Battle of Clontarf, 1014 - End of the Viking Age in Ireland

many possibly also contained other nationalities, as their leader was a Scot, Domnall Eimhin. The Viking and North Leinster armies were also said to have been organized into three

battle

s, with Brodir and the newly arrived island forces leading the way, then the Vikings from Dublin and finally the Leinsterians from Mailmora bringing up the rear. The Irish used what they called short spears, which they used much like the ancient Roman spear, launching them like missiles to thin the enemy's ranks before closing in and fighting hand-to-hand. Some accounts say that this was what made the difference between the opposing forces on the day of the

battle

, but it is known that the Norse-Leinster armies were in a stronger position during the early stages of the battle.

While both sides made some use of the bow and arrow, especially the Vikings, there were no companies dedicated to archery as in the continental armies. Instead, the bow and arrow was simply one of the weapons used for the initial exchange of missiles and then launched into the advance. Brian, Murchad and their household forces were mounted warriors, but the bulk of the Irish army was infantry armed with spears and knives. Those who could used axes and swords. Although the Irish had happily adopted the Norse style of axe and it was the predominant weapon of Gallic armies, it appears that the Vikings themselves used spears and swords on a much larger scale.

Both sides also changed their defensive options. Almost none of the Irish wore armor or even chain mail in this period, and only their commanders wore helmets. Irish annals report that the Irish felt that armor was unmasculine and instead preferred to use shields, which could be used as an offensive weapon in combat. The Vikings wore chain mail, a long vest that reached to the knees called chain mail. It was in this condition that the sides attacked, and the battle immediately became one of extraordinary violence and ferocity. The Vikings and Leinsterians were the first to drive back the Irish, to the point that Sigtryyg, still watching from the walls of Dublin, turned to his wife Slaine and compared the slaughter to farmers cutting wheat in the time of harvest. "It's good that strangers are harvesting the field," he told her, but Brian's daughter remained calm and told him that nothing would be certain until the day was over.

Viking men and women watched from the walls as the sparks from weapons on mail and shields looked like sparks of fire in the air. The fight became so terrible that within a few minutes the living brothers, as well as the children and parents, could not recognize each other because of the cuts and wounds that covered their faces. The spears became too heavy to lift, not because of fatigue, but because their tips became clogged with hair and internal organs. It was Murchad, Brian's son and heir, who broke the Viking momentum and turned the tide of battle for the Irish.

With a sword in each hand, he rushed straight towards the enemy's front line, killing fifty on the left and fifty on the right. His men and relatives charged after him; They did not want to allow the king's son and the man who would soon take the throne to go into battle alone with strangers. The Viking lines began to falter and then the Battle of Connaught charged against the men of Leinster. The slaughter that followed was as savage as that between Murchad and the Norwegian. Leinster put up stiff resistance, but the Connaught tribes eventually prevailed, and numbers were reduced from thousands on both sides to just 100 Connaughtmen and twenty Leinster survivors.

It is not known who broke first, but the Leinster men and the Dublin Vikings began to retreat towards the city, crossing the bridge. At the same time, the Vikings who had reached the other side of the bay tried to return to their ships. At this point in the afternoon, the exhausted combatants saw that the ships were no longer stranded but had been swept away by a high tide. They turned to see the bloodied and screaming Irish mob bearing down on them. They made all the defense or retreat they could on the cold, rugged beach, and many of them drowned in the icy waters of the sea.

Much fighting occurred along the seawall and landing points, and the fighting extended from Clontarf beach to Dubgall Bridge, where Leinster men and Dublin Norwegians were being massacred as they fought each other to cross it. Seeing the dissolution of her husband's army and the imminent victory of his father and her brother, Slaine abandoned her unpleasant demeanor and turned to Sigtryyg. "Strangers come to her inheritance," she told him. "What do you mean by that?" she replied.