1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:07,640 EXPLOSIONS MEN SHOUT AND CHANT 2 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:12,680 Contains some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting. 3 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:14,800 1315. 4 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:17,440 A year after crushing the English at Bannockburn, 5 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:21,520 a Scottish army of 6,000 veterans invaded Ireland. 6 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:23,760 Their enemy - the English, 7 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:27,160 who dominated Ireland for nearly 150 years. 8 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:30,600 These common soldiers had defeated 9 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:33,280 the most powerful military force in the world - 10 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:36,280 England's mounted and heavily armoured knights. 11 00:00:41,160 --> 00:00:46,240 They were now led by Edward, brother of Robert Bruce, King of Scots. 12 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:48,840 Sheltron, arms. MEN SHOUT 13 00:00:50,160 --> 00:00:54,120 If anyone could drive the English from Ireland, it was them. 14 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:57,400 Then Edward Bruce would reign over Ireland as King. 15 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:03,400 It was an ambitious plan. 16 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:06,240 Two kingdoms ruled by the brothers Bruce, 17 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:09,720 a Celtic alliance that would rival England's power. 18 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:16,360 The Bruce invasion of Ireland is a forgotten war. 19 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,240 But what happened after Bannockburn 20 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:21,560 could have changed the course of history. 21 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:58,600 Open the gate! 22 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:03,960 Open the gate! 23 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:22,200 I have word for the king. 24 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:28,200 I have urgent word for King Robert. 25 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:30,680 What word? 26 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:37,520 Sire. The English king has died. 27 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:48,800 'I beheld these brothers of boundless ambition, 28 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:53,560 'with whom no obligations were binding, no oaths sacred, 29 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:57,320 'and no promises regarded that interfered with their goal 30 00:02:57,320 --> 00:02:59,320 'of freedom for their country.' 31 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:11,440 The story of Ireland and Scotland 700 years ago 32 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:14,360 is a story of struggle against tyranny. 33 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:18,680 At this time the Celtic nations were pitted against a ruthless enemy 34 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:23,160 that seemed determined to subdue every inch of Britain and Ireland. 35 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:34,920 When the Normans conquered England in 1066, 36 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:38,240 their arrival signalled one of the greatest transformations 37 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:40,320 in European history. 38 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:44,440 And their search for power and land would change the politics 39 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:47,720 and culture of these islands forever. 40 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:56,080 The Normans come from northern France, where they have been used to 41 00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:58,760 building castles and training as heavy cavalry. 42 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:01,080 They bring that military technology with them 43 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:05,080 when they conquer England in 1066 and they carry on bringing it with them 44 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:09,880 when they move into Scotland and as conquerors into Wales and Ireland. 45 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:13,480 That there was a kind of demonic, psychic drive. 46 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:16,120 They seem to have the urge to dominate. 47 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:19,400 They seem to want to have not only what they possess 48 00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:21,000 but what everyone else possesses. 49 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:25,840 They were of the view that they'd come to conquer 50 00:04:25,840 --> 00:04:30,680 and Wales was as vulnerable as England was and Scotland, likewise. 51 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:33,640 And Ireland, of course, was always there in the background. 52 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:35,120 It was on their to do list. 53 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:42,320 Just over 100 years after the Battle of Hastings in 1066, 54 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:46,400 an Anglo-Norman invasion force landed in Ireland. 55 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:50,040 They conquered the island, established a new power base, 56 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:52,840 and became known as the Anglo-Irish. 57 00:04:55,240 --> 00:04:58,200 Most native Irish kings had no option 58 00:04:58,200 --> 00:05:00,920 but to submit to these powerful newcomers. 59 00:05:02,960 --> 00:05:06,880 But many resented the new presence in their country 60 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:11,160 and never truly accepted the English king as their monarch. 61 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:13,800 In the late 12th century, what began to happen 62 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:16,400 in the hundreds of years after was, essentially, 63 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:19,320 two different societies co-existed. 64 00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:24,160 So you had Gaelic society and Norman, or what became Anglo-Irish. 65 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:27,320 What fascinates me about Gaelic Ireland, about medieval Ireland, 66 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:31,680 is the fact that you have two distinct societies in many ways. 67 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:36,960 So I could travel from Dublin up to, say, O'Neill in Ulster 68 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:39,760 and it would be like leaving one world for another. 69 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:42,920 It's essentially two alien societies. 70 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:44,160 So that's the fascination 71 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:47,800 which you don't get in a lot of other countries in the Middle Ages. 72 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:53,280 The thing about Ireland in the Middle Ages, 73 00:05:53,280 --> 00:05:54,800 which is not true of Scotland, 74 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:57,600 is that Ireland was a very polar society. 75 00:05:57,600 --> 00:05:59,400 You know, you had the native Irish 76 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:03,680 and you had the English of Ireland and they were two nations. 77 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:07,640 They believed each other to be polar extremes. 78 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:11,240 As far as the English were concerned, 79 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:14,680 they had good reason to despise the Irish. 80 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:17,120 After they first conquered the country, 81 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:22,040 they brought with them a chronicler, Gerald of Wales, who described what 82 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:24,960 he saw as the savage and uncivilised conduct of the native people. 83 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:27,320 he saw as the savage and uncivilised conduct of the native people. 84 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:33,480 The Irish are a rude people, subsisting on the produce 85 00:06:33,480 --> 00:06:39,680 of their cattle only and living themselves like beasts - 86 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:43,000 a people that has not yet departed from the primitive habits 87 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:44,240 of pastoral life. 88 00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:49,200 Really, Gerald's writings begin a very long tradition 89 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:52,200 of anti-Irish sentiment. 90 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:55,760 He's pushing the Irish to one side and, I suppose, 91 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:57,000 what can be called othering them. 92 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:02,560 He's making them something that you can defeat because of what they are. 93 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:05,240 You're absolutely justified. 94 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:10,880 Neither willing to give up their old habits or learn anything new. 95 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:15,680 Abandoning themselves to idleness and immersed in sloth, 96 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:19,560 their greatest delight is to be exempt from toil... 97 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:24,480 ..their richest possession - the enjoyment of liberty. 