For us in the twenty first century it is hard to imagine the feelings of a young woman, newly widowed, having her children removed to a “place of safety”. In modern parlance those words reek of intervention by state welfare services. Continue reading The Girl in the Tower
Men who had been unable to effectively control Wales and the Welsh border country were now given the equally difficult task of pacifying the Irish. Continue reading The Norman Invasion: an Irish Perspective.
De Clare took my hand as he spoke and led me to an empty hut that, I supposed, had been especially prepared for us. He stepped forward and took both hands in his, lowering his head to kiss each in turn. Continue reading The Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife: A Union Bathed in Blood.
“We can ill afford to have such men as enemies,” he said in a final effort at persuasion.
I could see the logic of Father’s assertion but it only added to the burden of responsibility that now lay upon my shoulders.” Continue reading His Stag Do was a Massacre: 24th August 1170 the Sacking of Waterford.
Father was smiling. I remember thinking how rare an event that was these days. ‘Go now and prepare yourself for a journey and your marriage,’ he bade me. ‘We leave at first light tomorrow for Waterford where de Clare awaits us.’ Continue reading 23rd August 1170: An Irish ‘D-Day’ Landing
How often did either party wonder if tomorrow would be the day when everything changed? Continue reading A Summer of Nervously Waiting: Ireland in 1170.
None of the above will make me remove the prologue from Strongbow’s Wife when I upload a revised version in the next few days. Continue reading Before the Beginning – do you really need a prologue?
I think fiction must feature settings that are taken from the author’s imagination, whereas historical fiction must, by its nature, be set in real places in order to lend authenticity. Continue reading Open Book Blog Hop, 20th April
My thanks to Sally Cronin for featuring Strongbow’s Wife on her blog, along with an excellent review. For anyone that’s interested, there are two ways in which the Strongbow story connects with Archbishop Becket. Both he and Henry II were close friends with the Bristol merchant Aoife’s father first turned to for help in regaining his kingdom. And, once Beckett had been murdered in Canterbury Henry felt the need to atone. His mission to Ireland, suggested by the Pope some years earlier probably seemed like a good way of doing so. via Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Author Update … Continue reading Sharing Book Reviews
Another entry in the Historical Ragbag’s Advent Calendar of Medieval Ruins involving Strongbow and his cohorts. I remember spending a few delightful days in Dunbrody, at a country house hotel run by one of Ireland’s ‘celebrity’ chefs. There’s a small brewery there, too, and I occasionally drink a glass of the excellent pale ale produced there. Not that any of that has anything to do with medieval history or Strongbow! Enjoy the article. The more I read about Irish history the more I understand the fraught relationship between the neighbouring islands. I do think it’s important, for English people especially, … Continue reading Another Connection Between Ireland and the Marcher Lords
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