The Gaelic Siege of Limerick 1176: The Death of Donal Kavanagh & Norman Politics

Episode overview

The Treaty of Windsor promises peace, but events on the ground move in the opposite direction. Donal Mór O’Brien regains his position in Thomond and surrounds the isolated Norman garrison at Limerick, beginning a winter siege intended to starve the defenders into submission.

At the same time, the Norman leadership is divided by rivalry and royal intervention. Hervey de Montmorency attacks Raymond le Gros politically, Henry II sends commissioners to Ireland, and the death of Donal Kavanagh closes another chapter in the MacMurrough dynasty. With Limerick under pressure, the army once again demands Raymond’s leadership for a relief expedition.

Topics covered

• Donal Mór O’Brien’s return and the Gaelic siege of Limerick
• The death and complicated legacy of Donal Kavanagh
• Hervey de Montmorency, Raymond le Gros and Norman political rivalry
• Henry II’s royal commissioners and the crisis over command of the relief army