98 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:29,600 This people, then, is truly barbarous. 99 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:32,880 Indeed, all their habits are barbarisms. 100 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:38,680 In whatever requires industry, they are worthless. 101 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:40,760 It's always more comfortable if you're a colonising, 102 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:46,960 an imperial power, to be told that you're also superior. 103 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:51,400 But there's also at the same time growing evidence that the English, 104 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:55,160 politically, are worried about integration. 105 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:59,280 Famously - the Statutes of Kilkenny and other laws 106 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:00,800 in which the English are saying, 107 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:04,200 "We want the Irish to be separate and we want the English to be separate." 108 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:07,320 English people should not adopt Irish names, 109 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:09,880 they should not have Irish hairstyles - 110 00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:12,400 these things are actually legislated against. 111 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:15,800 And the law is a kind of apartheid law 112 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:18,160 because by the end of the 13th century 113 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:22,080 whereas to kill an English person in Ireland is a felony, 114 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:23,720 to kill an Irishman is not. 115 00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:38,880 The native Irish felt a much closer affinity 116 00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:41,320 with their Celtic cousins in Scotland. 117 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:43,720 The two countries had a shared history 118 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:47,000 that dated back many centuries. 119 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:48,680 In this shared history, 120 00:08:48,680 --> 00:08:52,360 it was the Irish who were the aggressors and colonisers. 121 00:08:52,360 --> 00:08:55,000 From around the third century AD, 122 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:59,440 they conquered large parts of their neighbour to the northeast. 123 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:02,240 The Scots were originally Irish. 124 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:04,280 They came and settled in what is now Scotland 125 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:06,160 very early in the Middle Ages. 126 00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:09,440 The Kingdom of the Scots was originally an Irish kingdom, 127 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:11,520 Dal Riata, Gaelic speaking. 128 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:14,120 And up until, say, about the year 1000, 129 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:17,040 when you said the word Scot, you meant someone from Ireland. 130 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:23,480 The first Irish people that we know of who settled in Scotland, 131 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:24,760 they were conquerors. 132 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:26,880 You know, we tend to think of ourselves in Ireland 133 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:30,000 as being on the receiving end all the time of conquest 134 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:31,880 but these people from Dal Riata 135 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:35,880 who settled on the Western seaboard of Scotland came to conquer land. 136 00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:39,480 But when that became like a little province of Ireland, 137 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:41,880 separated from Ireland by the North Channel, 138 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:45,360 the Irish Church spread there as well. 139 00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:49,920 The invaders carried a sword in one hand and a Bible in the other. 140 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:52,520 Saint Columba and other Irish monks 141 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:55,120 helped to bring Christianity to Scotland. 142 00:09:57,560 --> 00:09:59,040 People who came over to Scotland, 143 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:01,880 like famous examples like Columcille, Columba, 144 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:04,160 were members of Irish dynasties. 145 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:08,000 The kings of Scots were descended from Irish royalty. 146 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:11,040 So, in fact, you're talking about a world, a kind of Gaelic world, 147 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:15,040 that's absolutely continuous from, say, Cork up into Argyll. 148 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:20,840 The links between the two countries 149 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:24,400 were strongest in Ulster and Western Scotland. 150 00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:27,920 Far from being a barrier, the sea helped to bind them together. 151 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:35,680 The North Channel could be crossed in just a couple of hours 152 00:10:35,680 --> 00:10:38,680 in a birlinn, a small Scottish galley 153 00:10:38,680 --> 00:10:41,840 similar to the Viking longboat. 154 00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:44,320 These ships were often used to ferry soldiers 155 00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:46,640 between Ulster and Scotland. 156 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:48,560 But there were stronger links, 157 00:10:48,560 --> 00:10:51,560 links forged in blood and friendship. 158 00:10:55,480 --> 00:10:59,240 The prevailing ascendancy in Scotland is a Gaelic ethos 159 00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:03,840 and its heritage draws from Ireland, it draws back towards Ireland. 160 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:07,080 Within the Scottish tradition, they looked to Ireland 161 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:12,160 as a sort of a fertile ground for them, where they came from. 162 00:11:12,160 --> 00:11:16,000 They looked to Irish culture as their primary influencing culture. 163 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:21,400 Maybe it goes back to notions of greater Scotia and lesser Scotia, 164 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:23,800 which they had in the early Middle Ages, 165 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:27,280 of the big Scotia and the smaller Scotia. 166 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:29,440 And the big Scotia was Ireland at that point 167 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:31,760 because this is seen from an Irish point of view, 168 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:34,760 looking across towards the fringes of Scotland. 169 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:42,440 Of course, the other thing which brings the two nations together 170 00:11:42,440 --> 00:11:45,280 very strongly is genealogy. 171 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:47,640 And so many of the highland clans 172 00:11:47,640 --> 00:11:50,080 for example, well in a nutshell, 173 00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:52,880 trace themselves back to Niall of the Nine Hostages 174 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:55,920 and these characters... Brian Boru if they can. 175 00:11:57,640 --> 00:12:00,080 That's another thing which is kind of, an awareness, 176 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:02,160 a binding together if you like, 177 00:12:02,160 --> 00:12:04,560 of the peoples on both sides of the channel. 178 00:12:06,560 --> 00:12:11,240 At their nearest point, Scotland and Ireland are just 12 miles apart. 179 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:16,920 An exercise I sometimes do with my students is to turn the usual map 180 00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:19,800 of the British Isles on its side, point to Turnberry 181 00:12:19,800 --> 00:12:23,560 and say there's the heart of the Bruce lordship, now look at it. 182 00:12:23,560 --> 00:12:26,800 And you see Ireland and the Western Isles, the Scottish coast, 183 00:12:26,800 --> 00:12:29,720 the north-western English coast, in a very different light, 184 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:31,800 a different way of understanding it. 185 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:37,920 If you went from a royal court in Ireland to a royal court in Scotland 186 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:41,120 in the early Middle Ages, you wouldn't have noticed a difference. 187 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:43,080 The language would have been the same, 188 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:44,760 the culture would have been the same, 189 00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:46,320 the stories that would have been told 190 00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:47,480 would have been the same. 191 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:50,360 And in fact, in some cases, the families would have been the same. 192 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:53,160 When faced with the Anglo-Normans, 193 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:56,760 the Scots had one major advantage over the Irish. 