1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:08,239 ♪♪ 2 00:00:08,760 --> 00:00:11,279 Over 850 years ago, 3 00:00:11,319 --> 00:00:15,120 armed warriors from England and Wales invaded Ireland. 4 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:18,079 Powerful and militarily superior, 5 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:21,559 they took control of much of the country. 6 00:00:21,639 --> 00:00:23,559 For centuries after, 7 00:00:23,599 --> 00:00:26,559 Ireland would lie under British rule. 8 00:00:26,639 --> 00:00:29,760 But the invaders were not simply British. 9 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:34,279 Many of them were closely connected with a French region, 10 00:00:34,319 --> 00:00:35,839 Normandy. 11 00:00:35,918 --> 00:00:38,159 Henry II was French. 12 00:00:38,239 --> 00:00:40,000 That's how he identified, 13 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:42,559 and that was the source of his power. 14 00:00:42,639 --> 00:00:45,519 A bitter struggle between Ireland's Kings 15 00:00:45,559 --> 00:00:48,080 opened the door for the invaders. 16 00:00:48,159 --> 00:00:51,479 Diarmait MacMurrough fled when this coalition of forces 17 00:00:51,519 --> 00:00:54,599 went against him, so he quickly removed himself from the scene. 18 00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:59,440 This real-life Game of Thrones would have disastrous consequences. 19 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:04,680 But the newcomers also revolutionised agriculture, 20 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:07,519 developed our cities and towns, 21 00:01:07,559 --> 00:01:10,440 and built massive castles and churches. 22 00:01:10,519 --> 00:01:12,440 They altered the course of history, 23 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:15,160 and not just in Ireland, 24 00:01:15,239 --> 00:01:18,080 because the invasion set in motion forces 25 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:20,239 that would change Europe forever. 26 00:01:24,199 --> 00:01:32,680 ♪♪ 27 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:43,559 On the remote headland of Baginbun, County Wexford, 28 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:46,440 heavy machinery is busy at work. 29 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:50,000 It's laying down an interconnector cable 30 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:54,040 to join up the Irish and British electricity grids. 31 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:56,919 When it's completed, 32 00:01:56,959 --> 00:02:01,839 the cable will run under the Irish Sea for 150 kilometers. 33 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:06,120 Between Baginbun and Pembroke in Wales, 34 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:09,160 power will flow in both directions. 35 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:12,279 850 years ago, 36 00:02:12,319 --> 00:02:17,160 a different power flowed along the same route to this exact spot. 37 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:20,599 Raymond Le Gros arrived over. 38 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:22,760 He's a man who landed at Baginbun. 39 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:25,400 It was a famous poem that was later written about it, 40 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:29,360 "At the Creek of Baginbun, Ireland was lost and won." 41 00:02:33,319 --> 00:02:37,000 Early one May morning in 1170, Raymond Le Gros, 42 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:40,519 apparently with two ships of archers and men at arms, 43 00:02:40,559 --> 00:02:43,639 arrives here on the sandy beaches of Baginbun, 44 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:45,680 having travelled from South Wales. 45 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:48,160 They drew their ships up here on the beach. 46 00:02:48,239 --> 00:02:49,480 They scaled the banks, 47 00:02:49,519 --> 00:02:52,639 probably dragging their ships ashore onto this 48 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:55,959 well-protected headland that is ideal for their position. 49 00:02:56,959 --> 00:03:01,000 Right away, the invaders set about securing the location. 50 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:05,199 This may look like a fairly ordinary agricultural ditch, but in fact, 51 00:03:05,239 --> 00:03:06,599 one of the first things that Raymond Le Gros 52 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:09,760 and his men did was get to work digging this defensive ditch, 53 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:12,839 building these banks, making this place impregnable. 54 00:03:12,879 --> 00:03:14,040 They cast the earth up, 55 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:17,040 building mounds on either side, probably four meters high, 56 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:18,440 and then probably on top of that, 57 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:20,959 they had timber palisades all the way across the headland, 58 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:22,599 200 meters to the other side. 59 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:24,440 And the very fact that we can see it eight 60 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:27,319 and a half centuries later, still obvious in the landscape, 61 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:29,319 is testament to the work that was put into this. 62 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:33,239 Once, Le Gros and his men had fortified the headland, 63 00:03:33,279 --> 00:03:35,559 they went in search of supplies. 64 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:40,040 Archeologist Michael Potterton is 65 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:45,519 fascinated by what this small force accomplished in such a short time. 66 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:49,319 They would have needed food and fuel and raw materials, 67 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:51,239 so they headed out into the local landscape 68 00:03:51,279 --> 00:03:52,720 and they took what they needed. 69 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:03,400 Cattle and sheep, and those cattle were corralled here, 70 00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:07,360 partly for supplies of food, probably for milk as well. 71 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:08,800 But in fact, it turned out that they had 72 00:04:08,879 --> 00:04:12,160 a very useful purpose a little bit later than that. 73 00:04:12,239 --> 00:04:16,680 The invader's presence provoked a swift reaction. 74 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:20,160 At this time, Waterford was ruled by descendants 75 00:04:20,238 --> 00:04:24,440 of the Vikings who'd founded the city 300 years earlier. 76 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:33,400 They quickly joined sources with the Irish of Waterford, the Deise. 77 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:39,199 A large army set out for Baginbun, 78 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:42,680 determined to herd Le Gros and his men back into the sea. 79 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:45,800 Some of the early sources suggest 80 00:04:45,879 --> 00:04:49,160 there were 3,000 of Waterford men and the local Gaelic Irish. 81 00:04:49,238 --> 00:04:51,360 Raymond Le Gros seems to have thought 82 00:04:51,400 --> 00:04:52,720 it was much better to retreat here 83 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:55,400 to the encampment where they had their cattle station. 84 00:04:56,519 --> 00:04:59,559 Whether it was either by design or by accident, 85 00:04:59,599 --> 00:05:01,319 the cattle were spooked. 86 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:04,279 They turned, they stampeded towards 87 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:06,199 the oncoming Waterford men and Irish, 88 00:05:06,238 --> 00:05:07,800 and they scattered them. 89 00:05:08,919 --> 00:05:12,238 Apparently, hundreds of these attackers were killed. 90 00:05:14,279 --> 00:05:16,040 But some were captured. 91 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:18,400 70 or so hostages were taken. 92 00:05:21,279 --> 00:05:24,720 A horrific fate awaited these prisoners. 93 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:30,199 Apparently, some felt that it would be better to keep them hostage, 94 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:32,720 but others felt it would be better to dispose of them. 95 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:34,040 And that's what they did. 96 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:36,519 They broke their limbs and they threw them 97 00:05:36,599 --> 00:05:40,238 over the cliffs here to their deaths below on the rocky shore. 