Medieval Ireland

Adding the Anglo-Irish and Medieval Irish army came about by accident and not by design. Reorganising and refurbishing the collection to build a Yorkist and Lancastrian army, I ended with extra elements of longbowmen. Thinking how best to use them, I recalled the Duke of York spent time in Ireland prior to the Wars of the Roses and looked to the Anglo-Irish list for a possible solution. Other boxes with extra elements, I found enough to build a basic army. 

I had planned to order Medieval Irish from Donnington Miniatures, then remembered the Welsh army (III/19a) in the collection were actually Donnington Irish Kern. It did not require much thinking, the unbeaten “Welsh” were transformed into Medieval Irish (3 x LH, 3 x 3Ax, 6 x Ps). With little rebasing needed, the Anglo-Irish have an opponent. Extra elements of kern were used to fill the army of Anglo-Irish. Packing a lighter punch, the Medieval Irish should offer an interesting challenge to use. 

The armies complete, I spent time researching Irish history of the late 15^th century, the reverse of my usual approach to building any army. Conflicts between the two did not reach the same scale as in England, these being mostly skirmishes, raids, and a few sieges (Dublin). Of interest were the various clans aligning with one or the other faction, sending mercenaries on a number of occasions. The feuds among clans, such as the FitzGeralds and Butlers are covered in the Irish Medieval History channel. The bloodiest medieval battle, the Battle of Knockdoe (1504), is offered on the same channel, see link below.   

Readers wishing more information about Irish medieval history, I found the below listed topics extremely helpful. 

Recommended reading or viewing.

History of Ireland (1169–1536)

The Statutes Of Kilkenny

Irish Medieval History Channel

Clans and Dynasties Channel

Battle of Knockdoe, August 19, 1504.