Niamh Wycherley

Current research project: Power and Patronage in Medieval Ireland: Clonard from the Sixth to Twelfth Centuries. This is a 4-year history project funded by a Pathway award from Research Ireland. This project proposes a detailed case study of one medieval Irish institution of strategic importance, the Church of Clonard. It addresses unresolved research problems about how the Church became one of the most powerful institutions in Ireland, and how exactly it operated. Key to answering these questions is an analysis of the co-dependencies between Church (represented by ecclesiastical leaders) and State (represented by local, provincial, and national aristocracies). The implications of the project are potentially far reaching, showing us to what extent our current perceptions of class, identity, gender, and government, are formed by developments of the medieval period.

My research areas clearly align with the Heritage, Culture and Languages beacon. Early Ireland is the most under studied area of Irish history across Irish Universities, despite the fact that it is a period which we, as a country, promote globally as a defining epoch in our history and culture. This historical period is Ireland’s self-styled ‘Golden Age’: the Isle of saints, scholars, shamrocks, vikings, exquisite art & architecture and much more. Maynooth University has made a strong commitment to the study of medieval Irish history and recognises that this has great potential for helping Ireland, as a modern nation, re-evaluate its identity and its past. At the core of my research is an exploration of Ireland within wider international structures and movements. Meaningful scholarship in this area has been stifled by persistent notions of Irish exclusivity, so-called sacral kingship, mythical goddesses and ‘Celtic’ identity, perpetuating false stereotypes of a homogenous ethnic national identity which excludes many of the so-called ‘New Irish’. By fully understanding our own colonial, aristocratic and complex history we can effect a perceptible shift in behaviours and attitudes towards our imperial neighbours and our multicultural, diverse society (it was ever thus), and negotiate our future constructively.