We are delighted to announce that the second plenary lecture at the 2016 Irish Conference of Medievalists will be given by Professor Brendan Smith, professor of medieval history at the University of Bristol. Professor Smith is the editor of the forthcoming medieval volume of the Cambridge History of Ireland and he will speak about the conceptual underpinnings of that project. The title of his lecture is ‘The Cambridge History of Ireland volume 1, 600-1550: Why?’. Professor Smith’s lecture is generously sponsored by the Maynooth University School of Celtic Studies.