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

Darren Beaming

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. 4d ago

    2.6: The Second Battle of Down & the Council of Oxford 1177

    In Episode 2.6 of Irish History Tales, John de Courcy faces a northern coalition determined to drive out the Normans. We explore the Second Battle of Down, the sacred relics carried into battle, and what the medieval sources reveal and leave unanswered about the Gaelic defeat. Then we cross to England for the Council of Oxford in May 1177. With the Treaty of Windsor failing to restrain Norman expansion, Henry makes plans for his ten-year-old son, John, and grants lands in Irish kingdoms his followers have yet to conquer. From the proposed kingship of Ireland to new responsibilities for Hugh de Lacy and William FitzAldhelm, we examine a settlement that prepares the way for further invasion. Robert Fitzstephen, Milo de Cogan and Philip de Braose now have royal backing to pursue lands around Cork and Limerick bringing the rival kingdoms of Desmond and Thomond into focus. Follow Irish History Tales, leave a rating, and share the show with someone who loves Irish history.

    2.6: The Second Battle of Down & the Council of Oxford 1177

  2. Sep 30

    2.5: The Norman Invasion of Connacht, 1177: Milo de Cogan’s Failed Incursion Against Rory O’Connor

    In 1177, just weeks after John de Courcy’s dramatic seizure of Downpatrick, another Norman commander looked west. In Episode 2.5, we follow Milo de Cogan’s invasion of Connacht, launched with a small but highly mobile Norman force and guided by Muirchertach O’Connor, the rebellious son of High King Rory O’Connor. What followed was one of the most striking defensive campaigns of the early Norman invasion. The Connachtmen burned settlements, destroyed food supplies, removed cattle and denied the invaders the resources they needed to survive. De Cogan pushed as far as Tuam, but after days in hostile territory, the expedition began to unravel. As the Normans retreated towards the Shannon, Rory O’Connor moved to intercept them — and when the survivors finally escaped Connacht, the High King turned his fury on the son who had brought them there.

    2.5: The Norman Invasion of Connacht, 1177: Milo de Cogan’s Failed Incursion Against Rory O’Connor

  3. Sep 23

    2.4: The First Battle of Down (1177): The Death of Aed O'Neill & the Capture of Downpatrick

    The year is 1177, and John de Courcy has launched one of the most audacious campaigns of the Norman invasion of Ireland. With just over 300 men, de Courcy marches north from Dublin in the depths of winter and seizes Down, modern-day Downpatrick and catching the kingdom of Ulaid completely by surprise. But Rory MacDunleavy is not prepared to surrender his kingdom without a fight. In this episode, we follow the dramatic events surrounding the capture of Down, the intervention of papal legate Cardinal Vivian, and the first major battle between de Courcy’s small Anglo-Norman force and the vastly larger army of Ulaid. Archers, armour, marshland and brutal hand-to-hand fighting combine in a battle that will establish John de Courcy as one of the most formidable figures in our story. This is the First Battle of Down.

    2.4: The First Battle of Down (1177): The Death of Aed O'Neill & the Capture of Downpatrick

  4. Sep 16

    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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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)

  8. 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
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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.

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