The Battle of Clontarf in Irish History and Legend Author(s): Clare Downham Reviewed work(s): Source: History Ireland,

Vol. 13, No. 5 (Sep. - Oct., 2005), pp. 19-23 Published by: Wordwell Ltd. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27725330 . Accessed: 29/01/2012 19:18
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The Battle of Clontarf, fought on Good Friday (23 April) 1014, isone of the most famous events in Irishhistory, popularly portrayed as a struggle between the forces of good and evil. The victor, Brian Boru, has been regarded as a national hero, a rulerwho rose from relative obscurity to unite Ireland briefly under his rule. How accurate Clare Downham assesses is this view and how significant was the battle how perceptions of it have developed over the centuries. itself?

THE IRISH

BATTLE HISTORY
too important

OF

CLONTARF AND LEGEND

IN

'Clontarfwas

to be

left to the historians, so passed

into the legend-maker's hand'
(Gwyn Jones, A history of the Vikings [London, 1973]).

'Themen of Ireland will suffer a grief that will never grow old in
the minds of men'
(Valkyries' prophecy, Nj?l's saga, ?157, tr.
Magnus Magnusson and Hermann P?lsson

[Harmondsworth,
Above: before Brian Boru, high king of the Battle of Clontarf, frescos Ireland, blesses his troops early 1014?one of James Ward's City Hall.

I960]).

twentieth-century

in Dublin's

(DublinCity Council)

History

IRELAND September/October

2005

19

' # ':ig-:"*|he Battle of Clontarf

v f_

Leinster,
mercenaries sea. Brian

pitched Munster over-king Boru and his allies against armies of the north and Dublin, Viking
and has been allies seen from across as a paragon

the

forces

of the Brian

recently they tend to be cast in a more light; as entrepreneurs who positive a new element to Irish cultural brought
life. Both perspectives contain elements

the of

leadership, who struggled all odds to rid Ireland of the against perils of conquest by pagan Vikings. He won the battle, but made the ultimate sacrifice in losing his life while praying Christian
for victory.

of truth, Vikings had plagued the Irish coasts since the end of the eighth century, and they began settling shortly after. By the late tenth century their power was restricted to a handful of and ports, of which Dublin, Waterford in Limerick figure most prominently
the sources. These towns were ruled by

resources of Viking ports to forward their wider political ambitions. One such king was Brian Boru. Brian to the D?l gCais of north belonged Munster. This people had risen to local prominence during the reign of Brian's and his brother, father, Cenn?tig, From the beginning of Mathgamain. his reign Brian vigorously pursued his
ambition to become the over-king his of

Munster;
then

having
to

succeeded
extend

in that, he
sway over

sought that

this stories, good account the is a of battle stereotypical blend of fact and fiction. Clontarf was a significant event. undoubtedly the celebration of this Nevertheless,
event in literature, over the centuries, is

Like

all

kings whose squabbles figure as prominently with Irish neighbours. the Battle of Clontarf, history of intermarriage and Irish dynasties
cultural exchange,

with each other as their battles By the time of there was a long between Viking that facilitated
and trade

neighbouring
factor

provinces.
aided Brian's

Ironically, one
rise to power

was

alliances

a fascinating topic in its own right. We can perceive in accounts of the battle how national identities are developed historical myths, the sense of a through shared past, and the development of common for the future. As hopes bring different political developments
national historical remoulded to interests narratives suit current to the are affairs. fore, often so

across political boundaries- Viking kings in Ireland had converted to Christianity

and gave patronage to some churches

while raiding others under the control of their enemies. Despite the limited in nature of their political power a maintained Ireland, Vikings distinctive Their fleets and identity.
armies were still effective in war, and

the support of Viking fleets and In 977 Brian had killed fighting men. of Limerick, and his two sons fvarr, king in the monastery of Scattery Island, This effectively brought Limerick under In 984 Brian then allied his control. himself with Waterford and the Vikings of the Isle of Man against Dublin. Thus he benefited from rivalries between different Viking groups. Vikings fought alongside the men of
in Brian's across his influence campaigns southern to extend Ireland. In

Munster

merchants maintained
contacts

from the Viking ports a network of trading

overseas. Perhaps it is not

997 Maelsechlainn, the Ui Neil I over (Meath), was forced to king of Mide
concede Brian's authority in the south.

Historical background The Battle of Clontarf is a key event in the history of the Vikings in Ireland, as well as the final chapter in the dramatic
career accounts, of Brian Vikings Boru. are In traditional viewed as

that some of the most surprising Irish kings were anxious to powerful and military control the economic

Until this time the Ui Neil I dynasties had been the dominant force in Irish but their position was now politics,
under threat, Brian's victory over the

troops of Dublin and Leinster at the in 999 gave him Battle of Glenmama
Below: 795, The Viking fleet lands at Dubh Unn, the confidence to tackle the He (Dublin City Council) Maelsechlainn head-on. of power led a series

bloodthirsty

pagan

raiders.

