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

In November 1177, two veteran Norman commanders, Robert FitzStephen and Milo de Cogan, marched into the Kingdom of Desmond to claim the lands granted to them by King Henry II. With the assistance of a rival member of the MacCarthy dynasty, the Normans advanced on Cork. But was the city peacefully surrendered, as Gerald of Wales claimed, or violently conquered and plundered, as the Irish annals suggest? In this episode of Irish History Tales, we examine the Norman conquest of Cork, the displacement of its Ostman inhabitants, and the foundations of the medieval city that would emerge under Norman rule. Meanwhile, Domnall Mór O'Brien of Thomond seized the opportunity to invade Desmond, while Philip de Braose attempted to claim his own royal grant: the Kingdom of Limerick. As rival Gaelic kings fought one another and Norman armies pushed deeper into Munster, Dermot MacCarthy faced an increasingly desperate struggle to preserve his kingdom. Drawing on medieval Irish chronicles, Gerald of Wales and the research of historian Henry A. Jefferies, we explore a turbulent chapter in the Norman invasion of Ireland.

Long before the Normans attempted to seize Cork and Limerick, Munster had already been divided by generations of rivalry. In this episode, we trace the struggle between the Eóganachta, the MacCarthys of Desmond, and the O’Briens of Thomond, beginning with the legacy of Brian Boru and the collapse of a united Munster. We explore Tairdelbach Ua Conchobair’s intervention in 1118, the lasting division between Thomond and Desmond, the rise and fall of Cormac MacCarthy, and the political world inherited by his son Dermot MacCarthy. We then return to the Norman invasion. Why did Dermot submit to Henry II in 1171? What happened when Raymond le Gros intervened in Munster? And how did Dermot survive rebellion, imprisonment and betrayal within his own family? By 1177, Dermot had regained his kingdom — only to discover that Henry II had granted much of it away at the Council of Oxford. Before the Normans could conquer Munster, however, they first had to enter a province already fractured by centuries of rivalry. Irish History Tales tells the story of Ireland chronologically, from 1166 to 1923.

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.

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.

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.