King Dermot MacMurchada & Queen Mor Ni Tuathail

 378236702. King Dermot MacMurchada & 378236703. Queen Mor Ni Tuathail

8/5/1100, Henry I crowned King of England.

1110, Dermot Mac Murrough born in Ireland, s/o §§Diarmait mac Enna MacMurchada of Leinster.

1117, Dermot’s father died in the plague; his brother Enna mac Donnchada mac Murchada succeeding.

1118, Toirdelbach Ua Conchobair, king of Connacht, gave overlordship of the port of Dublin to Enna mac Donnchada mac Murchada.

~1125, Mor Ni Tuathail born in Kildare, Ireland, d/o §§King Muirchertach Ua Tuathail (d.1164) of Uí Muirdeaigh & Queen Cacht Ní Morda.

1122-25, Dermot’s brother Enna given the title ‘king of Leinster and the foreigners.’

4/24/1124, David I crowned King of Scotland.

1126, Dermot’s brother murdered in Wexford; the kingship of Dublin and Leinster given to Conchobar, s/o Toirdelbach.

1127, The citizens of Dublin revolted and ousted Conchobar, s/o Toirdelbach.

1132, Dermot abducted the Abbess of Kildare.

1134, Dermot invaded Ossary.

12/22/1135, Stephen crowned king of England; usurping the daughter of King Henry I, and beginning and 18-year civil war in England. [Dermot will be seen to have thrown his support to the Empress and her son, future King Henry II.]

1137, Dermot beseiged the Viking settlement of Waterford.

1140, Dermot, King of Lienster, to suppress his nobility, had 17 “tribal chiefs” seized. Those not executed were blinded.

1140, Dermot again attacked Waterford.

2/1141, King Stephen of England captured and imprisoned by Mabel, wife of Robert, earl of Gloucester; who threatened to send the King to Ireland [and likely to Dermot. King Stephen regained his crown later in 1141.]

1141, Dermot’s alliance with Dublin disrupted when Conchobar Ua Brian, king of Munster, took control. [Which was soon lost to a Viking named Ottar.]

[––Dermot & Mor––]

~1143, Dermot married Mor.

1146, Dermot founded the convent of St Mary de Hogges for Augustinian nuns.

1148, The Viking Ottar died and Dermot again became overlord of Dublin.

1149, Dermot plundered the stone church of St. Cianan of Meath with the help of Danes.

1151, Dermot supported Tadg in overthrowing his brother the “Munster King”.

1151, Tigernan O’Rourke overthrown by Turlough O’Conner with the help of Dermot. Diarmait Mac Murchada, king of Leinster, carried off Derbforgaill, wife of Tigernan Ua Ruairk, king of Breifne.

1152, Diarmait returned Derbforgaill to her husband.

1152, Dermot supported the High King on raids into the lands of Ua Ruairc.

1154, Dermot now holding Dublin under his overking Muirchertach Mac Lochlainn of Northern Ui Neill; who had given the people of Dublin 1200 cows.

5/24/1153, Malcolm IV succeeded King David I of Scotland.

12/19/1154, Henry II succeeded King Stephen of England.

9/29/1155, At Great Council at Winchester, where King Henry of England proposed to conquer Ireland and give it to his brother William. Empress Matilda was present and opposed the plan.

1160, Torcall, king of Dublin, died; and Dublin rebelled against Diarmait.

1161, Diarmait lost control of Dublin by the king of Connacht. (S) Henry II, Warren, 1973, P192.

1162, Diarmait re-asserted his control of Dublin.

1162, Diarmait granted som of the Meic Thorcaill lands in Baldoyle, co. Dublin, to Christ Church Cathedral.

1162, Diarmait’s brother-in-law, Lorcan Ua Tuathail, consecrated to the see of Dublin.

1162-66, Diarmait focused on improving Dublin and consolidating his influence. [This also may have been the time when Diarmait made his important connections in Bristol, a major trading partner with Dublin.]

1165, King Henry of England hired a Dublin fleet to attack Wales. [Dermot likely involved as he would seek out King Henry’s support 2 years later.]

By 1166, Diarmait allied with Muirchertach Mac Lochlainn, successor of Toirrdelbach as high king; who was out of favor with the other Irish kings. Muirchertach lost the high kingship to Ruadri Ua Conchobair, s/o Toirrdelbach.

1167, Tigernan Ua Ruairk attacked with Norsemen supported by Roderic O’Connor of Connaught, claimant to the high kingship of Ireland, driving into exile their overlord, Dermot. [Dublin did not support Dermot, having been bought off with a payment of 4000 cows.]

8/1/1167, Dermot MacMurchada, lord of Leinster, arrived in Bristol, along with his daughter Aoife, and went to the home of Robert fitz Harding, a wealthy merchant, money-lender, and favorite of King Henry’s.

