THE NORMANS IN UI RIAGAIN.
Things got very messy across the country after Boru,with dynastic struggles for kingship and territory and after many disputes,battles,wars and lots of death did the Connacht king O Connor come out on top. In 1166 he invaded Leinster and drove out its king Diarmuid,who fled to England looking for help.
Things had been very messy in England also.The Vikings there had done much more damage,setting up a Danish Empire and almost wiping out the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Then in 1066 the English king Edward died and his brother in law Harold was crowned but Duke William of Normandy[over in France] claimed that old Edward had willed it to him.So William amassed his Norman army and invaded England defeating Harold at the Battle of Hastings and so began the Norman rule of England.
These Normans had been Viking invaders of France a century beforehand and over time they had gave up their ships and the sea for Spanish horses and French land and were probably the greatest military power in Europe at this time.It was to these new Norman military rulers of England that the homeless King of Leinster went for help.
Diarmuid did get help,a Norman baron from Wales,Richard Earl of Pembroke [Strongbow] took an interest when Diarmuid promised him his daughter and he sent a small Norman army over to Leinster in 1169.Strongbow arrived in 1170 and re-took Leinster for Diarmuid and got his promised wife. Diarmuid did not get to enjoy his restoration for long as he died the next year and Strongbow was now King of Leinster [and therefore of Ui Riagan]. Strongbow’s new title alarmed King Henry back in England and so he arrived in Ireland to see who was boss. Strongbow submitted to Henry as did quite a few Irish chieftains and Henry did the Norman thing and parceled up Ireland amongst his friends[on paper anyway].Henry gave Leinster to his son John when Strongbow died.
The plan for this new Norman colony of Ireland was a country of large agricultural estates with a few market towns settled with English,Welsh and French farmers and controlled by the military might of the Norman Lords. For the next 100 years this Norman colony expanded to all parts of Ireland. Ui Riagan was “given” to a Norman knight called Robert de Birmingham and later was in the “possession” of the FitzMaurice family. In reality Ui Riagan was still in the hands of the O Duinn clan although it is thought that a Norman fortification was erected in Castlebrack and perhaps another was erected in Ballinahimmy.
The Irish clans fought the Norman Conquest from day one but not as a united front and sometimes sided with the Normans to exact revenge on an old enemy. By 1300 the O Dempsey clan to the east of Ui Riagan were siding with the Normans of Kildare and were at war with the O Connor’s and the O Duinn’s.In 1306 the chief of the O Duinn,Amhlaibh was killed at Geashill by the O Dempsey/Norman Alliance.
When the Scottish clans under Robert Bruce defeated the English in 1314 the Irish clans took note and a year later Bruce was in Ireland defeating the Normans. For 3 years the Irish and the Scotts battled the Norman military machine and laid waste to most of the country. The Norman expansion had been halted,they retreated to their towns and to the Pale.The Black Death of 1348 did not help and the English Kings no longer cared or could afford to get involved,for they were embroiled in civil wars,dynastic changes[10 kings within 70 years].
UI RIAGAIN IN THE 15th AND 16th CENTURIES.
The English did create 3 new earldoms after the Bruce Invasion and one of these,the Earldom of Kildare led by the Fitz Gerald clan came into conflict with the ancient celtic kingdom of Offaly ruled for centuries by the O Connor’s. The O Connor’s were the overlords of the O Duinn’s and we can be sure that the men from Ui Riagan fought against this new Anglo-Norman threat. Yet over time these Fitz Geralds became the most powerful family in Ireland and had became allies with the old celtic families,they even married Irish women and vice-versa. In 1475 the O Duinn chief,Tadhg McLaighneach was married,for a second time to a daughter of Thomas fitzGerald[7th Earl of Kildare] and we find the O Duinn’s and O Connor’s helping out the Earl in his wars!
By 1477 when Garret Mor,became 8th Earl of Kildare and also Lord Deputy of Ireland [and basically ran the country] the Normans were now in 2 distinct camps,the “English-Normans” very loyal to London were holed up in Dublin and the Pale and then there were the “Irish-Normans”,almost more Irish than the Irish!This state of affairs did not sit well with the latest English king,Henry the 7th.But there was little he could do about it and allowed Kildare to run the country.
While his brother in law,the Earl of Kildare was basically “Lord of Ireland” Tadhg McLaighneach began his building program in Ui Riagain.He built castles at Tinnahinch and Castlebrack,and small churches at Kilmanman,Rearymore and Castlebrack.But the new O Duinn overlords,the Earls of Kildare were running up enemies in Ireland and England.In 1533 Garret Og,9th Earl ran afoul of Henry 8th over the Kings divorce/re-marriage mess and Henry had him imprisoned in the Tower of London. A rumour of his fathers execution spurred Thomas[Silken Thomas] into rebellion.
The English quickly and forcefully put this revolt down,killing fitzGeralds,burning their castles and killing their allies,this was the excuse they needed to pacify the midlands and subdue those Irish rebels,the O Connors and O Moores.The O Connors suffered badly losing their stronghold of Daingean in 1537.The O Duinn’s were luckier,they just about kept their lands and castles but the old order was coming to an end.The writing was on the wall for the ancient celtic tuath of Ui Riagain and just 3 years later in 1540 the O Duinn chief,Tadhg Og entered into a treaty with the new [English] Lord Deputy,Sir Anthony St. Leger.In this treaty they O Duinns bound themselves to the English king,Henry the 8th and not to O Connor.Henry was proclaimed King of Ireland in 1541 and from then on the wars and disputes and religious faiths of the English monarchy were visited on the Irish and Ireland for centuries.
There is a lot more history to come
Thanks for your patience
JK.
