Why read The Templars, the Witch, and the Wild Irish?

Book cover of The Templars, the Witch, and the Wild Irish: Vengeance and Heresy in Medieval Ireland

Book description

Early medieval Ireland is remembered as the "Land of Saints and Scholars," due to the distinctive devotion to Christian faith and learning that permeated its culture. As early as the seventh century, however, questions were raised about Irish orthodoxy, primarily concerning Easter observances. Yet heresy trials did not occur in…

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European history

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Templars, the Witch, and the Wild Irish as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Crawford Gribben

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This book is an eye-opener. Callan investigates a sudden unexpected sequence of heresy trials that shook the Irish church in the fourteenth century. She uncovers all manner of badly behaving churchmen – from the mendacious to the cavalier – and highlights the experience of the women who were so often their victims. Callan argues that the heresy trials often mark out differences other than theological within the Irish church – and shows that two centuries after the Norman invasion, ethnic and cultural differences continued to destabilise its always fragile communion.

From Crawford's list on The best books on the history of Christianity in Ireland.