla Espaic] (d. 1145), bishop of Limerick'; . 'Godred Crovan [Guðrøðr, Gofraid Méránach] (d. 1095), king of Man and the Isles'; . 'Mac Flainn, Flann [Florence Macflynn] (d. 1256), archbishop of Tuam'; . 'Mac Lochlainn [Ua Lochlainn], Muirchertach (d. 1166), high-king of Ireland'; . 'Ragnvald [Rögnvaldr, Reginald, Ragnall] (d. 1229), king of Man and the Isles'; . 'Ua Conchobair, Áed [Aedh O'Connor, Áed in Gaí Bernaig] (d. 1067), king of Connacht'; . 'Ua Conchobair, Ruaidrí [Roderic O'Connor, Ruaidrí na Saide Buide] (d. 1118), king of Connacht'; . 'Ua Gormáin, Máel Muire [Marianus O'Gorman] (d. 1181?), abbot of Knock'; . 'Ua Néill, Flaithbertach [Flaithbheartach O'Neill, Flaithbertach an Trostáin] (d. 1036), king of Ailech', Oxford dictionary of national biography, Oxford, OUP, 2004, [Seán Duffy] Item in dictionary or encyclopaedia, etc, 2004

5 entries: . 'English government in medieval Ireland' (pp 215-18); . 'MacMurrough, Dermot, and the Anglo-Norman invasion' (pp 411-13); . 'Magnates, Gaelic and Anglo-Irish' (pp 414-5); . 'Norman conquest and colonization' (pp 468-70); . 'Richard II in Ireland' (pp 628-9), in James S. Donnolly, Jr. (ed.), Encyclopedia of Irish history and culture, Detroit, Mich., Thomson Gale, 2004, [Seán Duffy] Item in dictionary or encyclopaedia, etc, 2004

Seán Duffy (ed.), Medieval Dublin V: Proceedings of the Friends of Medieval Dublin Symposium 2003, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2004, 301pp Book, 2004

'The lords of Galloway, earls of Carrick, and the Bissets of the Glens: Scottish settlement in thirteenth-century Ulster' in, editor(s)David Edwards , Regions and rulers in Ireland 1100-1650, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2004, pp37 - 50, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2004

'The British perspective' in, editor(s)S.H. Rigby , A companion to Britain in the later middle ages, Oxford, Blackwell Publishers, 2003, pp165 - 183, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2003

Seán Duffy (ed.), Medieval Dublin IV: Proceedings of the Friends of Medieval Dublin Symposium 2002, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2003, 368pp Book, 2003

Seán Duffy (ed.), Robert the Bruce's Irish Wars: the Invasions of Ireland 1306-1329, Stroud, Tempus Publishing, 2002, 221pp Book, 2002

'Emerging from the mist: Ireland and Man in the eleventh century' in, editor(s)P.J. Davey and David Finlayson , Mannin revisited: twelve essays on Manx culture and environment, Edinburgh, Scottish Society for Northern Studies, 2002, pp53 - 62, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2002

Seán Duffy (ed.), Medieval Dublin III: Proceedings of the Friends of Medieval Dublin Symposium 2001, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2002, 256pp Book, 2002

Seán Duffy and Edmund O'Donovan, 'A deserted medieval village at Ballysheehan, Co. Tipperary', Tipperary Historical Journal, 2002, p33 - 43 Journal Article, 2002

'Edward Bruce's invasion of Ireland: a revised itinerary and chronology' in, editor(s)Seán Duffy , Robert the Bruce's Irish Wars: the Invasions of Ireland 1306-1329, Stroud, Tempus Publishing, 2002, 9 - 43, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2002

'Introduction' in, editor(s)Edmund Curtis , A history of Ireland, London, etc., Routledge, 2002, ix - xi, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2002

'Foreward' in, editor(s)Ailbhe MacShamhráin , The Vikings: an illustrated history, Dublin, Wolfhound Press, 2002, pp7 - 8, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2002

David Dickson, Seán Duffy, Cathal Ó Háinle, and Ian Campbell Ross(ed.), Ireland and Scotland : nation, region, identity; náisiún, régiún, céannacht; nàisean, ceàrn tìre, fèineachd, Trinity College Dublin and the Irish Film Centre, Dublin, 29-30 September 2000, Centre for Irish-Scottish Studies, TCD for the Irish-Scottish Academic Initiative, 2001, viii, 105 p Proceedings of a Conference, 2001

