ixA
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am grateful to the New York-based staff of Routledge, in particular Marie-Claire Antoine, Mark O’Malley, and
Mary Funchion (none of whom I have ever met, although all seem like old acquaintances at this stage), for their
forbearance with me and with this project. Oh how, as deadlines have come and gone, they have learned what
Mary, being Irish, knew—that we simply have no word that conveys quite the urgency of
mañana
. James Moynes
and Ailbhe MacShamhráin have greatly assisted me in bringing the project to completion. James and I are both
later medievalists, and he will, I know, join me in acknowledging our joint debt to Ailbhe, one of the most gifted
early Irish medievalists of his generation and a friend and scholar of limitless generosity.
I have been astonished by the generosity also shown by so many scholars (again, many of whom I have yet to
meet) in many countries across Europe, North America, and Australasia who have agreed to write for this book.
Many did so at very short notice. Many are
the
leading authorities in their subjects in the world. They are extremely
busy people who have little to gain on their career path by taking the time to contribute to such a volume, and,
if truth be told, neither will it make much difference to their bank balance. They did so out of a commitment to
the subject that is truly genuine. Their goal is simply to make a contribution to the study of medieval Ireland and
to make their scholarship available to others in this generation and to come, and I am enormously thankful to
every one of them. I hope that the finished product does justice to their efforts.
S
EÁN
D
UFFY