THE ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY IS IRELAND'S LEADING BODY OF EXPERTS IN THE SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

The Royal Irish Academy/Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann champions research. We identify and recognise Ireland’s world class researchers. We support scholarship and promote awareness of how science and the humanities enrich our lives and benefit society. We believe that good research needs to be promoted, sustained and communicated. The Academy is run by a Council of its members. Membership is by election and considered the highest academic honour in Ireland.

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IHTA expert essay series

Read short expert essays on the various town-types in Ireland, from monastic to nineteenth-century towns.

Angrett Simms looks at the role of the Monastic town in Irish urban history

Anngret Simms on the 'Monastic Town' »

Howard Clarke challenges the traditional notions of the development of Viking towns in Ireland

Howard Clarke on the 'Viking town' »

Michael Potterton gives examples of the unprecedented urban growth in Ireland from the thirteenth century

Michael Potterton on the 'Anglo-Norman town' »

Raymond Gillespie discusses the different types of towns emerging in the early modern period

Raymond Gillespie on the 'Early Modern, Gaelic and Plantation town' »

Colm Lennon discusses the eighteenth-century town in the age of improvement

Colm Lennon on the 'town in the eighteenth century' »

Jacinta Prunty discusses the different types of towns and their changing functions in the nineteenth century

Jacinta Prunty on the 'town in the nineteenth century' »

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