AGE OF CONQUEST: Aoife O'Sullivan - 1169

28. December, 1169

Dear Diary,

this has been a harsh and sad year and there just doesn't seem any end to the terror of the Normans in our region since Dermont McMurrough, this betraitor of Ireland, allienced with Henry the II and came back to conquest his own country! Not enough Dermont let his daughter be married to this Norman slaughterer Richard Declailr, who calls himself "Strongbow". I knew it from the beginning that there was no good coming from this allience and now that Dermont is dead our beautyful country is in the Nomans hands.
I hate him, that Norman butcher, and Dermont too! It's their fault that Colman, my beloved husband, is now dead! I'm still mourning for him. At least he was a real Gaelic and fought for our independence! But they just slaughtered him cruely and now he is in heaven near the Lord.




Dermont McMurrough: 
He was one of  Irelands provicial kings, when the other kings allianced against him he flew to England where he made a pact with Henry II.

Strongbow: 
He was the Norman Baron Dermont hired with Henry II's help to conquest Ireland. He was promised Dermont's daughter.

4 November, 1172

Dear Diary,

it's been a while since I wrote and many things have happened. Henry the II came to visit Ireland with countless soldiers and stayed for nearly 7 months. He declaired himself king of Ireland, even though he has no right at all to do so! But compared to Strongbow he is the better of two terrible options and our country desperately needs some rest to recover from the recent battels. I guess it's a good sign that Henry II left so quickly again, it seems as if he just didn't like Strongbow either.
Anyway the changes this anglo-norman ruling comes with are hard to adapt to - they just installed a new parliamental sistem, the anglo-norman law and we are forbidden to talk our native language and must learn to talk English. I hate that they treat us like barbarians and try to rot out everything that is related to our culture.And even though we are all good cristians, not even the pope seems to care!
But Irishman are strong and stubburn, I heard that a lot of Gealic chiefs are hiding in the mountains and woods, resisting!
Anyway I am so worried for my 4 children! I can't provide for the family all on my own! I need to know my children are cared for and I'm thinking about re-marrying a Norman. I know it's betraing my country, but I don't have much choice left.


Henry II: 
When he saw how much power Stronbow had in Ireland he went there with his army to install British rules and declaire himself King of Ireland. Over the next 50 years he installed English laws, rules, ect. in Ireland

Gelic chiefs hiding: 
Since the British treated the Irish like barbarians a lot of people hided in the woods and mountains and could so preserve Galic language and culture.