Showing posts with label Mike McCormack. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mike McCormack. Show all posts
Thursday, June 1, 2017
Irish History for June 2017
Historian’s Report
THEY HAPPENED IN JUNE
by Mike McCormack, NY State Historian
June is a remarkable month in Irish History as so many things occurred in that month over the centuries. For Example:
On June 1, 1866 , a Fenian Army invaded Canada Fort Erie with the intent of seizing all of Canada England Ireland New York State
On June 3, 1974 , patriot Michael Gaughan, on hunger strike in Parkhurst Prison for political prisoner status, died after force-feeding. Six guards would restrain him at the top of the bed, stretch his neck over the metal rail, force a block between his teeth and force a feeding tube down his throat through a hole in the block. Michael’s brother described him noting: His throat had been badly cut by force feeding and his teeth loosened. His eyes were sunken, his cheeks hollow and his mouth was gaping open. He weighed about 84 lb. He’d been force-fed 17 times at the end of his 64-day hunger strike. After he died at age 24, his family stated it was from food lodged in a lung punctured by the force-feeding tube.
On June 4, 1798 , Lord Edward Fitzgerald, leader of the United Irishmen, died of wounds received during his capture. He was a Lord, brother of Ireland Ireland
On June 5, 1646 , Owen Roe O’Neill, a brilliant strategist who had returned from Spain Ireland
On June 20, 1764 , Theobold Wolfe Tone was born to introduce a new Republican concept to Ireland Ireland
On June 21, 1877 , a day remembered as Black Thursday, four members of the AOH accused of being members of an imaginary group called the Molly Maguires, were hanged in Mauch Chunk , PA. June 21, 1997 , 120 years later, a memorial Mass was attended by 100 descendants of those hanged and members of the AOH at the jail where they had been hanged.
On June 28, 1920 , after hearing of British atrocities in Dublin India
On June 22, 1922 , the Provisional government of the Irish Free State bombarded the Four Courts which had been seized by anti-treaty IRA forces. Many count that as the start of the Irish Civil War in which more than 2,000 were killed before it ended in May, 1923 – less than one year later!
On June 29, 1848 , leading members of the Young Ireland confederacy, who had been traveling Ireland Tipperary France America
These are only a few of the historic events we recognize in June. There are also important births like Edmund Ignatius Rice, founder of the Christian Brothers (June 1, 1762); teacher and author Sinead DeValera (June 3, 1878); James Connolly, Irish Citizen Army leader and 1916 commander (June 5, 1868); Wm Butler Yeats (June 13, 1865); tenor John McCormack (June 14, 1884); and Charles Stewart Parnell (June 27, 1846) among others. We also lost some great people like Matt Talbot, servant of God (June 6, 1925); Saint Colmcille (June 9, 597 ); Tenor Frank Patterson (June 10, 2000 ); Molly Malone, who died of a fever (June 10, 1886); and Journalist Veronica Guerin who was gunned down on a Dublin June 16, 1904 , James Joyce had his first date with the love of his live, Nora Barnacle. It is the date he later memorialized as the day everything takes place in his masterpiece Ulysses and is remembered today as BLOOMSDAY!
These dates and many more which happened, not only in June, but on every day of the year are listed on the 2018 Calendar of Men’s & Ladies Irish and Irish-American Historical Events available from Pete Durkee (518) 274-8448. The calendars also provide the opportunity to win more than $10,000 in prizes, so give Pete a call.
Friday, March 10, 2017
Irish History Report for March 2017
Irish Historian’s Report
Division One is honored to share Irish History articles provided by The National Historian of The Ancient Order of Hibernians
Here are two stories and both are absolutely true – and worth reading! The first began on5 September 1893 when a son was born in St. Louis , MO Chicago Holly Hills
The second O’Hare story occurred years later during World War II – a war that produced many heroes. One such was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare. Heart-to-heart talks with his father, who was fascinated with flying and had even hitched a ride in Charles Lindbergh's mail plane, inspired Butch to become a Navy pilot. A friend of his father’s, Congressman John J. Cochran, had appointed Butch to the U.S. Naval Academy. He became a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrierLexington 20 February, 1942 , his squadron was sent on a mission. Once airborne, his saw that his crew chief had forgotten to top off his tank. Without enough fuel to complete the mission and return, his flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back. On his return he saw something that turned his blood cold – a squadron of Japanese ‘Betty’ bombers speeding toward the American fleet.
