Irish History Tales - A Chronological History of Ireland from the years 1169 to 1923

Darren Beaming
  • 0.0 (0)
  • History
  • Updated Weekly

From the Norman conquest of Ireland, the defiant stand of Hugh O’Neill in the Nine Years War, through the fiery chaos of the 1641 Rebellion, and onto the monumental clashes of the Williamite War, we'll set the stage for an exploration into the heart of Ireland's quest for autonomy. Please join me as I embark on a journey through time, unraveling the intricate web of events leading up to the 1798 Rising, and shed light on the recurring '90s revolutions, before culminating with the Irish Civil War.

  1. 3d ago

    2.3: John De Courcy: The Road to Ulster & the Northern Gamble

    In Episode 2.3, we take a closer look at the ambitious Norman knight John De Courcy and the forces gathering around him in Dublin, and the growing tensions along the northern frontier after the Battle of Slane. We also examine one of the biggest questions surrounding his invasion: did De Courcy actually have King Henry II’s permission to march north? With the Treaty of Windsor still technically in place and William FitzAldhelm pursuing a cautious royal policy, De Courcy’s plans begin to look increasingly like a private gamble for land, wealth and power. By the end of January 1177, that gamble was about to begin.

    2.3: John De Courcy: The Road to Ulster & the Northern Gamble

  2. Sep 9

    2.2: The Battle of Slane 1176 - The Fall of Raymond Le Gros & Rise of John de Courcy

    Strongbow is dead, and the Norman colony in Ireland enters a new and uncertain phase. In 1176, Henry II sends William FitzAldhelm to Ireland to take control of the king’s growing lordship. His arrival brings the remarkable career of Raymond le Gros to an end, while other veterans of the conquest find themselves pushed aside by a new royal administration. But beyond the Norman settlements, the Gaelic kingdoms are watching and fighting back. When the Normans of Slane launch raids into the surrounding countryside, Máel Sechlainn Mac Lochlainn strikes into Meath. The resulting attack on Slane exposes just how fragile Norman power still is beyond its principal strongholds. As settlements are attacked and abandoned, another Norman adventurer arrives in Ireland: John de Courcy. Restless, ambitious and soon to become one of the most extraordinary figures of the conquest, de Courcy is about to turn his attention north. The struggle for Ireland is entering a new phase.

    2.2: The Battle of Slane 1176 - The Fall of Raymond Le Gros & Rise of John de Courcy

  3. Sep 2

    2.1: Ulster Before the Normans - The O'Neills, MacLoughlins & the Divided North

    Season Two begins by turning our attention north. While Strongbow, Raymond le Gros and the first Norman invaders were transforming Leinster and Munster, the kingdoms of the north had been fighting wars of their own. Beginning with the dramatic fall of Murtough MacLoughlin in 1166, we explore the political landscape of Ulster and the bitter struggle for supremacy within Cenél nEógain. Rory O'Connor attempts to impose order by dividing Tír Eógain, but instead the rival MacLoughlin and O'Neill dynasties spend the following decade competing for power. We also travel beyond Tír Eógain to examine Ulaid, Airgialla and Cenél Conaill, meeting the kings and dynasties who dominated the north during the first years of the Norman invasion. For most of this period, the Normans were a distant problem. But by 1176, that was beginning to change.

    2.1: Ulster Before the Normans - The O'Neills, MacLoughlins & the Divided North

  4. Aug 19 ·  Bonus

    1C. Season One Recap & Summary - The Norman Conquest of Ireland (1166-1176)

    Season One of Irish History Tales: The Norman Conquest of Ireland comes to an end with a recap episode. We return to where the story began in 1166, when the exiled King of Leinster, Dermot MacMurrough, sought Norman military assistance and trace how his attempt to reclaim a kingdom transformed into the invasion of Ireland From the first Norman landings and the arrival of Strongbow to the capture of Waterford and Dublin, Henry II’s intervention, the rise of Hugh de Lacy, the great Gaelic resistance of 1174, the Battle of Thurles, Raymond Le Gros and the capture of Limerick, and finally the Treaty of Windsor and death of Strongbow in 1176. But after ten years of warfare, how much of Ireland had actually been conquered? The answer is surprisingly little. In this bonus recap, we look beyond the individual battles to examine the bigger picture: why the Normans survived, why the Gaelic kings failed to drive them out, the limitations of Rory O’Connor’s leadership, and how Ireland had been permanently changed by 1176 even though most of the island remained firmly outside Norman control. Season One ends here. But the conquest of Ireland has only just begun.

