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