A TALE OF TWO O’HARES
By Mike McCormack
Here are two stories and both are absolutely true – and worth reading! The first began on
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| Al Capone with "Easy" Eddie O'Hare |
Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago IRS and it was with his help that the government convicted and imprisoned Capone for income tax evasion. IRS agent Frank J. Wilson called Eddie one of the best undercover men I have ever known. Eddie testified against Capone, knowing that he was putting himself in harm’s way. In 1939, a week before Capone was released from Alcatraz ; O'Hare was driving home in his black 1939 Lincoln-Zephyr coupe. At the intersection of Ogden and Rockwell, two shotgun-wielding gunmen in a dark sedan drove alongside and fired a volley into his car. O'Hare was killed instantly. He died knowing that he had given his son the greatest gift he could offer – integrity – at the greatest price he could pay. Among his final effects, Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a religious medallion and a poem that read:
"The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power
to tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour.
Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will.
Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still.'"
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| New Reports of the Murder of Eddie O'Hare |
The second O’Hare story occurred years later during World War II – a war that produced many heroes. One such was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare. Heart-to-heart talks with his father, who was fascinated with flying and had even hitched a ride in Charles Lindbergh's mail plane, inspired Butch to become a Navy pilot. A friend of his father’s, Congressman John J. Cochran, had appointed Butch to the U.S. Naval Academy. He became a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier
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| Eddie "Butch" O'Hare in his F4 Wildcat Fighter Plane |
The American fighters were gone on a sortie and the fleet was all but defenseless. Butch couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time, nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from their course. Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese bombers with wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazing, attacking one surprised enemy plane after another. He wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until his ammunition was finally spent. Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the bombers, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many of them as possible, rendering them unfit to fly. Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction trying to flee this ‘crazy’ American pilot. Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered Grumman F-4F Wildcat fighter limped back to the carrier. Upon reporting in, he related the events surrounding his return. The film from the gun-mounted camera on his plane verified the tale. It showed the extent of his daring attempt to protect the fleet. He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft and damaged another. For his heroism Butch O’Hare became the Navy's first Ace of WWII and the first Naval Aviator to be awarded the Medal of Honor by Congress.
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| Edward O'Hare receives the Medal of Honor from President Roosevelt |
A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. After the war, on April 19, 1947, 70 years ago this month, Col. Robert McCormick, publisher of the Chicago Tribune, proposed that Chicago's new airport be named for the naval hero, who had often visited his father in their city. On September 17, 1949 , O'Hare Airport was dedicated to Edward H. "Butch" O'Hare. So, the next time you find yourself at Chicago
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| The Edward "Butch" O'Hare Memorial at O'Hare Airport in Chicago |
Now, what do these two O’Hares have in common?
Butch was 'Easy Eddie's' son! (Pretty cool, eh!)
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Irish History For June 2016
The Story & History of The Claddagh Ring
By Mike McCormack
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| Classic Claddagh Ring Design |
The Claddagh Ring, designed and worn in Ireland since the late 1600s, has enjoyed a growing popularity with Irish exiles the world over. The modern Galway Jeweler, Stephen Fallon Ltd, notes, the use of joined hands to denote friendship and the human heart to denote charity is common enough in forms of art which use highly conventionalized symbolism" and "rings of this general type, known as fidelity rings are not excessively uncommon. However, when referring to the crowned heart supported by two hands, it is stated that this particular style is most definitely the Claddagh Ring and nothing else.
