Ireland and the beginnings of Scotland

“In this address I will try to give you some background as to why Robert Bruce thought that the Scots and the Irish were umbilically linked … and to focus initially on what it meant to be Scottish in the 13th century, when Bruce was born, and how this was new. Most of my time will be taken in then in trying to explain the Irish element of Bruce’s idea of being Scottish.”

This keynote address, given by Professor Dauvit Broun was part of 2nd Trinity Medieval Ireland Symposium marking the 700th anniversary of the Bruce Invasion of Ireland (1315 - 1318). Dauvit Broun is Professor of Scottish History at the University of Glasgow and is among the foremost Scottish historians of his generation. He is author of The Irish Identity of the kingdom of the Scots (1999) and Scottish Independence and the Idea of Britain from the Picts to Alexander III (2007). He is also Principal Investigator for the People of Medieval Scotland project.

You can learn more about medieval Ireland in Medieval Warfare Issue VI:4 - The Norman Invasion of Ireland