A great deal of this change in the fortunes of the Irish was due to the impotence of the Crown of England, and to the feuds and weakness of the Irish Normans, as will be pointed out in the next section. But it was chiefly due to a change in the military methods and organisation of the clans themselves. They still despised the use of armour, and at Downpatrick and Athenry they fought without it. But they were improving in the building of ... Read More