Brian Boru ,High King of Ireland, was the first king who could truly claim to rule the entire island of Ireland. He was declared Emperor of the Irish in the historic Book of Armagh during his own lifetime, and he has retained a hold on the popular imagination as Ireland’s greatest king.
Brian lived a century after the era of devastating Viking raids on Ireland, yet he is generally celebrated as the Vikings’ chief opponent.
His final battle, at Clontarf in 1014, is remembered as a pivotal moment in Irish history .On the eve of Good Friday and the Battle of Clontarf, in Kilmainham Irish High King Brian Boru camped with his 7,000-strong army.
Brian’s army won but he was died soon after the victory ,t here are many accounts of how Brian was killed. Some suggest he was killed during heroic man-to-man combat, although others specify that he was not involved in the battle due to his advanced age and frailty. The more common theory is that Brian was killed by the fleeing Viking mercenary Brodir while praying in his tent at Clontarf.
There are a few stories as to where Brian is buried.Traditionally Armagh is said to be his last resting place. There is a tale that claims after the battle the bodies of Brian and his son were “interred at Kilmaynam against the great cross”. Presumably this refers to the granite shaft in Bully’s Acre graveyard, now part of the grounds of the Irish Museum of Modern Art.
Read More