General Notes

Often considered to be the most notorious traitor in Irish history.  Ousted as King of Leinster, he invited King Henry II of England to assist him in regaining the throne.  The subsequent invasion led to Henry becoming Lord of Ireland himself, and marked the beginning of 8 centuries of English dominance.  Though he is often seen as a traitor his intention was not to aid an English invasion of Ireland but rather to use Henry's assistance to become the High King of Ireland himself.

Gerald of Wales, a Cambro-Norman historian who visited Ireland and whose uncles and cousins were prominent soldiers in the army of Strongbow, said of Mac Murchada:

"Now Dermot was a man tall of stature and stout of frame; a soldier whose heart was in the fray, and held valiant among his own nation. From often shouting his battle-cry his voice had become hoarse. A man who liked better to be feared by all than loved by any. One who would oppress his greater vassals, while he raised to high station men of lowly birth. A tyrant to his own subjects, he was hated by strangers; his hand was against every man, and every man's hand against him."  (from Wikipedia.org)