ABSTRACT
For a long time the fourteenth century, however precisely defined, has been seen as a major horizon in the study of the medieval history of Ireland. This is usually presented in terms of political or military events, typically starting with the invasion of Ireland by Edward Bruce in 1315, and finishing with Richard II’s expeditions to Ireland in 1395 and 1399. Elsewhere in Europe historians see the outstanding problems of the century as economic in their roots, not political. It is true that there are few direct sources for the demography or economic processes of the period in Ireland, such as taxation records or continuous series of manorial accounts. The main phenomenon of the Black Death did, however, strike in Ireland; notoriously so in the case of Friar Clyn, who left parchment for the continuation of his chronicle after his death, should anyone survive. It is reasonable, therefore, to assume that the main trends applied in Ireland as over the rest of Europe.