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| The Claddagh Ring has Distinctive Clasped Hands, Heart and Crown |
The earliest maker of this particular design was a Galway goldsmith named Joyce who had learned his craft in a rather remarkable way. When he was still a young man, Joyce was taken by Algerian pirates, and spent a number of years of captivity in Tunis indentured to a goldsmith, where he became a skilled craftsman in precious metals. When King William acceded to the throne of England in 1689, he concluded an agreement whereby all of his subjects who were held in captivity by the Moors were to be allowed to return to their homes. Joyce returned to the town of Claddagh in County Galway and pursued a career with his new-found skills. He prospered as a worker of gold and silver until about 1730 and several examples of his ecclesiastical works are still in existence. Shortly after his return home, about 1690, Joyce created the special design that in time became known as the Claddagh Ring.
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| The Claddagh Ring is a Popular Wedding Band |
The ring became popular around the town of Claddagh, and soon its popularity spread across the whole of County Galway. They were kept as heirlooms with great pride, and were passed from generation to generation, often being used as wedding rings. Even people of limited means were prepared to exert themselves to make enough money to purchase a good example of the ring. The popularity of the ring spread and, after Joyce's death, the demand rose. The tradition was carried on by the Robinson family who became the principle makers of the ring throughout the 18th century.
As to the meaning of the symbols on the ring, several stories exist. The most likely however, is one that this writer learned from an old Galway shanachie, and it had to do with the history of the time. During England's attempted conquest of Ireland, each generation of Irish resisted the yoke of slavery forced upon them. In 600 years of English intrusion into Ireland, there were no less than 14 resistance movements - 11 of which were armed rebellions! It was after one of these aborted risings - the Nine Years War of O'Neill, Maguire, and O'Donnell against the Crown - that the English decided to end the threat of the Irish clans forever. In 1607, charges of treason were fabricated against the strongest of the clan Chieftains: those of Tyrone, Tirconnell, and Fermanagh and those noble Irish leaders were forced to flee Ireland in what became known as the Flight of the Earls. After the Flight of the Earls, the Irish again found themselves victims of oppression, and, in desperation, the next generation aligned themselves against the Crown in the Williamite War. In 1691, when the last bastion of Irish resistance in that war fell with the capitulation of Limerick, the English pressed their advantage. The remaining Gaelic aristocracy was either destroyed or forced into exile in what became known as the Flight of the Wild Geese. In exile, the Gaelic Princes and their followers lamented the loss of their beloved Erin and preserved their love for Ireland in song and story.
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| Map detailing the route of the Flight of The Earls |
When the Claddagh Ring was designed, the Flight of the Earls was recent memory and the Flight of the Wild Geese was a current event. Joyce, who was well aware of the heartbreak of a forced exile from Ireland, is reported to have fashioned the Claddagh Ring as a reminder to all Irishmen of the ties that bound them to their heritage. The two hands grasping a heart symbolized the embrace of mother Ireland on the hearts of the Irish wherever they may be; the heart is topped with a crown as a reminder of the Gaelic royalty forced to flee in the Flight of the Earls and later Chieftains with the Wild Geese and it was cast in gold as a reminder of the riches of Erin stolen by the Saxon invader. It received its name from the little town of Claddagh, a fishing village on Galway Bay, where Joyce introduced his creation. It was originally used by locals as wedding rings and later it was also used by single persons. Married or betrothed persons took to wearing the ring with the heart facing inward to signify that their heart was taken while single persons wore the ring with the heart facing outward to indicate that their heart was available. This is the traditional explanation offered by many Galway natives whose families go back to the days of Joyce and beyond.
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| Flight of The Earls Monument in County Donegal, Ireland |
However, Joyce never left a written explanation of his design and modern jewelers offer various accounts of its significance hoping to improve its marketability. Its popularity with lovers - especially among the Irish - has provided other romantic explanations which further confuse the issue. Today, there is no other ring which can offer the buyer a choice of so many meanings. But, as is the case with most ancient creations whose origins are clouded by the mists of time, the truth may lie somewhere between the fact and the legend that have combined in the legacy of the Claddagh Ring. As for this writer, my Claddagh ring will always remind me of the hold that Ireland has on my heart!
