Brian Boru

Brian Boru is famous for having defeated the invading Vikings in 1014 at Clontarf and ushering in a period often called the golden age in Irish history. Danish and Norwegian marauders had been raiding the coasts of Ireland and northern Europe for hundreds of years - in Ireland the Vikings were mostly Norwegians and in England mostly Danish.

Brian's fame is not entirely supported by scholars. His battle with the Vikings was not the result of his uniting the Irish against the invaders, it was actually the result of a personal quarrel with another Irish chieftain who objected to Brian's status as overlord, and there were Vikings fighting on both sides. It is true though that after Clontarf there were no further raids by Vikings and those already living in the country settled down and became part of the community.

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