The Arrival of the
Normans in St Mullins No 5
The first Normans landed in Bannow on 1st May 1169 they
were Knights loyal to Robert Fitz Gilbert de Clare (Strongbow)who was later to marry
Aoife daughter of the scoundrel Diarmaid Mac Mourough. The lad that we are
interested in is Maurice de Prendergast because he ended up in our patch St
Mullins.
The Normans joined forces with Diarmaid Mac Mac Mouragh Ex King
of Leinster and fought to help him regain his Kingdom. However, Diarmaid’s only
interest was to use the Normans as mercenaries and Maurice de Prendergast had
come to win a lordship, money gold a decent estate sure he had to pay the lads
who joined him on his venture. Realising he was on a loser he decided to cut
his losses and return to Wales with his Flemish knights and 200 Welsh archers. Diarmaid
had no intention of letting Maurice out of the country as he was now back in
charge of his Kingdom and who did this Norman think he was anyway.
Maurice sent a messenger to Domnall Mac Gilla Pátric(the
King of Osraige) that’s Kilkenny who keep winning the all-Ireland hurling
championships. He explaining that Diarmaid was now his enemy and that he Maurice
was willing to serve him, It was cunning way out of Diarmaid’s trap and the
strategy was a success.
The messenger returned with good news .On receiving the
offer from Maurice Domnall had leapt into
the air with delight .His reply was that de Prendergast should come at once
with complete confidence to St Mullins to rendezvous with the army
of Osraige on the banks of The Barrow (Co Carlow).From there they would see
what opportunities presented themselves but Maurice could be reassured that
whatever happened ,they would receive generous and substantial payment from Osraige,
Money always does the trick.
It would have been better for Diarmaid if he had simply let
Maurice and the Flemish army return to Wales. For when he learned of this new
and very unexpected alliance ,he felt his power beginning to fragment ;Wexford
was rebellious and there was no certainty that the other Normans with him would
enter battle against Maurice .In order to attempt to intercept the Flemish army
as it marched along The Barrow, Diarmaid dispatched his son with his 500 cavalry these would be half naked lads with long
spears hurleys and wearing blue war paint. The two armies clashed, but Dairymaids
son dared not turn the encounter from a skirmish to an open field battle, not
in the face of the more heavily protected Flemish knights and foot soldiers in
full armour. Harassed all the way, Maurice eventually arrived at the round
tower in St Mullins, there he made a
stand and sent word to Domnall Mac Gilla Pátric. The messenger returned with a
promise that if Maurice held fast, the army of Osraige would be there on the
third day. The King of Osraige (Kilkenny)did indeed arrive on the third day, to
the cheers of the Flemish troops and to the dismay of Diarmaid’s cavalry who
now ran as fast as they could towards the foot of Mount Leinster. Observing the
proper formalities, Maurice and his seven knights greeted the king who had so
recently been their enemy. The chief men of Osraige and the Flemish knights swore
faith to one another at St Moling’s alter. In particular, Domnall Mac Gilla Patraic
swore that he would never betray Maurice and his men, so long as they were
allies. St Moling was important for the people of Osraige, for it was said
that, through his presence, St Moling
had enfeebled an army of Leinster which had been raiding Osraige. The Leinster
men were powerless to lift a hand against the saint. All the cattle these
raiders had stolen were given to St Moling, who then returned them to Osraige. It
would therefore be a foolish king of Osraige who violated an oath made in
tempall na-bo or (the church of the cows)
and risked the saint’s wrath.
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