1177 - 1180 AD

1177 AD January:In the north - east of Ireland, John de Courcy, the Anglo - Norman Baron, was still trying to take over the territory of the Irish Septs in their kingdom of Ulaid in Ulster Province, which included the coast of Co. Antrim and part of Co. Derry, Co. Armagh and Co. Down to Loch Neagh. He had previously arrived at Rath Celtchair / Down in Co. Down, which was then the capital region of Ulster, where he had added Patrick to its name and it became known then as Down Patrick, and with his 22 Norman knights and 300 Galls / foreigners he invaded Portaferry / Bally Phillip in Co. Down. He had then went on through the Moyry Pass into the Ulaid territory surprising 113.Rory Mac Dunleavy / Ruaidri mac Donn Sleibe the Dal Fiatach King of Ulaid and his Irish forces who then fled the area, but despite this only 2 of John de Courcy's Norman knights were to succeed in getting into the territory there. de Moinbhiol / de Mandeville had made it in as far as the north - east into the territory of the Heremonian Ui Cobhthaigh Ui Conaire Dal Riada Sept, and William le Savage had succeeded in getting into the Ards Peninsula. (Their Portaferry Castle ruins are still there to be seen in the north - west of Derry in Co. Derry). Meanwhile, 113.Rory Mac Dunleavy the Dal Fiatach King of Ulaid together with the Catholic Bishop and the clergy there, had by then fled further to the west into Co. Armagh and returned with thousands of Irish men to take John de Courcy and his Gall / foreigners head on, but despite their great show of courage they were to be defeated by the superior weapons. (After the battle John de Courcy, as a gesture of goodwill on his part, then allowed the survivors to go free as he had other agendas on his mind). John de Courcy then set up his own personal kingdom in an area east of Loch Neagh and the River Bann and constructed a castle at Belfast on the northern border of Co. Antrim and Co. Down, and was from then on to rule from Downpatrick and Carrickfergus for 30 years until 1203 AD and also brought over from England, Cistercian and Benedictine monks. He divided up the territory of the kingdom of Ulaid situated in the east of Ulster between his Norman Barons, the Savages, the Whites, the Russells, the Hackets and the Logans, after also defeating the Heremonian Dal Cuinn "northern" Ui Niaill Septs under 112.Murtogh Mac Loughlin / Mac Lochlainn the Dal Cuinn "northern" Ui Niaill Cenel nEogain 58th King of Aileach in the north of Ulster. 112. Murtogh Mac Loughlin at this time was the overall Irish overlord of the eastern territories of the Ulaid in Ulster, and the Heremonian Dal Cuinn 3 Colla kingdom of Orghialla / Oriel in Co. Monaghan and Co. Armagh also in the south - east of Ulster, who also had territory further south in nearby Co. Louth in the north - east of Northern Leinster. The Irish Septs under battle conditions were still at a great disadvantage, as they had no armour and they did not believe in the use of bows and arrows, but only one on one combat, and because of this they were no match for John de Courcy's Norman knights, and especially his bowmen and as John de Courcy had his own personal agenda in Ulster he expelled no Irish Septs, nor planted any other English Galls, and also married Alfreca, the daughter of Gottfried the Norse Viking King of the Isle of Man and the Southern Hebrides. De Moinbhiol / de Mandeville, who was one of his Anglo - Norman Barons was to become the direct male line ancestor of the Mac Quillans / Mheic Uighilin the English Earls of the Route, with some members of the family also changing their names later on in Ireland to Mac Cullen, Mac William and Mac Collin. (Much later also he was to be the direct male line ancestor of the Mansfields in Co. Tipperary and Co. Waterford in the east of the Munster Province.)

