1011 - 1014 AD
1011
AD
*105.Brian
Boru - of the Tributes the
Heberian Dal gCais
Ui Bloid Ui Turlough
175th High King of Ireland
- still "with opposition"
intending to gain overall control to do something
constructive about the Teutonic Viking menace, decided to besiege the north -
west of the Ulster Province from the sea, as well as overland,
and was now by this measure finally able to "submit" the
Heremonian Dal Cuinn "northern"
Ui Niaill
Cenel Conaill Sept
in Tir Conaill / Tyrconnell /
(The Land of 91.Conall Gulban) now known as Co. Donegal
/ The Fort of the Strangers, while also securing
booty from there as well. Taking the Cenel Conaill King
as a hostage back to
Co. Clare in
Northern Munster
/
Thomond
to get his point of view well and truly across to him, and then "released" him, and this
now meant that "all"
of the
Irish Kings had "submitted" to him and he was finally the overall
Heberian Dal gCais High King
/ Ard Ri
of Ireland - without opposition.
1012 AD 107.Flaherty / Flaithbertach an Trostain O Niall the Heremonian Dal Cuinn "northern" Ui Niaill Cenel nEogain 40th King of Aileach who had his Sept's territory in Tyrone / Tir Eogan (The Land of 91.Eogan) in the Ulster Province tried once again during this year to further express his "personal authority" as the overall leader of "all" of the Irish Septs in Ulster Province. and because of his overall success at finally acheiving this goal that it would now be through his particular "male line" that the O Nialls / O Neills of Ulster Province would "descend" from his ancestor *103.Niall Glun Dubh - of the Black Knee the previous 170th King of Ireland. This year he also conducted an "expedition" to further express his authority into the territory of his Heremonian Dal Cuinn kinsmen in the "southern" kingdom of Meath as far as Ceanannus Mor / Kells in the the south - east of Northern Leinster where *107.Malachy 11 / Mael Sechlainn was now relegated to only being the "southern" Ui Niaill Clann Cholmain King of Meath, who had previously been the 174th King of Ireland and he too also "abandoned" the hill to him there.
108.Murtough O Niall, who was also from the Heremonian Dal Cuinn "northern" Ui Niaill Cenel nEogain Sept, who was a son of the previously deceased 107.Aedh O Niall of Craeb Tulca, was "slain" this year during a conflict with the the Heremonian Ui Laoghaire Ui Conaire Dal Riada / riata Sept who still also had territory in the very north - east of the Ulster Province connected to their expanded kingdom of Dal Riada stretching across the Irish Sea into the Scottish Highlands.
This year also, St. Colman was murdered in Austria while going on a "pilgrimage" to the Holy Land, and the Emperor Henry 11 responded to his demise by bringing his body back to Mitiz were miracles were then to be recorded in his name, and he became known as St. Kiliman there and became the Patron Saint of Austria.
Although *105. Brian Boru was now the Heberian Dal gCais 175th High King of Ireland - "without opposition" having gained total "overall submission" in Ireland from the other Irish Septs, there was always still to be pockets of "resistance" and trouble brewing somewhere, due to the ongoing indiscriminate Viking "disturbances" and the influences of other personal agendas of those now involved in the "overall scheme" of things throughout Ireland, and he soon found that he had to also lay siege once again to the Heremonian Dal Cuinn "southern" Ui Niaill kingdom of Meath in Northern Leinster, and although *107.Malachy 11 / Mael Sechnaill who was now the Heremonian 40th King of Meath / Midhe only and previous 174th King of Ireland was at first to "resist" him, he soon retreated. To strengthen his position further,*105.Brian Boru decided to construct fortresses throughout his own territory in Thomond / Northern Munster and he also found that he had to "resubmit" the nearby Heremonian Ui Laoghaire Ui Connla Ossory kingdom again, that was situated to the east of Northern Munster but in the south - west of Southern Leinster in Mogha's Half, while his son 106.Murrough / Murchad went off to also submit their Heremonian Ui Laoghaire kinsmen, the Ui Lughaidh Cu Corb Septs who had their particular territory also nearby in Southern Leinster in Mogha's Half.
September: *105.Brian
Boru and
his son,
106.Murrough
/ Murchad also had to lay "siege" to
Dublin
once again in
Southern Leinster, in
Mogha's Half,
which was under the control of Sitric
Silkbeard, and this action had to be
"continued" up until Christmas, but
he was to "fail" to regain overall control over the
Viking settlement there, and so the
Heberian Dal gCais Septs returned to the Munster
Province, with this result creating an unfortunate circumstance as Sitric Silkbeard the
half
- Viking King of
Dublin, egged on by
his "disaffected mother"
110.Gormflath
/ Gormley / Kormloda,
now
went off to the
Orkney Islands where he made an
arrangement with Earl Sigurd the Viking King there, to come to
Dublin and
support him against *105.Brian Boru,
and also during this trip he also made an "alliance" with
the Vikings on the Isle of Man.