More

i4

*i I ^^^^^^^^^h

''is^s^pf?'

;S rife-,

''^?'

?^* ia^ l^^^^^^^^^l

: i
aimed at getting his campaigns authority recognised across the whole of Ireland. He had barely achieved this aim when the forces of Dublin and Leinster
renewed their war against him, and this

.__,

of

led directly

to the Battle of Clontarf.

Early records
Perhaps the most reliable accounts of

the Battle of Clontarf are to be found in Irish chronicles. A number of these survive from the Middle Ages, but more on work is needed their textual
development. the (llmmiaun The Annals and of Inisfallen, the Annals Scotonmi

of Ulster contain descriptions of the hall le that appear to be based on a contemporary report (but it is just were tinkered with at that these possible
a later date). The records of Clontarf

found
Annals

in the Annals
of Clonmacnoise

of
and

Boyle, of

the later

the Annals

of

Loch Ce

bear
annals what

the

stamp
be

These legends. to determine

can actually

compared happened.

They can also be judged against records from Wales and the Continental
chronicles Marianus have their of Ademar Scotus, faults. our on sources key are broadly of the of ( "hahannes these and also although

Nevertheless, in agreement

features

conflict. On one
Brian's men of army, Munster,

side of the field stood

consisted some troops of the from The wide range of records of the

which

Battle of Clontarf
significance, but

is one
what was

index of
the impact

its

over-kings. rose Brian

When to

the eminence

descendants again at

of the

Connacht Miiachrach)
mormaer Munster of

(including Ui Maine and Ui and a contingent led by the

Marr may in Scotland. have The included

end

of

the

eleventh
their famous

century,
ancestor

they
in

of this struggle? The power of Dublin had been on the wane from the late
tenth a century, of series and major Clontarf defeats. was one In of 980

celebrated

literature to help
dominate Ireland.

justify their claims to

armies

Vikings from Waterford

is a matter of

and Limerick.
whether

It

contention

Maelsechlainn and the men of Mide also participated in the conflict, but on balance I think it likely that they did
(more on this below). On the other side

had Maelsechlainn defeated the Vikings of Dublin at Tara, and in 999

Brian crushed their forces at

During
centuries

Literary developments the eleventh

a genre of

and

twelfth

propaganda

of

the field were

of Dublin,

arrayed
under the

the Viking
leadership under They were

the Vikings of C?lenmama. While Dublin to he politically continued active after the Battle of Clontarf (they
attacked Brian's Kells reign in 101.9, heralded for example), greater

literature developed that celebrated Irish victories over Vikings. historic of Through negative portrayals
foreigners, these stories provided a

troops

of Sigtrygg Ol?fsson,
hinterland Maelmorda to mac the

and the Irish of the

south,

Murchada.

supported by Sigurd, earl of Orkney,

liis men, the a Hebrides, contingent and of warriors a mercenary

and
from fleet

of Viking towns by Irish exploitation rulers. During the eleventh and twelfth centuries rulers increasingly Viking
became kings, the minions may of be powerful perceived Irish as a Clontarf

for Viking ports to be justification brought under Irish rule. They also sense of Irish promoted an enhanced can which be linked to the identity, to of struggles over-kings impose their
authority across the island. One of

(which
Scandinavian The battle

may
warriors) was of

have
led by long duration, both sides. but Brodir

included
Brodir. with Brian's killed slain

stage in the decline

Ireland. In terms of

of Viking power
between

in

power-struggles

these stories, The War of the Irish and the Foreigners' (Cogadh Gaedhel re focuses on the victory of Gallaibh),
Brian for at Clontarf. Muirchertach This Ua saga was Briain, written great

on casualties heavy side was victorious, him. The story that

Irish rulers, Clontarf

future of Brian's Ireland. once of kings Maelsechlainn most and for

did not secure the

as Brian's became in a over death the Ireland, struggle After again

descendants

Brian

was

while
chronicle Germany battle.

at prayer
over It may half

first appears
Scotus a century not be

in the
wrote after in the

that Marianus

over-king important there was after his death supremacy among the

1103 grandson of the hero, between and 1113. Itwas the archetype for the of many later legends development
about Clontarf. at Clontarf were also Events

or may

true.

provincial

History

IRELAND

September/October

2005

21

??I??lj[|?ll?f-,;.?MBBBHMBBBBHHBmB^ ;:^^^^H^^BH?B|bBB

the fictior?al centuries ?^?^et--'etetoe?ts have been added to accounts of the Battle of Clontarf. These include introduction of magical the and was it for occurrences, supernatural often believed in the Middle Ages that great events were heralded by strange In addition, wonders and prophecies. in the the numbers that participated battle grew with successive retellings. Characters also became greater or more on whose side they evil, depending were on. Thus the foreigners became more outrageously horrible, and Brian was more frequently (but not always) praised as Ireland's greatest hero. Each of these narrative developments added to the dramatic impact of the Clontarf
story.

