2.4: The First Battle of Down (1177): The Death of Aed O'Neill & the Capture of Downpatrick

The year is 1177, and John de Courcy has launched one of the most audacious campaigns of the Norman invasion of Ireland. With just over 300 men, de Courcy marches north from Dublin in the depths of winter and seizes Down, modern-day Downpatrick and catching the kingdom of Ulaid completely by surprise. But Rory MacDunleavy is not prepared to surrender his kingdom without a fight. In this episode, we follow the dramatic events surrounding the capture of Down, the intervention of papal legate Cardinal Vivian, and the first major battle between de Courcy’s small Anglo-Norman force and the vastly larger army of Ulaid. Archers, armour, marshland and brutal hand-to-hand fighting combine in a battle that will establish John de Courcy as one of the most formidable figures in our story. This is the First Battle of Down.