The painting Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife (Daniel Maclise in1854) has recently undergone restoration by the National Gallery of Ireland.
This large picture depicts the marriage of Strongbow (a Norman lord, Strongbow cider is named after him) to Aoife the daughter of an Irish chieftian and took part in Waterford. It captures the start of Norman rule in Ireland and a period of foreign rule which continued until the early 20th centuary.
The wedding was arranged in return for militatry assistance. In some respects foreign rule has returned to Ireland in the form of the Troika due to financial cataclysm that has occurred here and freedoms have been exchanged for loans.
