Strongbow: the Story of Richard and Aoife Free

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By Morgan Llywelyn. The dramatic story of the Norman conquest of Ireland in the 12th century. Full of battles and warfare, but a story of love, too, between an unlikely pair - wilful and wild Irish princess Aoife, and Strongbow, the greatest of the Norman knights to come to Ireland. A clash of cultures and a vivid story of one of the Greats of Irish history. His beard tickled my neck when he nuzzled me, pretending to be a bear. First your shoulder, then your arm, then every tender little finger. This was an old game with us. Then Father would change from his bear-voice to his Father-voice that always made me feel safe and warm. Strongbow: The Story of Richard and Aoife harm will come to you! Not while Dermot of Leinster lives. Dermot Mac Murrough, King of Leinster, must have been a different man, though they lived in the same skin. When my father rode off to do king-things I thought he was making other people happy the way he made me happy. I never imagined that in years to come his name would be used to frighten naughty children. I thought other people lived as we did, in palaces of stone with solar rooms to let in the sun so the women could sew. I thought everyone had warm clothes dyed bright colours, and arm rings of silver and copper, and gold balls to fasten their hair. Just like us. When Father had to be away, he always came back with gifts for his families. She and her children had the best chambers. Father had held him hostage once, before any of us were born, and they had been friends ever since. That, I suppose, was why Father married his sister. Kings needed to have a lot of children, so they could have more than one wife. Father loved me most, though. Once he came back from Dublin with a Norse pony the colour of the sun, with a creamy mane and tail. It was so beautiful we all wanted it, but he gave it to me. My big sister Urlacam — Strongbow: The Story of Richard and Aoife for Strongbow: The Story of Richard and Aoife — stuck out her tongue at me behind his back. She had grown lazy and stayed indoors most of the time, fussing with her clothes and her hair. I was never lazy. I went everywhere on my pony. I was awake and out under the Leinster sky almost every morning before the sun was up. I loved to gallop across the damp meadows on a summer morning, feeling the wet grass brush my bare legs. My pony loved it, too. Once the pony threw me off and broke my arm. It hurt terribly, worse than a giant toothache. He smiled back at me. A local bone-setter took care of servants and farmers when they broke bones, but because Father was a king he had his own physician. The man was an ollavthe best of his profession, and he was sent for. The ollav tugged and pulled at my arm. White lights flashed in my eyes and my ears began to ring. Father had gone off somewhere by then. No one saw me cry but the ollav and my sister Urla, who was spying on me as always. The ollav bound my arm to a board carved with healing symbols, then wrapped it in cloths covered with a thick paste of soot and egg white and pounded comfrey root. It smelled awful. His hands were very Strongbow: The Story of Richard and Aoife. He was an educated man, not an ignorant bone-setter with rough hands! That was when I began to understand that being a king made Father special. Kings were surrounded by Strongbow: The Story of Richard and Aoife like the ollav. My arm healed. I forgot the pain. Father gave me a glass ball the colour of rainbows as a reward. Then he gave me a little wooden box with two leaves hinged together, each holding a tablet of wax. You see? My father was not a monster. He had become King of Leinster when he was only sixteen years old, and everyone had envied him. He had been through some hard times. But he was respected at home in Ferns, and his families loved him. As a child, I played all the time. I played ball and chase-me and all-fall-down with my brothers and my little sister Dervla. My brother Enna, who was often sickly, taught me a song Strongbow: The Story of Richard and Aoife a blue cow. We ate our meals at tables of oak in the great hall. Some of the servants would smile at me when passing the food. I always smiled back. They were like part of Strongbow: The Story of Richard and Aoife family, in a way. They were members of clans tributary to Father. Sometimes that meant sending him servants for his houses. He always took very good care of these people, just as he did of us. To keep our feet warm in cold weather we wore cuarans of soft leather, with pointed toes. But servants went barefoot in all weathers. I loved to run barefoot with my long hair blowing behind me. When Mother caught me she would cluck her tongue and shake her head, and fasten my hair into horrible thick plaits that hung down my back like ropes. But I found a way to enjoy those plaits. I loved playing rough games with the boys, because I hated to sit in the solar, sewing, like Urla. I ran them through the plaits of my hair. When I spun around, the weighted plaits swung around me in a wide circle. No one dared come close to me, for fear of being hit in the face with them. A grand weapon! Mother put her hands on her hips and scowled. I was christened Richard FitzGilbert de Clare, and my father had every reason to expect I would one day hold his title as Earl of Pembroke. But I was born into a hard time. My earliest memories are of battle tales. I had bad dreams at night, and thought the world was filled with death and killing. I never felt safe. And all those freckles. Your skin should be hard and brown from being out in all weathers, not dappled like an egg. And your voice! Why am I cursed with a son who has a high voice? It was important to my father that I be a warrior like himself. Your ancestors Strongbow: The Story of Richard and Aoife to England with William the Conqueror, remember that, Richard. You bear a proud name. Your great-grandfather fought with William against the Saxons, and won. We always win. Remember that, Richard. We are Normans, we always win. He believed what he was telling me. For a while, we did win against the Welsh. My mother explained it to me. The Welsh are strange people, Richard. They are Celts, and like the Irish Celts, they love the land for its own sake. To us it is property. To them it is something more than that. The O'Brien Press - Strongbow - The Story of Richard and Aoife By Morgan Llywelyn

