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Boru's last costly victory

Page 10 of 10

With his troops still fresh and at full strength, latecomer Malachi claimed the Irish throne once again - and there were few left to oppose him.

Sigtrygg held out in Dublin until his death in 1042, while the surviving Danes and Norsemen were assimilated into the Irish populace and culture. At this stage the Vikings had been in Ireland for more than 200 years, they had married Irish women, built towns and established trade. The Vikings were part of Ireland now. The cultures of Viking and Gael were merging. (In 1035 Sigtrygg left Dublin to go on a religious pilgrimage. When he returned the following year, he gave a grant of gold and treasure plus "a place on which to build a church of the Blessed Trinity", establishing what would become Christchurch Cathedral in Dublin. )

Donnchad succeeded Malachi as high king, but was deposed by a rebellious faction in the 1050s, when wars fought over the throne became even more brutal, ending only with an Anglo-Norman invasion in the next century.

Clontarf was a spectacular, if costly, victory for Brian's armies. After Clontarf the invading Vikings concentrated their efforts on England and Scotland. By the following year a Danish Viking called Canute would rule England. (The last Viking expedition to Ireland took place in 1102.

In that year the King of Norway, Magnus Barefoot, sailed into Dublin harbour. He was met by Muircheartach Ua Brian with an army at his back. Magnus promptly arranged a truce and, after spending some time in the city, sailed peaceably back to Norway. When he returned to Ireland the following year, however, Magnus was ambushed and slain on the coast of Ulster. He was buried by the Irish in the cathedral at Downpatrick, out of respect for his kingship. )

The stories, songs and poems of glory and battlefield prowess at Clontarf that appeared over the next few hundred years took on a unique importance. In the late Middle Ages, if Irish families could not claim an ancestor killed at the battle, they were not considered truly noble..........

On modern Dublin's Sandymount Strand, a young boy with fair hair and sea-blue eyes walks alone on the beach. He leaves footprints in the damp sand. Seagulls wheel overhead, crying. The boy is paying no attention to the great modern city of Dublin which rises behind him. Insted he keeps gazing out to sea, watching the waves coming rolling in with their message from foreign shores. He dreams of what lies beyond the horizon. Some day he may go and see for himself.

The Vikings never left Ireland.

They are still there.

	Boru's last costly victory Page 10 of 10 << previous page With his troops still fresh and at full strength, latecomer Malachi claimed the Irish throne once again - and there were few left to oppose him. Sigtrygg held out in Dublin until his death in 1042, while the surviving Danes and Norsemen were assimilated into the Irish populace and culture. At this stage the Vikings had been in Ireland for more than 200 years, they had married Irish women, built towns and established trade. The Vikings were part of Ireland now. The cultures of Viking and Gael were merging. (In 1035 Sigtrygg left Dublin to go on a religious pilgrimage. When he returned the following year, he gave a grant of gold and treasure plus "a place on which to build a church of the Blessed Trinity", establishing what would become Christchurch Cathedral in Dublin. ) Donnchad succeeded Malachi as high king, but was deposed by a rebellious faction in the 1050s, when wars fought over the throne became even more brutal, ending only with an Anglo-Norman invasion in the next century. Clontarf was a spectacular, if costly, victory for Brian's armies. After Clontarf the invading Vikings concentrated their efforts on England and Scotland. By the following year a Danish Viking called Canute would rule England. (The last Viking expedition to Ireland took place in 1102. In that year the King of Norway, Magnus Barefoot, sailed into Dublin harbour. He was met by Muircheartach Ua Brian with an army at his back. Magnus promptly arranged a truce and, after spending some time in the city, sailed peaceably back to Norway. When he returned to Ireland the following year, however, Magnus was ambushed and slain on the coast of Ulster. He was buried by the Irish in the cathedral at Downpatrick, out of respect for his kingship. ) The stories, songs and poems of glory and battlefield prowess at Clontarf that appeared over the next few hundred years took on a unique importance. In the late Middle Ages, if Irish families could not claim an ancestor killed at the battle, they were not considered truly noble.......... On modern Dublin's Sandymount Strand, a young boy with fair hair and sea-blue eyes walks alone on the beach. He leaves footprints in the damp sand. Seagulls wheel overhead, crying. The boy is paying no attention to the great modern city of Dublin which rises behind him. Insted he keeps gazing out to sea, watching the waves coming rolling in with their message from foreign shores. He dreams of what lies beyond the horizon. Some day he may go and see for himself. The Vikings never left Ireland. They are still there.
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