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Ireland in Schools |
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A. Study units & resources B. Selected websites |
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Study units Historical fiction Resources Selected websites
Brian Boru & the Battle of Clontarf For more websites, see next entry. Textbooks Reference |
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B. Alfred the Great & Brian Boru: selected websites |
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1. Linked sites - all subjects 2. Other sites - King Alfred b. Shorter c. Longer d. Background 3. Other sites - Battle of Edington 4. Other sites - Brian Boru b. Shorter c. Longer d. Fiction, music, song, etc. 5. Other sites - Battle of Clontarf 6. Othersites - Vikings b. England |
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C. Brian Boru |
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Brian Bóruma (Boru) (d. 1014), king of Munster, was among the most successful of all early Irish monarchs.
Achievements
A new kind of king?
Resistance
Brian’s position in the southern half of the country being now relatively secure, he turned his attention northwards and engaged in a number of campaigns to bring the kingdoms of Cenél nEógain, Cenel Conaill, and Ulaid into line. Despite giving hostages to Brian, the northern rulers maintained a certain independence and Flaithbertach Ua Neill king of Cenél nEógain, attacked Brian’s ally, Máel Sechnaill, in 1013. Around this time too the Leinstermen sought to throw off Munster dominance and gathered together Norse allies in preparation for battle against Brian. It was at the subsequent encounter in Clontarf in 1014* that Brian was slain.
Cultivating the Church
Brian also cultivated close relations with Armagh, as the church which claimed primacy and one intimately associated with the dynasty of Uí Néill. In 1005, when journeying northwards, he bestowed 20 ounces of gold upon the clergy of Armagh, and in 1012 he granted complete immunity to Patrick’s churches. Furthermore, he is given the title imperator Scottorum by his confessor, Máel Suthain, in the Book of Armagh.
Key to success
Moreover,he engaged in the building of fortifications for defencepurposes.Beingso closely linked to his personal ability as a military commander and as a politician, his power to a large extent died with him. Nevertheless, his descendants continued for generations to bask in his glory. O Corráin, D., Ireland before the Normans (1972) * Battle of Clontarf (1014) Annalistic records, generally of a more sober nature, suggest that the battle should instead be viewed as an attempt by the Leinstermen, with the help of their Norse allies, to assert their independence against their dominant Munster neighbour. Moreover, despite being defeated, the Leinstermen did in fact gain respite following the encounter, since Brian’s death in the battle marked the beginning of a temporary decline in Dál Cais power. |
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D. The Vikings in Ireland |
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Vikings, Scandinavian adventurers in Ireland , were subsequently known as Ostmen (Old Norse ‘men of the east’) or Lochlannaigh (Irish ‘people from the land of First loughs’). Image & reality Raiding The first Viking raid on Ireland occurred in 795 when Reachrainn, probably Rathlin island (but Lambay island has also been suggested), was attacked. During the next 25 years there was, on average, one Viking attack per year. The raids were hit-and-run affairs. Monasteries were the prime target, not only because they possessed treasuries of precious objects but also because they were densely populated centres with substantial stores of provisions and potentialslaves. Archaeologically this phase of activity has left no trace in Ireland, but about 60 metalwork objects of Irish manufacture have been discovered in graves of 9th-century date in western Norway. These artefacts are normally interpreted as the result of plundering raids, but it should be noted that most of the objects are domestic in function and may have been the result of trade or exchange. Settlement The success of these campaigns dearly gave rise to the next development, the foundation of longphorts (a defended enclosure designed originally to protect ships) at Dublin and Annagassan, Co. Louth, in 841. These were the first permanent Viking settlements in Ireland and were originally envisaged as defended bases in which the Scandinavian forces could overwinter and plan the renewal of campaigning in the spring. Development of Dublin Irish attacks Archaeologically little is known about the nature of these longphorts. The cemetery of the 9th-century Dublin Vikings has been uncovered and shows, not surprisingly, that warriors formed a prominent element of the population. There are some hints of rural settlement in the immediate vicinity of Dublin at this time and there are slight indications of rural colonization in underpopulated areas such as western Connemara. A new wave Dublin's links with England The Battle of Clontarf In fact Limerick had been captured by the Dál Cais in 967 and it was to be ruled by their descendants until 1197. Dublin maintained a semblance of independence until 1052 when the king of Leinster, Diarmait mac Máel na mBó, forced the Dubliners to accept his son Murchad as their ruler. Paradoxically, however, as Dublin’s political power declined its economic importance increased and from 1049 onwards any king with pretensions to the high kingship of Ireland had to control Dublin. Viking impact on Ireland Modern historiography, however, has largely discredited these views and the port towns of Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Cork, and Limerick are generally regarded as the Scandinavians’ most enduring legacy. Archaeological excavations have yielded good evidence of the urban layout and building fabric of these 10th-12th-century towns but less is known about rural settlement in their vicinity. Each port had a rural hinterland (that of Dublin is referred to as Dyflinarskíri), and the archaeological evidence suggests that they were settled by a mixed community that was heavily Hibernicized. Scandinavian settlement in Ireland is unusual in its urban bias and motives more complex than the provision of pirate bases may have influenced the foundation of these towns. They were all well placed, for instance, to take advantage of trade with the interior. The colonization of large tracts of territory does not seem to have been a primary objective of the Scandinavians in Ireland and it cannot be without significance that they put so much of their resources into the development of towns. An influencing factor in this regard may have been the view that Britain, rather than Ireland, was the principal area in which to achieve O Corráin, D., Ireland before the Normans (1972); Smyth, A. R, Scandinavian York and Dublin (2 vols.,975_9); Bradley, J., 'The Interpretation of Scandinavian Settlement in Ireland', in J. Bradley (ed.), Settlement and Society in Medieval Ireland (1988). |