194 00:12:56,760 --> 00:13:00,280 The Irish did not have an undisputed high king. 195 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:05,480 Scotland, on the other hand, was ruled by a single, decisive monarch. 196 00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:08,280 Rather than sit back and wait to be conquered, 197 00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:12,040 David I of Scotland invited the Anglo-Normans in. 198 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:16,800 He allowed some Norman lords to settle in the country, 199 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:18,240 relying on them to safeguard his authority. 200 00:13:19,640 --> 00:13:20,360 relying on them to safeguard his authority. 201 00:13:20,360 --> 00:13:22,920 The greatest of these lords took his name from the small town 202 00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:28,760 near Cherbourg where his family originated - Brix or Bruce. 203 00:13:30,560 --> 00:13:35,480 The most famous of all Scottish kings sprang from this lineage. 204 00:13:35,480 --> 00:13:40,400 His name was Robert Bruce and he was not just of Norman stock. 205 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:43,080 His father's marriage to the countess of Carrick 206 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:46,480 had injected Celtic blood into the Bruce line. 207 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:52,920 His mother, after all, was Countess of Carrick in her own right. 208 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:55,760 The story was that when she met Robert's father, 209 00:13:55,760 --> 00:13:58,440 the Lord of Annandale, she fell for him in a big way, 210 00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:00,000 supposedly abducted him - 211 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:02,200 this is a nicer version of the usual story - 212 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:06,120 she abducted him, dragged him off to Turnberry Castle 213 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:09,080 and they were inside for three days and when they emerged 214 00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:10,920 they announced they were getting married. 215 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:14,440 And Robert Bruce was the product of whatever went on there. 216 00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:22,400 Carrick was part of Galloway, it was the northern part of Galloway, 217 00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:24,440 and it was definitely Gaelic speaking 218 00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:27,120 quite a long time after the reign of Robert Bruce. 219 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:32,880 So, he was raised very much in a kind of Celtic or Gaelic speaking area, 220 00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:34,840 if you like, of Scotland. 221 00:14:36,560 --> 00:14:40,200 This, you could say is what really makes Robert Bruce and Edward 222 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:43,320 and all the other brothers real hybrids, if you like, 223 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:46,800 real sons of many kingdoms. 224 00:14:48,120 --> 00:14:50,720 I've come increasingly to think of it 225 00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:52,800 kind of as a search for a place for Bruce. 226 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:56,320 I think he's brought up by his grandfather and his father, 227 00:14:56,320 --> 00:15:00,320 as are probably his brothers, as well, to expect some level 228 00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:04,240 of royal status, some enhanced level of political standing. 229 00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:09,160 Robert had a strong claim to be King of Scotland 230 00:15:09,160 --> 00:15:11,160 but he was not the only claimant. 231 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:16,560 In 1302, he strengthened his position by marrying Elizabeth, 232 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:19,920 the daughter of Richard de Burgh, The Earl of Ulster 233 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:22,880 and one of the most powerful Anglo-Irish leaders. 234 00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:28,520 Because Richard de Burgh had a very eligible daughter in Elizabeth, 235 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:31,760 who grew up here at Greencastle, 236 00:15:31,760 --> 00:15:34,520 there's a certain amount of matchmaking, we think, 237 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:38,400 that Edward I and his...basically, one of his best friends, 238 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:40,120 Richard de Burgh, said, 239 00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:42,800 "Well, we'll cobble together a marriage arrangement 240 00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:47,000 "between Robert Bruce and Elizabeth de Burgh." 241 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:51,840 It's possible the marriage is dangled as a sort of carrot 242 00:15:51,840 --> 00:15:53,240 by Edward I himself. 243 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:57,760 It's a way, from his point of view, of getting a leading lord 244 00:15:57,760 --> 00:16:01,000 of south-western Scotland, part of that Irish sea world, 245 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:03,840 as an ally of the de Burgh Earl of Ulster, 246 00:16:03,840 --> 00:16:07,160 and stabilising the Irish situation. 247 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:09,600 Edward had had ambitions in Scotland 248 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:14,160 since the death of the heir to the Scottish throne in 1290. 249 00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:18,280 Edward I was an extremely successful, 250 00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:21,160 ambitious and ruthless monarch. 251 00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:25,960 And when he came to the moment in circa 1290, 252 00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:29,400 when he thinks that he can establish once and for all 253 00:16:29,400 --> 00:16:31,160 that he is overlord of Scotland, 254 00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:34,520 he doesn't stop for a moment in asserting that claim. 255 00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:39,040 He's turning it into another Ireland, another Wales, 256 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:41,280 a land, not a realm. 257 00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:43,760 And I think that quite quickly turns him 258 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:46,080 into a very strong figure of hate. 259 00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:50,120 There's now a difference between a Scot and an Englishman 260 00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:52,240 and Edward kind of marks it. 261 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:55,560 The characteristics which the Scots later really like to label 262 00:16:55,560 --> 00:16:59,440 the English with of being arrogant, presumptuous, over-confident, 263 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:02,600 are first and foremost attributed to Edward himself. 264 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:07,680 Edward's attitude caused a rebellion by the Scots. 265 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:10,240 A young patriot named William Wallace waged a desperate 266 00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:12,840 guerrilla war against the English takeover. 267 00:17:14,320 --> 00:17:16,600 Robert Bruce hedged his bets. 268 00:17:16,600 --> 00:17:20,240 He supported Wallace, then he supported Edward. 269 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:24,160 But foremost in his mind was his own claim to the Scottish throne. 270 00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:34,520 Robert does have this reputation for being slightly schizophrenic, 271 00:17:34,520 --> 00:17:37,160 allying himself to Edward and the English one day, 272 00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:39,480 and then the Scots the next. 273 00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:44,120 And I think that duplicity... to understand that 274 00:17:44,120 --> 00:17:47,680 we've really got to see Robert Bruce in context. 275 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:50,880 He tries the political solution, the diplomatic solution, 276 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:55,600 move to the Scots, under Wallace for a bit, then leave them, 277 00:17:55,600 --> 00:18:00,000 go back to the lordship of Edward I, cause that's a better bet. 278 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:03,560 After all, Edward I's the head honcho in western Europe, 279 00:18:03,560 --> 00:18:06,600 practically, so that's where the power base is, 280 00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:10,080 that's where you should hang in if you want to advance the interests 281 00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:11,240 of your people. 282 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:12,760 He's a pragmatist. 283 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:15,560 He will take whatever path he needs to take 284 00:18:15,560 --> 00:18:17,520 to get to where he wants to go. 285 00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:21,680 And if one day that means he's got to, basically, give himself up 286 00:18:21,680 --> 00:18:26,200 to the English and fight on their side, he will do. 287 00:18:29,600 --> 00:18:34,680 In 1307, Robert Bruce met his main rival for the Scottish throne, 288 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:38,360 John Comyn, at Greyfriars Abbey in Dumfries. 289 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:44,840 An event took place that shaped the future of Scotland forever. 