Irish coastline
The loss of Irish liberty can be traced back before the reign of Edward I. Civil war between supporters of Diarmait MacMurchada, King of Leinster, and the new high King, Ruaidri Ua Conchobair fractured the country. Diarmait sought support from Henry II, who came to realise that this was an opportunity to gain a power-base in Ireland.
The arrival of Anglo-Norman barons in the second half of the twelfth century, and the subjugation of the kings of Ireland before Henry II in 1171, consolidated English rule in Ireland.