1167, Dermot went to King Henry in Normandy and gained permission to recruit knights from Henry’s lands in Wales and the Marches for his battle to regain his own lordship of Leinster in Ireland. One of those recruited was his future son-in-law Strongbow. [Strongbow was initially reluctant to go to Ireland. Robert fitz Stephen and Maurice fitz Gerald, half-brothers, agreed on the condition that they would get the town of Wexford.] (S) Henry II, Warren, 1973,  P198.

1167-68, Diarmait returned to Ireland and spent the winter at his capital of Ferns.

1168, Donnell, lord of Ossary, had blinded a son of Dermot, Enna Mac Murchadha.

7/1168, Dermot offered Strongbow, Earl of Strigoil, lands in Ireland, his daughter Eve in marriage, and the lordship of Leinster on Dermot’s death if he supported his battle to regain his own lordship of Leinster in Ireland.

5/1169, Robert fitz Stephen with 30 men-at-arms and 300 archers arrived in Ireland at Bannow near Wexford [but Strongbow’s forces were already there.]

1169, Diarmait and his allied forces attacked and captured Wexford; which was given to Robert fitz Stephen. The city supplied additional forces to Diarmait.

1169, Diarmait made forays against locals; and made peace with the high king, giving a son as a hostage.

1169, Diarmait ravaged the country around Dublin.

1169, Maurice de Prendergast arrived with 200 more men.

1169, Dermont, and the forces of Robert fitz Stephen, combined and attacked Ossory. 200 of Donnell, lord of Ossary’s men were killed in the battle. On retreating, the forces of Ossory again engaged Dermots forces, which had separated from the English. Dermot united with the forces of Maurice de Prendergast and engaged the opposing forces for 3 hours. Towards the end, other English forces engaged in the battle. Another 220 of Donnell’s men were slain.

1169, Dermont restored as the King of Leinster. Dermont then sent Robert fitz Stephen with a son against Limerick and the high king.

1169, Maurice de Prendergast made an agreement with Donnell, lord of Ossary, and together they attacked Dermot. Dermot was again allied with Robert fitz Stephen in opposing Donnell. [Maurice de Prendergast returned to Wales, but soon returned in support of Dermot.]

1169-70, Dermot and his allies Maurice de Prendergast and Robert fitz Stephen conquered Dublin. [Roderic of Connaught, in retaliation, put to death another son of Dermot, Conchobar.]

5/1170, Richard, earl of Strangul, giving command to Raymond le Gros, sent many of his vassals from Wales to Ireland [1200 soldiers]. (S) Journal of the Waterford & South-East of Ireland, V6, 1900, P88.

1170, Strongbow’s forces defeated in battle at Baginbun Head a large combination of Irish and Danes. [70 prisoners were said to have had their bones broken and been tossed into the sea.]

1170, Strongbow’s departure from England to be delayed by a messenger of King Henry, who arrived too late. Strongbow left from Milford Haven.

8/23/1170, Strongbow landed with 200 men-at-arms and 1000 archers at Waterford, Ireland.

8/28/1170, Strongbow and Dermot, providing 500 ‘gallowglasses’ – infantry equipped and armed after like the Norwegians, took Waterford from the Danes.

8/29/1170, Strongbow married Dermot’s daughter Eve in the cathedral at Waterford, Ireland.

1170, Strongbow and Dermot marched on Dublin; taking a circuitous route over the mountains that bypassed prepared defenses. Strongbow met with the Ostmen of the city, and at the same time sent Raymond le Gros and Miles de Cogan to attack the city, which was captured. [The English now had a port in which to support a major invasion.]

1170, By the general assembly of Irish clergy at Armagh, it was decreed that all Englishmen who were held in bondage should be freed. [The Irish were worried about an all-out invasion and conquest by the English – which would occur a year later.]

1170-71, Diarmait began raids into Breifne.

1170–1171, Strongbow’s battles continued; conquering much of southeastern Ireland.

5/1/1171, Diarmait died at Ferns, Strongbow, his son-in-law taking the title King of Leinster. [According to Norman law; but by Irish law a king could not name a successor, he had to be elected.]

[––Mor––]

1191, Mor died.

(S) The Historians’ History of the World, Williams, 1907. (S) DNB, Stephen, 1893. (S) Strongbow’s Conquest of Ireland, Clare, 1888. (S) History of Ireland, Fry, 1988. (S) West Over Sea, Smith, 2007. (S) Medieval Ireland, Richter, 2005.

Children of Dermot and Mor:

i. Eve MacMurchada (189118351), born ~1145 in Ireland.

ii. Conchobar Caomahanach, born ? in Ireland.

1167, Conchobar killed by Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, High King of Ireland, who was his hostage, in response to his father’s attempt to overthrow the king.

iii. Domhnall Caomahanach, born ? in Ireland.

1171, Domhnall, sole surviving son of Dermot, elected King of Leinster by the Irish clan chiefs.

1175, Domnhall killed at the battle of Naas.