Galloglas: Hebridean and West Highland Mercenary Warrior Kindreds in Medieval Ireland
John Marsden, "Galloglas: Hebridean and West Highland Mercenary Warrior Kindreds in Medieval Ireland"
ISBN: 1906566399, 1862322511 | 2011 | EPUB/AZW | 176 pages | 2 MB/2 MB
The brief mention of the galloglas in Shakespeare's Macbeth typifies the attention that this warrior-class has recieved from historians and playwrights alike. This class of mercenary warrior originated in the Hebrides and western isles of Scotland but went on to play an important role in Irish history from the late 13th to 15th century. John Marsden examines a range of literary and documentary sources to explore how and why six main kindreds came to be in Ireland and how these kin-based groups were equipped and organised for war. The heavy infantry galloglas went on to serve the Irish lords of Ulster and Connacht and later Munster and Leinster, representing the `cutting-edge of resistance to Tudor reconquest two hundred years later'.