290 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:48,760 He rode there at once 291 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:54,000 and met with Sir John Comyn in the Grey Friars, at the high altar. 292 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:57,320 In a mocking manner he showed him the indenture, 293 00:18:57,320 --> 00:19:01,640 and then with a knife took his life on that very spot. 294 00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:07,040 Because of it such great misfortune befell him. 295 00:19:08,520 --> 00:19:14,240 The killing of Comyn is a real puzzle in terms of where the Church stood, 296 00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:17,760 because we have to understand that when Bruce killed Comyn 297 00:19:17,760 --> 00:19:23,760 he did it at the altar of the Church of the Greyfriars in Dumfries. 298 00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:29,000 And when you kill somebody in hot blood, at the altar, 299 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:31,960 you're automatically excommunicated. 300 00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:36,160 So, it's surprising then that Bruce seems to have garnished 301 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:39,280 so much support from the Scottish Church. 302 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:42,080 You would have expected the opposite to happen, 303 00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:45,640 that they would hold him in total disregard. 304 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:49,320 He's a heretic, he's damned to hell for eternity, 305 00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:52,520 but they don't see it that way for some reason, they... 306 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:56,920 Some remarkable talent rallies around Bruce. 307 00:19:56,920 --> 00:19:59,360 And I think that's strange. 308 00:19:59,360 --> 00:20:01,920 That action, whether it is premeditated murder 309 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:06,080 or an act of rage in an argument, that's the turning point. 310 00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:08,160 He has a lightning decision to make. 311 00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:11,680 Either he goes on the run, he basically becomes a fugitive 312 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:15,560 or he grasps the thistle and goes for the throne. 313 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:21,680 As soon as we get to that point where Comyn is killed, 314 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:23,800 the path is straight ahead, 315 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:27,960 and the path is conflict between Bruce and the king of England. 316 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:36,800 With the support of the Scottish Church, 317 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:40,280 Robert had himself crowned King of Scots. 318 00:20:40,280 --> 00:20:44,520 But Edward I moved quickly to crush the upstart king. 319 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:47,000 He captured several members of the Bruce family 320 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:49,440 and had them killed or imprisoned. 321 00:20:49,440 --> 00:20:53,320 Robert's wife, Elizabeth de Burgh, was taken captive. 322 00:20:56,360 --> 00:20:58,720 Robert was now a hunted man. 323 00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:02,280 With his followers reduced to only a small band of men 324 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:04,800 he fled to the Western Isles of Scotland. 325 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:15,520 For it was nearly winter and there were so many enemies around him 326 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:18,040 that all the country made war on him. 327 00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:21,640 Such dreadful misfortunes tested them then - 328 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:26,840 like hunger, cold and cutting rain - that no-one alive can tell it all. 329 00:21:36,360 --> 00:21:39,800 Robert Bruce found himself at the Mull of Kintyre, 330 00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:41,760 on the very edge of Scotland. 331 00:21:41,760 --> 00:21:44,600 From here he could see the coast of Ulster. 332 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:47,520 Not for the last time, the thought struck him 333 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:50,480 that the Irish could help in the war with England. 334 00:21:52,640 --> 00:21:56,080 When we're trying to understand him and his ultimate success 335 00:21:56,080 --> 00:21:57,760 and when we're trying to understand 336 00:21:57,760 --> 00:21:59,880 what on Earth they were up to in Ireland, 337 00:21:59,880 --> 00:22:02,280 it's something about his background in the Gaelic world 338 00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:05,240 that provides us with part of the key to that. 339 00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:10,720 From Kintyre, Bruce made the short sea journey 340 00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:13,600 to Rathlin Island off the Antrim coast. 341 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:19,200 He is supposed to have hidden here with his followers in a dank cave, 342 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:21,520 accessible only by boat. 343 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:23,840 It seems that he planned to regain the throne 344 00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:26,400 with the help of Irish allies. 345 00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:30,280 In fact, his two younger brothers, Thomas and Alexander Bruce, 346 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:33,840 had raised an Irish army and landed in Scotland. 347 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:36,000 But their mission came to nothing 348 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:39,720 and the brothers were captured and executed by Edward I. 349 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:44,760 It would be nearly a decade before Robert could cement his alliance 350 00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:45,760 with the Irish. 351 00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:55,400 Open the gate! 352 00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:04,160 In July 1307 Edward I died and in a single stroke 353 00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:08,560 In July 1307 Edward I died and in a single stroke 354 00:23:08,560 --> 00:23:12,200 the greatest obstacle to Scottish freedom was removed. 355 00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:15,440 Shortly before he dies, 356 00:23:15,440 --> 00:23:19,880 Edward has a couple of English friars executed for stating 357 00:23:19,880 --> 00:23:24,000 that Robert Bruce is the subject of the prophecies of Merlin. 358 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:25,600 And that means that Robert Bruce 359 00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:26,040 is a second King Arthur, 360 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:30,160 that his destiny is to unite 361 00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:32,520 Wales and Ireland and Scotland 362 00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:37,640 against England and drive the hated English dragon 363 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:39,760 back into the North Sea whence it came. 364 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:45,240 King Edward I would be long remembered as the most ruthless 365 00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:48,760 and vindictive foe ever faced by Scotland. 366 00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:52,520 His tomb in Westminster Abbey was inscribed with the words 367 00:23:52,520 --> 00:23:57,800 Scottorum Malleus, Hammer of the Scots. 368 00:23:57,800 --> 00:24:01,560 But his son, who now succeeded him as Edward II, 369 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:05,080 would prove to be a much less formidable opponent. 370 00:24:36,720 --> 00:24:44,160 Be near your surviving comrades who yet strive for glory. 371 00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:47,480 Inspire us to emulate your actions 372 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:52,600 that our efforts may prove glorious. 373 00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:03,600 In 1314, an army led by Robert Bruce faced the English in battle. 374 00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:07,640 The fight took place south of Stirling, somewhere near a stream 375 00:25:07,640 --> 00:25:10,200 known as the Bannock Burn. 376 00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:11,600 For hundreds of years, 377 00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:16,000 there have been arguments as to the exact location of the battle. 378 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:21,280 In 2013, military historian and archaeologist Tony Pollard 379 00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:24,440 spent a year searching and eventually locating 380 00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:28,880 the site of the most important battle in Scottish history. 381 00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:33,960 It was the pivotal encounter in the long and brutal war between Scotland 382 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:38,200 and England and it was very much a case of David and Goliath. 383 00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:41,720 The Scots were outnumbered two to one. 384 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:43,320 Leading up to the battle, 385 00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:46,680 Edward had been in command of the Siege of Stirling Castle. 386 00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:49,960 And it's that siege that brings about the battle. 