Archived: 23 October 2026
Abstract
In 1345, the sharpest political struggle in the English lordship of Ireland unfolded not at a frontier ford but across the towns, castles and lordships of Munster. Sir Ralph Ufford, justiciar of Ireland and the king’s chief governor, moved against Maurice fitz Thomas FitzGerald, first earl of Desmond. Their quarrel exposed a basic weakness in royal administration: the Crown needed the co-operation of the great Anglo-Irish magnates, yet Ufford sought to discipline them with an unusually forceful assertion of central authority.The year also brought a violent change of ruler in Connacht, fighting upon Lough Neagh in Ulster, and smaller but
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Archived: 23 October 2026
Abstract
In 1342, Connacht was convulsed by a dynastic war that displaced King Toirrdelbach Ó Conchobair. Conchobar Mac Diarmata, Edmund Burke and rival Ó Conchobairs formed a coalition, humiliating Toirrdelbach at Elphin, destroying crops, fighting over fords and fortresses, and exploiting captivity and assassination. Aed Ó Conchobair became king, though Toirrdelbach regained power in 1343. Elsewhere, Conchobar Ó Domnaill was murdered in Tír Conaill, while raids caused deaths in Oriel. Dublin government abandoned contested reforms amid local resistance. Annalistic notices also record the deaths of poets, historians and clerics, revealing overlapping political, military, ecclesiastical and learned worlds during the year itself.
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Archived: 23 October 2026
Abstract
In 1341, Toirrdelbach Ó Conchobair, king of Connacht, captured Roscommon Castle, a royal English fortress, with annals differing over the role of his imprisoned rival Áed. The seizure strengthened him temporarily amid continuing Connacht dynastic conflict. Meanwhile, Edward III’s administration ordered investigations, resumed grants and proposed replacing locally connected officials, provoking resistance from the English of Ireland. Parliaments at Dublin and Kilkenny petitioned the king, defending lands, liberties and consultation while affirming loyalty. Elsewhere, violence and rapid successions marked Meath, Oriel and Connacht. Ecclesiastical deaths reflected institutional continuity. The year exposed fragmented, negotiated authority across overlapping Gaelic and settler societies.
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