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Irish Times
4 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
The truth behind the Normans and Ireland: ‘They abolished slavery'
The Government has announced that it intends to participate in an international year in 2027 to celebrate Norman culture and the 1,000th anniversary of the birth of William the Conqueror. Minister for Housing James Browne , himself of Norman heritage, said the year will acknowledge the huge impact that the Normans had on Ireland and other parts of Europe . However, Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh described the plans as 'offensive' given the 'legacy of William's successors invading and subjugating Ireland in the name of his English crown'. So who is right and who is wrong? READ MORE The Irish Times sought the views of four experts: Seán Duffy is professor of medieval Irish history in Trinity College Dublin (TCD). Brendan Smith is professor of medieval history at the University of Bristol. Conor Kostick is a historian and the author of Strongbow: The Norman Invasion of Ireland. Sparky Booker is an assistant professor in medieval Irish history at Dublin City University. Should Ireland participate in such celebrations? Seán Duffy: Yes, of course. Celebrating Norman culture – its scholars, architects and artists, the intellectual curiosity that gave rise to the medieval universities – is not the same as celebrating the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland and, contrary to what Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh has implied, nobody is proposing to do that. What is proposed is that the Norman cultural achievement be marked in 2027 in those parts of Europe which experienced it, in the same way that we value the achievement of ancient Greece or Rome, of Charlemagne and his Carolingian empire, or of Renaissance Florence under the Medici. Brendan Smith: It is a bit of a stretch. Ireland-Normandy contacts by the time Ireland was invaded in 1169 were slight. 'Norman culture' is a tricky concept. The culture the Normans invigorated and exported everywhere from Palestine to Pembrokeshire was French. There wasn't much that was specifically 'Norman' about it. A re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings in which, on October 14th, 1066, William the Conqueror's Norman-French forces defeated an English army, beginning the Norman conquest of England. The 'Normans' arrived in Ireland in 1169. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire Conor Kostick: No [to celebrating William]. The guide to answering this question is in his name, William the Bastard, as he was known until he crushed his opponents. Should we celebrate Ireland's Norman heritage? Definitely. As with every period of settlement in Ireland – for example, the Vikings – the people who came here eventually made an important contribution to the development of our country, even if they first came to plunder. To what extent were the Anglo-Normans who arrived in Ireland from 1169 Anglo and/or Norman? Seán Duffy: The simple answer is that – almost without exception – whenever any of the so-called Normans who came to Ireland refer to themselves, they call themselves not Norman but English. What they mean by that is more complicated. They are not referring to what we might call ethnic identity, but rather asserting their political allegiance to the crown of England. The problem with painting everyone with the 'Norman' brush is that many of those who began arriving in Ireland in the late 1160s had probably never set foot in Normandy. [ Art in Focus: Daniel Maclise – The Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife Opens in new window ] We don't know for certain because, to our shame, the kind of large-scale research we need to conduct into individual family origins – tracing the background of the Barrys, Costellos, Cusacks, Dillons, Joyces, Keatings, Powers, Purcells, Roches, Tobins and so many others – still hasn't been done. My hope is that one outcome of the Government's commitment to marking the Year of the Normans is that we start to get answers to such questions through detailed scholarly research. Brendan Smith: Some of the early conquerors of Ireland, such as Strongbow, had estates in Normandy as well as in England and Wales, but they were in a minority. All of them, from lord to peasant, regardless of what language they spoke, identified themselves as 'English', by which they meant they were subjects of the king of England and thus entitled to use English common law. The word 'Norman' is almost entirely absent from contemporary accounts of what happened in Ireland between 1169 and 1171. Sparky Booker: The answer to how 'Norman' these 'Anglo-Normans' were ... depends on the moment in time you are asking about as well as what aspect of their culture – language, architecture, law, politics – you focus on. This is one reason that, in my own work as a historian who primarily works on the later period, the 14th and 15th centuries, I use the term 'English of Ireland' rather than 'Anglo-Norman'. Were the Normans who arrived in Ireland civilisers, conquerors or both? Seán Duffy: One would be hard-pressed to demonstrate a single instance of the 'civilising' effects of the invasion because it was not about bringing civilisation, whatever its advocates at the time or since have averred. Brendan Smith: The invaders certainly portrayed themselves as bringing civilisation to a barbarian country. The