image credits Photograph of the Grianán of Ailech, Co. Donegal, kindly made available by Greg Clarke at flickr.com (CC BY 2.0). Two figures have been added to the original image: a scribe (left), based on a manuscript of Gerald of Wales’ <i>Topographia Hiberniae</i>, and a poet and harp-player (right), based on a woodcut in <i>The image of Irelande</i> by John Derricke.