387 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:52,840 It's that siege that coaxes the English army north. 388 00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:57,280 So you've got these three massive divisions of well-trained men 389 00:25:57,280 --> 00:26:02,160 delivering a massive victory of the common man, really. 390 00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:04,320 These are men on foot. 391 00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:06,200 Many of these men are just commoners, 392 00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:09,560 they're farmers, they're people from the town. 393 00:26:09,560 --> 00:26:13,080 And it must have been incredibly demeaning for the English 394 00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:16,480 who have at the heart of their army the nobility, 395 00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:20,600 men on expensive horses wearing state-of-the-art armour. 396 00:26:20,600 --> 00:26:22,760 They're literally brought to their knees. 397 00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:26,640 The Scots absolutely wipe the floor with them. 398 00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:29,080 It's an absolute disaster for the English 399 00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:31,520 and a huge triumph for the Scots. 400 00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:39,720 Bannockburn would go down in history 401 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:43,320 as Scotland's greatest single victory over England. 402 00:26:43,320 --> 00:26:47,800 Slowly but surely, Robert Bruce was driving the invaders 403 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:49,360 back to their homeland. 404 00:27:01,280 --> 00:27:04,960 There has been a tendency for Scottish historians 405 00:27:04,960 --> 00:27:07,480 to ignore the aftermath of Bannockburn. 406 00:27:07,480 --> 00:27:11,240 It really should be the wonderful climax to Bruces' career 407 00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:17,480 and he has to drip on for another, what is it, 16 years 408 00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:20,400 before the English actually recognise his title 409 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:21,640 as King of Scots. 410 00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:24,240 Robert Bruce wanted the English to recognise 411 00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:25,840 the independence of Scotland. 412 00:27:25,840 --> 00:27:27,400 That didn't change. 413 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:29,840 But he also wanted one thing more than that, of course, 414 00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:32,320 he wanted them to recognise the independence of Scotland 415 00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:38,040 with him as its king and that didn't change one iota after Bannockburn. 416 00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:40,680 So, he was probably scratching his head, 417 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:42,640 trying to figure out what he might do next. 418 00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:46,320 This must've been very, very depressing 419 00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:50,200 and it seems to be one of the reasons why he has to open up 420 00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:55,560 new fronts in the war with the English after Bannockburn. 421 00:27:55,560 --> 00:27:59,640 Despite the great Scottish victory, there was another crucial chapter 422 00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:02,160 in the story of the war against the English. 423 00:28:03,280 --> 00:28:07,520 But this part of the tale would be told not in Scotland 424 00:28:07,520 --> 00:28:09,200 but in Ireland. 425 00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:11,840 The Anglo-Irish colonists in the country 426 00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:15,720 would have been devastated by the news that this upstart Scot 427 00:28:15,720 --> 00:28:19,000 had defeated their king and I'm pretty sure that nearly everyone 428 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:22,360 in Gaelic Ireland would have thought that this was bloody good news. 429 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:33,840 In April 1315, Robert Bruce called a parliament at Ayr 430 00:28:33,840 --> 00:28:38,640 in South West Scotland to decide on the future campaign. 431 00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:42,760 It has always been thought that it was from here that Robert Bruce 432 00:28:42,760 --> 00:28:46,160 sent forth a famous appeal to the Irish. 433 00:28:49,320 --> 00:28:54,160 The King sends greetings to all the kings of Ireland, 434 00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:57,040 to the prelates and clergy, 435 00:28:57,040 --> 00:29:01,360 and to the inhabitants of all Ireland, his friends. 436 00:29:02,600 --> 00:29:07,200 Whereas we and you and our people and your people, 437 00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:12,320 free since ancient times, share the same national ancestry 438 00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:15,960 and are urged to come together more eagerly and joyfully 439 00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:21,480 in friendship by a common language and by common custom. 440 00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:26,920 It was only discovered in the 1950s or thereabouts. 441 00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:30,560 It's a tremendously interesting letter from Robert Bruce 442 00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:34,360 and it's a very kind of potent call to the Irish 443 00:29:34,360 --> 00:29:37,320 to join forces with the Scots. 444 00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:41,280 It's an appeal to some kind of ancient bond between the two. 445 00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:48,520 But what if the letter dates from a much earlier period? 446 00:29:48,520 --> 00:29:52,680 Had Robert Bruce always yearned to unite the Celtic nations? 447 00:29:52,680 --> 00:29:56,160 Sean Duffy of Trinity College Dublin believes that the letter 448 00:29:56,160 --> 00:29:59,600 was composed around 1306, 449 00:29:59,600 --> 00:30:03,720 when Robert and his followers were based on Rathlin Island. 450 00:30:04,800 --> 00:30:08,400 When you get down to the small print of the letter as it were, 451 00:30:08,400 --> 00:30:13,200 he says that the envoys he's sending are these two men called T and A. 452 00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:14,400 He just gives the initials 453 00:30:14,400 --> 00:30:16,880 because that's the way the letter has survived. 454 00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:22,960 It's pretty certain that that letter that Robert sent, 455 00:30:22,960 --> 00:30:26,480 the envoys mentioned in it are his brothers Thomas and Alexander 456 00:30:26,480 --> 00:30:30,760 and so, it belongs in the winter of 1306 to 1307, 457 00:30:30,760 --> 00:30:32,200 when he was in a lot of trouble 458 00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:35,120 and he was hanging on by his fingernails 459 00:30:35,120 --> 00:30:36,640 to the throne of Scotland, 460 00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:40,120 and he wanted an Irish alliance to join sides with him 461 00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:42,320 against the English. 462 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:46,200 "We have sent you our beloved kinsmen, 463 00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:48,880 "the bearers of this letter, 464 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:51,240 "to negotiate with you in our name 465 00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:57,360 "about permanently strengthening and maintaining inviolate 466 00:30:57,360 --> 00:31:01,680 "a special friendship between us and you, 467 00:31:01,680 --> 00:31:03,880 "so that with God's will, 468 00:31:03,880 --> 00:31:08,160 "our nation may be able to recover her ancient liberty." 469 00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:12,720 And there's a tendency by some people to think that Robert Bruce, 470 00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:16,640 because he's from a predominately Anglo-Norman background, 471 00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:21,280 that this must be pure cynicism on his part, and, you know 472 00:31:21,280 --> 00:31:24,760 because, how could he dare talk about our nation, 473 00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:26,360 the Scots and Irish nation, 474 00:31:26,360 --> 00:31:29,960 and our common language, as if he was a Gaelic speaker 475 00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:32,480 and imbued with all things Gaelic. 476 00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:35,760 The letter is genuine. 477 00:31:35,760 --> 00:31:38,160 It seems to me the letter was sent by Robert 478 00:31:38,160 --> 00:31:40,040 right at the start of his reign. 479 00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:43,640 It seems to me it won a lot of backing for him in Ireland 480 00:31:43,640 --> 00:31:45,880 and I think, therefore, we have to accept that 481 00:31:45,880 --> 00:31:49,720 there was a Gaelic side to Robert Bruce's character. 482 00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:55,120 I think the existence of this document, 483 00:31:55,120 --> 00:31:57,840 and I think Sean's right in this, actually, 484 00:31:57,840 --> 00:32:01,680 does imply very much that there's some understanding, 485 00:32:01,680 --> 00:32:03,560 before the letter, if you like, 486 00:32:03,560 --> 00:32:08,080 some sense of what may be a nacio, a nation. 487 00:32:08,080 --> 00:32:09,720 That's very powerful. 