'Ionadaiocht i bparlaimint na hEireann ag deireadh na mean-aoise' [Representation in the Irish Parliament in the late middle ages]

Abstract

Firm evidence about the level of attendance in the late medieval Irish parliament is particularly scarce. Yet it is generally assumed that parliaments were sparsely attended because the control of the Dublin administration over outlying parts of the lordship was so weak. The document published here relates to the two sessions of parliament held before the deputy-lieutenant, Gerald Fitzgerald, 8th earl of Kildare, in 1499, and comprises a list of fines imposed on members of the three houses of parliament for absence without licence and on others who failed to return writs of summons. Analysis of the list shows that in this particular parliament at least representation extended well beyond the English Pale and a few outlying towns to include most of the late medieval lordship.