The year of the Battle of Clontarf, 1014, is not in any doubt, as our annals are unanimous on this point, but the trad-itional belief that it took place on Good Friday, 23 April, is sometimes nowadays thought to be a later notion: was it concocted to liken the death of the Christian king, Brian … 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
As well as Ferdomnach, there were at least two, and perhaps as many as four, other scribes, writing separate sections, which were brought together at an early date in a red-stained goatskin binding decorated with stamps and blind lines. These binding boards form a remarkable survival, kept separately from the manuscript for many years in … 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
Sitric Silkenbeard, king of Dublin, might be turning in his grave if he knew how much historians focus on his arch-rival, Brian. Popular claims that Brian expelled the foreigners from Ireland nearly airbrushed the remainder of Sitric’s reign from popular memory. Nevertheless, Sitric, who came to power in the early 990s, tenaciously held his position … Read more