When Monty Python fans get together, the phrase “What did the Romans ever do for us?” will surely ring out. Even those who are not fans of the seventies satire Life of Brian recognise the scene depicting the People’s Front of Judea, listing the various benefits the Romans brought with their subjugation of Jerusalem and the Judean people. Of course, back in the seventies, imperialism was not the elephant in the room that it has now become—perhaps rightly so. I’m a storyteller, not an activist or a politician, so I will leave that fight up to others.
Oh, and not forgetting: “The wine! Don’t forget the wine!”
Here, in Ireland, there was a different saying. It was a turn of phrase I found, at the least, confusing and, in some ways, downright idiotic, “Romans. Which Romans? They were never here!”
Of course, during the era of Christ and the Romans, Imperialism was the flavour of the Epoch. The small men from south of the Alps had a penchant for conquest and brutality. And they were small—Caesar described the Gauls as giants. For further clarification, you only need to look at the casts from Pompeii to realise just how small they were. They were still small during the 1990s when I lived in Naples and was considered a giant at 6’ 2.
I digress.
When I first started writing pre-Christian Irish historical fantasy novels, specialists believed that the Romans never made it to the shores of Ireland—a belief that they had set in stone, despite the discovery of Roman artefacts connected to the legendary High King, Túathal Techtmar and the existence of the promontory fort at Drumanagh. Architects and historians poo-pooed the idea of the Romans in Ireland because there is no evidence to support the theory, or so they continue to say. The fort, they say, was a trading post. Tacitus, they say, was writing about the Isle of Man.
My conviction, however, remains unshaken because of several facets:
Drumanagh—The promontory fort—as the description implies—has all the appearance of a structure defending a bridgehead on the headland. Roman tactics demanded that the legions build a fort at the end of each marching day to protect them from attack. I can see the Roman architetti (engineers) landing first and constructing the defences while the remaining troops disembarked. The three ditches span the headland in a form reflected in Roman marching forts.
Tacitus—Publius Cornelius Tacitus, Agricola’s son-in-law, was a historian who claimed that Agricola had crossed the seas and fought an unknown enemy. Historians believe Tacitus meant the crossing of the Clyde or the Forth during his conquest of Caledonia. I can see it, except Tacitus also wrote that Agricola stood on the headland of Holyhead gazing to the west and promised that he would defeat the Hibernians with a single legion and auxiliaries. Looking at a map, I see that Man is north of Holyhead. The naysayers have said that Ancient Roman directional accuracy was fallible; look at Ptolemy’s map. However, geography must have played a part.
Irish Legends—Tacitus also wrote that a Hibernian prince asked for Agricola’s help to regain his throne. According to Irish legend, Túathal Techtmar was an exiled prince who returned to Ireland to reclaim his throne. This return coincides with the time Tacitus claims Agricola crossed the seas to fight an unknown foe. Drumanagh is fifteen miles north of Dublin, close to where Túathal is supposed to have landed. This legend and other Irish myths and historical accounts provide intriguing parallels to Tacitus’s writings, further fuelling my belief in the potential Roman presence in Ireland.
Geography with Roman Imperialism—On a clear day, from an elevated point, it is possible to see the Wicklow Mountains from Anglesey. I can picture Agricola sitting on the rise above the harbour, looking at the mountains across the waves, and promising to conquer another land for his Emperor. Agricola was a Roman general famed for his conquests—driven to succeed—and I doubt he would have been able to resist.
Irish Raiding—Another motive for Agricola to invade Ireland was the constant raiding by Irish reavers. There is evidence of Roman defences along the western coast of Anglesey. Agricola might have supported Túathal so that he had an ally on the throne, thereby reducing the raids.
In summary, I am firm in my belief that Agricola and his legion set foot in Ireland. I envision them establishing a bridgehead on the Drumanagh Promontory. Yet, I am equally certain that they did not venture further. The reasons for their withdrawal remain a mystery, but I have woven a compelling theory in my trilogy, The Iron Between.
You can find the first two books in the trilogy here:
The final installment of the series, Anvil, is set to be released in the autumn, promising a thrilling conclusion to the saga.
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