Abstract

The context of the Conway library The early seventeenth century was a period of profound change in Ireland. As English conquest and plantation extended throughout the country, Gaelic society and culture began to decline. Lands formerly owned by the Irish lords were granted to ‘New English’ landowners; musical traditions which had previously been associated mainly with Dublin and other centres of English influence, increasingly began to make their presence felt. The early seventeenth century is thus an intriguing period not only of political and religious, but also of musical and cultural transformation.