98 00:05:40,319 --> 00:05:41,919 Now, this would have sent some message 99 00:05:41,959 --> 00:05:44,120 to the survivors back in Waterford. 100 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:52,400 ♪♪ 101 00:05:55,199 --> 00:05:57,400 With only a few dozen men, 102 00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:01,120 Raymond Le Gros had won a devastating victory. 103 00:06:01,839 --> 00:06:04,599 His small group was just one of several 104 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:07,599 invading forces to land in Ireland around this time. 105 00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:16,599 We remember these invaders as the Normans or Anglo-Normans. 106 00:06:17,519 --> 00:06:20,879 Their arrival would change Ireland forever. 107 00:06:22,199 --> 00:06:24,480 It's hard to believe 850 years on 108 00:06:24,519 --> 00:06:27,319 that a series of events in the summer of 1170 109 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:30,080 would have had such a massive snowball effect 110 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:32,199 on Irish history, culture, and politics. 111 00:06:32,279 --> 00:06:33,800 It's hard to believe the impact 112 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:36,080 that those first few settlers would have had. 113 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:37,959 The language, the landscape, 114 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:41,720 the laws of the country, the flora, the fauna they introduced. 115 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:43,559 You can see this right through the people, 116 00:06:43,639 --> 00:06:45,720 the surnames, the local names of places, 117 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:48,238 the first names of people that are in use, 118 00:06:48,319 --> 00:06:52,959 and probably right down to the very blood and DNA of the people. 119 00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:58,160 To understand how this transformation happened, 120 00:06:58,199 --> 00:07:01,440 we must go back to the middle of the 12th century. 121 00:07:01,839 --> 00:07:03,040 Ar aghaidh leat. 122 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:08,120 A period when Ireland was torn apart by a feud between rival Kings. 123 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:14,559 A turbulent time when a real-life Game of Thrones 124 00:07:14,599 --> 00:07:16,599 played out on these shores. 125 00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:20,599 A lot of people have compared Game of Thrones to the medieval world, 126 00:07:20,639 --> 00:07:22,879 and in particular to medieval Ireland. 127 00:07:22,959 --> 00:07:25,519 I can certainly see some of those similarities. 128 00:07:25,599 --> 00:07:27,400 Politics is always a brutal business, 129 00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:29,239 but I think the most brutal of all 130 00:07:29,279 --> 00:07:32,279 was probably the early medieval Ireland. 131 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:36,239 The 12th century Ireland resembled Game of Thrones quite a lot 132 00:07:36,279 --> 00:07:39,319 because there's a lot of players with whom 133 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:43,879 the possibility rests of becoming high king of Ireland. 134 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:48,000 Ceart go leor, cén treo? 135 00:07:48,959 --> 00:07:54,000 Ireland was less urbanised than many of its European neighbours. 136 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:57,480 The political scene was a bit more fragmented 137 00:07:57,519 --> 00:08:01,639 in the sense that there was not a single unified kingship 138 00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:05,680 that exercise control over the entire island. 139 00:08:06,959 --> 00:08:11,599 There's five big provinces with Connaught and Ulster 140 00:08:11,639 --> 00:08:13,400 probably in the ascendancy, 141 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:16,919 but still, Munster keeping an eye on the possibility, 142 00:08:16,959 --> 00:08:18,879 Meath and Leinster. 143 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:26,919 It's a whole load of sub-kingoms, each with a potential rival 144 00:08:26,959 --> 00:08:29,760 who could scramble his way to the top. 145 00:08:29,839 --> 00:08:32,800 Tiernan O'Rourke was one of these power players. 146 00:08:32,879 --> 00:08:38,199 He ruled the Kingdom of Bréifne in present day Cavan and Leitrim. 147 00:08:38,279 --> 00:08:40,000 In 1152, 148 00:08:40,040 --> 00:08:42,839 O'Rourke lost his wife to Diarmait MacMurrough, 149 00:08:42,879 --> 00:08:44,679 the King of Leinster. 150 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:51,160 This bitter love triangle would have fateful consequences. 151 00:08:56,720 --> 00:09:00,040 But the woman in question was no femme fatale. 152 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:08,599 She's connected with a religious site deep in the Midlands: Durrow. 153 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:16,559 A great monastery once stood here, now all but forgotten. 154 00:09:16,639 --> 00:09:20,559 This weathered high cross is one of its last remnants. 155 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:25,559 Early in the 12th century, 156 00:09:25,639 --> 00:09:29,760 a princess was born into the royal family that controlled this place. 157 00:09:29,839 --> 00:09:34,279 Her name was Derbforgaill. 158 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:38,160 Derbforgaill is the daughter of the King of Meath, 159 00:09:38,199 --> 00:09:40,199 but it is a declining kingdom, 160 00:09:40,239 --> 00:09:44,639 and she's married to Tiernan O'Rourke. 161 00:09:48,239 --> 00:09:51,040 Her husband was king of Bréifne, 162 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:54,279 but he wasn't content just to rule that territory. 163 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:57,639 He began to expand into Meath. 164 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:01,040 Between him and various other power players at the time, 165 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:06,760 they're all snapping at her father's kingdom, trying to shave bits off. 166 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:10,599 So she's in a difficult position because 167 00:10:10,679 --> 00:10:14,080 in the Irish tradition, when a woman gets married, 168 00:10:14,160 --> 00:10:18,599 she doesn't automatically sever her links to her own family. 169 00:10:18,679 --> 00:10:21,720 She has loyalty to her father, to her brother, 170 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:24,239 who's also in contention for a kinship of Meath. 171 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:28,440 So Tiernan O'Rourke ends up warring with East Meath, 172 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:31,080 trying to conquer it rather than use his marriage alliance. 173 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:33,160 And this means quite a lot of tension. 174 00:10:33,199 --> 00:10:34,720 They must have been estranged from each 175 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:39,199 other because he is fighting Derbforgaill's father. 176 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:42,239 O'Rourke's attempt to dominate Meath 177 00:10:42,279 --> 00:10:44,679 also antagonised someone else. 178 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:48,839 A man known for his ruthlessness and naked ambition. 179 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:52,199 Diarmait MacMurrough is King of Leinster, 180 00:10:52,239 --> 00:10:53,760 not without opposition. 181 00:10:54,639 --> 00:10:56,599 Tiernan O'Rourke is the ruler of Bréifne 182 00:10:56,639 --> 00:10:58,440 with ambitions to be king of Meath. 183 00:10:58,519 --> 00:11:02,760 So geographically, they are potentially rivals. 184 00:11:02,839 --> 00:11:05,720 The rivalry becomes very bitter and very personal 185 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:08,080 when during the course of their raiding, 186 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:11,239 Diarmait MacMurrough gets one over Tiernan O'Rourke. 187 00:11:13,519 --> 00:11:14,919 In 1152, 188 00:11:14,958 --> 00:11:16,839 MacMurrough and his allies succeeded 189 00:11:16,879 --> 00:11:19,080 in driving O'Rourke out of his kingdom. 190 00:11:20,519 --> 00:11:23,879 But Diarmait wasn't satisfied with simply defeating his rival. 191 00:11:24,800 --> 00:11:26,839 He wanted to humiliate him. 192 00:11:26,919 --> 00:11:28,040 To do so, 193 00:11:28,080 --> 00:11:30,599 he turned to Tiernan's estranged wife. 194 00:11:34,519 --> 00:11:36,519 The dramatic events that followed 195 00:11:36,599 --> 00:11:40,639 are now commemorated in a breathtaking work of art. 196 00:11:40,720 --> 00:11:42,958 The Ros Tapestry tells the story 197 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:45,319 of the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland, 198 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:47,958 from its origins to its aftermath. 