Ireland in an Age of Turmoil

We turn to one of Toby's favourite subjects for the new term: the Seventeenth Century and the dramatic story of Ireland. It’s often painted as a religious war, but faith was only one of the dividing lines that split the country in these years. He takes the story from the Flight of the Earls to the end of the wars between William of Orange and James II, last of the Stuarts to rule England, Scotland and Ireland, While it is tempting to see the Protestant Ascendancy after the Treaty of Limerick in 1691, as a foregone conclusion, this is not the case. There were many turning points during the 17th century where the outcome could have been quite different. Indeed, the trauma of the 1600s changed the face of Ireland for good. It is often said in this time, and later, that England had an Irish problem; however, Ireland in fact had an English problem which was writ large in the question of the nature of British identity, and has resonances in the present day.

He's split the period into ten discrete lectures for convenience, but it is the nature of the subject that it is often messy and doesn’t lend itself to such artificial divides, so he asks you to bear with him if he returns to some topics and looks ahead in others.

The Programme will broadly follow the outline below:

I. The Tudors, Protestantism and the ‘Nine Years War’

II. The Crown and Catholic Identity 1625-1637

III. Wentworth and the Ulster Crisis 1638-9

IV. Revolution 1639-1641

V. The Confederation 1641-44
Half Term

VI. Cromwell in Ireland 1644-1660 – The Search for Peace

VII. Cromwell in Ireland 1644-1660 – War and Atrocity

VIII. Ireland Occupied

IX. Restoration to 1689

X. The Williamite Invasion and Defeat to Limerick 1691

The lecture timetable is as follows:

January: 8, 15, 22, 29

February: 5, * , 19, 26

March: 5, **, 19, 26

* Half term, ** Toby on holiday

In order to take part in what is bound to be another absorbing and illuminating series of lectures you'll be pleased to know that we have maintained the fee at £20 per head for the course of 10 sessions. The lectures will commence at 2.00pm on Thursday 8 January and continue as per the schedule above. Make yourselves comfortable on Thursday afternoons.

Please make your payments by bank transfer to:

Account name: Sutton Coldfield U3A

Bank sort code: 30-98-37

Account number: 00997760

Important:Again the Treasurer has requested that payments should include the name of the payer and a short description of the subject, for example LITTLE/844/FOR HIST. This is just in case there are any queries; but, in any case, it is most important that you include the reference 844 with your payment so that it is allocated to the correct subject.

Wishes,

Tom Halstead

For any queries, please use either the contact form below, or contact the organisers directly from within the Members' Only section of the website.