'The Normans' in, editor(s)R. Bartlett, J. Morrill, A. Briggs, and J. Bourke , The Penguin atlas of British and Irish history, London, etc., Penguin Books, 2001, pp72 - 75, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2001

'The Angevin Empire' in, R. Bartlett, J. Morrill, A. Briggs, and J. Bourke , The Penguin atlas of British and Irish history, London, etc., Penguin Books, 2001, pp80 - 83, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 2001

Seán Duffy (ed.), Medieval Dublin II. Proceedings of the Friends of Medieval Dublin Symposium 2000, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2001, 237pp Book, 2001

'Ireland and Scotland, 1014-1169: contacts and caveats' in, editor(s)Alfred P. Smyth , Seanchas. Essays presented to Francis J. Byrne, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2000, pp346 - 356, [Duffy S.] Book Chapter, 2000

Seán Duffy, Book review, English Historical Review, 2000, p690-91 Review, 2000

'The Vikings and Normans', Ciaran Brady, The Hutchinson Encyclopedia of Ireland, London, Helicon, 2000, [Seán Duffy] Item in dictionary or encyclopaedia, etc, 2000

Seán Duffy, Book review, The Innes Review, 51, 2000, p90-91 Review, 2000

Seán Duffy (ed.), Medieval Dublin I. Proceedings of the Friends of Medieval Dublin Symposium 1999, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2000, 237pp Book, 2000

Seán Duffy, The Concise History of Ireland, Dublin, Gill and Macmillan, 2000, 256pp Book, 2000

Seán Duffy, 'Historical revisit: Goddard Henry Orpen, Ireland under the Normans, 1169-1333 (1911-20)', Irish Historical Studies, 37, 2000, p246 - 259 Journal Article, 2000

'The Anglo-Norman era in Scotland and Ireland: convergence and divergence' in, editor(s)T.M. Devine and J.F. McMillan , Celebrating Columba: Irish-Scottish connections 597-1997, Edinburgh, John Donald, 1999, pp15 - 34, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 1999

'John and the origins of England's Irish problem' in, editor(s)S.D. Church , King John: new interpretations, Woodbridge, Boydell Press, 1999, pp221 - 245, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 1999

Seán Duffy, Book review, Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies, 38, (100), 1999, p102-3 Review, 1999

'The 1169 invasion as a turning-point in Irish-Welsh relations' in, editor(s)Brendan Smith , Britain and Ireland 900-1300. Insular responses to medieval European change, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1999, pp98 - 113, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 1999

'Tudor conquest and Gaelic collapse: Ireland in the sixteenth century' in, A guerra e o encontro de civilizaçóes, a partir do século XVI. Actas do XXIV congresso internacional de História militar, Lisbon, Commissáo Portuguesa de História Militar, 1999, pp117 - 122, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 1999

'Ireland's Hastings: the Anglo-Norman conquest of Dublin' in, editor(s)Christopher Harper-Bill , Anglo-Norman Studies XX: Proceedings of the Battle Conference, Woodbridge, Boydell Press, 1998, pp69 - 85, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 1998

Seán Duffy, Book review, Irish Historical Studies, 31, 1998, p135-6 Review, 1998

22 entries: . 'Airgialla'; . 'Athenry, battle of'; . 'Black Death'; . 'Bruce, Edward'; . 'Burgh, Richard de'; . 'Clann Sínaich'; . 'Faughart, battle of'; . 'Fitzgerald (Decies); . 'Mac Lochlainn, Muirchertach'; . 'Man, Isle of'; . 'National identities in early and medieval Ireland'; . 'O'Connor, Cathal'; . 'O'Connor, Rory'; . 'Poer family'; . 'Remonstrance of the Irish Princes'; . 'Ua Conchobair, Toirrdelbach'; . 'Ulaid'; . 'Valence family'; . 'Verdon family'; . 'Vescy family'; . 'Vescy, William de'; . 'Wogan, John de', in S.J. Connolly (ed.), The Oxford companion to Irish history, Oxford, OUP, 1998, [Seán Duffy] Item in dictionary or encyclopaedia, etc, 1998

