Home ⋅ Published Books ⋅ Ireland's Uncrowned Kings: Power, intrigue, and rebellion from the heart of Maynooth

Ireland's Uncrowned Kings: Power, intrigue, and rebellion from the heart of Maynooth
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By: Alan Cleary, Katherine Colthurst
Publisher: Historic Hibernia
Published: September 2025
Categories: History, Humanities, Non-Fiction
Language: English
On sale at:
ISBN-13: 9781036925024

A fascinating exploration of the powerful Fitzgerald dynasty and their historic seat at Maynooth Castle. This publication delves into the lives, legacy, and political influence of the Fitzgeralds once known as the uncrowned kings of Ireland. Their story is deeply intertwined with the cultural and political fabric of Kildare and beyond. For centuries, the Fitzgeralds of Kildare stood at the heart of Irish Power. In 1169 Maurice Fitzgerald, would set sail for Ireland as a mercenary serving Dermot McMurrough, King of Leinster. He likely never imagined the heights to which his family would rise. Ireland’s Uncrowned Kings follows the Fitzgerald’s through turbulent times, their rivalry with the Butlers of Ormond, their role in the Wars of the Roses, and their uneasy loyalty to the English Crown. The Fitzgerald’s would become one of the foremost Anglo-Irish families in Ireland and their influence would come to shape Irish history. From the enigmatic influence of Garret Mor, the ‘Great Earl’, to the boldness of his son Garret Og and the heroic rebellion of ‘Silken Thomas’, the family fortunes often rose and fell with the politics of the day. In the shadow of the Tudor conquest, the family endured attainders, exile, and near-extinction, but they would soon return t favour and in 1766 James Fitzgerald would become the 1st Duke of Leinster and the Fitzgeralds were finally restored to Maynooth and proudly resided in Carton House. Ireland’s Uncrowned Kings tells the epic story of a family whose legacy is woven into the very fabric of Irish history.

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