What have the Anglo-Normans ever done for us anyway?

RTÉ News​

10-06-2025

Analysis: Not much really apart from giving us counties, the Pale, fortified towns, stone castles, gothic architecture and markets...
In August 1967, Arthur Butler, the sixth Marquis of Ormond, gave the keys of Kilkenny Castle to James Gibbons, chairman of the Kilkenny Castle Restoration and Development Committee. This symbolic gesture marked the end of centuries of Butler family stewardship of the castle, a lineage that traced back to the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland. The onlookers included then Minister for Finance Charlie Haughey and, surprisingly, Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull, who were seeking refuge from the British press following a recent drug scandal.
From RTÉ Archives, 1967 RTÉ News report on the handing over of the keys to Kilkenny Castle by the Butler family witnessed by Charles Haughey, Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull
Rock 'n' roll luminaries aside, the event signified the closing chapter of one of Ireland's most prominent Anglo-Norman dynasties. Arthur Butler was descended from Theobald Walter, the first Chief Butler of Ireland (c. 1150- c. 1206). The Butlers were among many families whose roots in Ireland began with the 12th century Anglo-Norman invasion. Over the following eight centuries, these families brought a new form of governance, feudalism, to Ireland and became deeply embedded in Irish political, social, and cultural life.
Who were the Normans?
The Normans originated from Viking marauders who eventually settled in northern France, in a region now known as Normandy. There, they adopted Christianity, spoke Norman French and integrated into local aristocratic networks. Their success as colonisers stemmed from their ability to blend local customs with a distinct Norman identity, creating a hybrid culture.
For instance, after William the Conqueror's 1066 invasion of England, Norman Romanesque architecture became widespread. Gradually, they incorporated local English elements, as seen in the west front of Ely Cathedral. Meanwhile, the English St. George became a celebrated figure across the Norman world. This pattern of cultural integration was a hallmark of Norman expansion.
From RTÉ Radio 1's Liveline, listeners call in to give out about and praise the Normans
The Anglo-Normans arrive in Ireland
By the time the Normans arrived in Ireland in 1169, they had adopted so many 'English' customs that Irish annalists described them as Sasanach, Saxons. In Ireland, as elsewhere, they intermarried with aristocratic families and adopted local customs, while bringing Norman innovations. The creation of counties Dublin, Kildare, Louth and Meath would form the core of what became known as the Pale, where English Common Law was eventually adhered to.
The Normans built impressive stone castles, like Trim Castle in Co. Meath. Gradually, walled towns emerged that hosted markets. Drogheda, Kilkenny and Waterford all owe their medieval layout to the Normans. New town charters outlined the mutual obligations between citizens and corporations. Gothic architecture (which replaced the earlier Romanesque style) adorned Irish churches (see Duiske Abbey in Co. Kilkenny and St Patrick's and Christ Church Cathedrals in Dublin).
Within Norman territories, however, the cultural boundaries between English and Irish were porous. The famous 1366 Statutes of Kilkenny (which were originally written in Norman French) banned Normans from dressing like Irish lords and speaking Irish. Yet, contemporary Irish legal (Brehon) tracts contain Anglo-Norman terms like jury, guarantor and seneschal, showing us how both cultures influenced one another.
The Norman legacy in Irish culture
Perhaps the most fascinating legacy of the Normans in Ireland was the cultural hybridity they fostered. Many Anglo-Norman lords adopted Irish customs and patronised Gaelic poets and scholars. One notable example is Gearóid Iarla, or Gerald fitz Maurice FitzGerald (1338-1398), a descendant of Maurice Fitzgerald, a key figure in the original Anglo-Norman invasion.
Gearóid Iarla composed poetry in Irish, drawing on Irish mythology while also engaging with French courtly poetry. In the 1600s, Seathrún Céitinn, of Anglo-Norman descent (his father was James fitz Edmund Keating) authored Foras Feasa ar Éirinn, a compendium of wisdom about Ireland and a seminal history that drew on native traditions and celebrated Irish culture.
Meanwhile, in Dublin, descendants of Normans had adopted St George as the city's patron saint. By the 1500s, the annual St George's Day pageant had become a major civic event. Actors portrayed St George and his legendary battle with the dragon – played by a mechanical dragon maintained by the city corporation.
From RTÉ Radio 1's Late Debate, should Ireland commemorate the Norman invasion?
A recent project between Maynooth University, the Royal Irish Academy, and the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland has recently published online a manuscript that describes the distinct identity of an Anglo-Norman community in 17th-century Wexford. Allegedly, they still wore the same style clothes and spoke 'old Saxon English' like their 12th century ancestors. Despite their deep integration into Irish society, many Anglo-Norman families retained elements of their original identity.
More Irish than the Irish themselves?
The question of whether the Anglo-Normans became "more Irish than the Irish themselves" has long been debated, particularly during periods of Anglo-Irish political tensions. In reality, Anglo-Norman lords had to navigate a complex web of local allegiances, dynastic ambitions, and obligations to the English Crown. A telling example is that of George Darcy of Dunmoe, Co. Meath. The Darcys could trace their origin to John Darcy, Viceroy in 1324 who ordered the arrest of Alice Kyteler for witchcraft (fun fact).
Their story is not one of simple conquest or assimilation, but of enduring influence, adaptation and cultural fusion.
During the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, it is purported that both King James II and his rival, William of Orange, were hosted by Darcy on successive days. When asked where his loyalties lay, Darcy allegedly replied "who will be king I do not know; but I'll be Darcy of Dunmoe." This anecdote encapsulates the balancing act performed by many Anglo-Norman families: rooted in Ireland, yet navigating the shifting tides of English and Irish politics.
So, what have the Anglo-Normans ever done for us? Well, apart from counties, the Pale, feudalism, fortified towns, English Common Law, corporations, stone castles, gothic architecture, markets, 'Foras Feasa ar Éirinn', St George pageants, and Norman French – not much, really! Yet what appears from this brief analysis, is that their story is not one of simple conquest or assimilation, but of enduring influence, adaptation and cultural fusion.