Seán Duffy, Book review, County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society Journal, 24, 1998, p306-7 Review, 1998

Seán Duffy, Book review , Scottish Historical Review, 77, 1998, p257-8 Review, 1998

Seán Duffy (ed.), Atlas of Irish History, 1st edition, New York; Dublin, Macmillan; Gill and Macmillan, 1997 Book, 1997

Seán Duffy, Book review, Irish Historical Studies, xxx, 1997, p616-7 Review, 1997

Seán Duffy, Review of James Mills (ed.), Account Roll of the Priory of the Holy Trinity, Dublin, 1337-1346, Studia Hibernica, 29, 1997, p252-4 Review, 1997

12 maps and accompanying texts: . 'Origins' (pp 10-13); . 'Celtic Ireland' (pp 14-15); . 'The arrival of Christianity' (pp 16-17); . 'Early peoples and politics' (pp 18-19); . 'The golden age' (pp 20-21); . 'Ireland and Europe' (pp 22-3); . 'The Viking wars' (pp 24-5); . 'The age of Brian Boru' (pp 26-7); . 'Reform of the church' in ibid. (pp 28-9); . 'Ireland before the Normans' (pp 30-31); . 'The growth of Dublin' (pp 48-9); . 'The decline of the Irish language' (pp 94-5) in, Seán Duffy (ed.) , Atlas of Irish history, Dublin, Gill & Macmillan, 1997, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 1997

Seán Duffy, Ireland in the Middle Ages, London; New York; Dublin, Macmillan; St Martin's Press; Gill and Macmillan, 1997, 216pp Book, 1997

6 entries: . 'Brian Boru'; . 'Celtic church'; . 'Connacht'; . 'Dublin'; . 'Dublin Castle'; . 'Dublin, kingdom of', in John Cannon (ed.), The Oxford companion to British history, Oxford, OUP, 1997, [Seán Duffy] Item in dictionary or encyclopaedia, etc, 1997

'The problem of degeneracy' in, editor(s)James Lydon , Law and disorder in thirteenth-century Ireland.The Dublin Parliament of 1297, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 1997, pp87 - 106, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 1997

'Historical Background' in, editor(s)Margaret Gowen with Georgina Scally , A Summary Report on Excavations at Exchange Street Upper/Parliament Street, Dublin, Dublin, Temple Bar Archaeological Report No. 4, 1996, pp4 - 9, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 1996

Seán Duffy, Book review, Scottish Historical Review, 75, (199), 1996, p125-6 Review, 1996

Seán Duffy, Book review, Journal of the County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society, 23, (4), 1996, p447 Review, 1996

Seán Duffy, 'King John's expedition to Ireland, AD 1210: the evidence reconsidered', Irish Historical Studies, 40, 1996, p1 - 24 Journal Article, 1996

Seán Duffy, Ulster and the Irish Sea region in the twelfth century, Irish Historic Settlement Newsletter, 6, 1996, 1 - 6 Journal Article, 1996

Seán Duffy, 'Ostmen, Irish and Welsh in the eleventh century', Peritia: Journal of the Medieval Academy of Ireland, 9, 1996, p378 - 396 Journal Article, 1996

Seán Duffy, Book review, Journal of the County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society, 23, (3), 1995, p378 Review, 1995

'The first Ulster plantation: John de Courcy and the men of Cumbria' in, editor(s)Robin Frame, Katharine Simms, T.B. Barry , Colony and frontier in medieval Ireland. Essays presented to J.F. Lydon, London, Hambledon Press, 1995, pp1 - 27, [Seán Duffy] Book Chapter, 1995

Seán Duffy, Ireland 600-1169. An Island of Saints and Scholars?, London, Longman, 1993 Book, 1993

Seán Duffy, Book review, Journal of the County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society, 23, (3), 1993, p273 Review, 1993

Seán Duffy, Book review, The Innes Review, 44, 1993, p104-7 Review, 1993

Seán Duffy, 'Irishmen and Islesmen in the kingdoms of Dublin and Man, 1052-1171', Ériu, 43, 1992, p93 - 133 Journal Article, 1992