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Irish Historian's Report November 2015
THE BATTLE OF YELLOW FORD
by Mike
McCormack
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| Map and Illustration of The Battle of Yellow Ford |
The
year was 1587, and the English were concerned about the Irish Chieftains whom they
had not yet brought under control – especially in Ulster. Something had to be done to insure their
non-interference with Crown activities.
One of the more powerful clans was the O'Donnell of Tyr Connail, the
present day Donegal. Doe Castle was the
seat of ‘The MacSweeney of the Battleaxe’ and the teenage son of ‘The
O’Donnell’, was sent there to be trained in the arts: literature, music,
swordsmanship, horsemanship and all the educational pursuits befitting a young
Irish prince. One day, a trading ship
sailed into Rathmullen on Lough Swilly, 24 miles from Doe Castle. They were offering Spanish wines, and fine
fabrics for the Donegal Chieftains and their ladies. Red Hugh O'Donnell, the 15-year old heir to
the Tyr Connail Chieftainship and two friends, Dan MacSweeney and Hugh
O’Gallagher, were invited aboard to see the merchandise. Once on board, they were overpowered and the
young prince was taken captive. The
kidnapping infuriated the Irish, but Lord Deputy Perrot reassured them that Red
Hugh would remain alive, as long as the O'Donnells remained passive. The young prince was taken to Dublin
Castle. The O’Donnells had been
harboring 25 survivors of the Spanish Armada who shipwrecked on the Donegal
coast in August 1588; they offered them to the English in exchange for Red
Hugh. The offer was accepted and the
Spaniards were marched to Dublin to make the exchange. When the English got the Spaniards, they
beheaded them on the spot and sent the O’Donnells home, refusing to honor the
agreement.
As
Christmas neared in 1591, O’Donnell had been imprisoned and brutally treated
for near six years. So many wardens had
been replaced, it was doubtful if anyone remembered a red-haired boy in a cell
in the bowels of Dublin Castle. Then, on
Christmas night, 21-year old Red Hugh made a daring escape with Henry and Art
O’Neill, sons of the late Shane O’Neill, Chieftain of Tyrone. They fled into
the Wicklow Mountains where, days later, close to death, covered with snow and
embracing the lifeless body of Art O’Neill (Henry died during the escape) in an
attempt to keep him from freezing, Red Hugh was found by the great Munster
Chieftain, Fiach McHugh O'Byrne. Red
Hugh's escape sent a thrill through all of Ireland: the heir of Tir-Connaill was safe. He was brought to Hugh O’Neill at Dungannon,
who escorted him to Hugh Maguire, Lord of Fermanagh. The Maguire brought him to Tir-Connaill, where
in May, 1593, he stood on the Rock of Doone, the ancient crowning stone of Clan
O'Donnell, and received a title higher than any foreigner could give - that of
The O'Donnell, Prince of Tir-Connaill.
There were now two War Chiefs in Ulster ready to oppose the English.
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| Painting - "The Battle of Yellow Ford" by JB Vallely |
The
English, worried by the audacity of the northern Chieftains, captured The
Maguire's fort at Enniskillen which guarded the Gap of the Erne - one of the
two the main accesses to Ulster. Maguire
called on The O'Donnell for assistance, and O'Donnell rallied his clan. Thus began the great rising of the Ulster
Chieftains known as The Nine Years War.
