Swordland delves into 12th century savagery in Down

Swordland delves into 12th century savagery in Down

4 March 2015

DOWNPATRICK features in a story of swords, savagery and betrayal in 12th century Ireland.

County Down was the first Ulster region to be colonised by the Normans and at Downpatrick they had one of their greatest victories.

Carved from the remnants of the old kingdom of Dál Fiatach, the area became part of the realm of the famed adventurer John de Courcy, following his defeat of Rory MacDonlevy in 1177, and at Downpatrick he had his capital.

But how did the Normans come to be in Ireland? The answer is explored in Swordland, a new novel by Tyrone author Edward Ruadh Butler.

The book, set in the starkly beautiful landscapes of medieval Ireland and Wales, has been published in paperback and e-book form by Accent Press.

The novel has already garnered acclaim from reviewers who have praised its ‘intrigue and spine-chilling bloody action’, and its ‘lucid, deive style’ which ‘brings to life landscapes, characters and battles’ of the 12th century.

Swordland tells the story of Robert FitzStephen, an arrogant but brilliant Norman warrior from the Welsh frontier whose struggles to subdue the native princes leads to his defeat. Disgraced and imprisoned, he seems doomed to a life of obscurity and shame. Then Diarmait Mac Murchada comes seeking FitzStephen’s help to recover his Irish throne after the High King forced him to flee his homeland.

With nothing left to lose — and perhaps a great deal to gain — FitzStephen agrees to lead the Irishman’s armies, and to drive Diarmait’s enemies from his kingdom. His price? Approval and glory, or perhaps even a kingdom of his own.

“I started writing Swordland after doing some research into my family tree,” said Ruadh. “This brought me back to the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169 — something that I knew only the scantest of details about.

“The more I read into the subject the more I realised that many of my preconceived notions about the period were completely wrong and that there is a far more complex and exciting story than that which I understood.

“County Down was the first place that the Norman invaders set their sights on when they followed the famous adventurer John de Courcy into Ulster in 1177 and Downpatrick was the scene of one of his first battles when the Normans defeated Rory MacDonlevy, the King of the Dál Fiatach.

“In Swordland we learn about the very start of the Norman story in Ireland. It is a tale as bloody as any chapter from Game of Thrones, and the characters are as conniving and ambitious as any from House of Cards. But this isn’t fiction — the events in the book actually took place in this country and were carried out by our ancestors.

“In no other work of historical fiction will the reader see the interaction between Gaelic chieftains and Viking warriors, Welsh princes and Norman barons in one place; sea battles, sieges, and conflicts that match any in antiquity; or meet historical figures such as Strongbow, Diarmait Mac Murchada, King Henry II, and the Lord Rhys.”

Swordland is available to buy in e-book format online and through and www.accentpress.co.uk.