Landscapes of the Learned

Gaelic literati were an elite group in the social hierarchy of late medieval and early modern northern European societies, influencing many areas of public life, including education, law, medicine, farming, culture, and politics. FitzPatrick explores the archaeological and historical records to understand this intellectual culture and exercise of power.

Elizabeth FitzPatrick is an independent researcher and writer in historical landscape studies. She held a chair in archaeology at NUI Galway (2013-21), has been a panel member of the European Research Council (2020-21), a director of the Discovery Programme (2015-20), and archaeological editor of Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy (2007-15). She is the author of Royal Inauguration in Gaelic Ireland 1200-1600: a cultural landscape study (2004), and co-editor of Becoming and belonging in Ireland, AD c. 1200-1600: essays in identity and cultural practice (2018), and Gaelic Ireland 1250-1650: land, lordship and settlement (2001).

1: Introduction: Place, Roles, and Lifeways
2: The Domain of Literati in the Landscape of Lordship
3: Estate Landscapes of the Learned
4: Dwellings of Literati
5: Church Space for Learned Occupations
6: Designated School-Houses in the Sixteenth Century
Conclusion: A Place for the Learned