1013 AD *107.Malachy
11
/
Mael Sechnaill
who now only held his previous position
as the
Heremonian "southern"
Ui Niaill
Clann Cholmain
40th King
of
Meath
had
*105.Brian
Boru the
Heberian Dalcassian 175th High King of Ireland assist him
to besiege the Vikings in Dublin below his kingdom of
Meath,
again, who
were still giving him trouble in his region as he was situated to the "north" of there in Northern
Leinster, raiding his territory from out of their
settlement in
Dublin
while still under
the leadership of Sitric
Silkbeard, but even with
the added assistance of *105.Brian Boru he was forced to
"back off" as
Sitric Silkbeard
was also sustained by his maternal uncle,
110.Mael Morda the Heremonian Ui
Laoghaire Cu Corb
Ui Dunlainge Ui Faelain
45th King of Leinster.
The Danish Vikings / Dubh Ghall in England had by now also captured Wessex, which gave them control over England, while the Norwegian Vikings / Fionn Ghall were still on the River Liffey in Co. Dublin in the north - east of Southern Leinster, as the Danish kingdom in Northumbria in England had also enabled the Vikings to not only hold onto Dublin, but also to the Isle of Man, and York in England, and King Sweyn Forkbeard who was now in "overall control" of England decided to gather together all of the other Vikings into Dublin Bay intending to land at Clontarf near Dublin to eventually "take over" in Ireland also.
Thorgils who was the actual Danish Viking leader in Ireland, had in the meantime tried to set himself up at Armagh in the south - east of the Ulster Province where he was to be "defeated" there by *107.Malachy 11 the Heremonian Dal Cuinn "southern" Ui Niaill 40th King of Meath who had then thrown him "bodily" into Loch Nair.
During the 200 years of raids carried out against the Irish Septs by the Vikings no Irish kingdom or Sept / Family Branch had been "done away" with, or destroyed altogether, such as was to occur under the ongoing ethnic and religious discrimination and oppression that was to come with the Anglo - Norman English in the future.
1014 AD *107.Malachy 11 / Mael Sechnaill the Heremonian Dal Cuinn "southern" Ui Niaill 40th King of Meath along with the O Mulderry / Ui Mael Doraigh Sept, and the Heremonian Dal Cuinn Ui Briuin Breifne O Rourke / Ui Ruairc Sept from their kingdom in West Breifne, during this year, were to besiege the Heremonian Ui Laoghaire Ui Connla kingdom of Ossory in Co. Kilkenny in the south - west of Southern Leinster.
110.Mael
Morda the
Heremonian
Ui Laoghaire
Cu Corb
Ui Dunlainge Ui Faelain
45th King of
Leinster tried to get the other Southern Leinster
Kings to join in with him and his
Viking allies against *105.Brian
Boru without
any success,
while on the other hand none of the Heremonian
Dal Cuinn "northern"
Ui Niaill
Kings would
assist *105.Brian Boru
against 110.Mael Morda and his
Viking
allies, and he had only the support of
2
of the Heremonian
Dal Cuinn
Septs from the
Connacht Province, while the nearby
Heremonian
Ui Laoghaire
Ui Connla Ossory
kingdom in
the south - west of Southern Leinster
was
also "not" to be involved. *105.Brian
Boru now mainly had to rely
on his Munster Province forces, including
those led by
Dungal O
Donoghue who was now the
King
of Cashel / Munster, but
*107.Malachy 11 / Mael Sechnaill the
Heremonian
Dal Cuinn 40th King of Meath and his
aristocratic "southern" Ui Niaill
warriors were still to be there with him as added support, if they were required, at the great
"Battle of Clontarf," that was
about to occur, although his "southern"
Ui Niaill forces were to be held in "reserve"
until it was to be allover.
*105.Brian Boru the Heberian Dalcassian 175th High King of Ireland gathered all of his Dal gCais Sept warriors and horsemen from Thomond / Northern Munster at his royal residence at Killaloe in the north - east of Co. Clare in the north - west of the Munster Province and called on the Heberian Eoghanachta Septs in Munster Province and the Heremonian Ui Conaire Muscraige O Connors / Ui Conchobair in the south of the Connacht Province who now also had territory in Co. Kildare in Central Southern Leinster, while Teague Mor O Kelly / Tadhg Ua Ceallaigh the Heremonian Dal Cuinn Colla Da Crioch Ui Maine King, was there to support him with his followers, and unfortunately he would be amongst those to be slain during the battle. The Heremonian Ui Conaire Dal Riada Scottii Septs from the Highlands of Scotland were to be there also, and together these particular Irish Septs all marched on together towards Dublin to try and bring a halt once and for all to the Viking "menace" that was continually hanging over Ireland,
*105.Brian
Boru
the Heberian Dal gCais 175th High King of Ireland was now
"aged," and although he had wanted to retain his command he was now "physically
unable" to fight the "gruelling" day long hand to hand combat required, so
his son,
106.Murrough
/ Murchad and grandson,
107.Turlough
O Brian were chosen to lead the combined Celtic
Irish
forces into battle
at Clontarf against the
combined
Vikings, and their
Heremonian Cu Corb
Ui Dunlainge
Southern
Leinster allies
who were led by 110.Mael Morda the
Cu Corb
Ui
Faelain
45th King
of Leinster.
