The Most Illustrious Order of St. Patrick, 1783-1983
Hardcover
1983
by Galloway, Peter
Phillimore, 1983. Hardcover. VG- (Pages have aged consistently, illus. are vivid.). Sky blue cloth, gilt letters on spine, sky blue & color illus. dust jacket, 146 pp., 14 color plates, 45 BW illus. "The order of St Patrick was the national honour of Ireland for 140 years. Anything but illustrious in its origins, the Order was conceived ostensibly as a symbol of newly-won national independence, though it was in practice used as a bribe. Throughout the 19th century, the Order developed into a prominent and coveted feature of the glittering social world of the Anglo-Itish artistocracy and the Viceregal Court. Though the magnificent insignia and the sky-blue robes have probably disappeared from public view for good, the Order retains an interesting and significant role in Irish history, traced in this new book from its institution int he 1780s to its demise in the 1920s." (dj). (Inventory #: 150791)