199 00:11:49,679 --> 00:12:17,480 ♪♪ 200 00:12:19,519 --> 00:12:25,199 The Ros tapestry is comprised of 15 panels of 4 feet by 6. 201 00:12:25,279 --> 00:12:30,639 Over 180 stitchers have now been stitching for over 24 years. 202 00:12:32,599 --> 00:12:35,400 And all of the panels have been completed, 203 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:38,080 with the exception of the battles in the Kingdom of Ossory, 204 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:41,879 which is nearing completion now. 205 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:45,919 Working from a preliminary design, 206 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:49,440 the stitchers transform the image into something magical. 207 00:12:49,519 --> 00:12:54,720 The stitchers work to recreate that image using thread. 208 00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:57,279 So the direction of the stitches 209 00:12:57,319 --> 00:12:59,839 that they choose is hugely important. 210 00:12:59,919 --> 00:13:03,279 The shading over hundreds of different colours 211 00:13:03,319 --> 00:13:04,958 that they choose from. 212 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:09,400 So the stitching is certainly a skill, but it's also an art. 213 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:12,319 And it's the interpretation of the colours, 214 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:16,720 the techniques they use to bring movement into the piece 215 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:22,319 to create that 3D effect that until you see the tapestries in reality, 216 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:25,239 you don't quite appreciate just how skillful 217 00:13:25,279 --> 00:13:26,720 and how beautifully it's done. 218 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:28,879 The stitchers themselves would refer 219 00:13:28,958 --> 00:13:33,599 to their work more as needle painting than embroidery. 220 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:39,919 The 14 completed panels are currently on display in Kilkenny Castle. 221 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:43,559 Together, they're a mesmerising portrait of the invasion. 222 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:48,639 And the events that triggered it. 223 00:13:48,679 --> 00:13:52,239 ♪♪ 224 00:13:52,279 --> 00:13:53,760 In this panel, 225 00:13:53,839 --> 00:13:55,958 Diarmait MacMurrough has defeated Tiernan O'Rourke, 226 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:58,839 forcing him to flee his kingdom. 227 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:04,720 In O'Rourke's absence, Diarmait and Derbforgaill have eloped. 228 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:06,599 Or have they? 229 00:14:07,319 --> 00:14:12,239 From what I know about the position and the role of Irish women 230 00:14:12,279 --> 00:14:16,160 in society at that time, it seems incredibly unlikely 231 00:14:16,239 --> 00:14:19,800 that she ran away with Diarmait MacMurrough as some love act. 232 00:14:19,879 --> 00:14:21,639 They're both older. 233 00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:23,559 That's not to say they didn't fall madly in love, 234 00:14:23,599 --> 00:14:26,080 but it seems to have been premeditated. 235 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:30,319 So she may have done it in conjunction with her brother 236 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:35,599 to put a a halt to Tiernan O'Rourke's expansionist activities 237 00:14:35,639 --> 00:14:37,760 within her family's lands. 238 00:14:39,879 --> 00:14:42,319 She was a very politically savvy woman. 239 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:47,120 I think she was looking to save her family's holdings 240 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:49,319 in the face of rapacious actions 241 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:52,720 from her husband and other men around him. 242 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:55,959 And I think that's why she did it. 243 00:14:56,599 --> 00:14:58,480 Was it a sexual chemistry between 244 00:14:58,519 --> 00:15:01,239 Diarmait MacMurrough and Derbforgaill? 245 00:15:01,319 --> 00:15:03,400 It's impossible to know from the sources. 246 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:08,919 I think there's no harm in including a sexual dynamic to the motive. 247 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:14,639 Passionate decisions are made that lead to severe consequences. 248 00:15:16,559 --> 00:15:18,839 Whatever the truth, 249 00:15:18,919 --> 00:15:24,040 Diarmait and Derbforgaill's affairs set unstable forces in motion. 250 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:32,160 Because Tiernan O'Rourke had been humiliated by his bitterest enemy, 251 00:15:32,199 --> 00:15:33,879 Diarmait MacMurrough. 252 00:15:36,879 --> 00:15:41,319 When he abducted O'Rourke's wife and brought her back 253 00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:44,559 to Leinster with him, it was a very grave political insult 254 00:15:44,639 --> 00:15:48,760 to O'Rourke because it undermined his status in the eyes of his peers. 255 00:15:48,839 --> 00:15:51,400 It offended his honour. 256 00:15:52,879 --> 00:15:57,760 This, to Diarmait, would have been a fantastically powerful statement. 257 00:15:57,839 --> 00:16:00,839 It would have reinforced his reputation across the whole island, 258 00:16:00,919 --> 00:16:04,720 and it would have humiliated Tiernan across the whole island. 259 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:07,720 In the sense, you could say this is the moment 260 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:10,959 that the Game of Thrones within Ireland becomes global, 261 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:12,519 becomes continental, 262 00:16:12,559 --> 00:16:16,279 because Tiernan is not going to relent. 263 00:16:16,839 --> 00:16:19,480 He wanted the utter destruction of the man 264 00:16:19,519 --> 00:16:21,639 who had shamed him by stealing his wife. 265 00:16:36,760 --> 00:16:40,440 In the 12th century, the small town of Ferns 266 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:44,000 was the command center of Leinster's most powerful king. 267 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:49,680 In 1152, 268 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:54,120 Diarmait MacMurrough returned here to the stone castle he called home. 269 00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:00,599 There's a reference to a stone house or a caisleán. 270 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:03,480 If It's the only site in Leinster at that time that may have one. 271 00:17:03,559 --> 00:17:05,000 Now, various different academics have 272 00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:07,800 argued where this might be, and there's been sites proposed. 273 00:17:07,879 --> 00:17:10,839 One is by the Marshall Castle at the other end of the town. 274 00:17:10,919 --> 00:17:14,359 This castle dates from a slightly later period, 275 00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:18,599 but Diarmait's stone fortress may well have stood on this site. 276 00:17:19,638 --> 00:17:23,400 Diarmait also constructed church buildings in Ferns. 277 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:28,919 Around 1160, he built St. Mary's Abbey for the Augustinians, 278 00:17:28,959 --> 00:17:31,480 a European monastic Monastic order. 279 00:17:32,559 --> 00:17:34,959 MacMurrough would have built the church as a statement in stone. 280 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:37,160 So he would have been doing two things, 281 00:17:37,239 --> 00:17:39,839 one, looking after his soul after his death, 282 00:17:39,879 --> 00:17:41,239 but also making a statement 283 00:17:41,279 --> 00:17:43,720 on the landscape of, I'm Irish, but I'm connected to Europe. 284 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:45,400 I'm putting his statement on the landscape 285 00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:47,199 of this as a new monastic order coming in. 286 00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:53,638 But soon, Diarmait would meet a fierce challenge in Ferns. 287 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:54,879 Now, 288 00:17:54,959 --> 00:17:59,638 the Irish Archeology Field School is investigating the site, 289 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:03,319 hoping to find out more about these events. 