488 00:32:09,720 --> 00:32:12,280 This is a statement, if you like, if there's such a thing, 489 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:16,920 of kind of Gaelic...nationality, 490 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:18,880 if you could call it such. 491 00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:21,160 The trouble is, the danger here is 492 00:32:21,160 --> 00:32:26,840 whether we can use words to describe concepts in the past 493 00:32:26,840 --> 00:32:29,000 where they didn't have words for them themselves, 494 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:30,440 this is our problem. 495 00:32:30,440 --> 00:32:31,640 So if nationalism is a word 496 00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:34,800 that doesn't come into the English language until the 19th century, 497 00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:36,680 can we apply it to people 498 00:32:36,680 --> 00:32:39,520 who were living in the 13th or the 14th centuries? 499 00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:41,920 Personally, I would say, yes, we can. 500 00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:43,880 If it's not nationalism we're talking about, 501 00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:45,600 it's that by almost any other name. 502 00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:56,800 During one long winter on Rathlin Island, 503 00:32:56,800 --> 00:33:03,600 I dreamed we would assist the sons and daughters 504 00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:05,400 of our sister nation 505 00:33:05,400 --> 00:33:07,640 in their fight against the common foe, 506 00:33:07,640 --> 00:33:09,560 the English... 507 00:33:10,760 --> 00:33:15,880 ..and in doing so, reunite the Celtic people. 508 00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:20,280 Scotland under Robert Bruce 509 00:33:20,280 --> 00:33:22,120 and Ireland... 510 00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:25,280 ..under Edward. 511 00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:32,280 Were we not colonised by the Irish? 512 00:33:32,280 --> 00:33:35,960 Been bound by blood, family, language? 513 00:33:37,120 --> 00:33:39,880 Were we not Christianised from the same source? 514 00:33:41,280 --> 00:33:43,560 Preparations have been made. 515 00:33:45,800 --> 00:33:49,000 We will be one with Ireland. 516 00:33:51,080 --> 00:33:54,520 After Bannockburn, he feels you've got to carry the torch to the enemy. 517 00:33:54,520 --> 00:33:57,560 This was Bruce's number one weapon 518 00:33:57,560 --> 00:34:01,160 in trying to get some sense out of the English kings 519 00:34:01,160 --> 00:34:04,240 to recognise the legitimacy of his kingship. 520 00:34:04,240 --> 00:34:06,440 The notion was, just as we're opening up 521 00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:07,800 a front in the North of England, 522 00:34:07,800 --> 00:34:09,400 let's open up one in Ireland. 523 00:34:31,080 --> 00:34:34,560 Assembling to himself men of great courage, 524 00:34:34,560 --> 00:34:38,440 then he took ship at Ayr in the following month of May, 525 00:34:38,440 --> 00:34:40,480 and took his way straight to Ireland. 526 00:34:41,800 --> 00:34:43,880 They have undertaken a great project 527 00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:46,360 when with so few as they were there, 528 00:34:46,360 --> 00:34:49,120 they prepared to conquer all Ireland, 529 00:34:49,120 --> 00:34:53,280 where they would see many thousands come armed to fight against them. 530 00:34:53,280 --> 00:34:55,360 But, although few... 531 00:34:55,360 --> 00:34:56,640 they were brave. 532 00:35:00,720 --> 00:35:03,720 Battlefield archaeologist Tony Pollard 533 00:35:03,720 --> 00:35:05,080 was born in England, 534 00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:07,000 but his grandparents are from Ireland, 535 00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:08,920 and he lives and works in Scotland. 536 00:35:10,680 --> 00:35:14,400 He's a living example of the close links between the three countries. 537 00:35:15,480 --> 00:35:18,160 And he's fascinated by the incredible events 538 00:35:18,160 --> 00:35:22,360 that brought them together in bloody conflict 700 years ago. 539 00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:26,560 Today, Larne Harbour is the most important port 540 00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:30,280 between Ireland and Scotland on the Irish side. 541 00:35:30,280 --> 00:35:33,720 In 1315, this would have been the place 542 00:35:33,720 --> 00:35:37,080 where Edward Bruce's Scottish army came together 543 00:35:37,080 --> 00:35:38,440 after landing on the beaches 544 00:35:38,440 --> 00:35:41,160 all the way up and down this coast. 545 00:35:41,160 --> 00:35:45,920 Around 6,000 men carried in 300 boats, it's said, 546 00:35:45,920 --> 00:35:47,600 and these boats were birlinns, 547 00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:50,280 they were West Highland galleys. 548 00:35:50,280 --> 00:35:52,520 And they would have plied a daily trade 549 00:35:52,520 --> 00:35:54,160 between here and Scotland, 550 00:35:54,160 --> 00:35:56,320 and up and down the west coast of Scotland, 551 00:35:56,320 --> 00:35:58,200 they wouldn't have been an uncommon sight. 552 00:36:02,880 --> 00:36:05,120 But to have been on the hills behind us, 553 00:36:05,120 --> 00:36:08,560 and seeing 300 of these heading towards these shores, 554 00:36:08,560 --> 00:36:10,560 must have been incredibly daunting. 555 00:36:30,720 --> 00:36:33,760 HE SHOUTS INSTRUCTIONS 556 00:36:36,520 --> 00:36:39,440 Scots are used as the kind of traditional bogeymen. 557 00:36:39,440 --> 00:36:41,640 "The Scots will come and get you." 558 00:36:41,640 --> 00:36:45,040 And then, in May, the Scots are no longer separated from them 559 00:36:45,040 --> 00:36:46,600 by a stretch of land, 560 00:36:46,600 --> 00:36:48,280 they're actually here, 561 00:36:48,280 --> 00:36:51,680 which throws the whole of the Anglo-Norman community into a panic. 562 00:36:51,680 --> 00:36:54,560 They've never really expected to end up fighting the Scots 563 00:36:54,560 --> 00:36:56,440 in their own back yard. 564 00:36:56,440 --> 00:36:59,440 So when 6,000 of them come into Antrim, 565 00:36:59,440 --> 00:37:02,560 this is like their worst nightmare come true. 566 00:37:17,960 --> 00:37:21,240 Right, and the thing is now, Tony, do you see what's over there? 567 00:37:21,240 --> 00:37:25,280 That... How close? Ailsa Craig! Yeah. 568 00:37:25,280 --> 00:37:27,480 So that's Scotland. It's Scotland. 569 00:37:29,720 --> 00:37:33,040 We're on the hill just above the town of Larne on the coast 570 00:37:33,040 --> 00:37:37,080 and this is said to be the site of the first battle of the campaign. 571 00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:38,120 Absolutely, Tony. 572 00:37:38,120 --> 00:37:40,400 This is where Sir Thomas Mandeville 573 00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:42,720 gathers all the Norman lords from Ulster, 574 00:37:42,720 --> 00:37:45,160 the Bissets, the Savages, the Logans, 575 00:37:45,160 --> 00:37:49,200 gathers them here, concentrates, cos he can see Larne over there. 576 00:37:58,040 --> 00:38:00,360 This is a victorious army. 577 00:38:00,360 --> 00:38:02,800 Bruce has got about 5,000 or 6,000 men with him. 578 00:38:02,800 --> 00:38:06,840 They are the men that smashed Edward II's army at Bannockburn. 579 00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:09,000 It's D-Day down there. This is D-Day, yes. 580 00:38:09,000 --> 00:38:12,360 If Mandeville manages to hold Bruce here, 581 00:38:12,360 --> 00:38:13,480 the campaign's off. 582 00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:16,000 Or even kick him back into the sea. Kick him back into the sea. 583 00:38:19,280 --> 00:38:22,920 SOLDIERS GROAN 584 00:38:38,680 --> 00:38:41,760 THUNDER RUMBLES 585 00:38:56,160 --> 00:39:00,720 Edward Bruce knew that he could count on certain allies in Ireland. 586 00:39:00,720 --> 00:39:05,200 First and foremost, was Domhnall O'Neill, the king of Tyrone, 587 00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:07,360 who had pledged to support the Scots. 588 00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:14,640 MAON: Robert had made able preparations, 589 00:39:14,640 --> 00:39:17,080 but we would have no success in Ireland 590 00:39:17,080 --> 00:39:20,000 without the help of the Irish families. 591 00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:22,840 Their attitude towards him was the pivot 592 00:39:22,840 --> 00:39:25,120 on which all his plans were based. 593 00:39:28,160 --> 00:39:30,080 Domhnall O'Neill was a descendant of the ancient high kings of Ireland. 594 00:39:31,480 --> 00:39:32,440 Domhnall O'Neill was a descendant of the ancient high kings of Ireland. 595 00:39:32,440 --> 00:39:36,320 He was in no doubt about his own royal blood 596 00:39:36,320 --> 00:39:41,040 and his own place at the apex of the, you know, pyramid of power 597 00:39:41,040 --> 00:39:42,960 in Gaelic Ireland. 598 00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:45,160 You know, the problem was, though, for him 599 00:39:45,160 --> 00:39:49,920 that many other Irish people rejected his claim to be High King. 600 00:39:49,920 --> 00:39:52,440 You know, if you were a descendant of Brian Boru, 601 00:39:52,440 --> 00:39:55,960 you weren't necessarily convinced that it was O'Neills' ancestors 602 00:39:55,960 --> 00:39:57,760 who had a monopoly on the high kingship. 603 00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:02,000 He was a realist who recognised 604 00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:05,120 that his own interests could be served best 605 00:40:05,120 --> 00:40:08,040 if they could all unite behind another figure. 606 00:40:09,200 --> 00:40:12,080 Sure he was into it for what he could get out of it, 607 00:40:12,080 --> 00:40:15,160 like all politicians and like all powerful men. 608 00:40:19,680 --> 00:40:22,240 DOMHNALL O'NEILL: Though the Irish hunt be poor, 609 00:40:22,240 --> 00:40:24,280 and though our face be small, 610 00:40:24,280 --> 00:40:28,600 he sees his little lot as the lot of all. 611 00:40:28,600 --> 00:40:32,360 No prince's palace rears its head 612 00:40:32,360 --> 00:40:35,600 to shame the meanness of his humble bed. 613 00:40:35,600 --> 00:40:38,120 THEY LAUGH 614 00:40:38,120 --> 00:40:40,960 Man is worthy of this world 615 00:40:40,960 --> 00:40:42,960 who rejoices in the world 616 00:40:42,960 --> 00:40:44,120 and makes the most of it. 617 00:40:44,120 --> 00:40:46,480 THEY LAUGH 618 00:40:56,000 --> 00:41:01,080 The English king, and the English lords born in Ireland 619 00:41:01,080 --> 00:41:05,800 have heartlessly inflicted cruel injuries 620 00:41:05,800 --> 00:41:09,120 on us...and on our ancestors. 