Norman Invasion of Ireland

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The Norman Invasion of Ireland

The Norman barons variously called by the Irish, "the strangers" or "the Galls" who arrived in Ireland beginning with the expedition of 1167 led by Robert FitzStephen, and quickly followed by the main force led by Richard Strongbow in 1169; are known to history variously as "Cambro- Norman" (Normans from Wales) "Hiberno-Norman" (Normans from Ireland) "Anglo- Norman" (Normans from England) or more economically "Norman"

Many of the military leaders involved came from England and Wales, many came to Ireland from France. Because this fresh wave of Norman adventures were expanding the territory their grandparents had won only 100 years earlier in the 1066 Norman invasion of England, it seems appropriate to call these 12th c. adventurers in Ireland simply "Normans".

It is interesting to note that the Norman invasion of Ireland closely follows the loss of territory in Normandy.

12th century Ireland

Ireland during the 12th century was not one kingdom, but a collection of many small kingdoms each jostling for power and influence. Tír Eoghain, Ulaid and Oriel in the north; Breifne, Meath and Connaught in the centre; Leinster and Munster in the south; with three strong Viking enclaves in Dublin, Cork and Limerick. It was a longstanding feud between Diarmaid Mac Murchadha (Dermot MacMurrough) of Leinster (modern County Leitrim) and Tigernán Ua Ruairc (Tiarnan O'Rourke) of Breifne (modern County Cavan) that precipitated the Norman invasion of Ireland.

In 1152, MacMurrough raided the territory of O'Rourke in Breifne, plundering his goods and abducting his wife Derbforgaill (Dervogilla). Within a few years, O'Rourke with the aid of Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair (Rory O'Connor), High King of Ireland, was able to force MacMurrough into exile.

MacMurrough, landing in Bristol and determined to regain his Kingdom of Leinster, went in search of Henry ll of England. Catching up with him in Normandy, he found Henry preoccupied with securing his own territories in France and England, and Henry, not wanting to be involved in the invasion himself, took an oath of allegiance from Mac Murrough and gave him license to approach Richard de Clare, probably the strongest baron in Wales but now out of favour for his earlier support of King Stephen in King Stephen's struggle with Matilda for the English throne. ^[1]

The Normans in Wales were in constant conflict with the Welsh, Mac Murrough found Richard de Clare a willing, but hard negotiator, agreeing to support Mac Murrough for the reward of Mac Murrough's daughter Aoife (Eve) in marriage should they be successful in regaining Leinster, and the promise of succession to the Kingship of Leinster on Mac Murrough's death. De Clare was not immediately in the position to mount an expedition to Ireland and suggested that Robert FitzStephen, an experienced Norman war leader then held captive by the Welsh King Rhys Gruffydd (Rees ap Griffin) might be ransomed to organise an advance war party. Rees was persuaded to release Fitz Stephen who agreed to play his part for the reward of the town of Wexford, began collecting volunteers for the campaign. Mac Murrough returned to Ireland to gather forces there.

1167 - The advance party of Norman adventurers arrive in Ireland led by Robert Fitzstephen and his brother Maurice Fitzgerald. ^{[2] [3]}

Robert FitzStephen led the first party in three ships, with 30 knights, 60 men at arms and 300 bowmen, landing in Bannow Bay Wexford. With him were his nephews and relatives, Miler Fitz Henry, Milo Fitz David, Hervé de Marisco and Maurice de Prendergast, who arrived in the bay a day later, with ten knights and 60 bowmen.

Mac Murrough joined them, and the combined force of Normans and Mac Murrough's Irish marched to take the Viking town of Wexford (Loch Garman). Their first skirmish with the Irish was at Duncormac (Dún Cormaic). They besieged Wexford, their first attack was repulsed, their second attack was more successful, persuading the town to surrender to Mac Murrough and the Normans.

Maurice FitzGerald arrived at Loch Garman with 10 knights, 30 squires and 100 foot soldiers ^{[4] [5]} Included in the force led by Fitzgerald were the brothers Walyrus and Barrett, progenitors of the Walsh and Barrett families in Ireland. ^[6]

When MacMurrough and Robert Fitz Stephen heard that Maurice had arrived, they met him at Loch Garman. MacMurrough then decided to attack Dublin (Ath Cliath); taking Fitz Gerald with his fresh troops and leaving Robert Fitz Stephen to build a fortress at Carrick, just outside Loch Garman. ^[7]

With Leinster in his power, Mac Murrough now set his sights on the High Kingship of Ireland, asking Fitz Stephen and Maurice Fitz Gerald to send envoys to family and friends promising rich rewards for others to join them in Ireland. Mac Murrough sent a letter to Richard de Clare the earl of Stranguell (Strongbow); who, with the tacit approval of King Henry II, was ready to bring his men to Ireland.