O'Donnell swept through Ulster driving the English before him. By the time they reached Enniskillen, Hugh
O'Neill's brother, Cormac had joined them, and Enniskillen was recaptured. The English attacked Monaghan and again were
defeated, but in the battle, the banner of the Red Hand of O'Neill flew among
the Irish; Clan O'Neill had taken the field against the English, and at their
head was The O'Neill, England's trusted Earl of Tyrone. The English were now in trouble for, the
Irish had revealed their strength. The
three Hughs were in command of close to 1,000 horse-soldiers and 7,000 foot, at
a time when the entire English force in Ireland was less than 2,000. With Enniskillen safely in their hands, the
three Hughes moved toward the Blackwater where an English Fort controlled the
other main access to Ulster - the Gap of the North. The Crown sent Lord Ormond and a newly
arrived army of 4,000 foot and 300 horse to reinforce Blackwater. The Irish
decided to stop him at a ford in the Callan River known as the Yellow Ford.
The
O'Neill constructed defenses, The O'Donnell organized a cavalry and The Maguire
set to block an enemy retreat. What
happened next had never before happened in Ireland. On the morning of August 14, 1598, the
English were outmaneuvered, outgunned, outfought, and out-generaled by the
Irish. The Queen's army was destroyed,
Blackwater Fort was in Irish hands and all of Ireland stood open before their
army of liberation. Elizabeth was not on
the brink of losing Ireland; she had lost it, and would spend a fortune to
regain it. She raised the largest force
ever assembled – 25,000 troops – and sent her Earl of Essex to lead them. But Essex delayed, though Elizabeth demanded
he attack. In September, he finally
moved north. The two armies met in
Louth, and O'Neill called for a parlay.
The two leaders met on horseback in the middle of a stream at the Ford
of Bellaclynthe. What was said will
never be known, but when it was over, Essex turned his army south, and returned
to Dublin. In defiance of Elizabeth, he
had granted O'Neill a truce!
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| Hugh O’Neill and his Troops |
Essex
deserted his army and left for England to plot rebellion against her. Whether O'Neill had proposed such a strategy
during their meeting is unknown, but he was playing the politics of avoiding
conflict with Elizabeth. She was, after
all, an old woman and couldn't last much longer. He had been negotiating with her successor,
James Stuart of Scotland, and may well have offered Essex a position in the new
reign in return for a truce until Elizabeth's death. The only obstacle between O'Neill and the
Kingship of Ireland was a frail old woman who would not die. However, before she did, she had one more go
at taking Ireland – and she succeeded.
But that’s another story. For
now, Ireland was Irish.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
AOH Historian's Report
A Disease That Haunted The Irish
By Mike McCormack
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| Cholera Outbreak in Athlone, Ireland 1832 |
Cholera is an infection of the human
intestine and is recognized as one of the most efficient killers of all time;
it works quickly to kill, often on the same day as infection. Cholera causes
violent vomiting, cramps and diarrhea and is spread by contaminated excrement
and handling clothing and bedding of infected people. In crowded cities,
sewage-contaminated water supplies were a major source of its spread, but no
one realized that until after 1854. Before that, it had arrived in America with
Irish and German immigrants, crowded below decks on coffin ships with little or
no fresh water or sanitary facilities for a rough six-to-eight-week passage
across the Atlantic.
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| Depiction of Cholera Outbreak in The Five Points, NYC in 1832 |
It decimated the polluted immigrant
slums into which many immigrants were forced to live. In June 1832, an outbreak
of cholera spread rapidly throughout the crowded, unsanitary dwellings of New
York’s Five Points neighborhood before spreading to the rest of the city
killing 3,500 in two months. Nativists blamed the disease on the life style of
the poor – namely Catholicism, poverty and drink until the disease spread
uptown, where well-to-do families kept the cause of death a secret. New York’s
Croton reservoir was completed in late 1842 to bring clean water to the city
for drinking and street cleaning, but the Croton Water Board objected to
wasting that clean water in the Five Points. A second major outbreak occurred
in 1849 killing 5,017. For the next 20 years, deaths in the Five Points area
was triple that of the rest of the city.