Leinst?r, into t?fti?ting

go^vlu^Hbnoliac^^be

over-j?ng

of

hostilities

against Brian. The account is repeated in later narratives, Cath including Ghluaha Tanbh and Keating's Foras Feasa dr?irinn. InNj?ls saga she is the spiteful beauty who helps her son Sigtrygg, king of Dublin, to gain military support Ireland. against Brian from outside While Gormfhlaith has become a figure of is little there reliable legend, information sort of to indicate what
person she really was.

literature. The most is found in the Icelandic Nj?ls saga, thirteenth-century but shorter descriptions appear in other sagas. These stories intertwine history and drama. They reflect an interest in Gaelic affairs that resulted from the Icelanders' knowledge that many of come their ancestors had originally from the Hebrides and Ireland. Because the sagas share details in common with Irish stories, it is thought that their authors had access to an Irish written source; or that a Norse saga about Brian in Ireland or Boru was composed Scotland in the eleventh century and in Viking then circulated colonies farther afield. During the laterMiddle Ages, Brian's to be continued victory at Clontarf in Irish bardic celebrated poetry, because the island was particularly troubled by another set of foreigners, the English. (It is noteworthy that the term often used for the English was Gaill, 'foreigners', the same as that used for the Vikings.) Some expressed hope that another king like Brian might rise up to crush the foreign oppressors. As circumstances worsened for the Irish the seventeenth century, there during was a flurry of prose writing about Brian to inspire or comfort Boru, perhaps times. The tale troubled people during known as Cath Chluana Tarbh ('The was Battle of Clontarf) the most and this coloured later popular,
narratives. One such narrative was The

celebrated inNorse account famous

entertaining literary in the battle narratives is development the addition of supernatural or magical acts. In Cogadh Gaedhel re Gallaibh the arrows of the Vikings are anointed with the blood of toads and dragons. Witches and demons wait greedily with birds of prey on the battlefield to claim the dead as their booty, and a sharp cold wind blows clots of blood into the faces of the warriors. One of the most memorable wonders is found inNj?ls saga. On the day of the conflict a traveller in Caithness (Scotland) comes across a place in which three a are cloth of human weaving valkyries entrails. Their loom is weighted with human heads, and swords and arrows are used to run and beat the threads together. As they work, the valkyries chant their of doom. prophecy visitors appear inmany of Supernatural the Irish accounts to foretell the death of individual warriors. Most commonly or Aibhell, banshee of the Oebhinn is the bearer of royal house of Munster,
this news.

Supernatural most The

events

is another Maelsechlainn figure worsted in literary accounts. The Annals of Ulster and the Chronicum Scotorum indicate that the U? N?ill over-king in the battle. However, in participated re Gaedhel Gallaibh Cogadh Maelsechlainn withdraws his support from the battle, and in later accounts (Cath Chinana Tarbh, Foras Feasa) he meets the Vikings of Dublin before battle to advise them to attack. Thus turns from accomplice Maelsechnlainn to traitor. One reason for this may be that Brian's eulogisers did not want the over-king of the U? N?ill to share in any of the limelight, so they chose to damn him instead. Demonisation of the Vikings Vikings were a fairly easy target for criticism in our narratives. By the time of the Battle of Clontarf the Vikings in the already had a long history as European literary imagination barbarians. In bloodthirsty literary accounts of the Battle of Clontarf the number of Vikings opposed to Brian generally increases over time, and they are portrayed as evil oppressors who threatened to destroy Ireland. Needless to say, the impression given in literature that the odds were stacked against Brian was another way of highlighting his achievements. From the seventeenth of the woes century, descriptions imposed on Ireland by the Vikings are given a contemporary ring, as people one group of the of impact compared with another. foreigners Glorification of Brian

Dublin

Annals of Inisfallen', written

in

Polarisation of characters Another feature in literary accounts of the Battle of Clontarf is the way in more which characters become extreme. This is a standard element in dramas where a conflict between good and evil is part of the plot (examples in modern abound for soap-operas, example). One character condemned over time was Gormfhlaith, wife of