621 00:41:11,520 --> 00:41:16,880 They have forced us to live on mountains and in forests and bogs 622 00:41:16,880 --> 00:41:19,640 and other barren places like wild animals. 623 00:41:22,760 --> 00:41:25,680 It's not just their laymen, 624 00:41:25,680 --> 00:41:27,800 but even some of their clergy say 625 00:41:27,800 --> 00:41:30,560 that it is no more a sin to kill an Irishman 626 00:41:30,560 --> 00:41:33,800 than it is to kill a dog or other brute creature. 627 00:41:36,160 --> 00:41:39,480 So we are compelled to enter into a deadly war with them. 628 00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:45,280 If ever thou hast occasion for assistance 629 00:41:45,280 --> 00:41:49,200 to repel an invader or attack a foe... 630 00:41:50,600 --> 00:41:52,160 ..call on Scotland... 631 00:41:53,560 --> 00:41:56,000 ..whom thy hospitality has taught to be grateful... 632 00:41:57,360 --> 00:42:02,320 ..and on whose heart thy kindness has made a deep impression. 633 00:42:21,480 --> 00:42:26,160 Today, Carrickfergus is a satellite town of Belfast, 634 00:42:26,160 --> 00:42:27,960 but in the 14th century, 635 00:42:27,960 --> 00:42:30,800 Belfast was no more than a tiny village 636 00:42:30,800 --> 00:42:34,640 and Carrickfergus was the most important town in Ulster, 637 00:42:34,640 --> 00:42:38,800 a strategic outpost of great military significance. 638 00:42:38,800 --> 00:42:41,840 It was vitally important that Edward Bruce capture it 639 00:42:41,840 --> 00:42:44,840 to prevent the English from landing an army there. 640 00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:48,520 Castles like Carrickfergus were the power base 641 00:42:48,520 --> 00:42:51,600 for the Anglo-Normans or the Anglo-Irish. 642 00:42:51,600 --> 00:42:53,160 These were the people that had come in 643 00:42:53,160 --> 00:42:54,880 and taken over Gaelic Ireland. 644 00:42:54,880 --> 00:42:56,240 And these were the people that 645 00:42:56,240 --> 00:42:59,360 Bruce was intending to have a go at in his invasion. 646 00:42:59,360 --> 00:43:02,760 So, for Edward Bruce, this castle is a very important target 647 00:43:02,760 --> 00:43:05,040 and he's very keen to take it. 648 00:43:05,040 --> 00:43:07,080 Cos he has to take Carrickfergus. 649 00:43:07,080 --> 00:43:09,240 If he can take Carrickfergus 650 00:43:09,240 --> 00:43:11,320 that means that Robert's position 651 00:43:11,320 --> 00:43:14,400 in his wars against the English in the north, 652 00:43:14,400 --> 00:43:16,240 it opens up everything. 653 00:43:16,240 --> 00:43:18,480 If they can take Carrickfergus, 654 00:43:18,480 --> 00:43:22,360 then the entire Northern Sea zone is theirs, 655 00:43:22,360 --> 00:43:26,160 and probably the entire sea zone right down towards Bristol. 656 00:43:26,160 --> 00:43:29,000 And if you can cut off that channel, 657 00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:33,720 then the oxygen to the supply routes for Edward II are almost extinct. 658 00:43:35,920 --> 00:43:40,080 Surely, one motive behind the Irish invasion 659 00:43:40,080 --> 00:43:43,680 was that they could somehow damage the English supply routes 660 00:43:43,680 --> 00:43:45,520 and the sources of English supply. 661 00:43:45,520 --> 00:43:48,360 Now, if you could cut off that kind of supply, 662 00:43:48,360 --> 00:43:52,080 you could make a big dent in enemy support, 663 00:43:52,080 --> 00:43:53,960 or support for the enemy, 664 00:43:53,960 --> 00:43:55,760 and I think Ireland was, 665 00:43:55,760 --> 00:43:57,920 Ireland's recognised to have been 666 00:43:57,920 --> 00:44:01,240 a very important bread basket for the English. 667 00:44:03,720 --> 00:44:07,560 The Scots took Carrickfergus town without much difficulty. 668 00:44:07,560 --> 00:44:11,080 The castle was a more difficult proposition. 669 00:44:11,080 --> 00:44:13,480 Edward Bruce did not have the siege equipment needed 670 00:44:13,480 --> 00:44:15,360 to take the castle by storm. 671 00:44:15,360 --> 00:44:16,840 So he surrounded it 672 00:44:16,840 --> 00:44:20,200 and prepared to starve its garrison into submission. 673 00:44:20,200 --> 00:44:25,360 When Edward Bruce arrives in Ireland in 1315, 674 00:44:25,360 --> 00:44:28,720 he's very keen to identify himself with Carrickfergus. 675 00:44:28,720 --> 00:44:30,640 And indeed, it's while he's here 676 00:44:30,640 --> 00:44:35,360 that around a dozen Gaelic chiefs, or even minor kings, 677 00:44:35,360 --> 00:44:38,440 come to him and proclaim him High King of Ireland. 678 00:44:45,880 --> 00:44:49,160 "Then all the kings of the Irishry came to Sir Edward 679 00:44:49,160 --> 00:44:51,120 "and did their homage to him. 680 00:44:51,120 --> 00:44:52,560 "He was well set now, 681 00:44:52,560 --> 00:44:56,040 "and in a good way, to conquer the land altogether 682 00:44:56,040 --> 00:44:59,280 "for he had on his side the Irish and Ulster." 683 00:45:00,320 --> 00:45:03,280 All hail Edward the Bruce, 684 00:45:03,280 --> 00:45:05,280 High King of all Ireland. 685 00:45:09,320 --> 00:45:12,360 With Edward now proclaimed High King of Ireland, 686 00:45:12,360 --> 00:45:16,400 many Gaelic leaders threw their support behind the Bruce invasion. 687 00:45:19,280 --> 00:45:21,600 Allegiance to a Scottish king in Ireland 688 00:45:21,600 --> 00:45:25,120 was preferable to supporting an absent English king. 689 00:45:28,000 --> 00:45:29,960 There were Irish allies of the Bruces 690 00:45:29,960 --> 00:45:32,200 who had convinced them that this would work. 691 00:45:33,320 --> 00:45:36,000 The Irish wanted the English out. 692 00:45:36,000 --> 00:45:39,360 The Irish had proved themselves incapable of uniting behind 693 00:45:39,360 --> 00:45:41,720 any one figure within Ireland. 694 00:45:41,720 --> 00:45:44,160 And so, the best thing, therefore, 695 00:45:44,160 --> 00:45:46,440 was to get somebody from outside Ireland, 696 00:45:46,440 --> 00:45:48,440 behind whom they could align. 697 00:45:50,160 --> 00:45:54,040 It's an interesting part of the history of Ireland and Scotland. 698 00:45:54,040 --> 00:45:56,400 There are cultural links, there's no doubt about that. 699 00:45:56,400 --> 00:46:01,880 But really, it's a significant political leap between them, 700 00:46:01,880 --> 00:46:05,080 with Edward coming over and claiming the High Kingship, 701 00:46:05,080 --> 00:46:07,480 and you could say it was misguided, 702 00:46:07,480 --> 00:46:10,080 you could say it's political sleight of hand, 703 00:46:10,080 --> 00:46:11,360 you could say a lot of things. 704 00:46:11,360 --> 00:46:16,000 But really, I think it does indicate that there's a recognition, 705 00:46:16,000 --> 00:46:17,920 even though he's a politician, 706 00:46:17,920 --> 00:46:20,440 there is a recognition that there's a possibility here 707 00:46:20,440 --> 00:46:23,040 that there's something he could build on. 708 00:46:23,040 --> 00:46:25,840 The strength of the cultural ties was enduring 709 00:46:25,840 --> 00:46:28,280 and had been going on since the early Middle Ages. 710 00:46:29,560 --> 00:46:33,560 The Anglo Irish had been completely taken off guard by the invasion 711 00:46:33,560 --> 00:46:36,080 and were even slower to react. 712 00:46:36,080 --> 00:46:38,720 The English king told his representative in Dublin, 713 00:46:38,720 --> 00:46:39,960 Edmund Butler, 714 00:46:39,960 --> 00:46:43,640 to gather the Anglo-Irish lords and raise an army. 715 00:46:43,640 --> 00:46:46,840 The most powerful of these lords was Richard de Burgh, 716 00:46:46,840 --> 00:46:48,080 the Earl of Ulster. 717 00:46:49,520 --> 00:46:52,320 He was also Robert Bruce's father-in-law. 718 00:46:53,920 --> 00:46:57,440 The Scots marched south through de Burgh's lands in Ulster, 719 00:46:57,440 --> 00:47:00,600 into a gap between Slieve Gullion to the west 720 00:47:00,600 --> 00:47:03,040 and the Cooley Mountains to the east. 721 00:47:03,040 --> 00:47:06,040 This area is known as the Moyry Pass, 722 00:47:06,040 --> 00:47:08,640 and to this day, it is an important corridor 723 00:47:08,640 --> 00:47:11,200 between Ireland north and south. 724 00:47:14,400 --> 00:47:17,120 Edward Bruce was now being guided into Leinster 725 00:47:17,120 --> 00:47:19,800 by people who had old scores to settle 726 00:47:19,800 --> 00:47:22,720 with local Anglo-Norman lords. 727 00:47:22,720 --> 00:47:26,960 The most notorious Anglo-Norman family was the de Verdons 728 00:47:26,960 --> 00:47:30,360 who held extensive estates in the Meath and Louth areas. 729 00:47:31,480 --> 00:47:35,280 The de Verdons had enforced a violent claim over the people, 730 00:47:35,280 --> 00:47:38,920 essentially ruling the area by fear and extortion. 731 00:47:41,360 --> 00:47:43,360 This was a de Verdon castle, 732 00:47:43,360 --> 00:47:46,800 and they were to be really quite important players 733 00:47:46,800 --> 00:47:49,200 in the fight against the Scottish invasion. 734 00:47:57,240 --> 00:48:00,560 The Feudal system is really like a protection racket. 735 00:48:00,560 --> 00:48:03,080 If you're a tenant or a peasant, 736 00:48:03,080 --> 00:48:06,720 you pay taxes or you do service for your lord. 737 00:48:06,720 --> 00:48:09,880 But in return, your lord will protect you. 738 00:48:10,960 --> 00:48:15,080 And that's what this castle is designed to do, 739 00:48:15,080 --> 00:48:18,480 is to...symbolise that power 740 00:48:18,480 --> 00:48:21,360 and that ability to protect, 741 00:48:21,360 --> 00:48:24,160 but it doesn't really work. 742 00:48:24,160 --> 00:48:28,840 Bruce comes down from Ulster with his army. 743 00:48:28,840 --> 00:48:30,840 He takes one look at this, 744 00:48:30,840 --> 00:48:32,880 and very sensibly thinks, 745 00:48:32,880 --> 00:48:35,840 "We're already tied up with one siege at Carrickfergus. 746 00:48:35,840 --> 00:48:38,560 "This place looks pretty impregnable, 747 00:48:38,560 --> 00:48:40,480 "we'll give it a swerve." 