Irish Gaels - Brian Boru (1/3)

Many Irish annals state that Brian was in his 88th year when he fell in the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. If true, this would mean that he was born as early as 926 or 927

The Viking army formed up into five divisions on the field, while Sigtrygg and 1,000 of his men remained in town. Sigtrygg's son commanded the extreme left of the line with 1,000 of the men from Dublin who decided to fight in the open. Máel Mórda added another 3,000 men from Leinster in two divisions. Although numerous, they too were poorly armed in comparison to the Vikings on either side. Sigurd's Orkney Vikings manned the center with 1,000 men, and Brodir's Vikings added another 1,000 or more on the right, on the beaches.

Brian's forces were arranged in a similar fashion. On the right (the Viking left) were 1,000 foreign mercenaries and Manx Vikings. Next to them, 1,500 clansmen of Connacht were gathered under their kings, while more than 2,000 Munster warriors under Brian's son Murchad continued the front, flanked by 1,400 Dal Caissans on the extreme left led by Murchad's 15-year-old son, Tordhelbach, and Brian's brother, Cuduiligh. Off to the right and several hundred yards to the rear stood Máel Sechnaill's 1,000 men who simply watched.

The battle opened with several personal taunts between men in either line, often ending with the two men marching out into the middle of the field to enter personal battle, while the forces on either side cheered. While this went on the two groups slowly edged towards each other. They engaged early in the morning.

At first the battle went the Vikings' way, with their heavier weapons prevailing over their opponents as everyone had expected. This advantage also served Brian, whose Viking mercenaries on his right slowly pushed back the forces facing them. On the left, Brodir himself led the charge and gained ground, until he met the warrior Wolf the Quarrelsome, brother of King Brian. Although Wolf was unable to break Brodir's armor, he knocked him to the ground and Brodir fled to hide. This left the now leaderless Viking force facing Murchad's forces, who considered themselves the "king's own" (containing many of Brian's more distant relatives) and by the afternoon Brodir's forces were fleeing to their ships.

In the center things were going more the Vikings' way. Both Sigurd's and Máel Mórda's forces were hammering into the Munster forces. However Sigurd, according to legend, carried a "magical" standard into battle which drew the Irish warriors to it, eventually forcing their way in and killing the bearer. Although the standard was supposed to guarantee a victory for the bearer's forces, it also guaranteed the bearer's death. No one would pick it up due to its reputation, so Sigurd did and was quickly killed.

By the end of the day, after several mutual pauses for rest, the Vikings found themselves with both flanks failing, Sigurd dead, and everyone exhausted. The beaches in front of the ships were already lost, and many men took to trying to swim to the ships further offshore, drowning in the process. The battle was now clearly going Brian's way, and the Dublin Vikings decided to flee to the town. At this point Máel Sechnaill decided to re-enter the battle, and cut them off from the bridge. The result was a rout, with every "invading" Viking leader being killed in the battle.

Meanwhile Brodir, hiding in the woods near Dublin, noticed Brian praying in his tent. Gathering several followers they ran into the tent and killed him and his retainers. Then they retreated, with Brodir yelling, Now let man tell man that Brodir felled Brian. According to Viking accounts, he was eventually tracked, captured and gruesomely killed by Wolf the Quarrelsome with whom he had clashed earlier on the battlefield.

Of the 6,500 to 7,000 Vikings and allied forces, an estimated 6,000,including almost all the leaders, were killed. Irish losses were at least 4,000, including their king and most of his sons. There were in fact some sons of Brian Boru left after the battle of Clontarf. Two of his sons, Donnogh and Teige both were heirs of Brian and after their father's death in 1014, were at debate against each other which started with mild quarrelsome and ended with both brothers coming together in 1008 and killing Donell McDuff Davereann. The two sons of Brian did not inherit the throne right after their father was slain. It was Moyleseachlin, who Brian once took power from in the heated moment before the Battle of Clontarf, that regained power once again in Ireland

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[TheFionuir]

@squirell1952 We are not Celts at all,none of the ancient Irish ever considered themselves Celts. We are Gaels. The O Nelis,Boru etc never considered themselves Celts. The Celts never invaded Ireland.

[TheFionuir]

@mayoireland the name of the Irish swords were called a cloidem and the large sword was called cloidem-mor. Its anglicised name claymore. A shorter sword was called a scian,a dagger or knife.

[pattipants]

Excellent, thanks for posting these. Now if someone would make a feature length, I would be very pleased.

[mayoireland]

what was the name of the native Irish sword? how do you spell it?

[squirell1952]

@ClannCholmain - hi, you got most right. I hope i got t hem right, too, before i put them onto the YT>Anyway, as far as i know, boru was king of scotland, the brothers brucie were both kings of ireland, wellieboots was from dublin and became pm of england and colonies; kitchener was born to english parentsin ballyhlongford, county keary (dunno when); lloyd george was welsh celt; the firstdiscoverfes of ireland were welsh, folfflowed by the scots;SCOTLAND NEAREST; ulster oldest; coleraine town.

[ClannCholmain]

@squirell1952 Brian Boru, Imperatoris Scotorum? Edward & Robert Bruce? Wellington. Kerry. Dublin. False, Welsh. Welsh. Scotland. Mide? Don't know. I didn't consult anyone or thing, how did I do? :)

[squirell1952]

PUB QUIZ:# 1: which irishman was king of scotland for a while? who were thetwo scottish brothers who were both kings of ireland? which irishman was the PM of England at one stage? Where was Lord Kitchener born? Where was the duke of welllington born? Lloyd George was English - TRUE OR FALSE????? the first people to set foot into ireland were welsh - true or false? or were they from scotland? trueor false? name the nearest country to Ireland. who is our oldest province? oldest townland

[squirell1952]

what does GAELS mean? does it mean people who speak the irish lingo? or does it mean CELT? if it means the latter, then, as a SOUTHERN Irishman, I find it offensive. WE IRISH ARE NOT THE ONLY CELTS.

Ditto with England.

THE ENGLISH THINK THEY ARE THE ONLY BRITS!!!!!

Study the g eography, please of the anglocelt isles.

[TheClarenceter]

@MrRicharddale That wouldn't be possible.

The royal blood of Brian Bóruma is already spent.

[TheClarenceter]

@miche30584 Highly unbelievable.

One cannot trace ancestry as far back to the 10th and 9th century.

Besides, the blood of Brian Bóruma is LONG gone.