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It has long been customary for historians to dismiss medieval Irish and Scottish soldiers as outmoded and poorly equipped. From the time of the Statutes of Kilkenny down to the death of Henry VIII, The Gaelic World at War challenges those assumptions head-on by examining the methods of military organisation, training, armament, and tactics followed by late medieval Irish leaders.
Gaelic military leaders were not as isolated from the European mainstream as has often been believed. Irish and Scottish soldiers may have been better trained, selected, and equipped than previously thought. Gaelic armies embraced many of the trends occurring in Western Europe. Rather than being backward and isolated, Gaelic armies recognised that the world was changing around them and that they needed to keep pace with those changes.
Drawing on a broad range of sources, The Gaelic World at War will appeal to reenactors, model-makers, and scholars, providing a fresh perspective on the soldiers of late medieval Ireland.
About the author
Descended from Jacobites and the medieval kings of Scotland, with a smattering of English longbowmen and billmen, Fergus Cannan-Braniff's wide literary output includes works on medieval art, and Gaelic culture and military history. Formerly of the Victoria & Albert Museum, he was Head of Religion & Philosophy at The Skinners' School, Kent, and he runs the living history group the Greensand Rangers (making much of his own kit). He recently appeared in armour in the grail legend film the Matter of Britain, and he will soon be appearing on History Hit to discuss galloglass.
