Battlefield in Unknown Townland

Battle of Clontarf (Cath Chluain Tarbh) – 1014 Note on location The ITM coordinates provided for this battle must only be considered as indicative of its general location and have been purposefully positioned on the seafront at present-day Clontarf. It has not been possible to identify with any certainty where the battle took place other than to state that it occurred in the general area of the present suburb of Clontarf, roughly corresponding with the townlands of Clontarf West and Clontarf East and the intervening portion of Killester South. This would appear to be part of the small plain referred to in Irish sources as Mag n-Ealta (see map in Duffy 2013, 203). The coastline in this area has changed significantly and now extends some considerable distance into what were undoubtedly tidal sands or open water during the Viking period. At the time of the battle this area was bounded on the north-east by a wood and to the south-west by the Tolka River flowing into the sea. It would appear that the battle was contested in the immediate environs of a weir or possible fish trap whose exact location is unknown. It is referred to in one of the primary sources for the battle, the ‘Cogadh Gaedhel re Gallaibh: War of the Gaedhil with the Gaill’ (Cog. Gaedhel) which records that it was at the weir that Brian Boru’s grandson, Tairdelbach, died having pursued the retreating Vikings into the sea. The significance with which the battle was viewed by contemporary chroniclers is evinced by the references to it not just in Irish sources but also those of Welsh, French, Norse and Icelandic origin. These, however, must be interpreted within the context of their time and purpose and reflect the incremental, literary, political and historiographical requirements that successive generations brought to the event and the texts which recorded it. The battle has been the subject of numerous scholarly studies since the mid-nineteenth century and, in consequence, it is possible to identify the key events that happened on that fateful day, Good Friday, 23rd April 1014 (for recent commentaries see Duffy 2013, McGettigan 2013). Background The battle has its origins in the warrior culture of medieval Ireland, in those complex inter-dynastic struggles within the small elite nexus of high status individuals who, through whatever means at their disposal – marriage, alliance, patronage, protection, hostage or force – set out to put in place an extended power base that would bring them to the top of the ruling social pyramid. It is a testament to the tenacious capacity of the ruler of a small dynasty, the Dál Cais, in the south-east corner of what is now Co. Clare, that saw him rise to power and establish himself as king of Munster in the year 978: his name – one that resonates with every Irish school boy and girl – is Brian mac Cennétig otherwise known as Brian Bóraime (anglicised Brian Boru). He managed events to the extent that he was able to wrestle power from rival political dynasties and after a successful battle at Glenn Máma in 999 extend his control over both Dublin and Leinster. In the following decade he further consolidated his power base northwards so that by time of the battle of Clontarf in 1014 he had ensured an acknowledgement of his overlordship not only among the native Irish but also among the Norse settlers and communities further afield on either side of the Irish Sea. This led him to being described in the contemporary Irish annals – allowing for an element of hyperbole – as ‘high king of the Irish of Ireland and of the Foreigners and of the Britons.’ (AU, s.a. 1014) But this power base was under constant threat and in 1013, the Viking king of Dublin, Sitriuc Silkenbeard, made incursions into Meath and further north. In this he was assisted by the king of Leinster, Máelmórda mac Murchada, who had fought with him against Brian in the battle of Glenn Máma. Brian marched north not only to face down the rebellion but possibly also to take Dublin and having spent three months in the field returned to Munster at the close of the year without achieving any notable success. It is evident that both Brian and the Dubliners then spent the following months securing allies that would support them in the expected renewal of hostilities. Sitriuc sought assistance from his Viking allies from as far afield as the Orkney Islands and down along the west coast of Scotland to the Isle of Man. Chief among his supporters were Sigurd, the jarl (earl) of Orkney and the Isles, and Bródar, the jarl of the Isle of Man. His other main allay was, as noted above, Máelmórda who commanded the Leinster army. In addition to his own followers among the Dál Cais, Brian sought hostings from his Munster allies, his other dynastic connections in Connacht and also from the ‘men of Mide’ (Meath) whose territory had been ravaged by the Viking and Leinster armies. Brian had also sought assistance from his own contacts across the Irish Sea and his force was supplemented by ten ‘mormaír’ (sea-stewards) supported by rival Vikings. Brian commenced his campaign in March 1014 and his forces raided and plundered the lands of Kildare, south Dublin and Fingal. It is not entirely clear from the sources how both armies came to face each other at Clontarf but it seems probable that the Viking-Leinster army assembled in Dublin and marched out to respond to the harrying of the land in Fingal. It was possibly at this point that Brian moved his army to confront it. Assuming that there were at least 5,000 involved in the battle (see below) the logistics of coordinating the respective gatherings into defined formations as suggested by the sources make it difficult to reconcile the accounts of the battle. On the morning of 23 April 1014 the overseas Viking contingent, who must already have been in the bay of Dublin, probably drew up their ships at Clontarf in the area currently known as Fairview strand. It was here that they linked up with the Viking-Leinster army from Dublin who must have come to this area having crossed the Tolka river via Dubgall’s Bridge. It has not been possible to identify with certainty where this was located though it may be suggested that it straddled the river at Ballybough, possibly somewhere in the vicinity of the present Luke Kelly Bridge. This bridge was to figure during the battle proper (below). Brian’s army must already have been in the general area of Clontarf and, as may be inferred from the ensuing events of the battle, was probably drawn up in its various groupings facing towards the shore. The battle According to the sources the ‘Foreigners’ came out to fight in the morning when the tide was full: this would have enabled the Vikings beach their boats with relative ease at Clontarf. Sitriuc Silkenbeard does not appear to have taken part in the battle and he remained within the fortress at Dublin. The Cogadh records that the Viking-Leinster army was drawn up with the foreign troops in the van, the Dublin army next in line with the Leinster men in the rear. As noted above, Brian’s forces at the battle comprised the contingents from his homeland, Dál Cais, together with other supporters from Munster, Connacht and the ‘men of Mide’ (Meath), though there is some debate about the involvement of the Meathmen in the battle proper. While Brian probably exercised strategic control over the battle plan there is little doubt, given his advancing years – he was then in his early seventies –, that on the day of the battle he delegated immediate command to his son and heir apparent, Murchad, who led the Dál Cais contingent: these forces were positioned in the van. Behind them were the various other hosts from Munster and Connacht while Brian, together with a number of retainers, retired to the rear behind the main battle lines. His non-Irish allies were grouped together. Not fully trusting the loyalty of this force, the Meath men had requested that these ‘Foreigners’, though fighting on Brian’s