Archived: 23 October 2026
Abstract
In 1329, John de Bermingham, earl of Louth, was killed at Braganstown near Ardee by Louth’s English gentry, exposing divisions within the lordship rather than an ethnic revolt. His disputed authority, kern’s alleged depredations, and weak local roots fuelled resentment. Parliament in Dublin sought to curb magnate feuds, while rivalries persisted. The killers received pardons, Bermingham’s earldom lapsed, and Mortimer acquired Louth’s liberty. Political conflict also embroiled Bishop Ledrede. Campaigns and killings in Wicklow, the midlands, Breifne and Connacht revealed continuing warfare and shifting alliances. Wet weather delayed harvests, intensifying insecurity across Ireland for tenants, townspeople, and landed communities alike.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1327, Ireland experienced overlapping political, military and social crises amid the accession of Edward III. Thomas FitzGerald, earl of Kildare, became justiciar, but magnates contested royal authority while trade and administration continued. At Glendun, Robert Bruce secured a year’s truce with Ulster, paid for by promised wheat and barley. Domhnall Mac Murchadha was proclaimed king in Leinster before capture by royal officers. Rival Anglo-Irish lords devastated lands during private war, while O’Rourkes and O’Reillys fought over Lough Oughter. A widespread speckled sickness, probably smallpox but diagnostically uncertain, killed people across social ranks alike, disrupting labour, food supplies and lordship.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
Richard de Burgh, the Red Earl of Ulster and lord of Connacht, died at Athassel on 29 July 1326, ending a powerful four-decade lordship. His fourteen-year-old grandson William inherited vast but vulnerable estates, exposing Ulster and Connacht to guardians, rivals and local conflict. Munster saw fighting between Maurice FitzGerald of Desmond and Arnold le Poer, temporarily restrained by Justiciar John Darcy. Royal administration continued through travelling chancery business and financial enforcement. Local records note Ímar Mag Ragnaill’s killing and the succession at Elphin. Meanwhile, English political crisis unsettled Ireland, making 1326 a pivotal year of insecure lordship and contested authority.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1318, defeats at Dysert O’Dea and Faughart reshaped Ireland without bringing peace. Richard de Clare’s death ended his family’s attempt to dominate Thomond, enabling Gaelic rulers to regain regional control. Edward Bruce’s death near Dundalk ended the Scottish-backed invasion, though it exposed weaknesses within English lordship. Warfare intensified the Great Famine’s effects: requisitioning, ruined crops, disease, disrupted trade and severe weather produced acute hardship. Political alliances crossed Gaelic, settler and Scottish communities, reflecting local interests rather than national divisions. Connacht remained unstable amid dynastic conflict. Alexander de Bicknor arrived as Dublin’s archbishop and justiciar, inheriting a weakened, impoverished lordship.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1317, at the height of the Bruce invasion, Robert Bruce joined his brother Edward in Ireland and marched through Meath towards Dublin. Fearing siege, Dublin’s citizens burnt western suburbs, demolished the Liffey bridge and religious buildings for defensive stone, and detained the earl of Ulster. The Bruces bypassed the fortified city, campaigned unsuccessfully in Munster, and retreated north; Robert departed in May. Famine, worsened by military requisitioning, afflicted Ireland amid warfare, dynastic struggles and castle destruction. Connacht changed kings, while learned legal culture suffered a loss. Irish leaders’ Remonstrance to Pope John XXII sought support, but Edward’s kingship endured.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1316, Ireland endured Scottish invasion, provincial conflict, destructive warfare and famine. Edward Bruce, supported by Ulster allies, claimed kingship but controlled chiefly the former earldom of Ulster; his Leinster raid exposed divisions among Anglo-Irish magnates without establishing rule. In Connacht, Feidlim Ó Conchobair defeated rival Ruaidrí, built a broad coalition and attacked Anglo-Irish lordships. On 10 August, William de Burgh and the Berminghams crushed Feidlim’s army outside Athenry, killing Feidlim and leaders, and destabilising Connacht anew. Meanwhile, famine compounded military devastation. Carrickfergus surrendered to Bruce in September, yet no power secured Ireland: regional rivalries, hunger and contested lordship persisted.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In May 1315 Edward Bruce, brother of Robert Bruce, landed near Larne with a Scottish army, exploiting divisions among Irish rulers, Anglo-Irish magnates and officials. Supported by some Ulster Gaelic lords, he claimed Irish kingship, captured Carrickfergus town and besieged its castle. His forces devastated settlements and supplies, defeated Richard de Burgh at Connor, and advanced into Meath, where opposition faltered amid local rivalries. The invasion also intensified Connacht dynastic conflict. Neither Ireland nor Ulster was unified behind Bruce: Dublin, Trim and Carrickfergus castle remained hostile. Warfare, crop destruction, requisitioning and weather worsened the Great Famine, causing hardship and disorder.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1314, Ireland experienced instability across Gaelic lordships and the English administration rather than a single national turning point. Ruaidhrí Ó Conchobair defeated the O’Reillys at Drumlane, while killings within leading families, including Matha Mac Tigernáin’s murder by his foster-son, exposed contested authority. Bishop Matha Mac Duibne died, and Niall Ó Néill, heir to Cenél nÉogain, was lost. Theobald de Verdon governed the lordship as Edward II sought Irish money and soldiers for war. Robert Bruce’s victory at Bannockburn altered Irish Sea strategy, encouraging later ambitions without causing Edward Bruce’s 1315 invasion. Famine was not attested in Ireland during 1314.
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Archived: 24 October 2026
Abstract
In 1313, Thomond faced a contested O’Brien succession after Diarmait Cléirech Ó Briain died and was buried in the Franciscan habit at Ennis. Donnchad Ó Briain asserted his claim through destructive campaigns in Uaithne and Ara, while Muirchertach Ó Briain entered from Connacht, defeated his rivals and ravaged the Limerick district. Their conflict ended in a territorial partition, though warfare resumed in 1314. Regional struggles involved O’Brien factions, Mac Conmaras and Anglo-Irish magnates, notably Richard de Clare and the de Burghs. In Dublin, acting justiciar Edmund Butler held a feast and knighted thirty men, asserting royal authority amid political instability.
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