The 1317 Siege of Dublin

In February 1317 Dublin faced its greatest crisis. A huge army lead by Robert the Bruce, the victor of Bannockburn, was making its way to lay siege to the city. There was no Norman army to save Dublin. The city’s inhabitants were effectively on their own.

However everyone in the city could not be trusted, a few days earlier the Earl of Ulster who also happened to be Bruce’s father in law arrived in the city supposedly fleeing the Scots. What happened next is one the deadliest and strangest events in Dublin history. Set to the backdrop of famine this episode explores the history of one of Dublins darkest periods.