An examination of the mid-seventeenth century maritime battles between Ireland, England, and Scotland, showing them to have had a dramatic impact on the overall conflict. The conflict on the Irish seaboard between the years 1641 and 1653 was not some peripheral theatre in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. As this first full-length study of the war at sea on the Irish coast from the outbreak of the Ulster rising in 1641 to the surrender of Inishbofin Island, the last major royalist maritime outpost, in April 1653, shows, it was instead the epicentre of naval conflict with important consequences for the nature and outcome of the land conflicts in Ireland and elsewhere. The book provides a clear and comprehensive narrative account of the war at sea, accompanied by careful contextualisation and a full analysis of its Irish, British and European dimensions. This includes the strategic importance of Irish ports, conflict between organised navies and formidable bands of privateers and pirates, the adoption of new naval technologies and tactics and the relationship between conflict onland and sea. Moving beyond traditional accounts of naval campaigns, it integrates warfare at sea into the wider dimension of political and economic developments in Ireland, England and Scotland. Extensive use is made of a wide range of archival material, in particular the High Court of Admiralty papers held in the National Archives at Kew. Dr Elaine Murphy is Lecturer in Maritime/Naval History, Plymouth University.

About the Author
Lecturer in Maritime/Naval History, Plymouth University

Reviews
Murphy contributes to our understanding of what occurred at sea on a daily basis during the civil wars, and is to be commended further for squeezing as much information as possible from difficult source material. * NORTHERN MARINER *
This book would be particularly useful to those interested in the politics, economics, and logistics of maritime conflict in mid-seventeenth century Ireland. Murphy's scholarly contribution, though, can be appreciated by anyone with an interest in maritime history. * NAUTICAL RESEARCH JOURNAL *
Presents, in a very readable fashion, thorough and useful research on a previously neglected topic. * JOURNAL OF IRISH AND SCOTTISH STUDIES *
A very welcome addition to the historiographies of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and of privateering. * FORUM NAVALE *
A refreshingly complex analysis of the maritime aspects of the conflict in Ireland, a seriously neglected topic that warrants, and has finally received, serious academic attention. [...] I strongly recommend this book for those who are interested in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, in naval warfare, and Irish history amongst others. * HISTORY *
A solid work on an important aspect of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (in Great Britain and Ireland, 1639-53). It will serve as the foundation for those wanting to learn more. * SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY NEWS *
A clear and convincing narrative of the war at sea [and] a valuable addition to our understanding of the naval aspects of this complicated conflict. * INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MARITIME HISTORY *



Book Information
ISBN 9780861933181
Author Elaine Murphy
Format Hardback
Page Count 268
Imprint Royal Historical Society
Publisher Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Weight(grams) 1g