Above: Norman Adventures

I95. In the month of May, 1169, a force of 100 knights and men-at-arms in coats of mail and about 600 archers, under Robert Fitzstephen and Maurice Pren- dergast landed at Bannow in Wexford with Hervey Mountmaurice, Strongbow’s uncle. As knights and archers had attendants, the total force was about 2,000. Having been joined by Dermot and his son, Donall Kavanagh, with 500 horsemen, he advanced on the town of Wexford, which after a valiant defence was surren- dered to them. Then Dermot granted Wexford and the adjoining district to Robert Fitzstephen and Maurice Fitzgerald -the latter of whom had not yet arrived. He granted also to Mountmaurice the district lying between the towns of Wexford and Waterford. Dermot and his allies next attacked Ossory and forced its chief Mac Gilla Patrick to submit.

King Roderick O’Conor now at last became alarmed, and marched with a large army towards Ferns, where he found the king of Leinster and his foreign auxiliaries strongly entrenched. But the feeble- minded monarch, instead of promptly attacking the rebel king and his few foreign auxiliaries, made peace with Dermot and restored him to Ins kingdom, on condition-which was kept secret from his new friends -that he should send home the foreigners and bring hither no more of them; and Dermot gave his favourite son Conor and two other relatives as hostages. But Maurice Fitzgerald landing soon afterwards, Dermot broke his promises, and with all the Anglo- Normans marched on Dublin, which the Danish king Hasculf Mac Turkill was forced to surrender to them.

At last Dermot resolved to make himself king of Ireland, and sent to Strongbow urging him to come over. On the 1st of May, 1170, Strongbow, not being yet ready to come himself, despatched a force of about 800 men under Raymond Fitzgerald, commonly known as Raymond Ie Gros, who fortified himself at a place called Dundonnell on the Wexford coast not far from Waterford. Here they were soon attacked by a great army-from Waterford; but Raymond defeated them, slaying 500 of them. And after the battle 70 of the principal citizens who had been taken prisoners were cruelly executed.