The History

1156

Turlough died in 1156 and his son Rory became the last High King of Ireland in 1166 without opposition. There was great hope for Ireland, but the King of Leinster Dermot Mac Murough, who was the last provincial king, feared Rory, as he was trying to split his province . Looking for help, Dermot went to England and France and met the King of England, Henry II, a Norman King to ask for help to fight Rory King of Ireland. Henry agreed on condition that Dermot would become a vassal of the King of England and hold Leinster under him. Dermot got permission to get Knights to go to Ireland with him. He met with Richard De Clare (Strongbow) and offered him his daughter Eva and his Kingdom of Leinster after his death, and he offered Robert Fitzstephen and Maurice Fitzgerald (half brothers) Wexford town and the surrounding lands if they came to Ireland with him. Dermot returned to Leinster in August 1167 with a small group of Flemish people commanded by Richard Fitzgodebert who was from a place called Roche near Haverford in Wales. Hence this group of people took the name DeRoche now known as Roche. They had several successes.

1169

Rory entered into talks with Dermot and it was agreed that Dermot was to be restored to his Kingdom on condition that he acknowledge the Ard Ri’s supremacy, dismiss his foreign allies and promise not to bring over more. Rory returned home satisfied that the danger was over.

1170

But Dermot only agreed to this to gain time. Soon Maurice Fitzgerald arrived and so the reinforced Dermot joined him and set off to attack Dublin then to Limerick. In 1170 Strongbow arrived and laid siege to Waterford where a great number of citizens were slain. Dermot continued attacking and laying waste the lands of his foes, and in the midst of his successes and ambitions to become High King, died in May 1171. Strongbow now claimed Leinster and married Ewa by his agreement with Dermot.

Back in England Henry II feared that Strongbow was becoming more powerful than he should be. He decided to go to Ireland and landed at Hook in Co Waterford on 18th October 1171. His idea was to display his power. The Church made him welcome, as did the O’Briens and McCarthys of Desmond. Henry divided the whole country among his men and on 17th April 1172 returned to England. As soon as he departed, the Irish took up arms to protect themselves from the newcomers but they had no hope.

About this time a Cistercian Abbey was founded by Donagh O Brien, King of Munster, and a hamlet grew, which became known as Mainistir Fearmui, later shortened to Fermoy.

1177

In 1177, Henry II granted the kingdom of Cork to Milo DeCogan and Robert Fitzstephen. The Normans also had a great deal of land along the Blackwater. Norman chiefs rose to prominence in this district at the expense of the old Celtic Chiefs – the O’Keeffes who ruled from Glanworth were Barrys, Roches and Condons. They built their castles all along the Blackwater Valley. There are more Norman castles in this area than anywhere else in Ireland. In the 14th century, these lands passed to David Roche, Baron of Fermoy, and to David de Barri. Over the next 200 years integration between the Anglo-Normans and native Irish was so successful that it caused widespread fears in England that English influence was in danger of collapse that the English Crown introduced that intermarriages and the use of the Irish language and customs was illegal.

1594

In 1588 the Earl of Desmond was forced to hand over all of his lands to Queen Elizabeth, who then divided them among English families of good standing and protestant faith. In 1594, 13 castles and 12,000 acres of this land were granted to Arthur Hyde of Hyde in the parish of Denchworth, Berkshire, as a reward for raising an army in the defence of England against the Spanish Armada. These lands and castles were in the most part properties of the local Condon clan, who having been seen as untrustworthy by the crown, forfeited all of their lands. Included in this land was Carrignedy Castle, which remains still stands at the back of Castlehyde. The Hydes had the possession of it forever at a rent of £652s 10d on condition it remain in the name of Hyde. The side of Carrignedy Castlehyde was of clear strategic value, lying as it is on a height overlooking a bend in the river Blackwater. A stronghold in this position would have secured the nearby rich pastures as well as possible revenue from passing boats and the rick fishing in the rivers.