The Dawn of English rule in Ireland – And the man who invited them – Part 1

Ever since the first time I heard of the story of Dermot MacMurrough, I was fascinated by the lasting impact of his life on the Irish political landscape, as well as Irish society and prevailing attitudes.

His life seemed to be dominated by ruthless ambition and thirst for power, stopping at nothing to achieve his ultimate end goal. Fortunately or not for the Irish people, that decision I will leave up to you, the reader.

Dermot MacMurrough – Early life

Diarmait Mac Murchada lived in an Ireland hugely different from anything we can imagine today. Not only was there no one political epicentre and a ruling government to oversee the Irish, there existed many warring clans, often at odds with one another about land, power, and the rights to rule. Alliances forged between kings were often short – lasting and often feuds would last decades. However, alliance is the lifeblood of Dermot’s story, and as it happened Ireland.

Side quiz – Can you find your family name in this 12th century map below?

Dermot was the son of Donnchadh mac Murchada, King of Leinster. He could therefore trace his roots trough his Father’s grandmother to the high king of Ireland Brian Boru. His father was killed while Dermot was about 5 years old, at a battle of Dublin in 1115, and according to Gerald of Wales was buried with the carcass of a dog as a mark of disrespect.

This must have had a profound effect on young Dermot, who at this point would have been fostered out to a minor family in the state of Ossory, while his older brother Enna Mac Murchada became the king of Leinster.  However At age 16, upon the unexpected death of his older brother (the king of Leinster), he was elected king of Ui Cinnsealaigh. What followed was the turning point in Irish history.

The young king’s first crisis.

Upon receiving the kingship, Dermot also became king of Leinster, like his brother before him. This the High King of Ireland, Turlough O’Connor of Connaught, opposed, so he sent a neighbouring chieftain to subjugate Leinster–Tiernan O’Rourke, a man who loved battle. Among the three sacred laws of Ireland, the one called Daire’s Law specifically forbade the killing of cattle by an enemy for by killing cattle, you were forcing the people of that land to starve because dairy products were their sole food source. O’Rourke however killed the cows of Leinster.

The young Dermot did not hold a position of military dominance, but his kingdom of Leinster was of great strategic importance. He also understood the importance of investing time and energy into his political relationships beyond Ireland.

Dermot’s Revenge

It took years for Dermot to regain the throne of Leinster, but finally, by 1133 he had succeeded and now began to expand his power. He raided in Ossory, then sacked Waterford, like his great-grandfather, Dermot Mac Mal namBo, before him. The following two decades were mostly peaceful for Dermot, he avoided many of the wars the other four provinces were waging on one another, but in 1152, he helped Turlough O’Connor raid Tiernan O’Rourke’s land.

After O’Rourke’s land was destroyed and his castle burned, the armies left for their respective provinces. As Dermot was traveling through Meath to return to Leinster, the King of Meath told him that Dervorgilla, O’Rourke’s wife and the King of Meath’s sister, would run away with him. Dermot turned around and picked up Dervorgilla with all her furniture and cows, then returned home. When O’Rourke discovered his wife had been taken, he was furious.

This ‘abduction’ made Dermot Tiernan O’Rourke’s most bitter enemy. After only a year, Dermot was forced to give Dervorgilla back, but O’Rourke never forgave. In 1166, when Ireland was ablaze in war and Dermot’s ally, the High King Muirchertach O’Lochlainn, had fallen, O’Rourke joined together a number of other chieftains and raided Leinster…O’Rourke for revenge, the rest for plunder. Dermot barely escaped with his life and sailed for Bristol, England.

At this point Dermot would have been, humiliated, furious, and desperate. For a man with a reputation for blinding his enemies, (at one point he was reported to have blinded seventeen noblemen of Leinster) this must have been a low point in his life. Devoid of all allies in Irish royalty and Clergy alike, he turned to the only option available to him, the English Monarchy and Henry the 2^nd.