papacy reinforced this message by praising King Henry II – who had only recently brought about the murder of Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury – for bringing true Christianity to a people who, in religious terms, had lost their way. Conor Kostick : Both. The Normans were warriors who used their advantage in military technique to muscle their way to control of southern Italy, Sicily, Antioch, England, much of Wales, and – the last of their conquests – the east of Ireland. They wanted control of the wealth being created by land and trade and, having got it, were very eager to consolidate by becoming respectable members of the culture they had invaded. They were quick to marry into the local community, to secure religious approval via donations to the church, to appoint talented locals as administrators, to use local architectural styles. Those who lost out when the Normans arrived in any region were the local elites, who were killed and replaced. Those who benefited were everyone else. This was very evident in Ireland where the poorest people in 1169 were slaves. Slavery was rampant in Ireland. The Normans abolished slavery. Not that they were in favour of human rights. The Normans had learned that to farm grain efficiently it was better to use serfs, who kept a share of the crop and therefore had an incentive to improve the yields, than slaves. Sparky Booker: Rather than either or both, I would say that neither civiliser nor conqueror is the best term for the Anglo-Normans. Military activity was indeed a key part of Anglo-Norman activity in Ireland in 1169 and for centuries afterwards, but their conquest of Ireland was never completed in the medieval period and Irish lords maintained control over significant areas of the island. Is it the case that the English get all the blame for the '800 years of oppression' and the Normans get none? Seán Duffy: This is a classic example of our failure as a nation to dig deep into this invented past we have created. It entrenches a kind of nonsense. It was only in the 19th century that we began calling the invaders Normans – for two reasons, I think. One is the extraordinary popularity of Sir Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe (1819) which practically invented the myth of the Normans and made the Normans 'sexy'. The second reason is less benign and had to do with Anglo-Irish relations. In the 1840s, Daniel O'Connell became the first Irish nationalist leader to begin to repeat the refrain of 700 years of English oppression and it has remained a powerful message. In his statement on the Government plans to mark the Year of the Normans, Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh, no mathematician, referred to '900 years of occupation'. [ The Irish Times view on Sinn Féin vs the Normans: a cartoonish version of history Opens in new window ] And one way in which unionist historians, from the late 19th century onwards, could subvert this nationalist axiom was to implant the idea that for the first half of this 700 years the newcomers were not English but French-speaking Normans. The reality is that – whatever their direct or indirect links to the actual Normans of Normandy – most of those who settled in Ireland after 1169 came either from England or Anglo-Norman settlements in Wales. Brendan Smith: Not a Norman in sight in Ireland in 1169, so the fashion for calling the invaders 'Normans' really reflects something else. Study of the past in Ireland and elsewhere became more professionalised in the late 19th century, and that's when 'the Normans' really take off in how Irish people thought about what had had happened in 1169. It avoided a whole range of sensitive issues to call the invaders 'Normans' rather than call them what they called themselves: 'English.' If the Irish Government arranged a 'celebration of 850 years of English culture in Ireland' in 2019 it escaped my attention. Conor Costick: The oppression of Ireland by England really begins to accelerate when England becomes economically more powerful from the end of the 16th century. Back in 1169 we are looking more at a game of thrones between medieval kings and lords, rather than one nation trying to subjugate another into its economic growth. So I wouldn't blame the Normans for English imperialism. After all, the Normans conquered England as well. What do you feel about the statement made by Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó'Snodaigh that King Charles III is in a line of English kings going back to William the Conqueror? Seán Duffy: I am not remotely persuaded by Deputy Ó Snodaigh's argument that we should ignore the Year of the Normans 'with the North still under the descendants of William the Conqueror's crown'. As of now, for good or ill there exists in these islands an entity whose official name is the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'. No organ of this State denies that the 'Normans' came to Ireland as conquerors. But as with Ireland's extraordinarily mature and successful commemorations during the Decade of Centenaries, we can use the 2027 millennium to see where Ireland fits into the Norman world. Conor Kostick: In essence, I don't think this is correct. It gives the impression that Strongbow's invasion was the foundation for later imperial conquest, settlement and occupation of Ireland. But it was a different era and the victorious Normans weren't in Ireland to send wealth to the kingdom of England. They had come to stay.
