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HIS32460

Academic Year 2026/2027

Conquering Ireland, 1579-1691 (HIS32460)

Subject:
History
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
History
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Professor Tadhg O' Hannrachain
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

In the period examined by this course, Ireland became the subject of three major military conquests, each of which resulted in significant bloodshed and political and social dislocation.This module examines the expansion of English state authority in late Tudor Ireland, in its first section focusing in particular on the Desmond Rebellion, the Munster Plantation and the Nine years War seeking to understand why conflict became so endemic and widespread in the island during this period. The course moves on to examine the genesis of the rebellion of 1641, which followed a period of substantial peace, the Confederate wars and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. The final section of the module analyses the causes, progress and consequences of the Williamite wars. The course seeks to place the analysis of military violence in Ireland in its wider international context, both with regard to the Wars of Religion in continental Europe and the Civil Wars in Britain and in colonial contexts in America.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

At the conclusion of this module, students should have a thorough understanding of the causes, progress and consequences of the three major conquests of the island during the period of the course.
Students should have gained experience in the analysis of both primary documents and historiographical literature, in the writing of essays, and in the oral presentation of their research and arguments in class, at alevel suitable to third year undergraduates in History.

Indicative Module Content:

Week 1: Ireland in 1579: the political and religious context; Week 2: The Desmond Rebellion: Week 3: The Munster Plantation: Week 4: The Genesis of the Nine Years War: Week 5: Tyrone's Rebellion: Week 6: Early Stuart Ireland: Week 6: The Rebellion of 1641: Week 7: The Confederate Wars: Week 8: The Cromwellian Conquest of Ireland: Week 9: Unsettled Ireland: Week 10: The War of the Three Kings: Week

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Competent

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Competent

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Advanced Beginner

Strategic

 The ability to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield. Advanced Beginner

Integrated Problem Solving

 The overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the competencies in this list. Advanced Beginner

Self-awareness

 The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Competent

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Competent

Anticipatory

 The ability to understand and evaluate multiple scenarios for the future – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes. Advanced Beginner

Digital Literacy and Judgement

 The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Competent

AI Literacy & Agency

 The ability to understand, critically evaluate and responsibly engage with artificial intelligence; to recognise how AI systems are shaped by human values; to assess their ethical, social and environmental implications; and to exercise human judgement, agency and accountability in AI-related contexts. Competent

Wellbeing

 Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Competent

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


Goal Name Description Coverage

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 1

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 1
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

11
Seminar (or Webinar)

5
Autonomous Student Learning

100
Total

116

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This is a lecture and seminar-based class. The lecture will provide a broad outline of the weekly topic by the module coordinator. This issupplemented in seminars by intensive class discussion of the assigned reading. Students are expected to have completed the assigned reading and to volunteer their opinions and to answer questions posed by the module coordinator, both individually and in groups. Formal debates between the students may be held and students are expected to participated in peer-review exercises.
Generative AI may not be used for any aspect of the writing of assignments in this course.
A proportion of written assignments in each module in the School of History are subject to moderation, meaning they undergo a second layer of review by another grader. This can include oral moderation meetings where the student is invited in for a short meeting with the module coordinator to discuss the assignment. Moderation contributes to better informed marking.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): Mid-term essay or document analysis from a set of titles. Week 7 Graded No
30
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Final Essay Week 14 Graded No
50
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: Participation in class seminars based on informed reading of set texts. Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10 Graded No
20
 No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Peer review activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Written feedback will be provided on the hard copy of the first assignment, supplemented by oral feedback on the assignment and on the performance in class up to that point in a one to one meeting, arranged by appointment. Feedback on the long essay and on the overall performance in class will be provided in a one to one meeting, by appointment following the School Review. Peer review activities are built into the structure of the seminars throughout the trimester.

REading list will be available on Brightspace.
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