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Castles are one of the most visible physical remnants of Norman Ireland.

As the Normans pushed further into Ireland they were not always welcomed by the locals or the Irish Kings whose land they were claiming. Therefore, castles were built first and foremost as a means of defence and a place where soldiers could be stationed safely.

Initially the Normans built Motte and Bailey castles.

The Motte was a mound of Earth with a dwelling to live in and the Bailey a flat area for soldiers and horses.

Both were surrounded by a high fence called a stockade. The mounds from a Motte and Bailey can still be seen at Downpatrick and Dundrum.

From the 13th century onwards the Normans began to use castles built with stone that resemble our idea of what a castle looks like.

These had the advantage of being more difficult to attack and could cope far better with the wintry weather of the British Isles.

The best preserved early Norman castle in Northern Ireland is Carrickfergus Castle. This was the seat of the Norman, John de Courcy.

It is a very good example of the defensive nature of castles as it is perched on a hill to make it more difficult for enemies to attack it on foot or with heavy weapons.

It is also located at the harbour, meaning over half of the perimeter is surrounded by water which acts as a natural defence. The outer walls are several metres thick and there are also inner walls for any invader to deal with.

The castles also served as a hub of Norman life.

The Keep, a tower-like structure, is where the Lord would live. He occupied the top floor of the keep, a symbol of his position and the best furnished room in the castle.

The Keep would also be the venue for the great banquets that the Normans held to celebrate important occasions and religious feast days. These banquets would be prepared in the kitchens in the lower floors.

At the banquet, the Lord would sit at the top table and get the best cuts of meat. Your position at the table and the quality of the meat that you received depended on your position among the local Normans.

There were lots of elements of life in Ireland that would change because of the Normans. The native way of life was not replaced, but Norman ways and customs became part of Irish life.

• The Normans established many new towns such as Athlone, Drogheda and Carrickfergus. The towns tended to be similarly designed with a set of walls, protective gates and a market square for traders. They were usually built near a river and would have either a river or a monastery associated with them. Most people lived in timber houses in the narrow lanes within the gates. Only wealthy merchants could afford houses made of stone
• There were changes in farming. The Normans grew a much wider range of crops and they introduced innovations such as crop rotation whereby one field was left to recover every year.
• The Norman system of law came into use. By the end of the 15th Century all Irish laws had to be approved by the King of England. As English was the language of the legal system, it took on an official status and it began to be used as a native language.
• There were big changes for the Church. The Pope had wanted the Irish to follow the Church's rules more closely and the Normans ensured this would happen. They built stone churches and established a parish system. These parishes would be grouped together to form a diocese, which would then be headed by a bishop. This allowed for a great degree of control by the Church leadership.
• Irish surnames such as Burke, Costello, Fitzgerald, Fitzsimons and Butler are just some that have Norman roots.

As time went on, English Kings became more concerned with protecting their valuable lands in France and there was a loosening of control.

Some Irish Kings even regained land and by 1500 there was only one part of Ireland surrounding Dublin, called the Pale, where the Normans held complete control and the English way of life dominated.

The Normans ruled Ireland from Dublin but could not fully control it beyond this territory. You may have heard of the phrase beyond the pale to describe uncivilised behaviour. It comes from the description that the Dublin Normans used for the Irish outside of this territory.

The coming of the Normans established a connection between Ireland and England. From the time that King Henry II came it was considered to be part of the lands of the English crown.

Ireland would become more modern and wealthier, but the role of the English crown would cause many disputes in the centuries to come.