Seán Duffy, 'The Bruce brothers and the Irish Sea world, 1306-29', Cambridge Medieval Celtic Studies, 21, 1991, p55 - 86 Journal Article, 1991

Seán Duffy, 'The "continuation" of Nicholas Trevet: a new source for the Bruce invasion', Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 91, C, (12), 1991, p303 - 315 Journal Article, 1991

Seán Duffy [Ó Dufaigh] and Diarmaid Ó Doibhlin (eds), Nioclás Ó Cearnaigh: beatha agus saothar, Dublin, An Clóchomhar, 1989, 139pp Book, 1989

Seán Duffy, Nicholas O'Kearney: the last of the bards of Louth, Dublin, Éigse Oirialla, 1989, 104pp Book, 1989

Seán Duffy, 'Antiquarianism and Gaelic revival in County Louth in the pre-Famine era', Journal of the County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society, 21, (4), 1988, p343 - 368 Journal Article, 1988

Seán Duffy, 'The Gaelic account of the Bruce invasion "Cath Fhochairte Brighite": medieval romance or modern forgery?', Seanchas Ard Mhacha, 13, (1), 1988, p59 - 121 Journal Article, 1988

Seán Duffy, 'Art Murphy and Gaelic literary activity in the Dundalk area in the 1820s', Journal of the County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society, 21, (3), 1987, p231 - 256 Journal Article, 1987

Irish Historical Studies, Irish Historical Society, [Member, Editorial and Management Board, 1994-2013] Editorial Board,

History Ireland, Editor: Tommy Graham, [Consulting Editor: Seán Duffy], 1998 to date Journal,

Non-Peer-Reviewed Publications

Seán Duffy, 'Robert the Bruce and Ireland's last, Scottish high king', 2015, - 2 Miscellaneous, 2015

Seán Duffy, 'What happened at the Battle of Clontarf?', History Ireland, 22, (2), 2014, 30 - 33 Journal Article, 2014

Seán Duffy, 'Brian Boru: imperator Scotorum', History Ireland, 22, (2), 2014, 10 - 11 Journal Article, 2014

Seán Duffy, 'The battle of Clontarf: what actually happened?' (Brian Boru and the Battle of Clontarf Special Supplement). The Irish Independent, 12 April, 2014, - Miscellaneous, 2014

Seán Duffy, 'The long Good Friday: battle began at first light and raged all day', 2014, - Miscellaneous, 2014

Seán Duffy, 'Three kings and a queen', 2014, - Miscellaneous, 2014

Seán Duffy, 'Who was Brian Boru and why does he matter?', 2014, - Miscellaneous, 2014

Seán Duffy, ''What did Brian Boru ever do for us?', 2014, - Miscellaneous, 2014

Seán Duffy, 'See Rome and die: the burial-place of Donnchad mac Briain', History Ireland, 22, (2), 2014, 6 - 7 Journal Article, 2014

Seán Duffy, 'In memoriam: Professor James Lydon, 1928-2013', History Newsletter, Trinity College Dublin, Summer, 2013, - 12 Miscellaneous, 2013

Seán Duffy, , Review of The Dublin region in the Middle Ages: settlement land-use and economy, by Margaret Murphy and Michael Potterton , History Ireland, 19, no. 5, 2011, p56-7 Review, 2011

Seán Duffy, Review of The Earldom of Desmond, 1463-1583: the decline and crisis of a feudal lordship, by Anthony M. McCormack (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2005) and Colin Breen, The Gaelic lordship of the O'Sullivan Beare (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2005) , History Ireland, 14, no. 6, (Nov/Dec), 2006, pp 59-60 Review, 2006

Seán Duffy and Patrick Power, The Timechart History of Ireland, Rickmansworth, Worth Press and Playne Books, 2001 Book, 2001

Seán Duffy, 'Bruce and Ireland', in Scotland's Story, part 12, Edinburgh, 2000, 2000, - 8-9 Miscellaneous, 2000

Seán Duffy, 'Medieval Scotland & Ireland : overcoming the amnesia', History Ireland, 7, (3), 1999, p17 - 21 Journal Article, 1999

