Battlefield in Dublin South City

The battle of Hoggen Green (Dublin), 1171 - summary by Dr Gavin Hughes. Uploaded 22/02/2021 Olive Alcock The battle of Hoggen Green was the second of three major battles (see also the battle of Dublin (DU018-428----) and the battle of Castleknock (DU017-098----)) in Dublin between 1170 an 1171. It was fought in very close connection with the (possibly later) engagement at Castleknock. All three were integral engagements connected with the Anglo-Norman conquest and provincial/national struggles for dominance. Accounts of it are mainly found in Giraldus Cambrensis' Expugnatio Hibernica (Scott and Martin 1978, 107-8, 162-3), the Song of Dermot and the Earl (Mullally 2002, 109-11) and the Annals of Tigernach (Stokes 1895-7, vol. 2, 425-8). It seems likely that this battle was part of a co-ordinated plan by Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, king of Connacht and high king of Ireland, and Askulv Mac Torcaill, the last Hiberno-Scandinavian king of Dublin, to recapture Dublin from the Anglo-Normans. More specifically it was an attempt by Askulv, who had been ousted in 1170, to reclaim his city with the aid of his Scotto-Norse allies. The date of the battle is open to question, depending on the source. Cambrensis (Scott and Martin 1978, 67-9) claimed it occurred 'around Pentecost' (16 May) and the Annals of Tigernach (Stokes 1895-7, vol. 2, 425) also suggest it occurred in this month. However, if as claimed in the Song (Mullally 2002, 94) that the battle followed the events at Castleknock, then it was fought in September. The latter two accounts agree that neither Ruaidrí nor the Anglo-Norman magnate Richard de Clare were present at Hoggen Green; it is thought that the latter was either at the court of Henry II or at Ferns. Given the problematic chronology, it is believed that the battle was most likely fought in mid-May. Myles de Cogan commanded the Anglo-Norman garrison (of around 300 men), in place of de Clare, and was accompanied by his brother, Richard (with 30 or so knights) and, possibly, according to Cambrensis (Scott and Martin 1978), a knight called Walter de Ridelisford. It is estimated that de Cogan's troops consisted of mounted knights and dismounted men-at-arms, archers and spearmen. Also allied to this garrison was Mac Gilla Mo Cholmóc, the local native Irish lord, with his forces (lightly armoured and carrying javelins/throwing spears), who apparently waited for some time watching the battle before committing themselves to the Anglo-Normans. The invading Viking force was led by the deposed Askulv, supplemented by Scotto-Norse, Norse and other 'Scandinvian' warriors. It was suggested by Cambrensis (ibid.) that the size of their army was 60 ships strong, which may indicate that Askulv's army contained 1,500 to 4,800 men; possibly the lower figure is most realistic. No names of other leaders are given in the sources, with the exception of 'John', variously awarded the epithet 'the Mad', the 'impetuous' and simply 'the Norwegian'. Cambrensis (ibid.) and the Song (Mullally 2002, 109-11) indicate that Askulv's army landed and encamped at the 'Steine', a stone on the bank of the river Liffey that allegedly marked the site at which the first Ostman king of Dublin landed. The east wall of the city followed the west bank of the river Poddle, a tributary of the Liffey, and the 'East Gate' (the only gate in this side of the wall throughout the early medieval period) was located in the vicinity of the ‘Steine’. Hoggen Green was an open space on the far (eastern) side of the Poddle, with a large mound (Hogges) upon it, that was traditionally noted as the assembly place (Thing) for the Dubliners. As such, Askulv's choice of landing place may have had distinct political, cultural and military overtones. The battle began with John ‘the Mad’ and his warriors attacking the East Gate, which had an Anglo-Norman skirmish screen, formed of archers and javelin men, drawn up before it. As the fight for the East Gate began, Richard de Cogan led his small detachment of knights out through one of the other gates and rode out wide of Hoggen Green, eventually bringing them in a circle to attack Askulv's camp and rear. At this, the Viking forces under John launched themselves to the aid of their comrades behind them and, seeing the battle swinging in the Anglo-Norman's favour, Mac Gilla Mo Cholmóc's men charged in against the Scandinavians, cutting them down, in the words of the Song (Mullally 2002, 109-11) 'on every side.' There followed the complete collapse of Askulv's army; John ‘the Mad’ was slain, the survivors were hacked down or drowned as they tried to make it back to their ships and Askulv himself was taken prisoner by Richard. It is difficult to gauge accurate casualty figures for the battle, except to say that Anglo-Norman losses were far less than those of Askulv, whose army appears to have been shattered. However, the political implications were enormous. Before Hoggen Green, there was a distinct possibility that the Anglo-Norman grip on Dublin could be reversed and that its traditional northern links (to Scandinavia, the Isle of Man and the Western Isles) could be re-established. Yet, following Askulv's defeat, capture and execution, the Anglo-Norman control of Dublin - and their foothold in Ireland itself - only intensified.