April 23rd - Good Friday:
At
Sunrise around
5 a.m. the combined Irish
forces under their striped banners of green, red and yellow approached the combined
Viking army
who were now under the control of
Sigurd
the Stout, the
Danish leader, who was in reality also the
Jarl
of the Orkney Islands and
Caithness, who had as his standard the
Raven, and the Irish
forces immediately charged head on into the battle at
Clontarf with their intense battle cry of
"Lamh Laider Abu"
(The
Strong Hand Forever) ringing out
as the numerous individual skirmishes were carried on all over the north side of
Dublin, from the woods down to
were the Four Courts
now stand
along the River Liffey,
which was where the only "bridge" at this time was set in place there over the
River. Among
the Viking forces also were
2,000
Norse warriors from
Ireland, Scotland and the
Isle of Man, plus their
Heremonian Cu Corb
Ui
Dunlaing Southern
Leinster
allies
who had joined in with them against
*105.Brian
Boru's
Irish forces, and
all up
20,000 warriors from
"both sides"
were involved in the
battle, involving hand to hand combat, and the bloody conflict then continued on from the
"rising" of the
Sun to
its setting at dusk.
106.Murrough
/ Murchad,
*105.Brian Boru's son,
who led the combined defending Irish
forces, wielded 2 swords, one in his right hand and
one in his left hand, and with great fury he soon broke through the
Viking lines,
slaying everyone and anyone who stood in his way, and his courageous example was
also followed by his Heberian Dal gCais warriors who were in
the "forefront" of the battle as the committed fury displayed by the
Dal gCais forces on this occasion was to be so impressive that
many of the Vikings who were by now fearing for their lives at the sight of such
"commitment"
turned and ran, while
Sigurd
the Stout, the overall Viking leader, stood his ground.
110.Gormflath had promised to
"marry" him if he was to support her son,
Sitric Silkbeard against
*105.Brian Boru, but
her half - Viking son,
Sitric himself took "no part "in the battle at all, but watched the
conflict from the
turrets of his
castle, as his uncle
110.Mael
Morda the
Cu Corb
Ui Dunlainge Ui Faelain
45th King of Leinster was
among those slain, while the
Viking warriors and their Cu Corb Southern Leinster
allies continued to "flee" before the ongoing fury of the overall Irish onslaught.
Sigurd the Stout continued to slash away at the surrounding
Dal gCais until
106.Murrough personally
came upon him and delivered a "crushing" blow to his neck, with his right hand,
at first cutting through the mail and straps of his helmet, which then allowed him
to deliver the fatal strike with his left hand on his
exposed neck. 106.Murrough
and his Heberian Dal gCais warriors
together with their other supporting Irish warriors
then "pursued" the remaining Vikings and their
Heremonian Cu Corb
Ui Dunlaing allies as they
"retreated," continually stirred on by their ongoing "success" and the gallant urging of
their leader106.Murrough,
who had by now been fighting constantly for
12
hours until his hand had become
"locked" to his sword in a death grip. 106.Murrough
then
came upon Eric the Dane, who was another of the
Viking Chieftains, and throwing his sword aside
he took hold of him by the armour, pulling the mail over his "head," and as they
became locked in this close personal combat they both crashed to the ground where
106.Murrough then thrust a
sword into his ribs, but despite this Eric the Dane was still able to slam his knife into
106.Murrough's stomach
creating a fatal gash, and as they continued to lay there
106.Murrough was still able to finish him off by cutting
off his head. Having incurred such a serious wound
106.Murrough
was to only survive until the next day after first taking Holy Communion.
7,000 of the
Vikings
together with their Heremonian
Cu Corb
Ui Dunlaing allies had been slain, while
those Vikings who had at first survived the early conflicts had decided
to head for the
Tolka Weir to get back onto their ships, but on reaching the beach at
Clontarf many of the
warriors from "both sides"
were still to be "drowned" there, including 107.Turlough
O Brian
the
son of
106.Murrough, and the grandson of
*105.Brian
Boru. Brodar,
one
of the Viking Chieftains from the
Isle of Man, had decided instead to flee to the woods
that were situated on the hill above where the main fighting had previously occurred,
and where
*105.Brian
Boru the Heberian Dalcassian
175th High King of Ireland
had been left "unguarded," and down on his knees giving thanks to
God
for what now seemed a "successful" victory at
Clontarf. *105.Brian
became suddenly aware of his enemy approaching from the rear and was able to
take one blow with his sword, which cut Brodar's leg off at the knee, but
Brodar was still capable of directing a similar blow with his
"battle - axe" to *105.Brian's head
cutting it in half, and Brodar was then able to continue on with his own band of men
further into the
woods where he was later to be captured and "slain."
*107.Malachy
11 the
Heremonian Dal Cuinn "southern"
Ui Niaill
Clann Cholmain 40th King of
Meath
and his warriors who had
been held back in "reserve," then moved in
to "finish off" the remaining
Vikings and their
Heremonian Cu Corb Ui Dunlaing Southern Leinster
allies and it now seemed that t
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