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| Cholera Cross in Clinton County, Illinois |
In 1842, cholera also broke out in
Saint Louis brought by German and Irish immigrants coming up the Mississippi
from New Orleans where upon arrival; dehydrated from the voyage they drank
great gulps of contaminated water. Like their countrymen in New York the Irish
were forced into a filthy slum area called the Kerry Patch. As a result, the
St. Louis death toll reached 4,500 in three months. The increase of immigrants
in 1849 fleeing Ireland’s Great Hunger led to a second major outbreak that took
more than 7,000 lives. In May 1849, the city took over Arsenal Island in the
Mississippi and renamed it Quarantine Island. All ships were stopped there for
inspection and those passengers who seemed ill remained in hastily built sheds
until they either recovered or died, just like Grosse Isle in Quebec. Thousands
were buried there before the island – cemetery and all – washed away in the
spring floods of the 1860s after the city built dykes on the west side of the
river and changed its flow.
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| Federal Mortality Census Report for 1850 |
However, the quarantining efforts
failed to stop bacteria from infecting St. Louis’ water supply. With no other
dumping site available, chamber pots were emptied into the streets and rain
washed the excrement into the limestone caves beneath the city where raw sewage
from the city was also dumped. It eventually overflowed into a low area near
the Kerry Patch creating a putrid pool angrily called Kayser’s Lake. Henry
Kayser was the city engineer who decided to divert the entire city’s waste
water into the limestone caves beneath the city rather than build sewers to
save money. In 1849, approximately one-tenth of the population of St. Louis
died from disease.
Not knowing the true source of the
disease, people blamed everything from sauerkraut to stench as thousands of new
immigrants joined the prospectors who stopped at St Louis – the gateway to the
west – to outfit for the journey to the recently discovered gold fields of
California. Typically, cholera swept through the poorest areas first and was
interpreted by the Nativist press as being due to the immigrants’ ignorance,
laziness, and moral laxity. By the third week of June, cholera was killing
roughly 100 people a day. Rev. John B. Druyts, Jesuit president of Saint Louis
College, told the frightened students to place themselves under protection of
the Blessed Virgin Mary. Those who survived were to chip in and buy a silver
crown for her statue in the chapel. The effect of this holy resolution calmed
the students. In what was called a miracle, there were no deaths within the
school walls, although there were victims of the disease in almost every house
around the College. In October 1849, a silver crown was reverently carried on a
purple cushion to the statue.
On June 24, citizens crowded a
public meeting and demanded that city officials do something or resign. The
officials did what officials always do: they formed a committee. The committee
not knowing the cause, immediately ordered coal, tar and sulfur pots to be
burned in the streets. They banned fresh vegetables, especially cabbage
believing the smell of sauerkraut was a contributing factor. They also kept
public transportation out of the slums in case the disease might be airborne
and ordered churches to stop all that infernal bell-ringing at funerals since
it lowered the morale of the people. Then they spent $10,000 to buy slop carts
and hired street cleaners, telling them to collect and dump liquid filth into
the once lovely Chouteau’s Pond which had already become gray with industrial
waste, creating another source of infection.
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| Map Depicting Cholera Outbreak in Ireland |
More practical prevention came in
1850, when the city drained both Kayser’s Lake and Chouteau’s Pond – not
because it eliminated a cause of the disease, but because they finally
installed a sewer system – and that, unintentionally, was what finally did the
job. Cholera returned again before the end of the century, but it was never
again as lethal.
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| Cholera Localities Map - Belfast 1832 |
Many are the stories of sorrow in
the diaries of our immigrant ancestors who were forced to endure the squalor
imposed upon them as a result of the bigotry that condemned them to substandard
living conditions. There are also stories of resilience that allowed them to
not only survive, but to climb out of the derelict districts and set a course
for their sons and daughters that made them the major contributors that the
Irish are today in every field of endeavor. But while we celebrate their
accomplishments and contributions, we should never forget the hardships
suffered by those who laid the groundwork.
