fled to Connacht. He then subdued all Munster and captured Luimneach. Forced to attack or lose face, Ruaidrí responded by plundering and burning areas around Strabane and Derry. Then, while Mac Lochlinn was returning home to counter him, Ruaidrí entered Munster and overturned Mac Lochlinn's political settlement. High King of Ireland After the death of Mac Lochlainn in 1166 Ruadhrí rode to Dublin where he was inaugurated as High King of Ireland, arguably the first without opposition. He then celebrated Oneach Tailltann, a recognised prerogative of the High Kings, in which he made a number of charitable donations and gifts. One of Ruadhrí's first acts as King was to invade Leinster and expel its king, Dermot Mac Morrough. He then received hostages from all the major lordships and kings of Ireland to show their submission. However, his power base was still in his home Province of Connacht. Dublin was under the rule of Ascaill mac Ragnaill who had submitted to Ruadhrí. Ruadhrí's position in Ireland remained strong until the Norman invasion of Ireland, who had come to aid Dermot mac Morrough regain his throne as king of Leinster. Ruadhrí experienced mixed success fighting the Norman and their rebellious Irish allies, losing much of Leinster, along with the Norse-Gael cities of Waterford and Wexford. He was, however, able to unite much of the Irish military forces, something not seen since the days of Brian Boru. He allegedly led a massive army of sixty-thousand men and a fleet of 30 ships during a campaign to retake the land they had lost to the Normans, in particular Dublin. He drove the Normans out of Kildare and Meath, burning Norman castles at Trim and Kells. This led to the siege of Dublin in 1171. However, the King was defeated after the Normans sallied out to Ruadhrí's camp and killed many of the Irish soldiers as they were resting and bathing. After this defeat, Ruadhrí's army withdrew. This army was a part of a massive counter-offensive led by the High King which pushed the Normans out of the Midlands and towards Dublin and the east coast. Despite the defeat at Dublin, Ruadhrí managed to keep control of the Midlands. The Normans managed to conquer northern and southern Leinster, and parts of eastern Munster. However, this was arguably the limit of their expansion during Ruadhrís reign. A Norman expedition into Munster was wiped out by Ruadhrí