    1C. Season One Recap & Summary - The Norman Conquest of Ireland (1166-1176)

  5. Aug 12

    20. The Battle of Cashel Pass 1176: The Death & Legacy of Strongbow

    In the Season One finale of Irish History Tales, the first great phase of the Norman Conquest of Ireland reaches its dramatic conclusion. Limerick is under siege. Donal Mór O’Brien has surrounded the isolated Norman garrison and intends to starve its defenders into submission. With supplies running out and the city facing collapse, the Norman soldiers once again demand the return of the one commander they trust above all others — Raymond le Gros. Despite orders from King Henry II that Raymond should return to England, the Norman army effectively refuses to march without him. Royal commissioners are forced to give way, and Raymond assembles a relief force of Normans and Gaelic allies before beginning another dangerous march west. Near Cashel, Donal Mór’s forces prepare to stop him. Trees are felled, trenches dug and a defensive barrier constructed across the route. Raymond must break through the fortified position if he is to reach the starving garrison at Limerick. The resulting Battle of Cashel Pass becomes one final confrontation between Raymond le Gros and the King of Thomond. But while Raymond fights in Munster, another story is reaching its end. Back in Leinster, Richard de Clare — Strongbow — is seriously ill. In this episode, we cover: The Relief of Limerick: Why the isolated Norman garrison could no longer survive without outside help. Raymond's Final Campaign: How the extraordinary loyalty of the Norman army allowed Raymond le Gros to remain in command despite Henry II's orders. The Battle of Cashel Pass: Donal Mór O'Brien's attempt to block Raymond's advance and the brutal fighting that opened the road to Limerick. The Abandonment of Limerick: Why military victory still could not translate into the permanent Norman conquest of Thomond. The Death of Strongbow: The final illness and death of Richard de Clare in Dublin in April 1176. Strongbow's Legacy: Was he really the great military conqueror remembered by history, or was his greatest achievement political — transforming a collection of Norman adventurers into a permanent power in Ireland? Strongbow was not the first Norman to arrive in Ireland. He was not even necessarily its greatest battlefield commander. But without him, the invasion might never have become a conquest. By the time Richard de Clare died, the Norman presence no longer depended upon one man. Strongbow was dead. The conquest would continue.

    20. The Battle of Cashel Pass 1176: The Death & Legacy of Strongbow

  6. Aug 5

    19. The Gaelic Siege of Limerick 1176: The Death of Donal Kavanagh & Norman Politics

    In this episode, the Norman Conquest of Ireland enters a new and dangerous phase. Although the Treaty of Windsor promised peace between Henry II and Rory O'Connor, the fighting on the ground continued almost immediately. Following Raymond le Gros's capture of Limerick, the city becomes isolated deep inside hostile territory as Donal Mór O'Brien regains his throne, surrounds the Norman garrison and begins a relentless winter siege designed to starve the defenders into submission. As the crisis deepens, we also follow the dramatic political struggle unfolding within the Norman leadership. Hervey de Montmorency attempts to undermine Raymond le Gros at King Henry's court, while four royal commissioners arrive in Ireland to tighten royal authority over Strongbow, Hugh de Lacy and the increasingly popular Raymond. Meanwhile, another important chapter in the story of Leinster comes to an end with the death of Donal Kavanagh, the last surviving son of Dermot MacMurrough. Once a Norman ally, later a fierce opponent and ultimately a man whose shifting allegiances reflected the complex politics of medieval Ireland, his death marks the end of one of the conquest's most fascinating figures. In this episode, we cover: • The Gaelic Siege of Limerick: How Donal Mór O'Brien attempted to starve the Norman garrison into submission.• The Return of the King of Thomond: How Donal regained his throne and rebuilt his alliance with Rory O'Connor.• The Death of Donal Kavanagh: The final chapter in the life of Dermot MacMurrough's last surviving son.• Norman Politics: Hervey de Montmorency's accusations against Raymond le Gros and the arrival of Henry II's royal commissioners.• A Fourth Norman Mutiny: Why the Norman army once again refused to march without Raymond as their commander.• The Road to Cashel: How Raymond prepared one final relief expedition that would decide the fate of Limerick. With Limerick starving behind its walls, Strongbow weakened by illness, and the Norman leadership divided by jealousy and royal intervention, the stage is set for one final campaign that will bring Season One of the Norman Conquest to its dramatic conclusion.

