Ironically, given the legacy of the Penal Laws, the invasion of Ireland was sanctioned by the Pope. In 1155 he granted King Henry II the right to invade Ireland to put manners on the wayward Irish church. MacMurrough died in 1171 at the ripe old age, for the time, of 61. In the annals of nationalist history, MacMurrough immediately became a hate figure and a symbol of perfidy. Though Ireland had a high king at the time of the Norman invasions, it was hardly a united kingdom.

Source: The Irish Times May 01, 2019 13:16 UTC