Dead for almost a thousand years, Brian Boru exists near the twilight zone where history intersects with mythology.  But unlike characters such as King Arthur of Round Table fame, Brian was real enough.

 

He was born around 941 into what a recent biographer has described as "a dynasty on the make."  From the family base in Clare, his father and older brother had established ascendancy in Munster by the mid 900s.  In the process, they displaced the Eoganacht (ancestors of the MacCarthys of Desmond) from the kingship of Cashel.  After his brother's murder in 976, Brian assumed the reins.  He was to prove himself more than adept at building on the family gains.

 

Initially, Brian set out to consolidate his position in Munster by bringing to heel those responsible for his brother's death.  From there, he expanded his sights to Osraige, Connacht and Leinster.  In the process, he became the first ruler outside the Ui Neill to lay claim - however tenuous - to the high kingship of Ireland.  In 997, Brian and Malachy II (of the Southern Ui Neill) came to an agreement at Clonfert.  They would divide the country between them.  But Brian wasn't really prepared to settle for half a loaf and Malachy was forced to submit in 1002.  After that, Brian set about the task of gaining effective supremacy over the northern kingdoms.

 

Brian's success drew on a number of contributory factors, including what would now be described as shrewd image management.  This talent ran in the family, having been most cleverly demonstrated when his immediate ancestors reinvented themselves as the Dal Cais (seed of Cas), thereby manufacturing a relationship with Munster royalty through the legendary figure of Cormac Cas.

 

There was also an active awareness of the value to be gained from influence in ecclesiastical circles.  Accordingly, Brian ensured that members of his family filled high offices in Munster churches.  He also cultivated a close association with the primatial church of Armagh - neatly symbolised by the stories of his depositing twenty ounces of gold at the altar there in 1005.

 

Still, the single most important element in Brian's success was military talent.  Whether it was his use of naval power, his fortification-building, or just his plain ability to win far more battles than he lost, he was very good at the art of making war.

 

From what we can glean of his family life, Brian was married four times.  All told, he produced six sons and three daughters.  Genealogically, the most important marriage was to Echrad, who came from an obscure Southern Ui Neill dynasty - the subsequent ruling line descended from their son Tadc.

 

Brian & the Vikings

Brian's status as Ireland's most famous king stems from his dealings with the Vikings (the Norse).  Generations of schoolchildren, mine included, were taught that his 1014 victory at Clontarf finally broke Viking power in Ireland.  But the gritty details are a bit more complicated.

 

The Vikings had been established in Ireland well before Brian's birth.  Initially no more than coastal raiders, they subsequently built port settlements in places like Dublin, Waterford, Wexford, Cork and Limerick.  And as they generally travelled without women, they also married into the local population, sometimes going so far as to adopt Christianity.  Over time, they evolved beyond their raider origins to become traders and urban developers.  In the process, settlements like Dublin became Hiberno-Norse rather than pure Viking.

 

As for Brian, his dealings with the Vikings were not all hostile.  For instance, the Waterford Vikings were allies in his campaigns against Malachy.  There were even family ties - his third daughter, Slaine, was married to Sitric Silkenbeard, the Viking king of Dublin at the time of Clontarf.  And to further tangle the web, Sitric was the son - from an earlier marriage - of Gormlaith, one of Brian's wives!