290 00:18:03,959 --> 00:18:06,480 The weather we've been having the last couple of weeks 291 00:18:06,519 --> 00:18:08,279 with the torrential rain is very problematic, 292 00:18:08,359 --> 00:18:10,959 but there's always something that needs to be done 293 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:12,359 and can be done in the rain. 294 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:14,000 On an archeological site, 295 00:18:14,040 --> 00:18:16,879 we're trying to ascertain different features, 296 00:18:16,919 --> 00:18:20,720 different soil types, and rain often helps that process. 297 00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:23,319 It does expose features as well. 298 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:27,119 We excavated one female, which is about 30 years of age. 299 00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:29,440 We've got a radiocarbon date back on that individual, 300 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:32,359 and she is broadly contemporary with MacMurrough. 301 00:18:32,440 --> 00:18:35,680 We're looking at a preliminary osteological analysis. 302 00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:38,800 It seems that she has sharp force trauma to her arm, her right arm, 303 00:18:38,839 --> 00:18:41,239 and also her spine, possibly self-defense wounds. 304 00:18:41,319 --> 00:18:44,919 So it looks like she met a quite unfortunate end. 305 00:18:47,599 --> 00:18:51,760 The woman's death could be linked to a devastating attack on Ferns. 306 00:18:53,839 --> 00:18:56,119 Because in 1166, 307 00:18:56,160 --> 00:19:00,359 Tiernan O'Rourke saw a chance for vengeance. 308 00:19:03,319 --> 00:19:06,959 In that year, Rory O'Connor, the King of Connaught, 309 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:11,160 claimed the high kinship of Ireland, and O'Rourke supported him. 310 00:19:18,319 --> 00:19:20,839 The pair forged a formidable alliance and set 311 00:19:20,919 --> 00:19:24,239 out to crush the greatest threat to their power, 312 00:19:24,279 --> 00:19:26,160 Diarmait MacMurrough. 313 00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:30,760 O'Rourke and O'Connor invaded Leinster. 314 00:19:30,839 --> 00:19:35,839 Their combined forces were too much for MacMurrough. 315 00:19:36,839 --> 00:19:38,080 He fled, 316 00:19:38,119 --> 00:19:42,599 leaving the vengeful Tiernan to destroy his stronghold at Ferns. 317 00:19:44,559 --> 00:19:47,638 Then O'Rourke and O'Connor caught up with Diarmait. 318 00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:52,559 It's hard to know why O'Rourke and O'Connor 319 00:19:52,599 --> 00:19:54,839 didn't take that opportunity to fully eliminate MacMurrough. 320 00:19:54,879 --> 00:19:57,160 And I think if you look further back in time, 321 00:19:57,199 --> 00:19:58,919 you can see that the O'Connor family, 322 00:19:58,959 --> 00:20:00,319 continuing on to Rory O'Connor, 323 00:20:00,359 --> 00:20:02,519 they were trying to divide and conquer. 324 00:20:02,599 --> 00:20:04,519 So I suspect that O'Connor, especially, 325 00:20:04,559 --> 00:20:06,959 was happy as long as Diarmait submitted. 326 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:08,480 There's so many different players vying 327 00:20:08,519 --> 00:20:09,879 for the high kingship of Ireland. 328 00:20:09,959 --> 00:20:13,080 So there was constant submissions and withdrawal of submissions. 329 00:20:17,599 --> 00:20:20,720 They had an opportunity then, with hindsight, 330 00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:23,599 to come up with a more permanent solution to him, 331 00:20:23,638 --> 00:20:27,160 but instead, he was allowed to flee Ireland and go abroad. 332 00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:30,480 But I don't think anybody at that time 333 00:20:30,519 --> 00:20:34,720 can have imagined that he would have gone abroad. 334 00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:37,559 It was a relatively unusual thing for an Irish king to do. 335 00:20:37,839 --> 00:20:39,839 ♪♪ 336 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:43,160 Taking with him only a small band of followers, 337 00:20:43,199 --> 00:20:48,559 Diarmait set sail from Bannow Bay on Wexford's south coast. 338 00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:52,359 From here, with favourable conditions, 339 00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:55,119 he could reach England in less than a day. 340 00:20:57,319 --> 00:20:58,559 He is desperate. 341 00:20:58,638 --> 00:20:59,800 He is in exile. 342 00:20:59,879 --> 00:21:01,760 He has been thrown out of his kingdom, 343 00:21:01,800 --> 00:21:04,919 and he wants desperately to regain it. 344 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:07,638 The reason that he goes to England first 345 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:09,599 is probably because of his pre-existing 346 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:12,879 contacts in the merchant community of Bristol. 347 00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:16,839 He has friends there who he thinks can help him. 348 00:21:17,559 --> 00:21:19,559 ♪♪ 349 00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:24,839 One of these friends was the wealthy merchant, Robert Fitzharding. 350 00:21:24,919 --> 00:21:26,919 His house stood on Broad Street, 351 00:21:26,959 --> 00:21:29,599 near the medieval Church of St. John. 352 00:21:31,279 --> 00:21:33,080 Sir Robert Fitzharding is a fixer. 353 00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:35,638 He is someone you go to talk to if you 354 00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:40,000 want information and advice on how to take the next step. 355 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:44,800 Fitzharding offered Diarmait's shelter and valuable advice. 356 00:21:44,879 --> 00:21:47,440 O'Rourke and O'Connor were too strong, 357 00:21:47,519 --> 00:21:51,160 and Diarmait couldn't hope to beat them on his own. 358 00:21:51,239 --> 00:21:53,919 But if he could get help from Henry II, 359 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:57,440 the King of England, he might have a chance. 360 00:21:57,519 --> 00:22:00,080 Fitzharding had a huge network of contacts. 361 00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:02,199 He was in very good standing with Henry II, 362 00:22:02,279 --> 00:22:04,760 so it's very likely that Fitzharding would have said, 363 00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:06,400 Go to Henry II yourself. 364 00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:11,040 Though he sat on the throne of England, 365 00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:14,279 Henry II was from France, 366 00:22:14,359 --> 00:22:16,720 and it was there that Diarmait would seek him. 367 00:22:19,239 --> 00:22:21,800 The chain of events that led to a Frenchman 368 00:22:21,839 --> 00:22:26,319 becoming king of England began centuries earlier. 369 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:31,239 In the late 800s, 370 00:22:31,279 --> 00:22:35,199 Viking warbands appeared off the northwest Coast of France. 371 00:22:36,959 --> 00:22:40,199 Hunting for booty, they sailed up the River Seine. 372 00:22:40,519 --> 00:22:43,638 ♪♪ 373 00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:47,720 A Viking leader called Rollo besieges Paris and Chartres. 374 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:49,279 And the king at the time, 375 00:22:49,359 --> 00:22:50,279 Charles the Simple, 376 00:22:50,319 --> 00:22:53,959 decides to strike a deal with Rollo. 377 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:56,000 In order to bring Rollo on side, 378 00:22:56,040 --> 00:22:58,239 Charles the Simple granted him lands, 379 00:22:58,319 --> 00:23:01,638 which created the territory we later called Normandy. 380 00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:05,160 So once Rollo and his followers had set themselves up, 381 00:23:05,199 --> 00:23:08,040 that then created the Duchy of Normandy. 382 00:23:09,480 --> 00:23:13,519 The Vikings settled down there and Rollo became Duke of Normandy, 383 00:23:13,559 --> 00:23:15,519 subject to the French king. 384 00:23:16,879 --> 00:23:18,638 Once they settled in France, 385 00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:21,800 they took over existing stretches of government. 386 00:23:21,879 --> 00:23:24,199 The conversion to Christianity was part 387 00:23:24,279 --> 00:23:27,959 of the deal they negotiated to receive lands in Normandy. 388 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:31,440 And quite quickly, their children and grandchildren children 389 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:34,239 learned French, married with local people. 