The Normans camped at Ferns, waiting for Richard de Clare, better known as "Strongbow" to arrive with reinforcements. ^[8] Fitz Stephen was rewarded with territory in Wexford, the cantons of Forth and Bargy. ^[9]

A third group of Normans led by Raymond le Gros arrived in Bannow Bay in 1168, landing on the Hook Peninsula at Baginbun (Dún Domhnaill) and building a stronghold there. He was attacked by king of the Déise (county Waterford)

A few weeks later, Mac Murrough and Robert FitzStephen attacked Ossory (Osraighe), then raided further north, into the territories of the Uí Tuathail, the Uí Broin and the Uí Conchobhair. Rory O'Connor retaliated, marching his men into Leinster. Following negotiations at Ferns, an agreement was reached, and MacMurrough was allowed to remain King of Leinster on the understanding that he would recognise Rory O'Connor as High King, and to send the Normans back to Britain. The Normans stayed, Mac Murrough sending invitations for more to come over, with the promise of land and honours for those who would join his enterprise.

In May 1169, a second wave of Normans arrived in two ships led by de Clare, the Earl Strongbow with twelve hundred reinforcements, landing on the coast of Wexford, between the headlands of Hook and Crook. ^{[10] [11]}

By now, de Clare had overrun Leinster, married Mac Murrough's daughter Aoife; and following Mac Murrough's death in 1171, had become King of Leinster. In England, King Henry ll realised that de Clare was in the position to become a powerful rival in Ireland.

In 1171 King Henry ll arrived in Ireland to compel the allegiance of de Clare and the Norman barons. Henry ll arrived in Ireland with a fleet of 400 ships and thousands of soldiers to enforce sovereignty over de Clare and the Normans in Ireland. ^[12] Faced with the strength of .Henry's invasion force, Strongbow and the Normans in Ireland quickly declared their allegiance to Henry, resulting in the establishment of a Norman Lordship of Ireland with the Irish lords only giving oaths to become tributaries to King Henry. ^[13]

In 1172, Hugh de Lacy, Robert FitzStephen, Maurice fitz Gerald & Robert de Bruce were commissioned Governors of Ireland on behalf of King Henry of England. ^[14]

Four or five months after arriving, having set in place the English system of government and conducting a synod in which new canons were instituted for the government of the church "That, since it had pleased God to bring them under the English dominion, they should for the future observe all the rites and ceremonies of the English church;" Henry left without engaging in furthering the conquest himself, leaving his barons to consolidate and expand their holdings on their own terms.

After 1172, the conquest of Ireland continued in piecemeal fashion with many reversals of fortune as the Normans and the Irish prevailed against one another in the struggle for control of territory.

Richard de Clare (Strongbow) was granted land around the port towns of Leinster. He built a castle in Kilkenny about 1172

Hugh de Lacy was granted land in Meath and Milo de Cogan took lands to the west of Cork, the cantreds of Kenalbek, Obathan and both Kenaleth’s. Robert Fitzstephen was granted lands to the east of Cork, the cantreds of Omakille (later to be the manor of Castlecor), Olethan and Fermoy'

1173 Richard Strongbow and Raymond le Gross are made Lord Wardens of Ireland

Anglo Norman influence was confined to the Pale

In 1177 Robert Fitz Stephen and Milo de Cogan were granted the whole kingdom of Cork, with the exception of the port settlement established by the Norse. Fitz Stephen and de Cogan were never able to take possession of more than the seven centreds closest to the town of Cork, though they did receive tributes from the remaining 24 cantreds. They gradually introduced more Anglo-Norman families into the County of Cork, eventually gaining a firm foothold there. ^[15]

Robert Fitz Stephen's nephew, Robert de Barry took part in the Siege of Wexford, and was killed at the battle of Lismore in 1185. ^[16]

By 1190 the Normans had reached as far west as Durrus but were stopped there by the people of South Munster. A castle at Muinntear Bhaire (Kilcrohane) was built by the MacCarthys (elsewhere recorded as Mac Cuidithe or Mac Cuddihy) who had arrived there about 1185. ^{[17] [18]}

"From the Shannon to the Sea"

1212 - John de Gray & Gilbert Costello attempted to push the boundaries of occupation toward the north-west by constructing a string of castles at Clones, Co. Monaghan, Narrow Water (Cael Uisce), Co. Fermanagh and Belturbet, Co. Cavan. The castle was built at Clones "by a force of the king of England's men" was burned by Aodh Méith O'Neill in 1212 ^{[19] [20] [21]}