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Irish Historian's Report - May 2015
Irish Historian’s Report
Division One is honored to share Irish History articles provided
by The National Historian of The Ancient Order of Hibernians
BRIAN BORU
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| Brian Boru at the Battle of Clontarf in the Year 1014 |
A centenary is a 100-year
anniversary and next year we will commemorate the Centenary of the Easter
Rising. However, last year Ireland commemorated a millennium, or a
thousand year anniversary, of the Battle of Clontarf in which the power of the
Vikings in Ireland was forever broken – the only country to ever do so.
Wherever Vikings settled, they took control, but when they tried to control
Ireland they failed. For two centuries they attacked towns and
monasteries, making quick raids and plundering wherever and whenever they
could. Their failure came at the hands of Brian mac Kennedy in 1014.
 | ||
| Brian Boru was The Last High King of Ireland |
Born near present day Killaloe, Co
Clare on the west side of the River Shannon, he was the youngest son of
Kennedy, Chief of the Dal Cassian. His eldest brother Mahon was to
succeed as Chieftain so Brian was sent to Clonmacnoise to become a monk.
At the monastery he learned to read, write and appreciate his heritage.
He studied military leaders & tactics and learned to despise the Viking
raiders who were plundering Irish monasteries. In 951, word came that
Brian’s parents had been killed by Vikings and he left the monastery to seek
revenge. Mahon, who was now Clan Chieftain, announced he was making a
treaty with the Vikings of Limerick, but Brian objected! He and a group
of followers left the clan and began raiding Viking camps. Though few in
numbers, his men defeated larger forces and his fame spread throughout Munster
attracting many more to his banner. As Viking raids continued, Mahon
realized that Brian had been right. He renounced his truce with the
Vikings and the two brothers joined forces. They took Cashel from another
Celtic Chieftain who had made an alliance with the Vikings to stay in
power. Mahon then realized that Limerick was too close to Cashel and his
stronghold in Co. Clare so; Viking power in Limerick had to be eliminated.
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| Statue of Brian Boru |
In 968, the two brothers defeated
the Vikings in Limerick and ruled peacefully for eight years over Clare, Cork,
Kerry, Tipperary and Limerick. However, the Vikings returned in 976, and
Mahon attended what was to have been a peace conference with a Chieftain named
MacBrain and his Viking allies. At the meeting, Mahon was killed.
Brian was now the undisputed Chieftain and he attacked and defeated the forces
that had slain his brother. After fortifying his power in the south,
Brian built a fleet of ships to patrol the Shannon and defeated the Vikings in
Waterford. Brian then set his sights on the Vikings of Dublin who had
allied with the King of Leinster and were raiding the center of Ireland.
With the support of Malachy, the King of Meath at Tara, who controlled the
northern part of Ireland, they beat the Vikings of Dublin in 1000. Brian
allowed the Vikings to stay, but an annual tribute was imposed. It’s for
that reason that Brian MacKennedy became known as Brian Boru or Brian of the
Tributes. Brian now led his army to Tara, where his ally, Malachy,
ruled. Brian’s reputation was so wide-spread that Malachy submitted with
little resistance and Brian Boru was now High King of all Ireland.
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| Ireland marked the 1,000 year anniversary of the battle in 2014 |
Brian’s reign as High King lasted 12
years and the country prospered. Monasteries and schools destroyed by
Vikings were rebuilt as were roads, bridges and churches. Illuminated
manuscripts and delicate metal work that had been hallmarks of monastic art saw
a rebirth. Trade increased and emissaries were even sent to Scotland and
Wales to solicit tribute in return for the protection of the King of
Ireland. Brian built his palace, Kincora, on a hill overlooking a
shallow part of the Shannon where tribute cattle could be driven across.
Today it is the town of Killaloe and a Catholic Church stands on that
hilltop. In its day, Kincora was the most noble of all the halls in
Ireland. Throughout his reign, Brian fought challenges from minor
Chieftains who refused to submit to his authority, but by 1011, all regional
rulers had acknowledged him as High King.