390 00:23:34,279 --> 00:23:37,359 And so you get this hybrid culture developing in Normandy, 391 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:39,239 which is strongly French in its emphasis, 392 00:23:39,319 --> 00:23:43,599 but also with elements of Viking character as well. 393 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:49,279 ♪ ♪ 394 00:23:49,519 --> 00:23:51,599 Just like their Viking forebears, 395 00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:57,119 the Normans longed to invade foreign lands and take their riches, 396 00:23:57,199 --> 00:24:01,599 and they had the military prowess to realise this dream. 397 00:24:03,119 --> 00:24:07,480 Famously, the Normans deployed warriors on horseback. 398 00:24:07,559 --> 00:24:10,440 Knights were the special forces of the day 399 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:13,119 and almost unstoppable in battle. 400 00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:17,919 The Normans had an elite of mounted knights, 401 00:24:17,959 --> 00:24:21,519 who were men who were trained, often from childhood, 402 00:24:21,599 --> 00:24:22,879 if they were aristocrats, 403 00:24:22,919 --> 00:24:24,559 to fight on horseback, 404 00:24:24,599 --> 00:24:26,080 fully armoured. 405 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:29,559 This is a world in which metal is very, very expensive. 406 00:24:29,638 --> 00:24:33,279 So to be dressed in iron, make them up to you out immediately. 407 00:24:33,359 --> 00:24:34,519 They're horsemen. 408 00:24:34,599 --> 00:24:39,040 Horsemen were the elite, as distinct from the foot soldiers. 409 00:24:39,119 --> 00:24:42,160 It was one of the ambitions of foot soldiers to become horsemen. 410 00:24:42,239 --> 00:24:43,400 But of course, you had to be trained. 411 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:45,400 You had to have the warhorses that they needed. 412 00:24:45,480 --> 00:24:49,959 So you've got this elite group who are primarily aristocratic 413 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:52,119 or gentry people who've been trained in that. 414 00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:54,638 Internationally, the Normans 415 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:57,559 became the military force to be reckoned with. 416 00:24:58,519 --> 00:25:01,440 In this period, 11th, 12th century, 417 00:25:01,519 --> 00:25:04,279 the Normans are conquering Southern Italy. 418 00:25:04,359 --> 00:25:05,480 They go on crusades. 419 00:25:05,559 --> 00:25:08,879 They establish lordships in the Middle East. 420 00:25:08,959 --> 00:25:11,239 They're masters of castle building. 421 00:25:11,319 --> 00:25:13,400 Castles, which they use subsequently 422 00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:15,680 to control the lands that they've conquered. 423 00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:20,638 And castles, which again are used throughout the Norman world, 424 00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:24,480 are the way that you convert this conquest 425 00:25:24,559 --> 00:25:27,480 into a real colonisation 426 00:25:27,519 --> 00:25:31,519 through which you can exact resources from the land, 427 00:25:31,559 --> 00:25:34,959 control it, and make a much more meaningful impact. 428 00:25:35,638 --> 00:25:38,760 But also maybe there's a psychological drive. 429 00:25:38,839 --> 00:25:41,239 They seem to have the urge to dominate. 430 00:25:41,319 --> 00:25:43,680 They seem to want to have not only what 431 00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:47,440 they possess, but what everyone else possesses. 432 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:52,480 The Normans went far afield in search of conquest, 433 00:25:52,519 --> 00:25:56,680 but the greatest prize was the one that lay close to home. 434 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:00,760 Around 1028, 435 00:26:00,800 --> 00:26:06,000 a descendant of Rollo was born at Falaise Castle in Normandy. 436 00:26:06,080 --> 00:26:09,239 In 1066, he crushed the Anglo-Saxons 437 00:26:09,319 --> 00:26:10,919 at the Battle of Hastings 438 00:26:12,119 --> 00:26:14,400 and became king of England. 439 00:26:15,519 --> 00:26:16,879 To this day, 440 00:26:16,919 --> 00:26:20,638 we remember him as William the Conqueror. 441 00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:24,279 Conquests tend to carry on under their own momentum. 442 00:26:24,359 --> 00:26:25,680 So the open question was, 443 00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:29,359 well, would William and his Normans stop with England, 444 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:30,919 or would they roll on into Scotland, 445 00:26:30,959 --> 00:26:32,839 Wales, and indeed, Ireland. 446 00:26:32,919 --> 00:26:34,839 The author of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 447 00:26:34,879 --> 00:26:37,800 thought that had William lived any longer, 448 00:26:37,879 --> 00:26:39,599 he would have conquered Ireland, 449 00:26:39,638 --> 00:26:41,839 surely without the need to draw a sword. 450 00:26:41,919 --> 00:26:44,879 Ireland was an object for conquest. 451 00:26:47,599 --> 00:26:51,440 William's successors proved to be just as ambitious as he was. 452 00:26:53,519 --> 00:26:58,319 In 1154, his great grandson, Henry, took the throne of England. 453 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:04,638 Henry II was born in France. 454 00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:07,800 He was the son of the Count of Anjou, 455 00:27:07,879 --> 00:27:09,839 so he inherited lands in France 456 00:27:09,879 --> 00:27:12,440 before he came to the throne in England. 457 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:15,959 And Normandy, which his father granted to Henry as his son. 458 00:27:17,760 --> 00:27:20,519 Henry then married Eleanor of Aquitaine, 459 00:27:20,599 --> 00:27:24,239 who was probably one of the most desirable marriage partners 460 00:27:24,279 --> 00:27:28,199 in Europe at that time because she had inherited a vast territory. 461 00:27:28,279 --> 00:27:30,559 She had previously been Queen of France. 462 00:27:31,959 --> 00:27:34,919 And then, of course, he inherited England and the interests 463 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:37,480 that England had with its neighboring kingdom 464 00:27:37,519 --> 00:27:39,760 to further expand its territory. 465 00:27:40,879 --> 00:27:42,879 ♪♪ 466 00:27:43,119 --> 00:27:47,480 This one man now controlled a massive expanse of territory, 467 00:27:47,519 --> 00:27:50,638 stretching from the Pyrenees to Southern Scotland. 468 00:27:52,720 --> 00:27:54,400 When we think of Henry II, 469 00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:56,119 we tend to think of him as the King of England. 470 00:27:56,199 --> 00:28:00,160 You might think he identifies as English himself. 471 00:28:00,239 --> 00:28:06,559 But Henry II was culturally, socially, and linguistically French. 472 00:28:06,638 --> 00:28:07,680 He was from France. 473 00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:10,440 He spent most of his time in France. 474 00:28:10,519 --> 00:28:12,319 That's how he identified, 475 00:28:12,359 --> 00:28:14,239 and that was the source of his power. 476 00:28:14,638 --> 00:28:23,559 ♪♪ 477 00:28:24,559 --> 00:28:26,800 So when Diarmait MacMurrough went seeking 478 00:28:26,879 --> 00:28:30,638 Henry's help in the decisive year of 1166, 479 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:34,080 he went not to England, but to France. 480 00:28:35,638 --> 00:28:37,160 MacMurrough was a king, 481 00:28:37,199 --> 00:28:40,279 so he wasn't a man who lacked self-confidence. 482 00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:43,400 So when he was meeting Henry II, 483 00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:46,279 certainly in terms of the royal status, 484 00:28:46,319 --> 00:28:49,040 MacMurrough had no doubt that he was of equal 485 00:28:49,120 --> 00:28:53,400 status to Henry, and they did probably know each other. 486 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:02,440 Because it's one of the neglect protected facts of Irish history 487 00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:04,239 that MacMurrough went to Henry 488 00:29:04,279 --> 00:29:09,639 in 1166 because he knew Henry was likely to help him, 489 00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:12,279 because he probably knew that Henry was interested in Ireland. 490 00:29:21,160 --> 00:29:25,239 Diarmait told Henry he'd been wrongfully thrown out of his kingdom. 491 00:29:26,279 --> 00:29:29,080 He offered the Anglo-Norman King his allegiance 492 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:31,360 if he would help him win it back. 493 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:35,360 Diarmait was pushing against an open door, 494 00:29:35,440 --> 00:29:36,959 and he probably knew it 495 00:29:37,360 --> 00:29:40,400 because this was the chance Henry had been waiting for. 496 00:29:42,760 --> 00:29:47,559 We know that Henry II had a long-standing interest in Ireland. 