748 00:48:40,480 --> 00:48:42,840 So, they just leave it. 749 00:48:42,840 --> 00:48:46,640 But there's more than one way to skin a cat, 750 00:48:46,640 --> 00:48:50,000 and what they do is they burn the nearby town of Dundalk. 751 00:48:51,880 --> 00:48:55,160 And that demonstrates to the local population 752 00:48:55,160 --> 00:48:58,560 that their lords and masters no longer have the ability 753 00:48:58,560 --> 00:49:00,240 to protect them. 754 00:49:00,240 --> 00:49:03,840 And it does exactly what taking that castle would do, 755 00:49:03,840 --> 00:49:05,080 but it's much easier. 756 00:49:08,000 --> 00:49:12,320 PEOPLE SCREAM 757 00:49:26,480 --> 00:49:28,800 Dundalk suffered very severely 758 00:49:28,800 --> 00:49:30,840 during the course of the Bruce invasion. 759 00:49:30,840 --> 00:49:33,400 Not indiscriminately. 760 00:49:33,400 --> 00:49:36,240 I believe it was because it was held by the de Verdons. 761 00:49:37,360 --> 00:49:39,360 If you look at all the places they attack, 762 00:49:39,360 --> 00:49:43,360 there's usually a local political reason for it, 763 00:49:43,360 --> 00:49:46,440 it's not some kind of indiscriminate, 764 00:49:46,440 --> 00:49:48,760 you know, carpet bombing of Ireland by them. 765 00:49:50,480 --> 00:49:53,240 Unless the king of England invades Scotland again, 766 00:49:53,240 --> 00:49:56,040 the Scots will try to conquer Ireland this winter, 767 00:49:56,040 --> 00:49:58,640 and the Irish of Ireland will help them. 768 00:49:58,640 --> 00:50:01,600 I have lost everything fighting Edward Bruce, 769 00:50:01,600 --> 00:50:06,280 my lands, my horses, my armour, my rents and my revenues. 770 00:50:06,280 --> 00:50:08,920 ARMY SHOUTS IN THE DISTANCE 771 00:50:16,520 --> 00:50:19,120 There was very little concerted opposition 772 00:50:19,120 --> 00:50:21,120 to Edward Bruce to begin with, 773 00:50:21,120 --> 00:50:23,520 but by the end of his first summer in Ireland, 774 00:50:23,520 --> 00:50:25,800 the government was beginning to get its act together 775 00:50:25,800 --> 00:50:29,960 and it realised they'd have to get an army and march after him 776 00:50:29,960 --> 00:50:32,200 and try and meet him in the field. 777 00:50:40,280 --> 00:50:42,560 Richard de Burgh was Earl of Ulster. 778 00:50:42,560 --> 00:50:47,120 He created an almost impenetrable, invincible realm for himself, 779 00:50:47,120 --> 00:50:51,200 he's one of the most powerful Anglo-Norman magnates on the island. 780 00:50:51,200 --> 00:50:53,160 He controls lands in Connaught, 781 00:50:53,160 --> 00:50:56,880 he controls most of the land around here in Ulster. 782 00:50:58,320 --> 00:51:01,920 He's the one who says to the chief governor Edmund Butler 783 00:51:01,920 --> 00:51:05,440 that he wants to tackle Bruce himself. 784 00:51:05,440 --> 00:51:10,160 RICHARD DE BURGH: I have here a force of my own of 20 battalions. 785 00:51:10,160 --> 00:51:14,280 It is large enough to expel an equal number from the country, 786 00:51:14,280 --> 00:51:16,440 or to kill them in it. 787 00:51:16,440 --> 00:51:18,480 He wants to go back to Ulster 788 00:51:18,480 --> 00:51:21,720 and actually wrestle Ulster back from the Bruces, 789 00:51:21,720 --> 00:51:24,000 because it's almost like a personal insult to him. 790 00:51:24,000 --> 00:51:26,280 This is his son-in-law effectively saying, 791 00:51:26,280 --> 00:51:30,760 "I'm going to send my brother over to take away your personal kingdom." 792 00:51:30,760 --> 00:51:33,200 Richard de Burgh effectively says, 793 00:51:33,200 --> 00:51:34,600 "I'm not having this." 794 00:51:34,600 --> 00:51:37,280 He decides that, "I'm going to march from Connaught, 795 00:51:37,280 --> 00:51:39,160 "I'm going to take my Gaelic allies, 796 00:51:39,160 --> 00:51:43,920 "and we're going to defeat Bruce in my back yard effectively." 797 00:52:29,240 --> 00:52:32,600 Looking at this site, do you think this bit's a bit more prehistoric 798 00:52:32,600 --> 00:52:34,440 than the sight across the way? 799 00:52:34,440 --> 00:52:36,040 I don't know, it's... 800 00:52:36,040 --> 00:52:37,760 I can see a big stone wall over there. 801 00:52:37,760 --> 00:52:41,440 I know, that looks extremely interesting. Oh, wow. 802 00:52:41,440 --> 00:52:43,440 Look at them, how big are these stones, Tony? 803 00:52:43,440 --> 00:52:46,880 It's massive, isn't it? Careful here, it's collapsing. I know. 804 00:52:46,880 --> 00:52:49,120 This is known as the Old Fort, 805 00:52:49,120 --> 00:52:51,880 or, actually, known locally in Connor as the trench. 806 00:52:51,880 --> 00:52:54,560 But it's a motte isn't it, of some sort? It is. 807 00:52:54,560 --> 00:52:56,960 Why is it here? What function is it serving? 808 00:52:56,960 --> 00:52:58,400 Well, the thing about Connor is 809 00:52:58,400 --> 00:53:02,520 it's a very important Anglo-Norman ecclesiastical centre. 810 00:53:02,520 --> 00:53:04,480 We think it might have been fortified, 811 00:53:04,480 --> 00:53:08,760 so whenever de Burgh is coming up chasing after Bruce's army, 812 00:53:08,760 --> 00:53:11,600 he suddenly finds himself out of supply. Yeah. 813 00:53:11,600 --> 00:53:13,680 He comes from Antrim to here, 814 00:53:13,680 --> 00:53:16,760 because it has stores of whatever they need. 815 00:53:16,760 --> 00:53:20,360 Now, he comes here to defend it and takes those stores. 816 00:53:20,360 --> 00:53:23,120 Bruce is out there watching him. 817 00:53:30,600 --> 00:53:34,400 De Burgh comes up here with an Irish ally, Felim O'Connor. 818 00:53:34,400 --> 00:53:35,800 Felim O'Connor, however, 819 00:53:35,800 --> 00:53:38,680 halfway through this campaign of chasing up to Coleraine, 820 00:53:38,680 --> 00:53:40,400 goes back down to Connaught. 821 00:53:40,400 --> 00:53:42,920 So de Burgh is actually left high and dry. 822 00:53:42,920 --> 00:53:46,040 Sir Philip Mowbray actually organises Scots 823 00:53:46,040 --> 00:53:47,560 to go and wave banners, 824 00:53:47,560 --> 00:53:51,320 and taunts the Anglo-Normans to come out and chase him, 825 00:53:51,320 --> 00:53:52,960 come out and chase him. 826 00:53:52,960 --> 00:53:55,240 De Burgh sees the banners 827 00:53:55,240 --> 00:53:56,840 and they go out in that direction 828 00:53:56,840 --> 00:53:58,280 and they're hit in the flank, 829 00:53:58,280 --> 00:54:01,720 and then Bruce sees the battle and suddenly joins in. 830 00:54:01,720 --> 00:54:03,920 They refer to this battle as being 831 00:54:03,920 --> 00:54:06,080 one of the bloodiest of the campaigns, 832 00:54:06,080 --> 00:54:08,040 the field is wet with blood. 833 00:54:08,040 --> 00:54:11,400 He says, yeah, as an archaeologist this is really interesting, he says, 834 00:54:11,400 --> 00:54:14,720 "The field was wholly covered by weapons, arms and dead men." 835 00:54:26,600 --> 00:54:29,680 "The field soon grew wet with blood. 836 00:54:29,680 --> 00:54:32,280 "They fought there with such great fierceness, 837 00:54:32,280 --> 00:54:34,480 "and struck such blows on each other 838 00:54:34,480 --> 00:54:38,400 "with stick, with stone and with blow returned, 839 00:54:38,400 --> 00:54:40,960 "as each side could land on the other, 840 00:54:40,960 --> 00:54:42,600 "that it was dreadful to see." 841 00:54:43,680 --> 00:54:47,000 HE SCREAMS IN PAIN 842 00:55:27,960 --> 00:55:31,200 De Burgh is the most powerful lord in Ireland, 843 00:55:31,200 --> 00:55:34,680 he's a battle brother of Edward I, he was at Bannockburn. 844 00:55:34,680 --> 00:55:38,560 He is a military mind, he's a good, good warrior. 845 00:55:38,560 --> 00:55:41,640 And yet when he comes up here, he is all powerful, 846 00:55:41,640 --> 00:55:43,600 after the battle of Connor, 847 00:55:43,600 --> 00:55:46,320 his power is almost completely broken. 848 00:55:49,120 --> 00:55:51,120 He leaves here shattered. 849 00:55:53,320 --> 00:55:57,000 After Connor, Ulster is Scottish. 850 00:55:57,000 --> 00:55:59,280 It's no longer de Burgh's land at all. 851 00:56:03,520 --> 00:56:07,040 If he thought that he was going to send a message to the Bruces, 852 00:56:07,040 --> 00:56:10,080 that "Hang on here, this is my turf," 853 00:56:10,080 --> 00:56:11,960 what actually ends up happening 854 00:56:11,960 --> 00:56:15,800 is he has to leave Ulster, he flees Ulster. 855 00:56:15,800 --> 00:56:19,360 The Annals of Connaught refer to him rather wistfully, 856 00:56:19,360 --> 00:56:22,600 as almost being like a wanderer, up and down the lands, 857 00:56:22,600 --> 00:56:24,520 no lordship, no power. 858 00:56:28,960 --> 00:56:31,080 Sheltron, front face! 859 00:56:32,680 --> 00:56:34,760 Sheltron, arms! THEY SHOUT 860 00:56:35,880 --> 00:56:38,720 Sheltron! THEY SHOUT BATTLE CRY 861 00:56:38,720 --> 00:56:42,080 Ireland was only one front in Robert Bruce's war 862 00:56:42,080 --> 00:56:43,440 against the English. 863 00:56:43,440 --> 00:56:46,200 He had raided territories in northern England, 864 00:56:46,200 --> 00:56:49,600 and personally led the army which laid siege 865 00:56:49,600 --> 00:56:52,840 to the English border town of Carlisle. 866 00:56:52,840 --> 00:56:55,160 No-one could deny that the Bruce brothers 867 00:56:55,160 --> 00:56:57,640 were causing major problems for the English, 868 00:56:57,640 --> 00:57:00,040 both at home and abroad. 869 00:57:04,160 --> 00:57:09,360 The ma thai be, the mar honour all-out haff we... 870 00:57:11,320 --> 00:57:13,120 ..giff we ber it manlyly. 871 00:57:15,440 --> 00:57:17,240 We are set her in juperty 872 00:57:17,240 --> 00:57:19,200 to win honour or for to dey. 873 00:57:20,440 --> 00:57:23,720 We are to fer fra hame to fley. 874 00:57:23,720 --> 00:57:27,040 Tharfor lat ilk man worthi be. 875 00:57:28,520 --> 00:57:31,240 Yone ar gadryngis of this countre, 876 00:57:31,240 --> 00:57:33,760 and thai sal fley I trow it lychly. 877 00:57:36,880 --> 00:57:40,400 And ilk man assaile thaim manlyly. 878 00:58:03,400 --> 00:58:06,240 But if the judgment of heaven is called down on me and my people... 879 00:58:07,440 --> 00:58:09,000 ..what is to become of us? 880 00:58:09,000 --> 00:58:11,720 I feel they must face the wrath of two kings 881 00:58:11,720 --> 00:58:13,880 to convince them of their loyalty. 882 00:58:13,880 --> 00:58:15,720 Prepare yourself for war. 883 00:58:15,720 --> 00:58:17,840 HE SCREAMS 884 00:58:19,920 --> 00:58:24,360 Treachery stops unashamed in Ireland among the nobility as well, I see. 885 00:58:25,880 --> 00:58:28,440 FIRE ROARS