Title

Boru's last costly victory

Page 2 of 10

The Irish warriors, educated by older, experienced soldiers, were brought up in a climate of almost continuous warfare. It was the custom, say the ancient histories, for young men to prove their mettle by going to Connaught and killing a man. Though the Irish appear to have been ferocious warriors, their actual military service obligations lasted a grand total of three fortnights every three years. Undoubtedly, local leaders spent much of their wealth hiring mercenaries or paying for nonaggression treaties with their Viking neighbours.

Most of the old chroniclers depict the weaponry of the Irish as identical to that of the Vikings. The chiefs wore chain-mail and helmets and wielded heavy two-handed axes. The vast majority of warriors, however, fought unarmoured with spear, axe, shield and sword.

The Irish chiefs also employed large numbers of "kerns", lightly armed skirmishers who used javelins - apparently longer-ranged missile weapons were considered a less-than-honourable method of inflicting casualties, even though weapons such as slings had been used from the earliest times.

A common Irish battle custom was to cut off the heads of slain enemies; another was to place a sword or spear-point between an enemy's teeth while accepting the unfortunate warrior's surrender. Such ceremonies undoubtedly encouraged the antagonists to summon up their utmost skill and bravery to avoid being publicly humiliated.

In this violent, war-torn land the Vikings behaved toward the Irish just as viciously. The Viking raiders, commanded by their earls and kings, numbered up to 1,000 men per leader; the leader paid and supplied the adventurers. The Viking became synonymous with this hardy warrior race, well-armoured and loyal to the death to their earl.

Not all Vikings, however, were well-armed and armoured. Though the bulk of the raiders became well-off as pirates, those new to the profession or conscripted out of need were more akin to the more lightly equipped Irish in dress and weaponry.

The standard Viking tactic was to form their divisions into shield walls, five or more men deep and close enough together to lock shields, allowing 1 feet per man; that prevented missiles from doing much harm. Vikings used the old-style German "boar's head", or swine array, attack formation, with their most heavily armoured and best-armed men in the front ranks and those more lightly armoured filling in behind. This formation concentrated plenty of impact on a small frontage - a necessary tactic if the enemy's shield wall were to be broken. While their methods may sound simplistic today, the combination of honour-bound loyalty to the leader, superior armament and the incentives of loot and glory made the 11th-century Viking warrior a formidable opponent on land or at sea.

The Irish, loyal to their individual tribes, were poorly equipped in comparison to their Viking adversaries. Still, fighting not for pillage but to protect their homes and families in most cases, the Irish managed to give a good account of themselves when battling the invaders. The Irish prepared fortified encampments at night and entertained themselves with jugglers, poets and musicians to keep their spirits up during the grueling campaigns. When in battle, the Irish would often make an impromptu mad dash at the enemy lines, hoping to smash into the enemy formation with enough momentum to cause their foe to break ranks and lose cohesiveness.

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	Boru's last costly victory Page 2 of 10 << previous page The Irish warriors, educated by older, experienced soldiers, were brought up in a climate of almost continuous warfare. It was the custom, say the ancient histories, for young men to prove their mettle by going to Connaught and killing a man. Though the Irish appear to have been ferocious warriors, their actual military service obligations lasted a grand total of three fortnights every three years. Undoubtedly, local leaders spent much of their wealth hiring mercenaries or paying for nonaggression treaties with their Viking neighbours. Most of the old chroniclers depict the weaponry of the Irish as identical to that of the Vikings. The chiefs wore chain-mail and helmets and wielded heavy two-handed axes. The vast majority of warriors, however, fought unarmoured with spear, axe, shield and sword. The Irish chiefs also employed large numbers of "kerns", lightly armed skirmishers who used javelins - apparently longer-ranged missile weapons were considered a less-than-honourable method of inflicting casualties, even though weapons such as slings had been used from the earliest times. A common Irish battle custom was to cut off the heads of slain enemies; another was to place a sword or spear-point between an enemy's teeth while accepting the unfortunate warrior's surrender. Such ceremonies undoubtedly encouraged the antagonists to summon up their utmost skill and bravery to avoid being publicly humiliated. In this violent, war-torn land the Vikings behaved toward the Irish just as viciously. The Viking raiders, commanded by their earls and kings, numbered up to 1,000 men per leader; the leader paid and supplied the adventurers. The Viking became synonymous with this hardy warrior race, well-armoured and loyal to the death to their earl. Not all Vikings, however, were well-armed and armoured. Though the bulk of the raiders became well-off as pirates, those new to the profession or conscripted out of need were more akin to the more lightly equipped Irish in dress and weaponry. The standard Viking tactic was to form their divisions into shield walls, five or more men deep and close enough together to lock shields, allowing 1 feet per man; that prevented missiles from doing much harm. Vikings used the old-style German "boar's head", or swine array, attack formation, with their most heavily armoured and best-armed men in the front ranks and those more lightly armoured filling in behind. This formation concentrated plenty of impact on a small frontage - a necessary tactic if the enemy's shield wall were to be broken. While their methods may sound simplistic today, the combination of honour-bound loyalty to the leader, superior armament and the incentives of loot and glory made the 11th-century Viking warrior a formidable opponent on land or at sea. The Irish, loyal to their individual tribes, were poorly equipped in comparison to their Viking adversaries. Still, fighting not for pillage but to protect their homes and families in most cases, the Irish managed to give a good account of themselves when battling the invaders. The Irish prepared fortified encampments at night and entertained themselves with jugglers, poets and musicians to keep their spirits up during the grueling campaigns. When in battle, the Irish would often make an impromptu mad dash at the enemy lines, hoping to smash into the enemy formation with enough momentum to cause their foe to break ranks and lose cohesiveness. next page >>
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