A History of Stongbow in Ireland

Between 1156 and 1166 the struggle for political				number of Norman-Welsh knights whose names
power in Ireland lay between Murtough				were to become part of Irish history - FitzHenry,
MacLochalainn of Ailech in the north and Rory				Carew, Fitzgerald and Barry as were those of the
O'Connor, king of Connaught. Dermot				Flemish princes who also allied with Dermot -
MacMurrough allied with MacLochalinn while Tiernan				Prendergast, Fleming, Roche, Cheevers and
O'Rourke of Breifne supported O'Connor.				Synott. MacMurrough arrived back in Ireland in
O'Rourke was determined to destroy				1167 with his new allies, defeating O'Rourke after
MacMurrough because his wife Dervorgilla had				a brief battle. The rest of the forces Dermot had
been abducted by MacMurrough with Norman				mustered arrived in 1169, O'Connor and O'Rourke
accounts stating that it was she who arranged				sued for peace once O'Connor was recognised as
the abduction. In 1166 O'Rourke had his				high king of Ireland. However, Strongbow arrived
opportunity, MacMurrough's supporters and allies				with an army reported to be near 3,000 strong,
were quickly fading and Mac Lochlainn was dead.				sweeping through the kingdom of Leinster.
O'Rourke's armies massed on his frontier and the				MacMurrough died in May 1171, leaving Strongbow
Norsemen of Wexford were preparing to attack				successor to the turbulent kingdom. Strongbow
his rear, when Ferns was captured MacMurrough				prevailed over a series of campaigns that
departed to the Continent in search of King Henry				established the Norman supremacy over both the
II of England to persuade him to become his ally.				Norse and Gaelic Irish. However, Henry II feared
Henry granted MacMurrough an open letter in				Strongbow establishing a powerful kingdom on
which he invited his subjects, English, Norman,				England's flank. He arrived in late 1171, the
Welsh and Scot's to rally to Dermot's cause. He				Normans, Irish and Norse all paid homage to him;
gained the support of one of the great Norman				the bishops assembled at Cashel and made
leaders in Wales, Richard FitzGilbert de Clare				submission to Henry. By the Treaty of Windsor
better known as Strongbow. Strongbow agreed				1175 Rory O'Connor pledged himself to recognise
to lead a force to Ireland and restore Dermot to				Henry II as overlord of Ireland.
power, but on the condition that Dermot give him				Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring
his eldest daughter, Aoife, in marriage and the				Ireland, the leading specialists in customised,
right of succession to the kingdom of Leinster.				private escorted tours, escorted coach tours and
MacMurrough also secured the support of a				independent self drive tours of Ireland.