THE tale of a Chepstow man who led a force of more than a hundred warriors to victory over an enemy of several thousand Vikings in Ireland is the backdrop to a new historical fiction by Ruadh Butler.

Lord of the Sea Castle tells the story of the Battle of Baginbun in 1170 when a Welsh-Norman advance force defeated an army twenty times their number made up of Waterford Vikings and their Gaelic allies on the southern Irish coast.

Nothing less than the fate of the entire country hangs in the balance for, as the old verse declares, “at the creek of Baginbun, Ireland was lost and won”.

“This was a little-known but incredibly important battle which took place on Ireland’s south coast,” said the author.

“A Welsh-Norman advance force of just over a hundred is sent to Ireland by the Lord of Chepstow, Strongbow, to forge a bridgehead ahead of his invasion.

“It really was the Irish equivalent of the Battle of Hastings – the next 850 years of Ireland’s history would be decided by the events that took place that day at Baginbun.”

The book has already garnered praise from some of the best authors working in historical fiction.

“This lyrical novel is rich in history and evokes a wonderful sense of time and place,” said acclaimed author of The Master of War series, David Gilman.

Lord of the Sea Castle is published by Accent Press and is available in all formats at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Waterstones, Eason’s and WHSmith.