A collection of essays published as a Festschrift for Aidan Clarke, mainly concentrating on the first half of the 17th century though with a couple delving back into the Elizabethan period which interests me more. Which is not to say that the 17th century was dull – far from it. There are lots of fascinating bits of research here – quite a lot on the ideology of the English in Ireland (both Old English and New English, and later the Confederates) which of course ties into the religious and cultural questions as well; two chapters that really made my jaw drop pointing out the similarities between the Stuart and Spanish monarchies of the period, including the eerily parallel justifications for forcibly transplanting population; and a few local studies of specific individuals and places.

The two chapters I enjoyed most (in that they tickled my other interests) were by Jane Ohlmeyer and Bríd McGrath on the early 17th-century Irish parliaments, covering the House of Lords and the House of Commons respectively, the latter intriguingly hinting at hidden archives of early election data. A table sets out the timescale of the steps between London commissioning the summoning of an Irish Parliament and the actual meeting; McGrath notes succinctly that “Due to a procedural error, the 1628 parliament never actually met.” The parliament did not meet until 1634. You want to watch out for those procedural errors, folks; they can have serious consequences.