Breifne

The dramatic elopement of Devorgilla, wife of Tighernan O'Rourke, King of Breifne, with Dermot MacMurrough, King of Leinster, played a pivotal role in the coming of the Normans to Ireland. The actions of another Breifne prince, the ill-fated Bryan O'Rourke also had profound consequences on Ireland's history. The aid he gave to the survivors of the Spanish Armada, for which he was executed at Tyburn, strengthened Queen Elizabeth's resolve to begin the Tudor Conquest of Ireland. The Kingdom of Breifne was situated in the north-west of Ireland, encompassing the modern Irish counties of Leitrim and Cavan, along with parts of County Sligo. In 'Breifne: From Chieftain to Landlord' Mary Weir traces the kingdom's dramatic history from the twelfth to the twentieth century and introduces the reader to some of its more colourful and influential characters along the way.