An Cláirseoir – novel by Diarmuid Johnson

The Normans are coming!

In the spring of 1169, a Norman force in Wales was preparing a fleet for sea: Fitz Gerald, Barry, Fitz Martin, de Courcy, Prendergast, Fitz Gibbon, and others. Before the end of the year, Leinster would be under their control. The following year, Dublin would also be in their possession. They would soon transform the life of the country from Wexford to Castlebar, and from Waterford to Ballyferriter.

But what was the reason for the invasion? What led the Normans to abandon their own domain in southern Britain and embark on adventures and dangers overseas?

A story of three races

In this novel, Diarmuid Johnson presents the Normans and the Welsh before the fateful invasion. Their story is told to us: the story of Gerald of Windsor and his journey to Dublin; the conspiracy against Henry I of England; the marriage to the princess Nest; Maurice fitz Gerald and the trunk filled with gold; the twist of fate and the escape over seas.

This is a story of three races: the story of the Gaels, the Normans, and the Welsh. Our own story.