Title

Boru's last costly victory

Page 8 of 10

Brodir's men, still a threat even with their leader hiding in the woods, were attacked by the omnipresent Murchad, who led his personal bodyguard of 140 "king's sons" along the line of battle, bolstering morale and valour by his presence in the Irish ranks. As in most battles of this period, a leader's example could not honourably be ignored, and men would fight to the death to gain his notice, respect and encouragement.

Murchad's assault broke the Manx Vikings, who, with their leader gone, began to flee back towards their ships. This left the Leinstermen isolated, although they continued to press the Munster clans hard after hours of bloody push and shove. Curiously, the ebb and flow of battle was often interrupted while men from both sides drew back from each other to gain a few moments of mutually needed rest.

Although victorious so far, Mael Morda's Leinster clans were tired, disordered and severely weakened by the heavy losses sustained in hours of battle. Rallying, the Munstermen mounted a desperate counterattack against Mael Morda's troops, and in a wild, frenzied, tooth-and-nail fight, Mael Morda and the Munster chieftain killed each other.

On the Viking left, meanwhile, the Dublin Vikings fought toe to toe against the foreign (Viking) mercenaries Brian had hired. Here, the axes and spears of the professional warriors cut through Danish (Dublin Viking) chain-mail with deadly effect. Slowly, the Dublin Vikings were forced to fight a delaying action they could not maintain. They lost touch with the supporting Leinstermen on their right. And as the Leinster clans became even further isolated, several groups of them joined the Orkney Vikings on their immediate flank, the two forces momentarily holding in the face of increasing Irish pressure.

Somewhere at this point in the battle, either the Norwegian Prince Anwud or Eric of Denmark fought his way through to the exhausted Murchad, who still managed to throw the attacking Viking to the ground and stab him before he, too, was killed. Here was yet another example of the propensity for leaders of note to seek each other out and fight their own individual battles throughout the daylong contest.

The deadly axes of the foreign (Viking) auxiliaries finally broke the Dublin Vikings, who began to run for their fortress. The Orkney Vikings, finding their allies evaporating around them and seeing that Earl Sigurd and the "magical" raven banner had fallen, also began to break ranks and retreat to their ships.

The diffident Malachi had held his own Irishmen in place all day, watching their fellow countrymen bleed and die on the fields before them. But now that the Viking enemy appeared to be in retreat, he ordered his Meath warriors to join the battle. Any possibility of the Vikings rallying died in this final attack. As the Dublin Vikings streamed toward the single bridge into Dublin, they were caught by Malachi's fresh Irish warriors, and in the ensuing panic only a handful of survivors managed to return to Sigtrygg's garrison.

On the other flank, the Orkney and Manx Vikings had nowhere to run. During the course of the long battle, the tide had come in, cutting the Vikings off from the safety of their ships. The choice being Irish blades or a hazardous swim, most elected to run into the sea. As the Vikings fled into the water, Brian's 15-year-old grandson Tordhelbach, caught up in the fury of battle, chased two Danes into the ocean and dragged them under, drowning himself in the process.

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	Boru's last costly victory Page 8 of 10 << previous page Brodir's men, still a threat even with their leader hiding in the woods, were attacked by the omnipresent Murchad, who led his personal bodyguard of 140 "king's sons" along the line of battle, bolstering morale and valour by his presence in the Irish ranks. As in most battles of this period, a leader's example could not honourably be ignored, and men would fight to the death to gain his notice, respect and encouragement. Murchad's assault broke the Manx Vikings, who, with their leader gone, began to flee back towards their ships. This left the Leinstermen isolated, although they continued to press the Munster clans hard after hours of bloody push and shove. Curiously, the ebb and flow of battle was often interrupted while men from both sides drew back from each other to gain a few moments of mutually needed rest. Although victorious so far, Mael Morda's Leinster clans were tired, disordered and severely weakened by the heavy losses sustained in hours of battle. Rallying, the Munstermen mounted a desperate counterattack against Mael Morda's troops, and in a wild, frenzied, tooth-and-nail fight, Mael Morda and the Munster chieftain killed each other. On the Viking left, meanwhile, the Dublin Vikings fought toe to toe against the foreign (Viking) mercenaries Brian had hired. Here, the axes and spears of the professional warriors cut through Danish (Dublin Viking) chain-mail with deadly effect. Slowly, the Dublin Vikings were forced to fight a delaying action they could not maintain. They lost touch with the supporting Leinstermen on their right. And as the Leinster clans became even further isolated, several groups of them joined the Orkney Vikings on their immediate flank, the two forces momentarily holding in the face of increasing Irish pressure. Somewhere at this point in the battle, either the Norwegian Prince Anwud or Eric of Denmark fought his way through to the exhausted Murchad, who still managed to throw the attacking Viking to the ground and stab him before he, too, was killed. Here was yet another example of the propensity for leaders of note to seek each other out and fight their own individual battles throughout the daylong contest. The deadly axes of the foreign (Viking) auxiliaries finally broke the Dublin Vikings, who began to run for their fortress. The Orkney Vikings, finding their allies evaporating around them and seeing that Earl Sigurd and the "magical" raven banner had fallen, also began to break ranks and retreat to their ships. The diffident Malachi had held his own Irishmen in place all day, watching their fellow countrymen bleed and die on the fields before them. But now that the Viking enemy appeared to be in retreat, he ordered his Meath warriors to join the battle. Any possibility of the Vikings rallying died in this final attack. As the Dublin Vikings streamed toward the single bridge into Dublin, they were caught by Malachi's fresh Irish warriors, and in the ensuing panic only a handful of survivors managed to return to Sigtrygg's garrison. On the other flank, the Orkney and Manx Vikings had nowhere to run. During the course of the long battle, the tide had come in, cutting the Vikings off from the safety of their ships. The choice being Irish blades or a hazardous swim, most elected to run into the sea. As the Vikings fled into the water, Brian's 15-year-old grandson Tordhelbach, caught up in the fury of battle, chased two Danes into the ocean and dragged them under, drowning himself in the process. next page >>
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