January 7, 1067
Hello Diary,
My name is Aed O'Conchuir, Duke of Connacht and Count of Mayo. If I had to describe myself in three words I would describe myself as just, cautious, and religious. Despite what I tell my wife and friends, I am 52 years old, but don't look a day over 30. I have a lovely wife who has been with me for decades as a close friend and adviser. Once upon we were lovers, too, but women age less gracefully than we men do...
Anyways, here is a picture of myself:
I have a wonderful son, Ruaidri. He's 27 years old and handsome as can be. He's a pretty bland person, though, but hopefully he'll become more interesting as he ages. He's living the bachelor's life right now, but I'll be working hard to convince him to get married within the next few years. Being single and having all sorts of wild flings is fun (or so I've been told - I was married at age 17, so I was single for all of one year, and spent most of that year studying at a monastery), but he's old enough that he needs to work on building a family. He's my heir apparent to Connacht, and quite rightfully so, as he's got quite a capable mind, especially when it comes to military matters.
Here's a picture of the strapping young lad:
Together, my son and I are top dogs here in the Duchy of Connacht. My demesne is only one province, which is quite alright for me, but sometimes Ruaidri gets antsy for some land of his own. Anyways, my hill-fort capital is in the County of Mayo, a delightful seaside region where the men are honest and fair and the maidens are beautiful and full of life.
I do have a vassal, but I'm not really sure I like him. Sometimes he seems sneaky, like he's only putting up with me because he knows I can levy more troops than he can. Oh well, if he keeps paying his scutage funds then I really can't complain.
Here's a map of my beloved Connacht:
As you can see from the map above, the Ireland I love so dearly is divided up between quite a few little counties and a few duchies.
One of those duchies, Leinster, is a bit more powerful than the others. They're a bit more urbanized than other places, and Dublin is often listed as an up and coming place of trade and commerce. I need to keep an eye on them.
Munster, the southernmost Duchy, is a generally benign and peaceful duchy where fine men fish the little bays of the southern coast and raise their sheep.
In the north there are the three counties of Ulster - Tir Connail, Tir Eoghain, and Ulaid. All of these places are strange and clannish, prone to violence and often find themselves in an intense rivalry. I need to watch my back when around any of those three.
Anyways, my candle is almost out and I don't really feel like scrounging around for another one.
Goodnight, diary.