ABSTRACT
Sixteenth-century English representations of the Irish conquest were derived almost entirely from Gerald of Wales’ (Geraldus Cambrensis). Expugnatio Hibernica (1189) provides an account of the first conquest of Ireland in the twelfth century. As Stanihurst’s Irish Chronicle in Holinshed’s Chronicles shows, Gerald’s descriptions of the achievements of the first invaders and their unease with crown interference set the tone of colonial administration for centuries to come. Stanihurst’s use of Gerald’s twelfth-century narrative is not merely a retelling of medieval Irish history but a criticism of sixteenth-century government of Ireland in the making. This chapter discusses Stanihurst’s Irish Chronicle in Holinshed’s Chronicle (1577) to further explore Old English responses to the New English government and its aggressive reform policies. By dedicating the Irish Chronicle to Sir Henry Sidney, one of the most influential and powerful Elizabethan lord deputies of Ireland, Stanihurst demonstrates his hopes of reversing the aggressive inclinations of a new government. But the dedication also serves as a warning that the Anglo-Irish conflict will only worsen if reform strategies continue to marginalize the Old English community. For Stanihurst, the legacy of the Old English is integral to the development of reform, and furthermore, his contribution to Holinshed’s Chronicle suggests that reform may also be possible with some form of integration of the native community; education may be the key to the reconquest of Ireland.