Another feature of seventeenth-century accounts (but a feature ultimately re derived from Cogadh Gaedhel Gallaibh) was the portrayal of Brian's reign as a 'golden age'. During his years in power the political and natural world IRELAND September/October 2005

22 History

.. ..I

and of building justice, ?ducation, his subjects. works that benefited These idealistic images obscure the brutal realities of Brian's time in power, when warfare was employed to quell those almost continuously who opposed him. Portrayals of Brian in the battle tend tomake him look either heroic or saintly. Owing to his advanced years, it is unlikely that he played an active In Cogadh Brian role in combat. instead prays for victory, and chants the battle psalms in his tent while Brian therefore rages. fights the battle on a spiritual level. In Nj?ls saga he
takes on a more saintly role, and two

miracles

are recorded after his death. Brian is not shown as Nevertheless, entirely passive. In Cogadh and Cath Chluana Tarbh he rises from prayer, sword in hand, to engage in single combat with his killer, Brodir. Brian in his blow first before gets succumbing to his opponent's axe. His heroic and saintly credentials are also in 'The Dublin Annals of combined he incites his troops where Inisfallen', before battle, sword in one hand and crucifix in the other. Despite these favourable accounts, some commentators lamented the evil
consequences of Brian's 'usurpation'

Above:Group photo of the Markland

Medieval Militia following their re-enactment

of the Battle of Clontarf inApril 1984.

Far left: Nineteenth-century Viking warrior while he Brodir about engraving of to slay Brian Boru

is kneeling

in prayer.

of the authority of U? N?ill, which was seen to bring political chaos after in 1022. death Maelsechlainn's others Nevertheless, vigorously such defended their hero against In Foras Feasa, Geoffrey accusations. Keating argued that Maelsechlainn was initially a slothful and ineffective king, and that Brian was called to lead Ireland by other Irish kings during their time of need. While literary accounts of Brian Boru do not uniformly seek to praise him, he was increasingly celebrated as a national hero, and that is often how he is still remembered today. Modern
centuries,

O'Connell that Daniel significant a mass at in Clontarf meeting planned 1843 to oppose British rule, following that held at Tara. The gathering was banned by Prime Minister Robert Peel, no doubt feared the strong who that might be aroused by sentiments O'Connell's eloquence at such a site.
In these centuries dramas were also

Ireland. Furthermore, the U? N?ill could be seen to quickly reassert their power after Brian died, even if their was short-lived. renewed hegemony to Other historians have continued assert the importance of the contest as a decisive moment in Ireland's history. No doubt these contrasting to be will continue perspectives with levels of varying expressed, in future debates. subtlety, Aside from academic speculation, the Battle of Clontarf still has a hold on popular Search for imagination. Clontarf on 'Google' and you will find
battle-plans for war-gaming, and

written

which

feted Brian's

life and

interpretations and early twentieth In the nineteenth

romantic nationalism came

in Irish literature and The Battle of thinking. political Clontarf had long been a rallying of in developing perceptions point and the conflict was nationhood, celebrated (somewhat inaccurately) as a struggle by the people of Ireland It is foreign domination. against to the fore History IRELAND September/October 2005

J.S. Knowles, (for example victory Brian Boroihme [sic] (London, c. 1885); J. B. Dollard, Clontarf: an Irish national drama (Dublin, 1920)). in contrast but often Alongside, movement in the Romantic with, and the nineteenth literature, a drive twentieth centuries witnessed towards more scientific enquiry into were Efforts historical writings. to made scholars by increasingly separate fact from fiction in narratives about the Viking wars in Ireland. One significant example of this is John Ryan's article, cited below. Perhaps as a consequence of critical historical approaches, political a concerns and for fashion one tendency since the revisionism, late nineteenth century has been to of the the significance downplay Battle of Clontarf. The conflict has as a sometimes been construed rebellion that had little domestic on the of the power bearing Vikings in 23

images of re-enactors. This testifies to the popularity of this event among those seeking to celebrate and relive its the glories of the past without or sorrows. Historical and bloodshed legendary accounts of the Battle of as with Clontarf, any other great reflect the power of ideals to event, shape perceptions of the past, x Clare Downham is a lecturer in Celtic at the University of Aberdeen.

Further reading: B. Hudson, 'Brj?ns saga', Medium Mvum 71 (2002). M. Ni Mhaonaigh, 'Cogad G?edel re some Gallaib: consider dating ations', Peritia 9 (1995). M. Ni Urdail, 'Annala Inse Faithleann an ocht? c?ad d?ag agus cath Chluana Tarbh', Eighteenth Century Ireland 20 (2005) [forthcoming]. J. Ryan, The Battle of Clontarf, Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 68 (1938).