Live Theater

At this point Jack took us into a small park with informational signs about the vikings, but rather than have us read that stuff he did a little living history play staring people from the group. He talked about the vikings up to 1170 when Diarmait Mac Murchada invaded backed by the mercenary forces of Richard de Clare, otherwise known as Strongbow.

Jack played out the soap opera that was this time period (I got to play Strongbow.)

See Diarmait Mac Murchada was the king of an area known as Leinster, but he stole Tiernan O'Rourke, the young wife of Rory O'Connor who was another king in Ireland. O'Rourke in turn chased the happy couple out of Ireland where they hid out in Wales. There they had a son named Donal MacMurrough-Kavanagh. The English wanted to get a toehold into Ireland, so they backed Mac Murchada. He invaded Waterford in 1169, failed, but then came back a year later with Richard de Clare's mercenaries and won.

This would pave the way later for King Henry II to invade Ireland and England to take over the country.

Mac Murchada gave his eldest daughter Aoife Ní Diarmait from a previous marriage to Strongbow to marry. The problem was Tiernan O'Connor didn't even know this daughter existed and was none too pleased her husband had just put Strongbow in line to the throne in direct conflict with Donal. Sure enough Mac Murchada died and Donal backed by his mother and Strongbow with his claim to Aoife fought over the throne.

Donal and his mother won that fight but ultimately lost the war. Strongbow was in good with the English after all, so when Henry II swept through and conquered all of Ireland he rewarded Strongbow by giving him a lordship over Leinster (there were no more other kings, as Henry was the king of all.)