The Sun
28-05-2025
- General
- The Sun
Inside tiny UK village where cars are BANNED, donkeys make deliveries & you must pay entry – but drivers love visiting
A VILLAGE in the South of England offers the perfect tranquil getaway - with donkeys and sledges instead of cars. It is one of few places in Europe that has a total ban on cars, as its steep topography makes it impossible to drive there. 5 5 5 Clovelly Village in North Devon offers visitors a unique trip, with its historic way of life offering a reprieve from daily annoyances. Home to around 440 people, the remote village boasts cobbled streets, medieval-style properties, and no chain stores. The village was previously owned by both the Queen and William the Conquerer - although it is now privately owned by John Rous after he inherited from his mother in 1983. The Hamlyn family have managed the village since 1738, as it was largely "unknown to the outside world" according to the village's official website. Its unique setting gives visitors the opportunity to travel back in time through a location steeped in maritime history. For those looking to escape modern life, Clovelly is one of few places in Europe that enforces a blanket ban on road vehicles. Historically, donkeys were responsible for transporting goods to the town although locals have mostly relied on sledges since the 1970s. There are, however, still a group of donkeys living at the top of the village. Its stunning coastal walks include a pebbled beach, a Lifeboat House, stunning sea views, as well as a waterfall. To explore further, visitors can embark on a boat trip around the bay, a chartered fishing trip, or take a boat to Lundy Island. The English holiday resort that families say is a 'fancy Center Parcs' For those looking to keep their feet firmly planted ashore, the picturesque village has the Court Gardens, which contains Victorian greenhouses, and the 12th-century All Saints Church. There is also a hotel with a restaurant, a tea room, and two museums to keep visitors entertained. Rather than the usual chain stores, the village shops are all independent, selling silk, pottery, soap and shoes. Depending on when you go to the village, you could visit its annual festivals, including the Seaweed Festival, the Lobster and Crab Festival, or the Herring Festival. Its also rumoured to be the home of a cave where Merlin, the magician of Arthurian legend, was born. Visitors can access the village through the visitor centre which charges £9.50 for adults, and £5.50 for children. Funds raised from the charges goes towards local tree planting and conservation, helping to maintain the area. 5 5 Its website reads: "There has always been a charge to visit Clovelly. "Like most historical landmarks (e.g. National Trust sites), we heavily rely on entrance fees for the essential maintenance and upkeep that comes with an ancient village perched on a 400 foot cliff, with no vehicular access." Those driving to the village can also use the free parking included with the ticket price.