        114.Aedh Macaomh Toinleasc - the Lazy Limbed Youth O Niall was to become the Dal Cuinn "northern" Ui Niaill Cenel nEogain King of Aileach for only one year and was also the heir apparent / Tanaiste of Ireland, whose main territory was actually in Tir Eogain / Tyrone in the southern centre of the Ulster Province.as he was to be slain this year by Mael Sechlainn Mac Loughlin / Lochlainn and his son Ardgal Mac Loughlin who was also slain himself during the conflict by 111.Aedh - the Lazy Limbed Youth O Niall at the same time. (The Mac Loughlins would from now on basically control the Cenel nEogain Sept for the next 22 years.) 114.Aedh Macaomh Toinleasc O Niall's sons, would be 115.Niall Ruadh - of Red Complexion O Niall, who would die in 1223 AD and  115.Aedh Meith O Niall who would become the Dal Cuinn Cenel nEogain King of Aileach in 1199 AD, and die in 1230 AD after re - establishing the O Nialls' male line over the Kingship of Aileach. Meanwhile over the next 64 years there would be an escalation of the hostilities between the Cenel nEogain O Nialls and their kinsmen the Cenel nEogain Mac Loughlins over who was to have the overall authority in regard to the Cenel nEogain Septs in Ulster, as it would not be up until 1241 AD before it would all be brought to a final conclusion.

May:  Henry 11 "Curtmantle" the first Plantagenet Norman Angevin English King while at Oxford in England was to divide the Munster Province also in to a further two parts, dividing the kingdom of Des Mhumhain / Desmond / Southern Munster in Co Kerry between 2 of his Norman Barons, Robert Fitz Stephen and Milo de Cogan, while Waterford in Co. Waterford in the south - east of Munster was put under Robert le Poer / le Paor - the Poor Man's control, and he also reaffirmed the O Melaghlins / Mac Loughlin's Dal Cuinn "southern" Ui Niaill kingdom of Meath / Midhe situated in the south of Northern Leinster once again to his main man, the Anglo Norman Baron, Hugh de Lacy. He also granted the overall Lordship of Ireland to his younger son, Prince John, who was then only 9 years of age, and all of these Norman grantees were made to do homage to his young son as the intended future Norman King of Ireland, as part of the Angevin Empire. (Over 850 years of tremendous and immense English persecution would follow on from this in the future on the majority of the Irish population.) As Prince John was still too young to run Ireland, he put in an English Viceroy instead. (Sir Almericus Tristram became the first Anglo - Norman Baron, English Earl of Howth near Dublin, when he captured the Peninsular there, and his descendants later also changed their family surname to St. Lawrence, some of whom were also to be in Co. Clare in the north - west of Munster later on). Richard Talbot / Talboid another English Baron, was to also build Malahide Castle at Malahide / Mullach Ide / Ide's Hilltop in Dublin, where his family was to remain for over 800 years up to the modern era and be highly involved in the Catholic Irish cause in the future.

1178 AD Donnell O Fogarty the Catholic Bishop of Ossory, died, and the See of Ossory / Co. Kilkenny there was moved from Aghaboe to Kilkenny City in the south - west of Southern Leinster by Felix O Dullany / Ua Dubhshlainey who became the new Catholic Bishop of Ossory until 1202 AD who was also to lay the foundation stone for the Cathedral of St. Canice there.

      110.Donnell Mor O Brian the Heberian Dal gCais Ui Bloid Ui Turlogh Ui mBriain 47th King of Cashel / Munster who was still pushing on with his own personal agenda now went into battle against the Heberian Eoghanacht Septs, the Mac Carthys, the O Collins and the O Donovans over who now had the real authority also in Southern Munster and during the conflict these 3 Eoghanacht Septs were able to escape to the north into the west of Co. Clare in the north - west of of the Munster Province. The Heberian Dal gCais Ui Caisin Mac Namaras who acted as the Lord Marshalls for the Ui mBriain Sept, were the Princes of East and West Clann Cuilean, who had their territory in the east of Co. Clare from Tulla to Broadford in the north and they now drove the Heberian Dal gCais Ui Bloid Ui Turlogh O Kennedys / Ui Cennetig  from out of the Ui Turlogh region there down nearly to the Shannon River. (The O Kennedys were the descendents of *105.Brian "Boru's" brother, 105.Duncan / Donncuan) and one of his sons, 106.Kennedy, The O Kennedys would eventually migrate across the River Shannon to the eastern side to create their kingdom of Ormond / Aur Mumu / North Eastern Munster and be eventually driven out of there also, much later on, by the English Gall foreigners to Co. Wexford in the south - east of Southern Leinster, and then from their migrate to America to produce John. F., Kennedy Robert Kennedy, and Edward Kennedy.