Seán Duffy, Book review, History Ireland, 4, (2), 1996, p60 Review, 1996

Seán Duffy, 'Braveheart...brave attempt', History Ireland, 3, (4), 1995, p5 - 6 Journal Article, 1995

Seán Duffy, 'A real Irish historian. Seán Duffy talks to James Lydon who last year retired as Lecky Professor of Modern History in Trinity College, Dublin' , History Ireland, 3, (1), 1995, p11 - 14 Journal Article, 1995

Seán Duffy, 'Pre-Norman Dublin: capital of Ireland?', History Ireland, 1, (4), 1993, p13 - 18 Journal Article, 1993

Seán Duffy, 'The Loughross Gaelic scholar Doctor James Woods', Creggan: Journal of the Creggan Local History Society, 1, (3), 1989, 33 - 51 Journal Article, 1989

Research Expertise

Description

Seán Duffy has published widely on Irish history generally, and medieval Ireland in particular, on Anglo-Irish relations through the ages, on the history of the Celtic countries in the medieval period, and on history and archaeology of Dublin since the Viking Age. A cornerstone of his research has been the examination of Ireland's relations with Scotland, Wales, and the Kingdom of Man and the Isles in the Middle Ages, concentrating on the period between the battle of Clontarf in 1014 (at which perhaps the greatest of Ireland's kings, Brian Boru, was slain) and the battle of Faughart in 1318 (in which Edward, brother of Robert the Bruce was killed, the man sometimes regarded as the last king of Ireland). In his work, he has developed a transnational approach, trying to uncover the various interconnections and relationships between the medieval Celtic peoples, and re-examining the great watershed moments in their affairs. He has been particularly concerned with the response of the Irish, the Scots and the Welsh to domination by England from 1066 onwards, and especially the extent to which, after the English invasion of Ireland in 1169, Ireland's experience mirrored that of Scotland and Wales. He is currently preparing a research monograph on this largely overlooked subject for Cambridge University Press. Another research approach has been to challenge the dramatic fault-line that exists in the history of Ireland whereby there are two histories, one from the Age of St Patrick up to the Anglo-Norman Invasion in 1169, the other running from then to the modern age. His conviction that this fracture is counterproductive and undermining of insight has led him to develop a specialism which, instead of beginning or ending at 1169, uses it as a midway hinge that interlocks two historiographies traditionally kept ajar. Furthermore, even the Ireland that emerged after 1169 has itself spawned two historiographies so that one is traditionally a historian of either Gaelic Ireland or of English Ireland: Seán Duffy has sought to break down this barrier, and is regarded as a historian, not of Gaelic Ireland or of English Ireland, but offering a new integrative analysis of both. He is currently researching and writing the first major History of Medieval Ireland to appear in over half a century, to be published by Yale University Press. Another of his interests lies in the history and archaeology of Dublin from the Vikings to the Early Modern period; in 1999 he established the Medieval Dublin Symposium, an annual one-day conference that has taken place in Trinity College Dublin ever since, the proceedings of which are published in a landmark Four Courts Press series. Sixteen volumes have appeared to date, amounting to 170 papers on the subject of medieval Dublin in the 17 years since the series began, more than were written in the 170 years preceding it. He is currently researching and writing a 40,000-word history of the medieval castle of Dublin, by far this country's most important building prior to Independence.