497 00:29:47,639 --> 00:29:49,919 He was a very ambitious monarch. 498 00:29:49,959 --> 00:29:53,400 It makes sense that he might want to expand to the neighboring island. 499 00:29:53,480 --> 00:29:56,160 Eleanor of Aquitaine is an incredible character. 500 00:29:56,199 --> 00:29:58,760 She certainly wasn't a passive player in the politics of the time, 501 00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:01,959 and I think she must have been a key figure 502 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:05,919 in the early years of the marriage in influencing Henry II's policies. 503 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:08,599 Eleanor may have been a force in advising 504 00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:13,319 him to further extend his territorial ambitions to Ireland. 505 00:30:13,400 --> 00:30:20,559 The contemporary sources tell us that he swore fealty to Henry II. 506 00:30:20,639 --> 00:30:23,599 One source tells us that he performed homage. 507 00:30:23,680 --> 00:30:27,040 He got down on bended knees and he performed homage before him. 508 00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:29,160 He became his man. 509 00:30:29,239 --> 00:30:31,239 Now, the moment that he did that, 510 00:30:31,319 --> 00:30:35,720 that established a constitutional link between the Kingdom 511 00:30:35,800 --> 00:30:38,360 of England and the Kingdom of Leinster, 512 00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:40,120 MacMurrough's overkingdom. 513 00:30:40,199 --> 00:30:41,879 He was Henry's vassal. 514 00:30:41,959 --> 00:30:45,680 So MacMurrough, it seems to he had absolutely no difficulty 515 00:30:45,720 --> 00:30:49,319 in entering into this relationship with Henry II, 516 00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:53,319 that he knew had very significant political consequences. 517 00:30:56,680 --> 00:30:58,080 But Henry stopped short 518 00:30:58,120 --> 00:31:01,199 of giving the Irish king direct military assistance. 519 00:31:03,599 --> 00:31:06,199 Historians have sometimes said that 520 00:31:06,239 --> 00:31:08,839 maybe MacMurrough was a little bit disappointed by the outcome of it, 521 00:31:08,879 --> 00:31:12,400 because you got fancy words from Henry, but nothing more. 522 00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:16,319 But this is an age when Kings didn't have standing armies. 523 00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:20,239 So what could Henry II have given MacMurrough? 524 00:31:20,319 --> 00:31:24,400 There was no such thing as the Royal Navy that could be sent to Ireland. 525 00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:26,440 That didn't exist. 526 00:31:26,519 --> 00:31:28,279 So what could Henry have gave him? 527 00:31:28,360 --> 00:31:31,120 Well, he accepted him as his vassal, 528 00:31:31,160 --> 00:31:36,120 which gave Henry a concomitant duty to protect his vassal. 529 00:31:36,199 --> 00:31:40,680 And he issued letters to his other vassals in England, 530 00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:43,440 telling them that it was okay for them 531 00:31:43,519 --> 00:31:46,599 to go off a conquering in Ireland 532 00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:48,440 to assist MacMurrough. 533 00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:54,839 ♪♪ 534 00:31:55,279 --> 00:31:58,559 So having met Henry, Diarmait retraces his steps, 535 00:31:58,639 --> 00:32:01,480 and he establishes himself at Bristol for a while 536 00:32:01,519 --> 00:32:02,919 before he goes to Wales, 537 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:05,080 and he spends two or three or four weeks 538 00:32:05,120 --> 00:32:07,199 showing all comers this letter that he has 539 00:32:07,279 --> 00:32:11,000 from Henry II, which is crucial to getting support 540 00:32:11,080 --> 00:32:14,199 for his posited trip back to Ireland 541 00:32:14,239 --> 00:32:16,120 and the retaking of his kingdom. 542 00:32:16,199 --> 00:32:19,080 And among the people who come to him is Richard de Clare, 543 00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:20,480 Strongbow. 544 00:32:22,720 --> 00:32:26,480 Diarmait and Strongbow find each other, 545 00:32:26,519 --> 00:32:28,000 and when they find each other, 546 00:32:28,080 --> 00:32:32,160 they recognise in each other a very similar kind of story. 547 00:32:32,239 --> 00:32:34,400 Diarmait is ousted from power. 548 00:32:34,480 --> 00:32:35,599 He needs help. 549 00:32:35,680 --> 00:32:39,239 Strongbow is effectively ousted from power. 550 00:32:39,319 --> 00:32:41,559 He needs an opportunity. 551 00:32:46,360 --> 00:32:54,879 ♪♪ 552 00:32:55,559 --> 00:33:00,720 The town of Chepstow, in Wales, is home to a mighty castle. 553 00:33:01,519 --> 00:33:06,279 Built by the Normans, it has stood here since 1071. 554 00:33:08,559 --> 00:33:15,360 The castle's ruined inner keep still evokes a sense of splendor and power. 555 00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:19,959 This was once the home of Richard de Clare, 556 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:23,080 the Earl of Strigoil. 557 00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:27,879 Today, he's better remembered by his nickname, Strongbow. 558 00:33:31,839 --> 00:33:34,199 Chepstow Castle is well-situated, 559 00:33:34,239 --> 00:33:39,959 stacked on limestone cliffs above the River Wye. 560 00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:45,680 But Strongbow's own fortunes rested on shakier ground. 561 00:33:45,879 --> 00:33:48,879 Strongbow has been languishing in debt, 562 00:33:48,959 --> 00:33:51,599 emasculated, unable to wage war, 563 00:33:51,639 --> 00:33:55,120 which is the normal way in which a lord comes to fame, 564 00:33:55,160 --> 00:33:57,639 attracts followers, attracts wealth. 565 00:33:57,720 --> 00:34:02,080 He's in Chepstow Castle, cooling his heels for years. 566 00:34:03,800 --> 00:34:07,599 Henry II had become King of England at the end of a civil war. 567 00:34:07,680 --> 00:34:09,559 One of the individuals who had opposed him 568 00:34:09,639 --> 00:34:12,440 during the course of that civil war 569 00:34:12,480 --> 00:34:16,000 was the man we know in history as Strongbow. 570 00:34:16,559 --> 00:34:20,639 Strongbow throughout Henry's reign, had really been out of favour. 571 00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:23,919 Diarmait and Strongbow recognising each other, 572 00:34:23,959 --> 00:34:26,480 a very similar kind of story. 573 00:34:26,559 --> 00:34:28,760 Diarmait is ousted from power. 574 00:34:28,839 --> 00:34:30,080 He needs help. 575 00:34:30,160 --> 00:34:33,599 Strongbow is effectively ousted from power. 576 00:34:33,680 --> 00:34:35,919 He needs an opportunity. 577 00:34:38,879 --> 00:34:41,559 And now Diarmait arrives, 578 00:34:41,639 --> 00:34:44,319 says, I have permission for you 579 00:34:44,360 --> 00:34:47,160 to help me regain my kingdom, Leinster. 580 00:34:47,639 --> 00:34:51,760 ♪♪ 581 00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:58,080 You can become the King of Leinster. 582 00:34:58,160 --> 00:35:00,959 Here's my daughter, Aoife. 583 00:35:01,040 --> 00:35:05,360 You can marry her if you will help me get my kingdom back. 584 00:35:06,879 --> 00:35:11,000 From Strongbow's point of view, this is wonderful news. 585 00:35:11,080 --> 00:35:16,279 Not only the idea that he might acquire some lands in Ireland, 586 00:35:16,360 --> 00:35:20,279 but that he might, by marrying MacMurrough's daughter, 587 00:35:20,319 --> 00:35:23,559 succeed to the Kingdom of Leinster, 588 00:35:23,599 --> 00:35:27,000 that was a really mouthwatering prospect. 589 00:35:27,879 --> 00:35:29,518 At least that's the deal that they struck, 590 00:35:29,559 --> 00:35:31,120 even though it's completely out of line 591 00:35:31,199 --> 00:35:35,279 with traditional Irish methods of royal succession. 592 00:35:36,239 --> 00:35:38,839 Whether a medieval princess was attractive or not 593 00:35:38,879 --> 00:35:44,040 probably had a lot more to do with the land and the political influence 594 00:35:44,120 --> 00:35:46,800 she brought than any physical medical feature. 595 00:35:46,879 --> 00:35:51,319 And in those terms, Aoife was potentially very attractive 596 00:35:51,400 --> 00:35:57,279 because she meant the possibility of becoming a Leinster king. 597 00:35:57,360 --> 00:36:01,400 I think it probably came as a bit of a shock to contemporaries when, 598 00:36:01,480 --> 00:36:04,518 of all the people that MacMurrough could have recruited 599 00:36:04,559 --> 00:36:07,959 was this man, Strongbow, who, from having been a man 600 00:36:08,000 --> 00:36:11,839 of a high reputation and blue blood in his veins, 601 00:36:11,919 --> 00:36:14,919 but was penniless and almost landless, 602 00:36:14,959 --> 00:36:17,680 was now going to the heir to a kingdom. 