Gaelic Feudalism

The successful careers of Niall M6r O’Neill Art  Mac  Murrough,  and  Murrough   O’Connor  mark  at  once  the completion of the absorption of the Normans and the end of Irish re-conquest.   Henceforward, little change in territory took place.  

 The recent conquests were held, but no new ones of importance were made. Indeed, there was but little left to win.   The Pale continued to shrink into even smaller dimensions, but the process was gradual, and was due more to internal weakness than to external attack.    

An effort would have extinguished it, but no such effort was made, and it was allowed to exist on sufferance.

To this growth of feudalism amongst the clans may be attributed a great many of the dissensions which tore them even before this period. The feudal idea of hereditary succession was evidently taking root amongst the Irish, and its develop-ment was rendered possible by the loss of independence amongst the clans.

 The weakness of the clans rendered them unable to insist upon their ancient right of electing their chiefs, and the increased power of the chiefs induced them to endeavour to nominate their successors.

Contests between the nominee of the chief or the hereditary claims of his son on the one hand and the choice of the clan on the other became frequent.

The chiefs and lords, in fact, enjoyed their freedom from control. During all this period they ruled Ireland unchecked by any central Government, and they did not desire to be
therwise.

Lords and chiefs, great and small, Irish and Norman, overned their clans or followers and fought their rivals without any preference. To a few of the great Norman lords, of course, the office of  theLord Deputy with the control of the Dublin officials was an asset which they were always ambitious to secure.