Things got very messy across the country after Boru,with dynastic struggles for kingship and territory and after many disputes,battles,wars and lots of death did the Connacht king O Connor come out on top. In 1166 he invaded Leinster and drove out its king Diarmuid,who fled to England looking for help.
Things had been very messy in England also.The Vikings there had done much more damage,setting up a Danish Empire and almost wiping out the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Then in 1066 the English king Edward died and his brother in law Harold was crowned but Duke William of Normandy[over in France] claimed that old Edward had willed it to him.So William amassed his Norman army and invaded England defeating Harold at the Battle of Hastings and so began the Norman rule of England.
These Normans had been Viking invaders of France a century beforehand and over time they had gave up their ships and the sea for Spanish horses and French land and were probably the greatest military power in Europe at this time.It was to these new Norman military rulers of England that the homeless King of Leinster went for help.
Diarmuid did get help,a Norman baron from Wales,Richard Earl of Pembroke [Strongbow] took an interest when Diarmuid promised him his daughter and he sent a small Norman army over to Leinster in 1169.Strongbow arrived in 1170 and re-took Leinster for Diarmuid and got his promised wife. Diarmuid did not get to enjoy his restoration for long as he died the next year and Strongbow was now King of Leinster [and therefore of Ui Riagan]. Strongbow’s new title alarmed King Henry back in England and so he arrived in Ireland to see who was boss. Strongbow submitted to Henry as did quite a few Irish chieftains and Henry did the Norman thing and parceled up Ireland amongst his friends[on paper anyway].Henry gave Leinster to his son John when Strongbow died.
The plan for this new Norman colony of Ireland was a country of large agricultural estates with a few market towns settled with English,Welsh and French farmers and controlled by the military might of the Norman Lords. For the next 100 years this Norman colony expanded to all parts of Ireland. Ui Riagan was “given” to a Norman knight called Robert de Birmingham and later was in the “possession” of the FitzMaurice family. In reality Ui Riagan was still in the hands of the O Duinn clan although it is thought that a Norman fortification was erected in Castlebrack and perhaps another was erected in Ballinahimmy.
The Irish clans fought the Norman Conquest from day one but not as a united front and sometimes sided with the Normans to exact revenge on an old enemy. By 1300 the O Dempsey clan to the east of Ui Riagan were siding with the Normans of Kildare and were at war with the O Connor’s and the O Duinn’s.In 1306 the chief of the O Duinn,Amhlaibh was killed at Geashill by the O Dempsey/Norman Alliance.
When the Scottish clans under Robert Bruce defeated the English in 1314 the Irish clans took note and a year later Bruce was in Ireland defeating the Normans. For 3 years the Irish and the Scotts battled the Norman military machine and laid waste to most of the country. The Norman expansion had been halted,they retreated to their towns and to the Pale.The Black Death of 1348 did not help and the English Kings no longer cared or could afford to get involved,for they were embroiled in civil wars,dynastic changes[10 kings within 70 years].
UI RIAGAIN IN THE 15th AND 16th CENTURIES.
The English did create 3 new earldoms after the Bruce Invasion and one of these,the Earldom of Kildare led by the Fitz Gerald clan came into conflict with the ancient celtic kingdom of Offaly ruled for centuries by the O Connor’s. The O Connor’s were the overlords of the O Duinn’s and we can be sure that the men from Ui Riagan fought against this new Anglo-Norman threat. Yet over time these Fitz Geralds became the most powerful family in Ireland and had became allies with the old celtic families,they even married Irish women and vice-versa. In 1475 the O Duinn chief,Tadhg McLaighneach was married,for a second time to a daughter of Thomas fitzGerald[7th Earl of Kildare] and we find the O Duinn’s and O Connor’s helping out the Earl in his wars!
By 1477 when Garret Mor,became 8th Earl of Kildare and also Lord Deputy of Ireland [and basically ran the country] the Normans were now in 2 distinct camps,the “English-Normans” very loyal to London were holed up in Dublin and the Pale and then there were the “Irish-Normans”,almost more Irish than the Irish!This state of affairs did not sit well with the latest English king,Henry the 7th.But there was little he could do about it and allowed Kildare to run the country.
While his brother in law,the Earl of Kildare was basically “Lord of Ireland” Tadhg McLaighneach began his building program in Ui Riagain.He built castles at Tinnahinch and Castlebrack,and small churches at Kilmanman,Rearymore and Castlebrack.But the new O Duinn overlords,the Earls of Kildare were running up enemies in Ireland and England.In 1533 Garret Og,9th Earl ran afoul of Henry 8th over the Kings divorce/re-marriage mess and Henry had him imprisoned in the Tower of London. A rumour of his fathers execution spurred Thomas[Silken Thomas] into rebellion.
The English quickly and forcefully put this revolt down,killing fitzGeralds,burning their castles and killing their allies,this was the excuse they needed to pacify the midlands and subdue those Irish rebels,the O Connors and O Moores.The O Connors suffered badly losing their stronghold of Daingean in 1537.The O Duinn’s were luckier,they just about kept their lands and castles but the old order was coming to an end.The writing was on the wall for the ancient celtic tuath of Ui Riagain and just 3 years later in 1540 the O Duinn chief,Tadhg Og entered into a treaty with the new [English] Lord Deputy,Sir Anthony St. Leger.In this treaty they O Duinns bound themselves to the English king,Henry the 8th and not to O Connor.Henry was proclaimed King of Ireland in 1541 and from then on the wars and disputes and religious faiths of the English monarchy were visited on the Irish and Ireland for centuries.
There is a lot more history to come
Thanks for your patience
JK.
Page 1 - Neolithic Age to Saint Manman
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Page 2 - The Coming of the Normans to Plantation of Laois