603 00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:19,680 I mean, that was headline news. 604 00:36:24,160 --> 00:36:28,160 The alliance with Strongbow boosted Diarmait's confidence. 605 00:36:28,199 --> 00:36:31,360 He traveled on to southwest Wales, 606 00:36:31,440 --> 00:36:34,319 where the Lord Rhys ap Gruffydd held sway, 607 00:36:34,360 --> 00:36:37,879 and here he struck lucky again. 608 00:36:37,959 --> 00:36:42,160 In 1165, Rhys had rebelled against Henry II. 609 00:36:42,239 --> 00:36:46,440 He attacked Cardigan Castle and imprisoned Henry's loyal servant, 610 00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:48,440 Robert Fitz-Stephen. 611 00:36:49,760 --> 00:36:51,800 From Rhys' point of view, 612 00:36:51,879 --> 00:36:55,319 Robert was probably a bit of an embarrassment, 613 00:36:55,360 --> 00:36:56,639 a bit of a problem. 614 00:36:56,680 --> 00:36:58,518 He's held this man a prisoner. 615 00:36:58,599 --> 00:37:00,760 What are we going to do with him? 616 00:37:01,319 --> 00:37:06,120 Diarmait's arrival gave Rhys a chance to rid himself of Fitz-Stephen. 617 00:37:06,199 --> 00:37:08,559 The Welsh Lord offered to release him 618 00:37:08,639 --> 00:37:13,518 on condition that he joined Diarmait's mission in Ireland. 619 00:37:13,599 --> 00:37:17,319 Fitz-Stephen, already being known by Henry, and respected, 620 00:37:17,360 --> 00:37:20,800 he would have been the perfect person, really, 621 00:37:20,839 --> 00:37:26,000 to lead the expedition, both as a military leader and as a person. 622 00:37:27,440 --> 00:37:30,760 Diarmait promised Fitz-Stephen the town of Wexford 623 00:37:30,800 --> 00:37:32,319 in return for his help. 624 00:37:33,760 --> 00:37:37,400 The Irish king now had two Norman allies on his side. 625 00:37:38,440 --> 00:37:42,518 Suddenly, his chances of reclaiming Leinster looked a lot better. 626 00:37:43,959 --> 00:37:46,160 Now Diarmait looked to the west. 627 00:37:46,199 --> 00:37:52,199 Not far off lay the Welsh Coast, and beyond it, the Irish Sea. 628 00:37:52,959 --> 00:37:54,120 On a clear day, 629 00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:57,400 Diarmait would almost have been able to see the Coast of Ireland. 630 00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:03,919 He was within striking distance of his homeland and his enemies. 631 00:38:06,120 --> 00:38:08,080 In August 1167, 632 00:38:08,120 --> 00:38:11,199 exactly a year after he'd fled in ignominy, 633 00:38:11,239 --> 00:38:15,839 Diarmait returned to Ireland and his old capital, Ferns. 634 00:38:15,919 --> 00:38:18,040 Back on his home turf, 635 00:38:18,080 --> 00:38:21,879 he had one uncomfortable consideration. 636 00:38:21,959 --> 00:38:25,639 He didn't know when Strongbow would arrive. 637 00:38:25,719 --> 00:38:29,518 In the period between Strongbow and Diarmait meeting 638 00:38:29,599 --> 00:38:35,400 and the actual invasion of Ireland, there's this strange lull. 639 00:38:35,480 --> 00:38:38,400 And the lull is probably because 640 00:38:38,440 --> 00:38:43,360 Strongbow needs to get a sense of where Henry is at 641 00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:45,440 and whether he'll be punished 642 00:38:45,480 --> 00:38:47,599 or how much room has he got to maneuver. 643 00:38:47,639 --> 00:38:52,440 And Henry's probably imposed the delay by putting tasks on Strongbow. 644 00:38:53,559 --> 00:38:56,919 Luckily, Diarmait had another sword in the fire. 645 00:38:57,639 --> 00:39:00,879 In 1169, Rhys App-Griffith finally 646 00:39:00,959 --> 00:39:04,839 released Robert Fitz-Stephen from prison in Wales. 647 00:39:04,919 --> 00:39:07,518 As soon as Robert is released, 648 00:39:07,559 --> 00:39:09,959 he goes instantly overnight from being 649 00:39:10,040 --> 00:39:12,518 a prisoner to all of a sudden a leader of men. 650 00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:16,120 Because the Crown is backing the expedition, 651 00:39:16,160 --> 00:39:20,879 it's likely that most of the men at arms, 652 00:39:20,959 --> 00:39:24,440 the knights, the Crown, would supply those. 653 00:39:24,518 --> 00:39:27,000 The difference is the archers. 654 00:39:27,080 --> 00:39:30,160 They're almost certain to have been Welshmen, 655 00:39:30,239 --> 00:39:33,239 and the Welsh bowmen are recognised as the best in the world, 656 00:39:33,319 --> 00:39:34,919 and this will make all the difference 657 00:39:34,959 --> 00:39:36,559 to the campaign to Ireland. 658 00:39:36,680 --> 00:39:40,000 ♪♪ 659 00:39:40,040 --> 00:39:42,360 On Wexford's south Coast, 660 00:39:42,400 --> 00:39:46,080 a ruined chapel overlooks a lonely shore. 661 00:39:46,160 --> 00:39:48,599 This is Bannow Church, 662 00:39:48,680 --> 00:39:51,760 and it has withstood the ravages of wind and sea 663 00:39:51,800 --> 00:39:54,360 for over eight centuries. 664 00:39:54,440 --> 00:39:56,879 Nearby lies Bannow Island, 665 00:39:56,919 --> 00:40:01,319 now fastened to the mainland by built-up silt. 666 00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:03,400 This may be a remote area, 667 00:40:03,480 --> 00:40:06,919 but it witnessed one of the most important events in history. 668 00:40:08,800 --> 00:40:12,360 It was here in May 1169 669 00:40:12,400 --> 00:40:15,680 that Robert Fitz-Stephen landed in Ireland. 670 00:40:17,440 --> 00:40:21,319 A moment captured in vivid detail in the Ross tapestry. 671 00:40:22,760 --> 00:40:24,480 Robert Fitz-Stephen arrives at Bannow, 672 00:40:24,559 --> 00:40:26,000 so he clearly had advanced knowledge 673 00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:27,680 of the best place to land in this area, 674 00:40:27,760 --> 00:40:30,639 and it's also likely that Diarmait had his men 675 00:40:30,680 --> 00:40:31,879 waiting for him in a beacon, 676 00:40:31,919 --> 00:40:35,480 letting Fitz-Stephen and others know where to bring up his ships. 677 00:40:35,518 --> 00:40:38,360 And then the landing, of course, is important here 678 00:40:38,400 --> 00:40:40,879 because soon after they join up with Diarmait MacMurrough. 679 00:40:42,319 --> 00:40:44,800 Fitz-Stephen had with him 36 knights, 680 00:40:44,839 --> 00:40:48,000 60 men at arms, and 300 archers. 681 00:40:49,599 --> 00:40:53,080 This sizable force needed food and shelter, 682 00:40:53,120 --> 00:40:56,959 so Fitz-Stephen immediately started a settlement here at Bannow. 683 00:40:57,040 --> 00:41:00,719 This was Ireland's first Norman town. 684 00:41:01,440 --> 00:41:03,760 Today, only the church remains, 685 00:41:03,800 --> 00:41:07,120 and the time-worn graves of early settlers. 686 00:41:10,239 --> 00:41:13,639 Already, the invaders were putting down roots in Ireland, 687 00:41:13,680 --> 00:41:16,040 but Robert Fitz-Stephen knew 688 00:41:16,080 --> 00:41:18,518 that they would have to fight for what they took. 689 00:41:21,760 --> 00:41:24,800 He and MacMurrough headed for Wexford town, 690 00:41:24,839 --> 00:41:28,719 one of the three places that held the key to victory. 691 00:41:29,518 --> 00:41:32,680 If you controlled Dublin and Waterford and Wexford, 692 00:41:32,719 --> 00:41:35,160 you were never going to be in trouble in Ireland 693 00:41:35,199 --> 00:41:38,040 because you could always get fleets of soldiers back 694 00:41:38,080 --> 00:41:40,599 and forth in to help you out if you ever got into trouble. 695 00:41:40,680 --> 00:41:42,518 So the ports were the single greatest 696 00:41:42,599 --> 00:41:45,839 concentration of wealth on the island of Ireland. 697 00:41:45,919 --> 00:41:48,040 They were absolutely critical in terms 698 00:41:48,080 --> 00:41:50,040 of the success of the invasion. 699 00:41:50,120 --> 00:41:53,319 The men of Wexford advanced to confront 700 00:41:53,400 --> 00:41:57,639 the attackers and met an intimidating sight. 701 00:41:57,919 --> 00:42:01,760 A squadron of armoured knights mounted on horses, 702 00:42:01,800 --> 00:42:03,639 stood ready for battle. 703 00:42:03,719 --> 00:42:06,518 The Anglo-Normans use many of the same 704 00:42:06,559 --> 00:42:09,559 military techniques that they employ elsewhere 705 00:42:09,599 --> 00:42:12,160 and that are very successful elsewhere in Europe. 706 00:42:12,239 --> 00:42:16,120 One of the most famous of these is the mounted cavalry charge, 707 00:42:16,160 --> 00:42:19,040 this tradition of fighting on horseback. 708 00:42:19,120 --> 00:42:21,879 We know from contemporary accounts 709 00:42:21,959 --> 00:42:27,800 that this was terrifying to face and that it could be very effective. 710 00:42:28,719 --> 00:42:31,599 They use this in Ireland. 711 00:42:32,160 --> 00:42:33,959 Faced with this show of strength, 712 00:42:34,000 --> 00:42:36,919 the Wexford men retreated into the town. 713 00:42:38,719 --> 00:42:41,839 For two days, they defended it bravely, 714 00:42:41,879 --> 00:42:44,680 and then they surrendered. 715 00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:48,040 During Diarmait was quick to honour his agreement, 716 00:42:48,080 --> 00:42:52,000 and he handed control of the town to Robert Fitz-Stephen. 