    19. The Gaelic Siege of Limerick 1176: The Death of Donal Kavanagh & Norman Politics

  7. Jul 29

    18: The Treaty of Windsor (1175) – Peace... or Just a Pause?

    After six years of brutal warfare, the Norman conquest reaches a remarkable turning point. Rather than another battle, Henry II of England and Rory O'Connor, High King of Ireland, attempt something unprecedented... peace. In this episode, we leave the battlefield behind and travel to Windsor Castle, where diplomats, bishops and royal officials negotiate one of the most significant agreements in medieval Irish history. Discover who represented Henry and Rory, what the Treaty of Windsor actually said, and why historians continue to debate whether it was a genuine peace settlement or simply a temporary pause in the fighting. We'll explore the political realities facing both rulers, the complex relationship between overlordship and the High Kingship, and why the treaty may have been doomed from the very beginning. Was Ireland effectively divided between two rulers? Did Rory O'Connor surrender Ireland? Or did both kings simply recognise that neither could achieve outright victory? Join me as we examine the diplomacy, politics and personalities behind the Treaty of Windsor and ask whether this famous agreement ever had a realistic chance of lasting. Next time, the peace begins to unravel as Donal Mór O'Brien fights to reclaim his kingdom and the struggle for Limerick resumes.

    18: The Treaty of Windsor (1175) – Peace... or Just a Pause?

  8. Jul 22

    17. The Battle of Limerick 1175: Rory O'Connor, Raymond Le Gros & the Invasion of Thomond

    Following years of devastating warfare, Rory O'Connor made the controversial decision to cooperate with Henry II, allowing Norman forces to march against one of Ireland's most powerful kings, Donal Mór O'Brien of Thomond. Leading the expedition was the brilliant commander Raymond le Gros. Marching deep into enemy territory, the Normans faced a determined defence at the River Shannon before launching a daring assault on Limerick itself. The battle that followed would become one of the most remarkable military operations of the early conquest. In this episode, we examine the political alliance between Rory O'Connor and the Normans, the invasion of Thomond, the famous crossing of the Shannon, the capture of Limerick, and the campaign's lasting consequences for both the Norman colony and Gaelic Ireland. We also separate the contemporary evidence from later tradition to explore what really happened during one of the most debated campaigns of the twelfth century. Was this a decisive Norman victory, or merely a temporary success in a war that was far from over? Join me as we continue our chronological journey through the Norman Conquest of Ireland.

    17. The Battle of Limerick 1175: Rory O'Connor, Raymond Le Gros & the Invasion of Thomond
See All (27)

Trailer

About

From the Norman conquest of Ireland, the defiant stand of Hugh O’Neill in the Nine Years War, through the fiery chaos of the 1641 Rebellion, and onto the monumental clashes of the Williamite War, we'll set the stage for an exploration into the heart of Ireland's quest for autonomy. Please join me as I embark on a journey through time, unraveling the intricate web of events leading up to the 1798 Rising, and shed light on the recurring '90s revolutions, before culminating with the Irish Civil War.

Information

You Might Also Like