The Galloglass: Gaelic Mercenary Warriors

<p>For more than 400 years, Irish warfare was dominated by the Galloglass, elite Norse-Gael mercenary warriors who reshaped battles with their two-handed sparth axes and claymores. Why did Gaelic chieftains and Norman lords alike rely on these foreign fighters? And what drove the Galloglass to fight with such ferocity that English observers would later write, "When they strike they inflict a dreadful wound"?</p><p>To find out more, Matt Lewis is joined by Fergus Cannan-Braniff, a descendant of Rob Roy MacGregor and Robert the Bruce, and author of <em>Galloglass 1250-1600: Gaelic Mercenary Warrior</em>.</p> <p>MORE</p> <p><strong>Castles and the Conquest of Ireland</strong></p><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/4mQSY11BBAru3Q3tDQgXWA" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://open.spotify.com/episode/4mQSY11BBAru3Q3tDQgXWA</a></p><p><strong>Medieval Ireland: Death & Politics</strong></p><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/3sGKfux9jioLnvOUcydbov" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://open.spotify.com/episode/3sGKfux9jioLnvOUcydbov</a></p> <p>Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis and edited by Amy Haddow. The producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.</p><p>All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.</p><p><em>Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.</em></p> <p><strong>Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, including Matt's series Castles that Made Ireland, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at </strong><a href="https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><u>https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe</u></strong></a><strong>.</strong>&nbsp;</p> <p>You can take part in our listener survey here:&nbsp;<a href="https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on</a></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>