The Image of Irelande, with a Discoverie of Woodkarne

The Image of Irelande, with a Discoverie of Woodkarne is a 1581 book by John Derricke.

The book is dedicated to Philip Sidney. It praises the deputyship of Philip's father Henry Sidney and English victories over the Irish.^[1] The work opens with a poetic history of Ireland and its conflicts with the English, presenting reasons for English rule. This proceeds to a set of twelve woodcut illustrations interspersed with verse narration, describing Henry Sidney's victories against Irish rebels and denigrating Irish culture. The book ends with the surrender of Turlough Luineach Ó Neill, king of Tyrone, in 1578.^[2] Critics, such as James A. Knapp, have deemed the illustrations to be of far greater interest than the unremarkable verse.^[3]

There is only one complete version extant, at the Edinburgh University Library. A copy was produced and edited by the university librarian in 1883.^[4]

• Pages from The Image of Irelande, with a Discoverie of Woodkarne
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  The Image of Irelande: title page showing the inscription of donation.
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  Plate 1. A soldier holding a battle-axe hands a spear to an Irish chieftain in full dress, with a page holding the chieftain's horse.
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  Plate 2. An armed company of the kerne, carrying halberds and pikes and led by a piper, attack and burn a farmhouse and drive off the horses and cattle.
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  Plate 3. The most famous plate of the set shows the chief of the Mac Sweynes seated at an informal picnic while booleying, and being entertained by a bard and a harper.
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  Plate 4. The Irish chieftain receives the priest's blessing before departing to fight the English, who are shown in full armour.
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  Plate 5. The English soldiers return in triumph, carrying severed Irish heads (the one on the right said to be Maighréad Maol O'Byrne, wife of Rory Óg O'More) and leading a captive by a halter.
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  Plate 6. Sir Henry Sidney, Lord-Deputy, accompanied by an armed force, sets out from Dublin Castle for a progress through Ireland.
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  Plate 7. The English army is drawn up for battle, while Sidney himself parleys with a messenger from the Irish.
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  Plate 8. Sidney and the English army on the march with standards and trumpets.
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  Plate 9. The English army puts the Irish army to flight. The piper is cut down with his pipes beside him.
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  Plate 10. Sir Henry Sidney returns in triumph to Dublin Castle and is received by the Lord Mayor and Aldermen.
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  Plate 11. Ruaidhrí Óg Ó Mórdha wearing the traditional Irish mantle in the forest, with his hunting dog.
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  Plate 12. Turlough Lynagh O'Neil and another kneel to Sidney in submission. In the background Sidney seems to be embracing O'Neill as a noble friend.

• Andrew Hadfield, "Derricke, John (fl. 1578–1581)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, online edn, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004, accessed 27 July 2010
• James A. Knapp, "'That moste barbarous Nacion': John Derricke's Image of Ireland and the 'delight of the well disposed reader'", findarticles.com, 2000
• Anthony M. McCormack and Terry Clavin, "Derricke, John", Dictionary of Irish Biography, (Eds.) James Mcguire and James Quinn, Cambridge University Press, 2009.

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

The Image of Irelande, with a Discoverie of Woodkarne

• Woodcuts from The Image of Irelande, Edinburgh University Library
• The Image of Irelande, 1883 reprint with introduction and notes, downloadable in multiple formats from Archive.org
• Richard Marsh's explanation of plate 3