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Archiver > Scotch-Irish > 2012-03 > 1330649165


From: Carolyn Bruce <>
Subject: [S-I] Scots>Ireland 1300s- was - Migration from Scotland to Ulsterin the late 1600s
Date: Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:46:05 -0500
References: <2021229379.2053165.1330639926263.JavaMail.root@sz0165a.westchester.pa.mail.comcast.net>
In-Reply-To: <2021229379.2053165.1330639926263.JavaMail.root@sz0165a.westchester.pa.mail.comcast.net>


The reason a lot of Scots were in Ireland in the early 1300s was that,
after defeating the English at Bannockburn in 1314, Robert the Bruce,
King of Scots 1306-1329, sent his brother Edward there with an army to
chase the English out, or at least to distract some of Edward II's
attention from Scotland. The brothers would then control the Irish Sea.

Between May of 1315 and Beltane, May 1, 1316, Edward Bruce fought
against the English and the Anglo-Irish. He was supported by many of the
"petty" kings in the North, particularly Domnal O'Neil, the petty king
of Tyrone, who suffered greatly under the rule of the Earl of Ulster,
Richard "The Red Earl" de Burgh of Ulster. At Beltane, 1316, Edward
Bruce was made High King of Ireland (the first High King since Brian
O'Neill in 1260) assumptively in a (Druid?) ceremony on the Hill of
Tarawhereon the Irish had crowned kings and held ceremonies for 4000 years.

At Dublin, forewarned of the approach of the Bruce army, the Irish built
defensive berms, tore down churches to build fortifications with the
stones, and burned the bridge across the river. When informed of the
strong defenses erected by the Dubliners, Edward realized he hadn't the
men and equipment to win the battle and bypassed the city.

Eventually, his Irish supporters turned on him and there was a great and
bloody battle at Fochart, northwest of Dublin, where Edward Bruce, the
last High King of Ireland, was killed, as were hundreds of warriors on
either side. As the mode of war in that day was one of killing, raping,
pillaging, and destroying without mercy, there would certainly have been
consanguinity of the two Celtic peoples as a result, even if there had
been no romantic and/or convivial pairings over the three long years of
constant war.

Don't know if this is the answer you were expecting, but it all
happened, and would partially answer the question "why".

Carolyn

--
Carolyn HALE BRUCE
Virginia Beach, VA


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