Francis J. (Francis John)
Byrne s. xx–xxi
2008
This volume evaluates the historical role of Knowth and wider Brugh na Bóinne. It explores the history, settlement and society of Knowth and the wider Brugh na Bóinne district - from the emergence of political power in the Boyne Valley to the beginning of the twenty-first century.
The first chapter deals with the earliest references to the region in the seventh and eighth century as an important place within the kingdom of North Brega and as, from the eighth century, its royal residence. The ogham and vernacular inscriptions found in the Knowth passage tombs - the tomb ‘graffiti’ comprising five scholastic oghams and sixteen personal names in the vernacular style - are also discussed.
Chapter II focuses on the Medieval period from the demise of the old Brega kingship and its replacement by a Cistercian monastic order in 1142. Changes in the pattern of settlement, from the occupation of the area by the Anglo-Normans to the Reformation, are examined.
Chapter III discusses the emergence of the Protestant landed gentry in the eighteenth century and the economic development of the area right through to the present. It considers the acquisition by the Irish state of the large mound at Knowth, the programmes of excavation and conservation at the site and development of Brugh na Bóinne as a place of mass tourism.
This landmark publication reveals in its full scope how the material world of Brugh na Bóinne was collectively carved and constructed through the centuries.
This volume evaluates the historical role of Knowth and wider Brugh na Bóinne. It explores the history, settlement and society of Knowth and the wider Brugh na Bóinne district - from the emergence of political power in the Boyne Valley to the beginning of the twenty-first century.
The first chapter deals with the earliest references to the region in the seventh and eighth century as an important place within the kingdom of North Brega and as, from the eighth century, its royal residence. The ogham and vernacular inscriptions found in the Knowth passage tombs - the tomb ‘graffiti’ comprising five scholastic oghams and sixteen personal names in the vernacular style - are also discussed.
Chapter II focuses on the Medieval period from the demise of the old Brega kingship and its replacement by a Cistercian monastic order in 1142. Changes in the pattern of settlement, from the occupation of the area by the Anglo-Normans to the Reformation, are examined.
Chapter III discusses the emergence of the Protestant landed gentry in the eighteenth century and the economic development of the area right through to the present. It considers the acquisition by the Irish state of the large mound at Knowth, the programmes of excavation and conservation at the site and development of Brugh na Bóinne as a place of mass tourism.
This landmark publication reveals in its full scope how the material world of Brugh na Bóinne was collectively carved and constructed through the centuries.