Projects

  • Title
    • Medieval Dublin Series
  • Summary
    • Proceedings of the Medieval Dublin Symposium, annual one-day conference, Trinity College Dublin. To date, 170 papers on the subject of the history and archaeology of Dublin from the Viking Age to the dawn of the modern era have been printed in the 17 years since the series began, more than were written in the 170 years preceding it.
  • Funding Agency
    • Dublin City Council
  • Date From
    • 2000
  • Date To
    • date
  • Title
    • Battle of Clontarf Millennium
  • Summary
    • Funding for Clontarf 1014-2014: national conference marking the millennium of the Battle of Clontarf, 11-12 April 2014
  • Funding Agency
    • Dublin City Council
  • Date From
    • 2014
  • Date To
    • 2014
  • Title
    • Medieval Scottish-Irish Migration Project
  • Summary
    • Arts Research Programme in Irish-Scottish Studies
  • Funding Agency
    • Higher Education Authority
  • Date From
    • 2003
  • Date To
    • 2007
  • Title
    • The Galloglass Project
  • Summary
    • Arts Research Programme in Irish-Scottish Studies (and misc. sources)
  • Funding Agency
    • Higher Education Authority
  • Date From
    • 2000
  • Title
    • The Lydon Lectures 2016: Robert Bartlett, Dynasties: Family Politics in Medieval Europe (with P. Crooks, D. Ditchburn)
  • Funding Agency
    • Arts and Social Sciences Benefactions Fund
  • Date From
    • 2015
  • Title
    • The Lydon Lectures 2014: John Gillingham, War, Enslavement and Chivalry (with P. Crooks, D. Ditchburn)
  • Funding Agency
    • Trinity Long Room Hub
  • Date From
    • 2013
  • Title
    • Inaugural Trinity Medieval Ireland Symposium on The Geraldines and Medieval Ireland and published proceedings (with P. Crooks)
  • Funding Agency
    • Arts & Social Sciences Benefactions Fund; School of Histories & Humanities; Trinity Association & Tr
  • Date From
    • 2013
  • Date To
    • 2016

Keywords

Anglo-Irish relations; Early development of Dublin; Ireland, Scotland and wales in the Middle ages; Irish History; Medieval History; Medieval Ireland; Medieval Irish & British History; Normans; Vikings

Recognition

Representations

Consulting editor, History Ireland: Ireland's History Magazine 1998-date

Editorial board, Cambridge University Press, James Lydon Lectures in Medieval History and Culture Series 2015-date

Editorial board, Four Courts Press, Trinity Medieval Ireland Series 2013-date

Editorial board, Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 2012-date

Editorial and management board, Irish Historical Studies 1995-2008

Editorial board, A New History of the Isle of Man 1995-2015

Advisory editorial team, Dictionary of British and Irish History, ed. R.B. Peberdy (Wiley-Blackwell, forthcoming) 2005-date

Advisor on and reader of medieval entries in The encyclopedia of Ireland, ed. Brian Lalor, Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn. and Dublin, Gill & Macmillan 2003

Advisor on medieval entries in Dictionary of Irish biography, ed. James McGuire and James, RIA and Cambridge University Press, Dublin and Cambridge, 2009

Anonymous reviewer of book-proposals and completed manuscripts: Yale University Press, Cambridge University Press, Edinburgh University Press, Longman, Four Courts Press, etc Various

Anonymous peer-review of journal submissions: Speculum, English Historical Review, Scottish Historical Review, Irish Historical Studies, The Innes Review, Cambridge [now Cambrian] Medieval Celtic Studies, Studia Celtica, etc Various

External assessor, National University of Ireland, Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Humanities 2014-

External reviewer, medieval history, the University of Aberdeen, Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014

Trustee, member of Cairde Uí Fhiaich, Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich Memorial Library and Archive (CÓFLA), Armagh 2012-

External assessor, National University of Ireland, Travelling Studentships in the Humanities and Social Sciences 2011-

External examiner, UG & PG, medieval history, School of Divinity, History and Philosophy, University of Aberdeen 2005-8

Selection Committee, National University of Ireland, Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Humanities 2004-

External examiner, Irish history and medieval history, Stranmillis University College, Queen's University Belfast 2002-6

External examiner, Irish, British and European history, St Mary's University College, Queen's University Belfast 2002-6

Keynote ('Ireland's high-kingship in the era of Brian Boru'), The era of King Brian Boru, Inaugural O'Brien Summer School, Killaloe 2016

Treasurer, Irish Historical Society 1997-2005

External examiner, medieval history and all Irish-language history papers, Department of History, NUI Galway 1998-2001

Committee, Irish Historical Society 1995-2008

Council, Military History Society of Ireland 1998-2010

Keynote ('Power and influence in medieval Ireland: the legacy of Brian Boru'), Borderlines XVIII: power and influence, 18th Annual Postgraduate Conference of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, University College Cork 2014

Steering committee, Irish-Scottish Academic Initiative (Universities of Aberdeen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Strathclyde and Queen's University Belfast) 1996-2005

Opening Lecture ('The origins of Brian Boru'), Brian Boru Program, Milkaukee Irish Fest, Milwaukee Wisconsin 2014