Irish Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on Sinn Féin vs the Normans: a cartoonish version of history
What did the Normans ever do for us? This small proto-nation of Viking origin in what is now northern France had a remarkable impact on medieval Europe and hence on the world we now live in. At one point Normans held sway over territories from the Mediterranean to the North Sea. The most famous of them, in the English-speaking world at least, was William, Duke of Normandy, better known as William the Conqueror, the 1,000th anniversary of whose birth falls in 2027. To coincide with the occasion, authorities in modern Normandy have initiated an international event, with participation from France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Channel Islands, Italy, Norway and Denmark. The Normans reshaped the political order in Sicily and southern Italy, contributed to the emergence of modern France, ended Anglo-Saxon rule in England and, from the 12th century onward, became a powerful force in Gaelic Ireland. The State's involvement in the commemoration has aroused the ire of Sinn Féin's spokesman on Gaeilge, Gaeltacht and Arts, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, who deems it 'offensive' due to the connection with William, and by extension with the Norman invasion of Ireland which took place a century after the battle of Hastings. READ MORE This seems hard on William, who never showed any interest in Ireland. But it appears that in the eyes of Sinn Féin he is to be blamed for Strongbow, the Statutes of Kilkenny, Cromwell, the Penal Laws, the Famine and last year's 5-0 thrashing of the Republic of Ireland at Wembley. Such a historical nonsense would be laughable were it not for the fact that it trades in the same chauvinistic victimology that is driving the rise of the extreme right across Europe. Sinn Féin is usually keen to present itself as a modern, progressive and tolerant political movement. But occasionally the mask slips to reveal a pinched and narrow ethnonationalism that denies the complexity of the past and clings to a cartoonish version of history. It is time for the party to decide which version of itself it prefers.
The Guardian
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
European ‘year of the Normans' reopens debate over Irish identity
Nine centuries after the Normans clanked ashore with swords and armour, Ireland is still wrestling with the question: what did they ever do for us? A decision by the government this week to join a European cultural initiative called 2027 European year of the Normans has reopened a debate that goes to the core of Irish identity. On the one hand, say historians, they built castles and cathedrals and enriched culture and literature; on the other, they dispossessed the native Gaels and paved the way to invasion and occupation. Sinn Féin, the main opposition party, said the commemoration was offensive because it would honour William the Conqueror, England's first Norman king, and the subjugation inflicted by his successors. 'What will they think of next: a festival of Cromwell? A Famine Queen jubilee?' said the party's culture spokesperson, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, referencing Oliver Cromwell's bloody 17th-century conquests and Queen Victoria's reign during the 1840s famine. 'We Irish know well enough the legacy of William's successors invading and subjugating Ireland in the name of his English crown, with Strongbow ushering in the 900 years of occupation, with the north still under the descendants of William the Conqueror's crown.' Strongbow was the nickname of Richard de Clare, the second Earl of Pembroke, who landed with an Anglo-Norman military force in 1170 and unleashed historical forces that in the 20th century partitioned the island and left Northern Ireland in the UK. However, the Normans also intermarried with Gaels, bequeathed family names such as Burke, Griffith, FitzGerald, Lynch and Walsh, and became, in a celebrated phrase, 'more Irish than the Irish themselves'. The heritage minister, James Browne, who on Tuesday obtained cabinet approval for participation in the trans-European initiative, said Sinn Féin was missing the point. Ireland's lands, laws, monuments and built environment bore Norman heritage, and participation in the initiative would recognise that history while boosting tourism, he said. 'The year of the Normans is being led by our neighbours in Normandy, France, and it is an important and essential collaboration and commemoration – any distortion of this work is really disappointing and careless,' said Browne – a Norman name. 'So let's ask: is Sinn Féin's position that they will boycott all events related to the year of the Normans?' In addition to Ireland, the Normandy regional council has invited Britain, southern Italy, Norway and other countries and regions with Norman heritage to take part in the commemoration, which coincides with the millennium anniversary of William the Conqueror's birth. Ó Snodaigh said: 'Marking the birth of a future English king is not for us, even if it was 1,000 years ago. Rather, we should always be remembering those great figures of Ireland's past who actually lived here and contributed positively to our island story.' The row has prompted comparisons to the scene in Monty Python's Life of Brian when Judeans debate the benefits of Roman occupation. Jane Ohlmeyer, a Trinity College Dublin historian who specialises in early modern Irish and British history, said the Norman invasion profoundly shaped the history of Ireland, especially in the south-east. 'Like it or not, the past is no longer in the past, it is in the present. It is critical that we use opportunities like this one to better understand the nature of the conquest and to reflect on its legacies,' she said.
