Norman Ireland circa 12th-13th centuries CE

In 1169 Dermot MacMurrough, the exiled king of Leinster, appeals to England for help retaking his land.   'Strongbow' (Richard de Clare) arrives in Ireland and begins the Norman Invasion.   As thanks, he is married to MacMurrough's daughter, Aoife.   He mistakenly believes this will make him the future King of Leinster.   In 1172 the Papal Bull "Laudibiliter" decrees that Henry II of England is feudal lord of Ireland.   We call this period "Norman Ireland" and it marks the beginning of English influence on that island. There is alot of information on the Invasion, but not much on the clothing of the Irish of this period.   However, one source stands out.   During this period, Gerald of Wales (Geraldus Cambrensis) wrote the Expungiato Hibernica and The History and Topography of Ireland.   Although extremely biased by his dislike of the Irish, there is much information in these volumes that come to us from no other source.

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