Finbar Dwyer - 1348: A Medieval Apocalypse - the Black Death in Ireland

1348: A Medieval Apocalypse

The Black Death in Ireland

FINBAR DWYER

1348: A Medieval Apocalypse The Black Death in Ireland

Published by Finbar Dwyer

Copyright Finbar Dwyer (2016)

ISBN 978-0-9935791-0-3

Contents

Following the publication of my previous book, Witches, Spies and Stockholm Syndrome: Life in Medieval Ireland, by New Island Press in 2013, I was flattered to receive a number of offers from various publishing houses to write this book, but I chose to take a different route.

For the past six years I have been podcasting a series on Irish history, which provides regular contact with over 15,000 history enthusiasts, and after launching a crowdfunding campaign in late 2013 to finance the early research and writing of this book, the response of the podcast audience was overwhelming. Over one hundred people from five continents contributed to a campaign that was heavily over-subscribed.

This book has therefore been, to coin a phrase, crowd-published by the following people, to whom I am deeply grateful.

Acknowledgements

Having enjoyed the great experience of working with New Island Press for my last book, I was aware that the crowd-publishing model used for this project would require a team of people to move it from the initial manuscript to the final product.

I owe a debt of gratitude to the editorial work of Dr Eve Campbell and Finbar Cafferkey. Damon Kings copy-editing and advice on structure were equally invaluable. Luke Fallons excellent cover artwork created a suitably iconic and fitting image for the book. Likewise, Kevin Squires designs of the maps and family trees have given an extra depth of understanding to the text.

A very important part of this overall project has been the work of John Breslin, Thom McDermott and Jamie Goldrick. Their promotional videos have been integral to its success.

Writing this book was a challenge, but I have been lucky to have great friends and family to encourage me along the way first and foremost my mother Mire, sisters Ruth and Catherine, brother John and in-laws Paul and Sinad. My flatmates Fergal Scully and Sian Crowley were great support throughout. They frequently ate at a kitchen table surrounded by books on medieval history. Likewise, the support from a great circle of friends was invaluable over the past year and half.

Finally, I would like to thank all those listeners of the Irish History Podcast who offered words of advice and support.

Introduction

The Black Death of the late 1340s is one of the most devastating catastrophes in recorded history. Killing millions across Europe and Asia, it was followed by enormous social and economic change. Life was clearly never going to be the same again following the loss of around 40 per cent of the population in a matter of months. Its transformative impact is similar in scale to events such as the French Revolution or World War II. That said, outside of academia, little detail is known about the Black Death.

In order to reveal the intimate impact these traumatic events had on society, this book follows the lives of eight people: four men and four women. They lived through remarkable times when it seemed the very future of humanity hung in the balance.

The story of this plague (known at the time as the Great Mortality or Great Pestilence), like all great historical events, has its roots in the preceding decades. In fact, the Black Death is a story of two crises: one being the Black Death itself, the other being interrelated war and famine that took place over thirty years earlier in the late 1310s.