President, Dublin University History Society , 1994-

The John Bannerman Lecture in the History of Gaelic Scotland ('Imperium Scotorum: Ireland and Scotland in the age of Brian Boru'), University of Edinburgh 2013

'The vernacular among the Irish', The vernacular in medieval historical writing, Project 4: the Construction of the Past Colloquium, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Bergen, Bergen 2012

'Hebridean Galloglass in late medieval Ireland: the Scandinavian legacy', From Gall to Gael and Galloglass, Conference of the Scottish Society for Northern Studies, Islay 2012

Keynote ('King Robert Bruce, the Galloglass and the north-west of Ireland'), The Scottish Connection, Sligo Field Club Summer Conference 2011

'Ulster, Dublin and the Irish Sea Region in the Age of Jocelin', Medieval Furness: texts and contexts, Barrow in Furness 2011

'Ireland and its neighbours in AD 1111: the Synod of Ráith Bressail in context', Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Graduate Seminar, University of Cambridge 2011

'The Welsh conquest of Ireland', the Oxford Celtic Seminar, Jesus College, the University of Oxford 2009

Keynote, 'The medieval city walls of Dublin: historical context to their construction', Dublin City walls and defences conference: towards a new vision for the old city, Irish Walled Towns Network and Dublin City Council, Dublin Castle Conference Centre 2006

'King Robert Bruce the Irishman', National identity and cultural exchange in Scotland and Ireland: Irish-Scottish Academic Initiative/Leverhulme Conference, University of Edinburgh 2004

'The prehistory of the Galloglass', Military activity in the North Irish Sea World: context and response, c.1100-c.1750, University of Edinburgh 2003

'Town and crown: the kings of England and their city of Dublin', Thirteenth century England X, University of Durham 2003

'Did the Irish like the Scots?', Imagining Alba: Scotland in medieval Irish sources, AHRB Research Institute for Irish Scottish Studies, University of Aberdeen 2003

'The career of Muirchertach Ua Briain in context', Reform and renewal: Ireland and Europe in the twelfth century, International Conference to mark the 900th Anniversary of the Synod of Cashel, University College Cork 2002

'The English chronicle in the early fourteenth century: the historical context of the so-called continuation of the annals of Nicholas Trevet', 3rd International conference on the medieval chronicle, University of Utrecht, Netherlands 2002

'Emerging from the mist: Ireland and Man in the eleventh century', Mannin Revisited, Scottish Society for Northern Studies Conference, Port Erin, Isle of Man 2000

'Galleys and galloglass: naval warfare in Ireland and the Isles in the later Middle Ages', Maritime warfare in Northern Europe: technology, organisation, logistics and administration, 500 BC-1500 AD, The National Museum, Copenhagen 2000

'Tudor conquest and Gaelic collapse: Ireland in the sixteenth century', A guerra e o encontro de civilizaçóes, a partir do século XVI, 24th Congress of International Military History, Lisbon 1999

'Defining Irishness after the English invasion', Medieval Europeans: ethnic identity, cultural heritage and national perspectives in medieval Europe, University of Kent, Canterbury, and Windsor Castle 1998

'The Anglo-Norman era in Scotland and Ireland: convergence and divergence', Celebrating Columba: Irish-Scottish connections 597-1997, 1st International Conference of the Irish-Scottish Academic Initiative, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow 1997

'John and Ireland', King John: new interpretations, Department of History, University of East Anglia, Norwich 1997

'Ireland's Hastings: the Anglo-Norman conquest of Dublin', 20th Battle conference of Anglo-Norman Studies 1997

'The 1169 invasion as a turning-point in Irish-Welsh relations', Britain and Ireland 900-1300. Insular responses to medieval European change, University of Bristol 1996

'De Courcy, de Lacy and de Burgh: Ulster and England, 1177-1326', The Irish in medieval Britain, Queen Mary & Westfield College, London 1995

Awards and Honours

Fellow, Trinity College Dublin 1998

Research Scholar, School of Celtic Studies, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies 1990-93

Memberships

Member, Irish Historical Society

Member, Medieval Academy of Ireland

Council, Military History Society of Ireland 1998 – 2010