Overview

Of the 200,000-odd Huguenots whose consciences compelled them to leave France during the 17th-18th centuries, some 10,000 chose to settle in that most unlikely of refuges - Ireland. The story of why and how these most ardent of Protestant believers found themselves in this most fervently Catholic of islands is one of history's great paradoxes. This book explores this question and attempts to reveal precisely who these Huguenots were, what they contributed to and received from their adopted land, and why Huguenot ancestry is so respected and prized even among devout Irish Catholics. The true chronicle of Ireland's Huguenots is, in opposition to the narrow misrepresentations of the past, one of extraordinary richness and variety, as befits an ethnic group whose influence permeated into every nook of Irish life and society. Here are some of the towering personalities that left such an imprint on Ireland's history, character and heritage: Henri, Earl of Galway; warrior turned financial tycoon David Digues Latouche; the scholar/librarian Elie Bouhereau; and many other greater and lesser luminaries.

Full Product Details

9781902210797

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Reviews

This is the fullest and most judicious account of the refuge in Ireland. -- Proceedings of The Huguenot Society Hylton offers new insights into Irelands Huguenot settlements, providing in many cases new data on Irish Huguenot families and their function within Irish society. -- Eighteenth-century Ireland Hylton deserves credit for debunking many of the myths that surround the Huguenot presence in Ireland. -- The International History Review

Author Information

Raymond Hylton

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