The Bruces and the Irish-Scottish relationship
‘The king sends greetings to all the kings of Ireland, to the prelates and clergy, and to the inhabitants of all Ireland, his friends. Whereas we and you and our people and your people, free since ancient times, share the same national ancestry and are urged to come together more eagerly and joyfully in friendship by a common language and by common custom, we have sent over to you our beloved kinsmen, the bearer of this letter, to negotiate with you in our name about permanently strengthening and maintaining inviolate the special friendship between us and you, so that with God’s will our nation may be able to recover her ancient liberty. Whatever our envoys or one of them may on our behalf conclude with you in this matter we shall ratify and uphold in the future.’ G. W. S. Barrow, Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland (Edinburgh, 2013 classic edn.) p.408 Robert Bruce, King of Scots, sent this letter to the ‘people of Ireland’, most probably in 1315. It is un