Medieval Queens and Queenship with Anne Connon

! Apologies for the poor sound quality! Unfortunately, this was recorded online, but we promise to fix this problem for Season 2 which should begin at the end of September.

In the last episode of the season, Dr. Niamh Wycherley interviews Anne Connon on queens and queenship in medieval Ireland, a subject that has underpinned many episodes this season. Queens and noblewomen were an integral part of medieval Irish society and rulership, but often receive much less scholarly attention than their male counterparts. This episode asks fundamental questions that are imperative to a better understanding of female power in medieval Ireland, such as how can we define a queen in the medieval Irish context, where can we find them and what was their role in medieval Irish society? This episode fits into a wider framework of queenship studies and contributes to an ongoing discussion of female power and authority in Ireland during the Middle Ages.

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Suggested reading:

Connon, Anne, “The Banshenchas and the Uí Néill queens of Tara”, in: Alfred P. Smyth (ed.), Seanchas. Studies in early and medieval Irish archaeology, history and literature in honour of Francis J. Byrne, Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2000, pp. 98–108

Connon, Anne, “A prosopography of the early queens of Tara”, in Edel Bhreathnach (ed.), The kingship and landscape of Tara (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2005), pp. 225-327, 338-57.

Resources on the Banshenchas can be found at: https://codecs.vanhamel.nl/Metrical_Banshenchas
Regular episodes every two weeks (on a Friday). Email: medievalirishhistory@gmail.com Twitter X: @EarlyIrishPod Supported by the Dept of Early Irish, Maynooth University, & Science Foundation Ireland/The Irish Research Council. Views expressed are the speakers' own. Production: Tiago de Oliveira Veloso Silva. Logo design: Matheus de Paula Costa Music: Lexin_Music