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"Lo, and behold the story of men and mercies, of vengeance and glory, of war and peace. Sing your song, and let your voices be heard, oh angels of Ireland! From the wellspring of life, praise your child, oh Connal mac Donchadha!" - Stair Chlann Donchadh, Volume 1 (1794)
Thus is how the legend of Connell McDuncan begins, written centuries after his life by late members of his clan. The histories of Connal mac Donchadha are a mix of legend and fact, but we are focused primarily on the facts, in comparison to the fancy. How does the story of Connal mac Donchadha begin? It begins in the court of Áed mac Tadg, King of Connacht on 4 July, 1039 CE. Connal was, as his name stated, the son of a low nobleman: Donchadha mac Tadg (unrelated to King Tadg in Eich Gil). Donchadha served under King Áed faithfully for many years, and Connal earned all the privileges of a noble-born birth, including an education.
When Connal was at the tender age of 10, his father was arrested on false charges of treason, and executed by King Áed. Fearing for his life, he was ferried away from Connacht to the court of the disputed High King of Ireland,Diarmait mac Máel, and there he focused his later education on warfare and strategy. He came of age in 1055 CE, where Connal would become a loyal member of the High King's court. The High King saw potential in the boy, and invariably made him a member of the royal guard. Connal grew into a brave and patient man, with a penchant for stratagem. Years later, with funding from the High King, Conall was allowed to leave the court, and form his own mercenary corps. He would name this company "The Irish Keepers", and set up camp in the outskirts of Ceatharlach (modern-day Carlow). He'd marry his first wife, Tailltiu "The Chaste", and came to earn a devoted follower in the lowborn Eichnechan.
(The Banner of the Irish Keepers) They say that Connal was unusually tall for his time. Modern estimations of his skeletal remains placed him at approximately 193 cm (6'4"), making him an imposing and intimidating figure. Legends of course speak to his brave and patient nature, but also of his vengefulness and deviancy in privacy. He was an enemy of the Conchobair Clan, seeking justice for his father, who was betrayed by them. His travels would take him from his homeland of Ireland, across the Irish sea to England, across the channel to France and the Roman Empires of West and East. This is merely the beginning of the tale of Conall mac Donchadha.
"With valor and bravery, Connal did cross the seas, to the land of the Saxons, where armies marched in war; in this land, battles were fought, and the adventure of our hero begins." - Stair Chlann Donchadh, Volume 1 (1794)
With the backing of High King Diarmit, Connal mac Donchadha used the initial funding given to him, and utilized it to quickly grow his adventuring army into that of 600 soldiers, and when whispers came of war coming to England in 1066 CE, Connal could scarcely resist the eagerness to jump into the action of the Invasions of England from the Norse King Harald Hardrada and the French Duke of Normandy: William de Normandie. Already at twenty-seven years of age, Connal sent letters of recommendation of his services to both parties, and an additional letter to the King of England, Harold Godwinson. It was Normandy who accepted the aid of the Irish Keepers, and with it, Connal began at once, setting sail across the Irish sea and landing in Cornwall on the 27th of November, 1066 CE.
The Irish Keepers themselves disembarked onto the beaches of Trebarwith, immediately marching for Tintagel, a minor castle in the county. On his march, he would pick up several Cornish followers along the way, those who were not necessarily pleased with their English overlords. The High King additionally sent supplies to Connal's army across the sea, ensuring that during the winter of 1066-67 CE, the Irish Keepers would not starve in their siege of Tintagel.
Yet the Irish Keepers would be forced to forego their siege, as reports came of a portion of the English army encroaching upon Cornwall. This portion of the army, led by the Earl of Cornwall, Cadoc ap Cador, smashed into Connal's army on 15 May, 1067, forcing a rout and a quick retreat into the countryside by the Irish Keepers. Many men were lost, but Connal wisely opted to escape further into the English forests and meet up with the Norman army in Winchester. There, Connal met the Norman Duke William. Despite the language barrier, both came to an agreement regarding a plan to capture key cities, including the capital city of Winchester over the Summer and Autumn of 1067 CE.
The Battle of Hastings, 15 April 1068 CE
Harold Godwinson, the King of England, on the other hand, complicated things. Harald Hardrada was killed in the Battle of Stamford Bridge the year before, and Norway surrendered; thus Harold had assembled his army over the winter to pincer the Norman army in Southern England. On the 15th of April, 1068 CE, the Norman-Irish armies met the Anglo-Flemish armies at The Battle of Hastings. The Norman cavalry had ultimately decided this bloody battle whereby the English army was soundly defeated. Harold Godwinson fled from the battle, and later officially surrendered to William of Normandy on the 1st of May. For Connal mac Donchadha's part in the war, he was paid handsomely for his services out of the coffers of the newly raided capital of Winchester.
Returning to Ireland, Connal used the money awarded to him during the Norman Invasion, and would make several upgrades to his mercenary camp. Yet Connal would find little time, as his smaller army would be inaugurated into another war on the English side of the islands. After William's conquest of England, the Anglo-Saxon Earls of Mercia and Northumbria would come into conflict, having attempted to consolidate territory on their own in an attempt to gain power and potentially overthrow this new conqueror. William of Normandy saw this as a potential problem, should Northumbria conquer Mercia, they would be in a position to make problems for the new king...
William wrote to Connal, calling upon him to join the war on the side of Eadwin Ælfgarson, the Earl of Mercia. Connal of course, would never turn down good money, and thus offered his services to Eadwin, who accepted his aid. With 200 men, veterans of the campaign against Harold Godwinson, they arrived into the occupied Northumbrian city of Lancaster on the 13th of August, 1068 CE. They would be instructed to meet up with the main army, and aid in sieges along the Mercian/Northumbrian border. Back in Ireland, Connal's wife, Tailltiu, would tend to matters back home, recruiting soldiers to the Irish Keepers, as well as raising their child, Augustin mac Conall (born 19 July, 1967 CE).
While the campaign in the English counties continued in earnest, another offer of gold arrived at the Irish camp, and was relayed to Connal mac Donchadha in England. The King of Ulster, Cóiced Cú Uladh mag Áed, sought aid in an attack on his territory by the Chief of Kintyre, Gilla-Brigte MacGilla-Adamnain. Two wars in one for the Irish Keepers would stretch its forces thin, but thankfully, 400 new recruits had arrived by the time of July 1069 CE. Commander Eicnechan, a loyal follower of Connal, would lead this second army north to Ulster to defend its land from Gaelic invaders.
This second war ended in failure by December 1069 CE, but with it, it freed up the second army to join Connal's forces. On 5 October, 1070 CE, the Irish Keepers captured the city of Dunholm; this allowed the Mercian army to focus their efforts on the Northumbrian army. Military campaigning would stall out in the war for much of 1071 CE, until finally the Mercians were victorious on the 9th of January, 1072 CE.
Returning home to Ireland, things were suddenly thrown into uncertainty The High King of Ireland had died, and the title was left in the hands of his son, Murchad mac Diarmata. Murchad was not like his father, and furthermore, did not see much interest in funding a roving army of mercenaries. Connal was given notice that he must leave his lands by the Spring. It would seem that the time to move to a new home... perhaps to a place more appreciative of his efforts.
