CURRY, John. An Historical and Critical Review of the Civil Wars in Ireland, from the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, to the Settlement under King William. With the State of the Irish Catholics, from that Settlement to the Relaxation of the Popery Laws, in the year 1778. Extracted from Parliamentary Records, State Acts, and other Authentic Materials.

IN FINE CONTEMPORARY CALF

Two volumes. Dublin, for Luke White, 1786. Octavo. pp. (1) xxiii, 400, (2) vi, 400 + index. Contemporary full calf, covers framed by double gilt fillets, title and volume numbers in gilt on contrasting morocco labels on spine. A fine and very attractive set. Extremely rare in this condition.
JISC with 6 locations. ESTCT110536. This edition not in Bradshaw or Gilbert.
John Curry, a descendant of the ancient family of O’Corra of Cavan, was a medical doctor and historian of note. His grandfather commanded a troop of horse at the battle of Aughrim for the Jacobites, after which the family’s fortunes changed for the worse. Losing their lands in Cavan, the author’s father took to commerce, thus enabling young John to have a decent education. Due to his religion he was disqualified from attending the university at Dublin. He therefore studied medicine at Paris and obtained a diploma for the practice of physic at Rheims.
Returning to Dublin he rose to prominence as a physician and in his spare time concentrated on the history of his native land. To counteract the prejudices against his fellow Catholics caused by the sermons preached annually at Christ Church on the memorial day of the bloody Irish rebellion of 1641, he published a Dialogue in 1747 which was attacked in a large pamphlet by Walter Harris [A gentleman unversed in the philosophy of history, and flagrantly abusive ...” C. O’Conor]. He responded in a book entitled Historical Memoirs which was well received, and subsequently in 1775 published his ‘magnum opus’, the above title, furthering the cause of his fellow countrymen. This is the first complete edition greatly enlarged from the author’s manuscripts by Charles O’Conor of Bellanagare with important additional material.

[Cat 161]