The challenge for Henry VIII was whether or not he had the steel
to subdue Ireland finally. His predecessors had tried a variety of
techniques, ranging from warfare to diplomacy, but Ireland had
never fallen fully to the English Crown. Henry VIII was certainly
a more single-minded and aggressive monarch than many of
those who had gone before him. He was a successful military
campaigner elsewhere across the Tudor world and his struggle
with the Papacy over his first divorce certainly showed strength
of determination. Ireland though remained a problem. Put
simply, did Henry need to conquer Ireland? Many of the previ-
ous holders of the crown had been too preoccupied elsewhere, or
had been happy to allow Ireland to take care of itself, to bother
themselves with conquest. For Henry, his whole attitude towards
the strength of monarchy and the need to cancel out all oppo-
nents put him in a different position from those who went
before. He would actively wish to, and indeed would, success-
fully subdue Ireland.

With Gearóid Óg in the Tower of London, the fortunes of the
House of Kildare were left in the hands of Silken Thomas.
Whereas Gearóid Óg was now familiar with the intrigues
involved in being the King's deputy in Ireland, the role of the
Irish Council and the constant meddling of the English faction

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