1179 AD Henry 11, the first Plantagenet Angevin Norman King of England now granted the Anglo - Norman Baron, de Vesey / de Vesci, the territory of the Heremonian Ui Laoghaire Ui Lughaidh Cu Corb Septs in Co. Kildare in Central Southern Leinster, and also other territories of the Irish Septs in Co. Cork in Des Mhumhain / Desmond / Southern Munster) to de Barri / Barry, another of his Anglo - Norman Barons and all they had to do in return was clear out the Irish Septs from those regions by any means whatsoever and hold the territories there for the English Crown.

      Ivar O Casey from the Heberian Cianacht Sept in Co. Meath in Northern Leinster, died this year. 

     Felix O Hea a Heberian Dal gCais Cistercian monk was appointed to the See of Lismore in Co. Waterford after Giolla Chriost O Conarchy died.

     The Clonfert monastery in Co. Galway in Southern Connacht was ravaged by fire this year. 

1180 AD Hugh de Lacy, the Anglo - Norman Baron, who was the main man for Henry 11, by now was all powerful in the O Melaghlins / Mac Loughlin Dal Cuinn "southern" Ui Niaill kingdom of Meath / Midhe in the south of Northern Leinster, and he also had his own personal agenda, and to this end he married the daughter of *115.Rory O Connor the Heremonian Dal Cuinn Ui Briuin Ai 183rd King of Ireland, to also gain further overall control in Ireland and Henry 11 the Norman Angevin King of England was now suspicious of his personal motives also and made the Anglo - Norman English separate from the Irish Septs, as he wanted them to remain committed to the English cause only. Robert Fitz Stephen one of his Anglo - Norman Barons had the opposite approach as he was committed to the belief that in the future the integration of the Anglo - Irish would be in the best interests of preserving Ireland as a united people.

     Muldoon / Maol Duin O Donoghue, the son of Daniel O Donoghue, this year ransacked Innis Fallen monastery on Loch Leane in Co. Kerry in the south - west of the Munster Province and was put to death for this sacrilege.

     St. Laurence / Lorcan O Toole from the Heremonian Cu Corb Ui Dunlainge Ui Muireadhaigh Sept in Southern Leinster, who had been the first Irish Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, died this year in Normandy, and was so revered that his heart was removed and preserved in a heart - shaped metal case that is still chained to the wall of Christchurch Cathedral in Dublin. 

    Donnell O Kennedy who was now the Heberian Dal gCais Ui Bloid Ui Turlogh King of North - Eastern Munster / Ormond in Co. Tipperary, died this year.

     Jerpoint Abbey in Co. Kilkenny / Ossory, which was a Benedictine monastery in the south - west of Southern Leinster founded originally by Donogh O Donoghue the Heberian Eoghanacht King of Cashel was given over to the Cistercian Order of monks, and its restored ruins can still be seen there today. The construction of the Cathedral of St. Kenneth / St. Canice had also previously begun in Kilkenny in Co. Kilkenny that now contains the remains of the original members of the Anglo - Norman Butlers / le Buitleir the future English Earls of Ormonde who were to have their Estates in Co. Kilkenny and nearby Co. Tipperary. This year also the Woodstock Castle was built by Richard de St. Michael another of the Anglo - Norman Barons, at Athy in Co. Kildare in Central Southern Leinster. The Inch Abbey, situated in the south - east of the Ulster Province, was also founded this year, three mile downstream from Down Patrick in Co. Down, but it too is now also a ruin.

      Henry 11, the Norman Angevin King of England gave Mullingar, the centre of the O Melaghlins / Mac Loughlins Dal Cuinn "southern" Ui Niaill kingdom of Meath / Midhe in Co. Westmeath in the south - west of Northern Leinster, also to his main man, Hugh de Lacy the Anglo - Norman Baron, and a part of the Tuath Mhumhain / Thomond / Northern Munster to Herbert Fitz Herbert / Fils Hoireabard another of his Anglo - Norman Barons, who later resigned the claim, and Henry 11's younger son, Prince John "Lackland" was later on to give it to William and Philip de Braosa / de Briouze / Bruce who were to be his personal particular Anglo - Norman Barons, who he would later severely turn on.

                 Home Page                                                                         Return to Celtic Heritage                                                            +On to 1181 - 1190 AD