The Irish at War - and some of their Historians

Professor Tom Bartlett, Professor of Irish History, University of Aberdeen, will give the annual Arbuthnott lecture in the Meadows Lecture Theatre, School of History, Classics and Archaeology, University of Edinburgh, 5pm, Friday 31 May.

The topic of the talk will be: ‘The Irish at War - and some of their Historians’.

Professor Bartlett is well known as the author of a number of books including ‘Ireland A History’ (Cambridge University Press, 2011) and editor of 'A Military History of Ireland' (1997).

The Irish soldier over the last millennium

In this talk, Professor Bartlett will consider the military experience of the Irish soldier over the last millennium.

Professor Bartlett says:

"A figure of terror in the Middle Ages, and subject to forced exclusion from the British army for hundreds of years after, by the 19th century the Irish soldier was a key component of that army and an essential part of the imperial garrison".

This revolution in attitude will be discussed and Professor Bartlett will conclude with some reflections on the comparative experience of the Scottish and Irish soldier.

All welcome

The Arbuthnott lecture is designed to promote the better understanding of Ireland and various complex relationships which link Ireland and the UK. It is named after Justin Arbuthnott, a University of Edinburgh student who tragically died in Ireland in July 1989.