717 00:42:55,199 --> 00:42:58,199 The campaign was gathering momentum, 718 00:42:58,239 --> 00:43:01,400 but Diarmait faced an anxious wait. 719 00:43:01,480 --> 00:43:04,160 There was still no sign of his other ally. 720 00:43:05,440 --> 00:43:08,839 Then, at last, Strongbow acted. 721 00:43:08,919 --> 00:43:14,160 In May 1170, he sent Raymond Le Gros to Baginbun. 722 00:43:14,239 --> 00:43:16,959 Le Gros achieved a spectacular victory, 723 00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:19,959 and his small force was only a vanguard. 724 00:43:26,680 --> 00:43:31,599 They are an advanced party arriving some weeks before the key player, 725 00:43:31,639 --> 00:43:32,760 Strongbow and his men. 726 00:43:33,639 --> 00:43:35,440 In Milford Haven, Wales, 727 00:43:35,480 --> 00:43:39,639 Strongbow had mustered an army over a thousand strong. 728 00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:43,599 Finally, he was ready to come to Diarmait's aid. 729 00:43:44,518 --> 00:43:46,959 And then an unexpected event 730 00:43:47,000 --> 00:43:49,518 threatened to scuttle the whole enterprise. 731 00:43:51,480 --> 00:43:55,800 He had ships packed full of warriors on the turning tide 732 00:43:55,839 --> 00:43:58,879 when a messenger arrived from Henry II to say, 733 00:43:58,919 --> 00:44:02,440 Do not go to Ireland or you will be a criminal. 734 00:44:02,518 --> 00:44:05,760 The consequence would be that Strongbow would be killed. 735 00:44:05,839 --> 00:44:07,279 His followers would be killed. 736 00:44:07,360 --> 00:44:10,639 Henry absolutely put his foot down on Strongbow going. 737 00:44:10,719 --> 00:44:14,599 So Strongbow has to decide, does he take this tide or not? 738 00:44:15,719 --> 00:44:18,040 Allez. 739 00:44:20,800 --> 00:44:27,199 Strongbow then ignored that and set out to win his fortune in Ireland. 740 00:44:27,279 --> 00:44:30,160 So Ireland was make a break for Strongbow. 741 00:44:30,239 --> 00:44:33,000 His fleet would have arrived out here with 742 00:44:33,040 --> 00:44:35,080 something upwards of 1,500 men. 743 00:44:35,120 --> 00:44:38,199 Raymond Le Gros may even have seen him from the headland going past, 744 00:44:38,279 --> 00:44:41,400 and he gathered those who had survived the initial skirmishes here 745 00:44:41,440 --> 00:44:44,959 and took them on along with Strongbow into Waterford Harbour, 746 00:44:45,000 --> 00:44:47,120 preparing to attack the town. 747 00:44:47,199 --> 00:44:51,239 They came to Ireland intent upon helping 748 00:44:51,279 --> 00:44:56,080 MacMurrough seize or re-seize the towns within Leinster. 749 00:44:56,160 --> 00:44:59,680 Waterford, next to Dublin, was probably the most significant 750 00:44:59,719 --> 00:45:02,839 Irish trading center in the 12th century. 751 00:45:04,480 --> 00:45:09,319 On the 23rd of August, Strongbow laid siege to the city. 752 00:45:09,400 --> 00:45:11,400 A savage battle followed. 753 00:45:12,040 --> 00:45:16,680 There was a stone wall already built at that end of the of the city, 754 00:45:16,760 --> 00:45:19,599 and there was obviously wooden palisade on top of that. 755 00:45:19,680 --> 00:45:21,518 But we know from our archeological 756 00:45:21,599 --> 00:45:24,800 excavations that they were firing arrows at the city. 757 00:45:26,360 --> 00:45:30,800 You remember, archers made up about 85% of the attacking armies. 758 00:45:30,879 --> 00:45:34,040 The Welsh were very famous as archers. 759 00:45:34,120 --> 00:45:37,518 There's descriptions of them shooting their arrows 760 00:45:37,559 --> 00:45:39,959 in the 12th century at a mounted knight, 761 00:45:40,000 --> 00:45:43,839 and the arrow goes through the armour on the man's leg, 762 00:45:43,879 --> 00:45:46,879 through his leg, through the armour on the inside, 763 00:45:46,959 --> 00:45:49,480 through the saddle of the horse, and into the horse. 764 00:45:49,559 --> 00:45:52,480 That's how powerful these longbows were. 765 00:45:52,559 --> 00:45:56,839 And we found a big number of arrows. 766 00:45:56,919 --> 00:46:02,000 We found long, thin arrow heads, which were piercing chain mail. 767 00:46:02,080 --> 00:46:04,599 And then we found the other typical arrowhead 768 00:46:04,639 --> 00:46:06,680 that we all know for firing at people, of course, 769 00:46:06,719 --> 00:46:08,279 who are not wearing armour. 770 00:46:10,719 --> 00:46:14,000 The inhabitants of Waterford defended fiercely, 771 00:46:14,040 --> 00:46:17,239 driving back two assaults on the city walls. 772 00:46:17,879 --> 00:46:21,000 But then the attacker settled on a different strategy. 773 00:46:22,199 --> 00:46:24,080 Strongbow and Raymond Le Gros decided to pull 774 00:46:24,120 --> 00:46:26,440 down a house that hung over the town wall. 775 00:46:26,480 --> 00:46:28,440 Their horses probably pulled on the ropes 776 00:46:28,518 --> 00:46:30,719 and pulled the whole structure down, 777 00:46:30,760 --> 00:46:32,480 and that allowed them to enter the city. 778 00:46:32,559 --> 00:46:35,239 He spent three days trying to take the city. 779 00:46:35,319 --> 00:46:37,480 It fell on the 25th of August. 780 00:46:39,239 --> 00:46:43,800 No sooner had the fighting finished, then Strongbow claimed as a reward. 781 00:46:45,919 --> 00:46:48,440 At Waterford's medieval Cathedral, 782 00:46:48,480 --> 00:46:51,839 he married Diarmait MacMurrough's daughter, Aoife. 783 00:46:54,080 --> 00:46:57,279 The original church is long gone, 784 00:46:57,319 --> 00:47:00,839 replaced by the present Christ Church Cathedral. 785 00:47:01,879 --> 00:47:04,959 Nearby, a modern statue of the newlyweds 786 00:47:05,000 --> 00:47:07,360 commemorates this fateful event. 787 00:47:09,000 --> 00:47:10,919 So for someone like Aoife, 788 00:47:11,000 --> 00:47:12,680 who's brought up in a patriarchy, 789 00:47:12,719 --> 00:47:16,360 in a warrior-led, extremely hierarchical society 790 00:47:16,400 --> 00:47:19,319 where women have very limited powers. 791 00:47:19,400 --> 00:47:22,160 Essentially, she's moving into just another one 792 00:47:22,199 --> 00:47:23,800 when she marries Strongbow. 793 00:47:23,879 --> 00:47:26,760 You're just substituting one layer of rules 794 00:47:26,800 --> 00:47:28,800 and regulations for another. 795 00:47:28,879 --> 00:47:31,120 She adapted because she had to survive, 796 00:47:31,160 --> 00:47:32,719 so she did what she needed to do. 797 00:47:35,199 --> 00:47:38,639 The famous marriage completely changed Irish history. 798 00:47:38,719 --> 00:47:41,279 I know that may sound like a cliché, but it wasn't. 799 00:47:41,360 --> 00:47:44,839 That completely changed the nature of the Anglo-Norman conquest. 800 00:47:45,639 --> 00:47:48,480 Meant that the King of England now was going to get involved because, 801 00:47:48,559 --> 00:47:50,879 of course, he was afraid that Strongbow 802 00:47:50,919 --> 00:47:51,879 would become too powerful. 803 00:47:51,959 --> 00:47:55,480 The last thing Henry II wanted was a very powerful Norman lord, 804 00:47:55,518 --> 00:47:57,239 Anglo-Norman Lord, here. 805 00:47:58,239 --> 00:48:00,919 When Strongbow won for himself an independent kingdom, 806 00:48:01,000 --> 00:48:02,760 which is what happened in Leinster, 807 00:48:02,800 --> 00:48:05,360 this must have been shocking to Henry. 808 00:48:05,440 --> 00:48:08,199 He was well aware of what William the Conqueror had achieved 809 00:48:08,279 --> 00:48:11,120 when he won for himself an independent kingdom 810 00:48:11,160 --> 00:48:13,199 as a vassal of the French king. 811 00:48:13,279 --> 00:48:17,319 Henry had no intention of allowing one of his vassals to create 812 00:48:17,360 --> 00:48:19,080 such an independent power base for himself, 813 00:48:19,120 --> 00:48:20,440 because that would have set up 814 00:48:20,480 --> 00:48:23,518 another potential threat on Henry's flank. 815 00:48:25,559 --> 00:48:29,559 Henry was not the only one following Strongbow's progress. 816 00:48:30,040 --> 00:48:34,319 Rory O'Connor was still the high king of Ireland, but so far, 817 00:48:34,360 --> 00:48:36,680 he had been little more than a spectator. 818 00:48:36,760 --> 00:48:40,719 He desperately needed to gain control of the situation. 819 00:48:42,000 --> 00:48:45,680 When Strongbow and MacMurrough and their forces 820 00:48:45,719 --> 00:48:49,440 marched on Dublin and established a base there, 821 00:48:49,639 --> 00:48:51,160 it was at that point, I think, 822 00:48:51,199 --> 00:48:53,760 that the Irish began to think, Well, this is getting serious. 823 00:48:53,839 --> 00:48:55,919 We have to do something about it. 824 00:48:58,760 --> 00:49:01,319 We know that Rory O'Connor stops 825 00:49:01,360 --> 00:49:04,639 in Castleknock as he's readying his army to attack Dublin. 826 00:49:04,719 --> 00:49:06,959 So when he came here to Castleknock, 827 00:49:07,000 --> 00:49:08,440 and he was thinking, I'll get this done. 828 00:49:08,518 --> 00:49:09,800 This is not a problem. 829 00:49:09,879 --> 00:49:12,559 And of course, it turns out it was a problem. 830 00:49:12,599 --> 00:49:15,959 ♪♪ 831 00:49:53,680 --> 00:49:54,599 Subtitling RTÉ 2024.