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| Re-enactment of The Battle of Clontarf in 2014 |
Then, in 1012, Maelmora, King of
Leinster, rebelled. Knowing he would need help to defeat Brian, he
invited the return of the Vikings, who were eager for revenge. Sigtrygg
Silkbeard, a Dublin Viking leader, called on Vikings from Orkney to the Isle of
Man as well as rebellious Vikings from Limerick, Waterford, Wexford and other
towns Brian had subdued. To Dublin they came and were joined by a few
Irish chieftains who saw this as a chance to quit their obligation to Brian and
avoid their annual tributes. Brian saw this as a threat to his plans for
a better Irish nation. He regretted letting the Vikings stay in Ireland
as long as they promised to be loyal. He would now have to settle this
for good. Brian called the clans for support and even received troops
from ‘Wolfe the Quarrelsome’ and other Vikings whom he had left to rule their
own territories. It was to be Irish and their Viking allies against
Vikings and their Irish allies. Brian set out for Dublin and the final
battle. In the early dawn of Good Friday, March 25, 1014, the army of
High King Brian Boru assembled on the field of Clontarf, just north of Dublin.
Brian, at 73-years old, was too old to lead so the army was commanded by his
son Murchad. Brian was safe behind the lines with his personal
guard. The battle was a bloody clash lasting all day. By evening
the Vikings were pushed back into the sea and the rest of the rebels fled back
to Dublin. The Irish chased them and those who had been guarding Brian
joined in the chase. Brian, meanwhile, knelt in prayer in his tent giving
thanks for the great victory and envisioning a New Ireland. A Viking
warrior named Brodar, who had fled the battle, came across Brian in his
tent. He saw that there were few men guarding the King and he hacked his
way through Brian’s attendants and came up behind the King of Ireland, kneeling
in prayer. It is recorded that Brian, startled by the noise behind him,
turned and drew his sword, prepared to defend himself. He slashed
Brodar’s leg, but it was too late. Brodar’s sword was already descending
and cut off Brian’s head. The High King of Ireland was dead, but
Brodar did not escape to brag of his treachery. Brian’s furious men
seized the wounded Brodar and dispensed proper justice to the man who had
killed the greatest leader that the Irish had ever known. They left
him tied to a nearby tree – with his own intestines!
 |
| Brian Boru Grave Marker St. Patrick's Cathedral, County Armagh |
Brian’s body was taken to Armagh,
the ecclesiastic center of Ireland, and was entombed in the wall of St.
Patrick’s cathedral. His army had been victorious and Ireland had become
the only country to break Viking power. After 1014, there was never
another Viking raid in Ireland. After Brian’s death, Malachy returned as
High King and Dalcassian strength was reduced to Munster only. Viking
presence remained in Ireland; their power crushed, but as Brian had decreed –
only as merchants and traders. Eventually they adopted Irish manners and
customs and were absorbed into the mainstream of Irish life. Although the
position of High King was filled from time to time after Brian’s death, Ireland
would never again have a ruler who controlled the entire country as Brian had.
Brian Boru was in fact, the last true High King of the Irish. Centuries
later, when Thomas Davis wrote his inspiring ballad A Nation Once Again,
the reign of Brian Boru was his reference.
Note:
In 977 A.D., when Brian defeated the
Vikings of Limerick, he made them a tribute tribe. Led by ‘Wolf the
Quarrelsome’, they soon became close allies to Brian with Wolf himself
sometimes referred to as Brian’s “brother-in-arms”. Wolf survived
the Battle of Clontarf, but lost his “brother-in-arms” when Brian was killed.
He watched Ireland return to factional fighting and knew there would never be
another High King like Brian Bóru. He left Ireland and travel to the Viking
colony in Iceland. As he sat around the fires on cold Icelandic nights he
retold the story of the Battle of Clontarf, and of the man he knew as a friend
for 37 years. His memoirs were written down and became part of the Icelandic
Sagas. They are considered more factually accurate than any other
accounts for he had attended every council meeting with Brian and was better
informed than any other author.
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