The Last Cavalier

Reviews / Votes

'What emerges is a complex picture of a loyal and often seriously ill servant, living in difficult times and struggling against the odds: damage limitation could be seen as success. Previous biographers have been inclined to eulogize or demonize Tyrconnell, but here he receives the scholarly and nuanced biography he deserves.' John Miller, Renaissance Quarterly, Summer 2016 'As Padraig Lenihan persuasively argues, there is a clear need for a contemporary scholarly biography of Richard Talbot, possibly the most important political figure to emerge from Catholic Ireland in the course of the seventeenth century. The current volume largely fills this lacuna ...' Tadhg O Hannrachain, English Historical Review, April 2016 'Padraig Lenihan has written a persuasive biography of a man whose colourful and eventful trajectory is evoked by the book's title ... The Last Cavalier is a convincing and consequential account of a controversial, colourful and compelling man.' James Kelly, Irish Economic and Social History, volume XLII, 2015 'Padraig Lenihan's biography of Richard Talbot 'The last Cavalier' throws light on some of the most dramatic events of the 17th century in Ireland and in England ... Lenihan is meticulous in referencing his sources and uses a wealth of primary source material to carefully trace Talbot's extraordinary career ... Lenihan does an excellent job in making his subject accessible if not particularly likeable.' An Cosantoir, April 2015 'While Tyrconnell's ultimate failure to save Ireland from complete conquest by William of Orange would be known to students of the period, he has been overshadowed by the more dashing Patrick Sarsfield ... Padraig Lenihan's excellent yet succinct biography fills important gaps and partially redresses the balance.'Martin Mansergh, History Ireland, March/April 2015 'This is a short but densely researched book on an important and much maligned figure in Irish history ... Padraig Lenihan a military historian by trade, has a briskly direct style, almost like a military report at times, sounding out Talbot's political and military tactics and the great political issues of his long life.'The Irish Story, January 2015 'This comprehensive biography provides a far more nuanced profile of the much-maligned Richard Talbot - The author expertly leads the reader through the bewildering miasma of plots, sub-plots and counter-plots swirling around the royal court at that time.' The Irish Catholic, October 2014 'Lenihan has written a fast paced and authoritative biography of Richard Talbot ... the book succeeds in capturing the complexity and ambiguity of individuals and elite politics in seventeenth-century Ireland. Lenihan has unearthed some previously unexamined archival sources that means he can offer some new perspectives.'Dianne Hall, Australasian Journal of Irish Studies 15 (2015) 'Overall, this reviewer heartily recommends this book to students of both Ireland and Britain in the 17th century. It possesses considerable strengths and few flaws. Indeed, for this reviewer it achieves excellence at certain points in the text.' Dr John Jeremiah Cronin, Reviews in History, February 2017