The dramatic story of the Norman conquest of Ireland in the 12th century. Full of battles and warfare, but a story of love, too, between an unlikely pair - wilful and wild Irish princess Aoife, and Strongbow, the greatest of the Norman knights to come to Ireland. A clash of cultures and a vivid story of one of the Greats of Irish history. As a teenager, she moved to Texas and by the age of sixteen was showing horses at championship levels throughout the United States. She made the shortlist for the United States Olympic Team in Dressage in Strongbow: The Story of Richard and Aoife, but did not make the team. She also modeled for Neiman-Marcus and was a dance instructor for Arthur Murray. She writes historical novels that deal with her Celtic roots and is recognized as an expert in early Irish history and folklore. Her first novel was The Wind from Hastings, but she is better known for her second novel Lion of Ireland: The Legend of Brian Boru, which was published in and Strongbow: The Story of Richard and Aoife never been out of print. Inshe started writing for children and young adults. She also writes short stories and has co-authored two fantasy novels with Michael Scott. She currently lives in Ireland. Strongbow : The Story of Richard and Aoife. Morgan Llywelyn. Richard Preparing for a Hard Life. Aoife An Insult to the King of Brefni. Aoife A wild Creature. Strongbow: The Story of Richard and Aoife by Morgan Llywelyn

Aoife MacMurrough c. She was the daughter of Dermot MacMurrough c. As the daughter of a Gaelic king, the young Aoife would have been raised in much higher dignity than most other girls in Ireland who were of poorer stock than she; her privileged status ensured that she was educated in the law of the land and would have ensured that she was literate in Church-Latin. It has been asserted by some historians [ citation needed ] that the children of the second wife were illegitimate as per the European laws which specified that marriage was a contract [ citation needed ] between one man Strongbow: The Story of Richard and Aoife one woman and until the death of either party — this was not the case in Ireland, where the Brehon law allowed two wives, trial marriages and divorce was quite normal. Aoife's brother Domhnall succeeded their father to the kingship of Leinster after his Strongbow: The Story of Richard and Aoife by the family " derbfine ". On 25 Augustfollowing the Norman invasion of Ireland that her father had requested, she was married to Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembrokebetter known as Strongbow, the leader of the Norman invasion force, in Christchurch cathedral in Waterford. However, according to Brehon Strongbow: The Story of Richard and Aoifeboth the man and the woman had to consent to the marriage, so it is fair to conclude that Aoife accepted her father's arrangements. Under Irish Brehon law, the marriage gave her a life interest only, after which any land would normally revert to male cousins; but Brehon law also recognised a transfer of "swordland" following a conquest. She had two sons and a daughter with her husband Richard de Clare and through their daughter, Isabel de Clarewithin a few generations their descendants included much of the nobility of Europe including all the monarchs of Scotland since Robert I — and all those of EnglandGreat Britain and the United Kingdom since Henry IV — ; and, apart from Anne of Clevesall the queen consorts of, as well as, Henry VIII. While the exact date of the death of Aoife of Leinster is unknown one suggested year isthere is in existence one tale of her demise. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Aoife MacMurrough. Ancestors of Aoife MacMurrough Murchad mac DiarmataKing of Leinster and Dublin Derbforgaill ingen Donnchada Strongbow: The Story of Richard and Aoife. Donnchad mac Murchada, King of Leinster 9. Sadb ingen Mac Bricc 2. Diarmait mac MurchadaKing of Leinster Orlaith ingen Ua Braenain Aoife of Leinster Donncuan Ua Tuathail Gilla Comgaill Ua Tuathail Sadb ingen Mael Morda 6. Gormlaith ingen Mac Carrach Calma 7. Cacht ingen Loigsig Gormlaith ingen Finn. A History of Ireland and Her People. Retrieved 12 August The Story of Ireland. The Peerage. Hidden categories: Use dmy dates from July Use Irish English from February All Wikipedia articles written in Irish English Articles containing Irish-language text All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from October Articles with unsourced statements from February Namespaces Article Talk. Views Read Edit View history. Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file. Download as PDF Printable version. Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke. Dermot MacMurrough. Mor O'Toole. Murchad mac DiarmataKing of Leinster and Dublin. Donnchad mac Murchada, King of Leinster. Sadb ingen Mac Bricc. Diarmait mac MurchadaKing of Leinster. Orlaith ingen Ua Braenain. Aoife of Leinster. Donncuan Ua Tuathail. Gilla Comgaill Ua Tuathail. Sadb ingen Mael Morda. Gormlaith ingen Mac Carrach Calma. Cacht ingen Loigsig. Isabel de Clare, 4th Countess of Pembroke. Inherited title from father but died Strongbow: The Story of Richard and Aoife a minor. The title then went to his sister's husband on marriage. Until that time, Marshal did not call himself Strongbow: The Story of Richard and Aoife Earl until he had achieved the privilege in his own right, rather than through his marriage to Isabel.