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THE Rock and District Historical Society will begin its 2026 programme this week with a talk examining the landscapes of late medieval Gaelic Ulster.
At 8pm on Thursday, January 8, the society will welcome Dr Laura Patrick, who will present a lecture entitled ‘Cultural Landscapes of Late Medieval Gaelic Ulster’ at the Old School in The Rock.
While historians have long studied the organisation of English estates, far less is known about how land was structured and managed in Gaelic Ireland.
Dr Patrick’s research seeks to address this imbalance by using historical mapping to shed light on Gaelic estate systems, townlands, and territorial boundaries.
Following the Nine Years’ War, the English Crown commissioned a written land survey in 1608. However, these documents alone were insufficient to clarify the complex boundaries of Gaelic lands.
As a result, in 1609 cartographers including Josias Bodley and John Raven were tasked with mapping large parts of Ulster.
Remarkably accurate for their time, these maps have become a vital resource for modern historians and form a cornerstone of Dr Patrick’s work.
The talk promises to offer fresh insights into how medieval Gaelic society shaped and understood its landscape, and how those patterns can still be traced today.
The meeting will take place at the Old School in The Rock, and all are welcome to attend.
The Rock and District Historical Society has expressed its thanks to Mid Ulster District Council for grant funding in support of the society’s 2025–2026 programme season.
