Dermot MacMurrough , King of Leinster had his hopes fulfilled at last when, in May 1169, a small band of 30 knights, and 360 soldiers landed quietly on Bannow Strand, in the south of Wexford.

The Knights - of Norman / Welsh extraction - were nearly all related to each other. It was something of a family adventure, this Irish undertaking and many had little to lose in Wales, and hoped to improve their individual lot, in answering Dermot's call for help.

The equipment, horses and armour and supplies, is hauled up onto the shore. The knight's leader, Robert Fitzstephen's is seen being greeted by Dermot and his followers, they having rushed from Ferns to meet them.

The heavily armed newcomers with their massive steeds and colourful regalia, may have drawn laconic asides from Dermot's men whose ancestral memory would know that the ultimate warrior goes into battle protected by no more than a helmet and some gold jewellery.

On the upper border, a series of incidents lay the ground for the Norman coming, the elopement of Dermot and Dervorgilla, Dermot meeting Henry II in Aquitaine, the proclamation being read in Bristol and finally, a mounted watcher scanned the sea off the Wexford coast in search of long awaited help. In the lower border, Alice of Abergavenny seeks revenge on her lover's killer. Horses disembark into shallow waters from tilted Norman ships. These are followed by scenes from Robert Fitzstephen's past, an attractive womaniser and lover of life.