The mythologising of Brian Boru began within a generation or two of his death at Clontarf. Cogadh Gáedhel re Gallaibh, an early twelfth-century O’Brienite propagandist tract, first articulated a vision of Brian as belonging to a long line of universal heroic leaders and kings, combining the military prowess of Alexander, the wisdom of Solomon, the … Read more
A fundamental problem with the so-called kingship of Ireland after Brian (or indeed during Brian’s own reign and before) is that, while the concept was certainly old, it is unclear what it entailed. As early as the seventh century, kings of Cenél Conaill (County Donegal) were recorded in the annals as kings of Ireland, but … Read more
A mountain of material was written about the Battle of Clontarf in succeeding generations but there is very little that is genuinely contemporaneous; distinguishing between what can be believed and what cannot be believed in later traditions is therefore a tricky business. And the business of deciding once and for all what happened at Clontarf … Read more
The Book of Armagh (Trinity College Dublin MS 52) is one of the most significant manuscripts to survive from early medieval Ireland. A small volume (c. 195mm x 145mm), it contains texts relating to St Patrick, a complete New Testament (the only Irish copy to survive from the period) and documents concerning St Martin of … Read more
Irish genealogies remain an under-used source in Irish family history, probably because very few people can trace their ancestry back far enough to link up to them. (Notable exceptions include Conor O’Brien, 18th Baron Inchiquin, who claims descent from Brian Boru, and Tom Cruise, descended from Niall Glundubh (d. 919), progenitor of the O’Neill dynasty.) … Read more