Acknowledgements

In writing this book I have benefited from the expertise and generous support of many people. This project began as a PhD thesis, and I am deeply grateful to my supervisors at the University of Sheffield, Adrian Bingham and Caoimhe Nic Dháibhéid, for giving their time and offering guidance and encouragement, and to Colin Reid, who provided valuable suggestions before the thesis was submitted. Paul Readman examined the thesis and has remained a source of inspiration and support since then. As MA supervisor, Clare Griffiths encouraged me to follow the westward gaze from Shropshire to the Atlantic coastlines, and before that my academic development benefited immeasurably from the guidance of Julia Mannherz and Ian Forrest at Oriel College, Oxford. More recently, at Northumbria University, Matthew Kelly and James McConnel have given so much insight and advice as the material was reworked into its present form. To these people I owe a considerable debt of thanks, and I could not have asked for better mentors.

There are many institutions that supported the writing of this book. Northumbria University provided funding for the images, the Wolfson Foundation funded the PhD research on which much of this book is based, and the Leverhulme Trust funded the Early Career Fellowship during which a new project and new ideas developed the way I thought about earlier work. I am also very grateful to the Learned Societies Fund and the Department of History at the University of Sheffield, which provided bursaries to attend conferences; the Erasmus+ programme, which funded three months at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, where some material was written up; and Kevin J. James and the Centre for Scottish Studies at the University of Guelph, for hosting a stimulating and enjoyable visit as the book was nearing completion. Thank you to the staff at the Bodleian Libraries, Oxford, the National Library of Ireland, Dublin, the University of Sheffield Special Collections, and Kresen Kernow, Redruth. I would like to thank the people involved in the Royal Historical Society and Institute of Historical Research’s New Historical Perspectives book series, including the anonymous reviewers, my editorial contact, Emma Gallon, and the editorial team, including Ciara Aaron. Special thanks to Jeremy Burchardt and Sarah Longair, who read the manuscript and offered invaluable suggestions during the author workshop, which made the book better than it otherwise would have been. Any remaining errors are my own.

My friends have been a continual source of welcome distraction in the many years during which this book has been written. Anthony Reid, Aidan Doran, Daniel Rafferty, Hannah Parker, Harry Mawdsley, Harry Pickard, Josh Clack, Josh Matthews, Liam Liburd and Will Finley made my time in Sheffield so enjoyable, and Chris Willman, Connor Jones, Daniel Bell, Daniel Mitchell, David Clegg, Mike McKinney and Tom Froggett have been there for me since we were in school. Since arriving in Newcastle upon Tyne, so many friends and colleagues at Northumbria University have been welcoming and supportive. Ashleigh Blackwood, Diana Volonakis, Františka Schormová, Katie Aske and Mindi McCann are an especially strong support network. Drinking green tea with Brian Ward and Robert McKenzie helped a lot during the final stages of drafting the book. So many colleagues and friends have been supportive, including Avram Taylor, Charlotte Alston, Claudine van Hensbergen, Daniel Laqua, David Gleeson, Dominic Williams, Edward Anderson, Elsa Devienne, Helen Williams, Hilary Francis, Jennifer Aston, Joe Hardwick, Joe Street, Katarzyna Kosior, Laura O’Brien, Linsey Robb, Mimi Huang, Paddy Andelic, Patricia Canning Pask, Phillip Wallage, Rebecca Wright and Richard O’Brien.

I owe a great debt of gratitude to my family, who are unfailing in their love and encouragement. Thank you to Chris and Alex Tynan for your support over the years, and to my grandparents Bernard and Maureen Roddy, and Fidelis and Jack Doran. Thank you to my parents, Máire and Vincent, and my sisters, Siobhán and Ciara, for everything you have done for me. Finally, thank you to Ruby Tynan for your unwavering love and companionship. This book is dedicated to you.