Irish Times
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Fianna Fáil accused of ‘offensive' plan to celebrate William the Conqueror
A row has erupted over plans for Ireland to participate in a year of commemorations for the Normans with Sinn Féin accusing Fianna Fáil of an 'offensive' plan to celebrate the birth of England's first Norman king William the Conqueror. It comes after the Cabinet approved plans for Ireland's Norman heritage to be celebrated in 2027 as part of a European-wide initiative to mark the group's impact on western civilisation. Originally from Normandy in France, the Normans conquered England in 1066 and then landed in Ireland a century later when Strongbow arrived in 1169 to help Dermot McMurrough recover his Leinster kingdom. The proposal to engage with 2027's The Year of the Normans – People of Europe initiative were brought to Cabinet by Fianna Fáil Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne . READ MORE His spokeswoman responded to the Sinn Féin's criticism saying the Opposition party is 'completely missing the point' of Ireland's participation in the initiative led by the Normandy region in France. She said: 'it is an important and essential collaboration and commemoration – any distortion of this work is really disappointing and careless.' Sinn Féin spokesperson on Gaeilge, Gaeltacht and the Arts Aengus Ó Snodaigh reacted the plan for Ireland to participate, accusing Fianna Fáil of 'dedicating an entire year in celebration of 1,000 years since the birth of William the Conqueror'. He added: 'What will they think of next: A Festival of Cromwell? A Famine Queen Jubilee?' Mr Ó Snodaigh continued: 'The recent 1,500th anniversary of the birth of our patron saint Colmcille passed with little more than a whimper, and the 900th anniversary of the founding of the first settlement of Galway by the legendary High King Toirdhealbhach Mór Ua Conchobhair was not marked officially by any organ of the State.' He also said: 'We Irish know well enough the legacy of William's successors invading and subjugating Ireland in the name of his English crown, with Strongbow ushering in the 900 years of occupation, with the North still under the descendants of William the Conqueror's Crown.' The Dublin South Central TD added: 'The website of the Normandy region behind the millennium celebrations clearly states that 2027 was chosen as the year of 'Normans, People of Europe' to mark the millennium of the birth of William the Conqueror. 'This is not a commemoration for Ireland. Marking the birth of a future English king is not for us, even if it was 1,000 years ago. 'Rather we should always be remembering those great figures of Ireland's past who actually lived here and contributed positively to our island story.' Mr O'Snodaigh also said: 'We should make the most of Ireland's Norman heritage to boost tourism, to create jobs, to support communities, and reinforce links with families tracing their Norman Irish roots and with other places who share a Norman heritage, but celebrating England's William the Conqueror, however, is a step too far.' A spokeswoman for Mr Browne said while the initial invite by MacMurrough 'led eventually to a much wider territorial incursion into Ireland by the Anglo Normans, the resulting intermarriage and inter-alliance of Norman and Gaelic Irish families led to the well recognised claim that they would as a result 'become more Irish than the Irish themselves''. She said: 'The 'Year of the Normans' is about understanding Irish history and its complexity, as it rightly should be interrogated and engaged with. 'A significant number of this island's well known surnames, such as Furlong, Butler, Burke, and Power are of Norman origin, as well as the origins of the seven proud tribes of Galway. 'The year of the Normans is being led by our neighbours in Normandy, France, and it is an important and essential collaboration and commemoration – any distortion of this work is really disappointing and careless.' She also asked if it is Sinn Féin's position that they will boycott all events related to the year of the Normans. Other European countries and regions sharing Norman history and heritage (Britain, Channel Islands, southern Italy, Norway, Denmark) have also been invited to take part in the initiative. Earlier Mr Browne said: 'We are confident that this initiative will have a lasting legacy, delivering concrete achievements with economic and social benefits, and all carried out in a respectful, sensitive manner as all historical commemorations must be.'