1213 - Attempts by the Normans to push into Ulster were strongly resisted; "Ó Néill demolished the castle of Áth Cruithne (Sheeptown, Newry, County Down) and killed the Galls who were in it." ^[22]

1214 - "It was during the war of Diarmaid Dúna Droighneáin and Cormac Liathánach [Mac Carthaigh] that the Galls (Normans) overran the whole of Munster in every direction, from the Shannon to the sea." ^[23]

And every where they built castles to hold hard-won territory

• Liscarroll Castle in County Cork was possibly first built by Philip Barry, or perhaps later by David Barry
• The castle of the Mang, or Castlemaine was built in County Kerry by Maurice FitzThomas ^[24]
• Molahiffe Castle in Kerry was built by Maurice Fitzgerald, a son of Raymond FitzGerald ^[25]

Sources

NOTE - the various histories do not always agree on exact dates

1. ↑ civil war in England, a period known as The Anarchy
2. ↑ Ireland Information.com : Dermot MacMurrough and the Norman Invasion of Ireland
3. ↑ Celt : The History of the Kingdom of Ireland by Richard Burton Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
4. ↑ Celt : The History of Ireland by Geoffrey Keating page: 329
5. ↑ Maurice fitz Gerald (Maurice the Geraldine), uterine brother of Robert FitzStephen, with ten knights, thirty archers, and about one hundred foot soldiers, came with two ships to Ireland and landed at Wexford. Celt : Annales Hiberniae page:15 by James Grace of Kilkenny
6. ↑ The Genealogies of O'Dowda's Country page: 330 trans. & notes by John O'Donovan pub: Dublin 1844
7. ↑ Celt : The History of Ireland by Geoffrey Keating)
8. ↑ "About the beginning of May, Robert Fitz-Stephens, sometime Governor of the Castle of Cardigan, remembering his promise with 30 horse-men among whom the principal were Miler Fitz-Henry, Milo Fitz-David of Menevia and Harvey de Montemarisco with 60 Men at Arms and 300 Archers on foot in three ships, first of the Norman race landed in Ireland."The Antiquities and History of Ireland by Sir James Ware - pub: A. Crook 1705
9. ↑ Library Ireland : Robert FitzStephen
10. ↑ Strongbow was told by Irish pilots that he must enter Ireland either by Hook or by Crook, hence the English phrase, "by hook or by crook" in Travels in Ireland ch: 24 page: 227 by Johann Georg Kohl
11. ↑ Some say it was Cromwell who entered Ireland "by hook or by crook" Hook Head Lighthouse
12. ↑ A Papal Bull of 1155 from Pope Adrian IV was said to have been offered as pretext for Henry ll's invasion of 1171, granting Henry the right to invade and govern Ireland, and to enforce the Gregorian Reforms on the Christian Church in Ireland. Wikipedia : Laudabiliter
13. ↑ In 1172, King Henry the Second landed with a considerable army, whom Roderick, in behalf of himself and all the other petty princes of that kingdom, acknowledged for his sovereign lord, and the supreme prince of all that island, so that none refused obedience to Henry, but only the province of Ulster. Celt : The History of the Kingdom of Ireland by Richard Burton Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
14. ↑ The Antient and Present State of the County and City of Cork ..... book 1 page 46 - by Charles Smith pub: A. Reilly, 1701
15. ↑ A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland : Cork vol: 1 p: 401 by Samuel Lewis pub: Lewis & Co 1840
16. ↑ Wikipedia : De Barry Family
17. ↑ Muintir Bhaire, "the people of Baire" of the Sheep's Head Peninsula, County Cork
18. ↑ Early history of Durrus and District
19. ↑ "A castle [was built] at Clones by a force of the king of England's men, and they made a foray to Abha Tíre Crithmuiun, and defeat and slaughter [were inflicted] on that force by Ó Néill and Mac Mathghamhna." Celt : Mac Carthaigh's Book MCB1212.2 author unknown Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
20. ↑ Castles in Ireland: Feudal Power in a Gaelic World ch: 4 page: 78 by T.E. McNeill pub: Routledge 2005
21. ↑ The History of the County of Cork ol: 1 vp: 28 by Rev. C.B. Gibson pub: London 1861
22. ↑ Celt : Mac Carthaigh's Book MCB1213.4 author unknown
23. ↑ Celt : Mac Carthaigh's Book (author unknown)
24. ↑ note: 21 "Dubl. A.I., adding Castlemaine to his quota, says that this was Maurice fitz Thomas, but it is more likely to have been John FitzThomas. Footnotes for article: The Battle of Callann
25. ↑ (Molahiffe)

• Ireland Under the Normans vol:1 1169-1216 by Orpen, Goddard Henry pub: 1911-1920

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