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The Battle of Clontarf ( ) took place on Good Friday in 1014 (23 April) between the forces of Brian Boru and the forces led by the King of Leinster, Máel Mórda mac Murchada: composed mainly of his own men, Viking mercenaries from Dublinmarker and the Orkney Islandsmarker led by his cousin Sigtrygg, as well as the one rebellious king from the province of Ulster. It ended in a rout of the Máel Mórda's forces, along with the death of Brian, who was killed by a few Norsemen who were fleeing the battle and stumbled upon his tent. After the battle, Irelandmarker returned to a fractious status quo between the many small, separate kingdoms that had existed for some time.



In 997, Brian Boru and Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill had met in Clonfertmarker and reached an agreement where they recognized each other's reign over their respective halves of the country. Brian attacked Máel Sechnaill's territory constantly, which forced Máel Sechnaill to resign his land to Brian.


Brian immediately imprisoned Gormlaith, and went on a series of raids around Dublin in order to tie down any Irish who would attempt to join the Viking forces. Meanwhile Gormlaith contacted Sigurd Lodvesson, the Viking earl of the Orkney Isles, to come to her aid. He not only agreed, but in turn contacted Brodir of the Isle of Manmarker to join the fight. Sigurd and Brodir both planned on killing the other after the battle to take the seat of High King for themselves, while Sigtrygg was busy trying to form alliances with everyone involved in an attempt to at least retain his own seat in Dublin.


That night Brian received news that the Viking forces had boarded their longships and headed out to sea, deserting Sigtrygg. This was in fact a ruse. After nightfall they turned around and landed on the beaches of Clontarfmarker, just over a mile to the north of Dublin, in order to surprise Brian's army the next day. At the time Dublin was only on the south shore of the River Liffeymarker, connected to the north bank, and Clontarf, only by a single bridge. This allowed the Vikings time to disembark and prepare in relative safety.











With the Irish now leaderless, and the power of the Vikings as a political force broken, Ireland soon returned to a series of bloody factional fighting. However things had changed as a result of the battle, with Viking and Gaelic culture no longer contesting power. After a number of years this led to a lasting peace, and the Vikings would instead turn to Englandmarker and Scotlandmarker, eventually taking power when Canute the Great was installed as King in 1015.

Sigtrygg, who had watched the battle with Gormlaith from Dublin, on the south bank of the River Liffeymarker, and with the Irish army melting away the next day, ended up as the only "winner" of the contest, continuing his rule in Dublin until his death in 1042. The Kingdom of Meath also benefitted from the fact that their warriors suffered few casualties, and managed to come from the battlefield in a much stronger position, with most of his neighbours, including the Dublin Vikings, all incapable of launching further advances. However the series of wars had resulted in a fragmented political landscape, which could not unite under the old High King.

In fiction

  • A fictionalized (including fantasy elements) telling of the battle is the core of the short stories The Twilight of the Grey Gods and "The Cairn on the Headland" by Robert E. Howard. The same author also wrote a straight-adventure story describing the battle, titled "Spears of Clontarf".
  • A fictionalized telling of the battle can be read in Lion of Ireland by Morgan Llewellyn
  • In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the Irish character of Miles O'Brien was fond of recreating the battle in Deep Space 9's holosuites. In the episode "Bar Association", he and his friend Doctor Julian Bashir garbed themselves in traditional costume of the day. When Bashir asked why O'Brien had the right to portray Brian Boru, O'Brien explained that he was a direct descendant of the King.
  • A fictionalized retelling (based on the sagas) of these events can be found in Odinn's Child, the first book of Tim Severin's Viking series.
  • A fictionalized tale, "Sword Of Clontarf" written by Charles A. Brady, is very largely based on the Battle of Clontarf and the events preceding it. (Doubleday, 1960.)
  • The tale "The Mirror and the Mask" by the Argentinianmarker writer Jorge Luis Borges (see The Book of Sand) is set around the time of the battle and mentions it in its opening. It is not clear whether the narrative takes place during or immediately after the battle; according to the story, the High King was not killed and asked his poet to elaborate an epic poem in the fashion of Virgil's Aeneid. The poet attempts to write an ever more improved work three times and each time is rewarded with an item; per the story's title, the first two are a silver mirror and a golden mask. By the third reworking, the poem has become but a single line, no longer about the specific battle but about "battle and the uttermost Beauty". The King's third gift is a dagger with which the poet then kills himself,
  • The novel Vinland by George Mackay Brown includes a long and detailed depiction of the battle, in which its protagonist takes part.

In music

  • An account of this battle is the central motif of the album Cluain Tarbh, by Gaelic doom metal band Mael Mórdha. Their debut on Grau records Gaeltacht Mael Mordha details the events leading up to the battle through the eyes of the High King.
  • The Celtic/Black Metal band Mag Mell have a song named Wolf Felled Brodir which explains how Brodir slew Brian and how Wolf avenged his brother, thus "Wolf Felled Brodir" instead of Now let man tell man that 'Brodir felled Brian. '
  • Celtic Folk Metal band Cruachan have numerous songs, including "Ard Rí na hÉireann" and "1014 AD".


See also

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