10th century in Ireland
Encyclopedia
900s
902- DublinHistory of DublinThe City of Dublin can trace its origin back more than 1,000 years, and for much of this time it has been Ireland's principal city and the cultural, educational and industrial centre of the island.-Founding and early history:...
has been abandoned - the end of the LongphortLongphortA longphort is a term used in Ireland for a Viking ship enclosure or shore fortress. Longphorts were originally built to serve as camps for the raiding parties in...
phase - the term used by modern scholars to refer to the earliest period of VikingVikingThe term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
settlement at Dublin
908
- 13 September - Flann SinnaFlann SinnaFlann Sinna was the son of Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid of Clann Cholmáin, a branch of the southern Uí Néill. He was King of Mide from 877 onwards and is counted as a High King of Ireland...
slew Cormac mac CuilennáinCormac mac CuilennáinCormac mac Cuilennáin was an Irish bishop and was king of Munster from 902 until his death. He was killed fighting in Leinster, probably attempting to restore the fortunes of the kings of Munster by reimposing authority over that province.Cormac was regarded as a saintly figure after his death,...
, the king-bishop of CashelCashel, County TipperaryCashel is a town in South Tipperary in Ireland. Its population was 2936 at the 2006 census. The town gives its name to the ecclesiastical province of Cashel. Additionally, the cathedra of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly was originally in the town prior to the English Reformation....
and King of Munster, at the battle of Belach Mughna, in LeinsterLeinsterLeinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...
.
910s
911- DroghedaDroghedaDrogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....
is established as a Viking settlement on the River BoyneRiver BoyneThe River Boyne is a river in Leinster, Ireland, the course of which is about long. It rises at Trinity Well, Newbury Hall, near Carbury, County Kildare, and flows towards the Northeast through County Meath to reach the Irish Sea between Mornington, County Meath and Baltray, County Louth. Salmon...
.
911 or 914
- A large Viking fleet arrives in WaterfordWaterfordWaterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
and a second period of Viking raids begins. The Vikings also established a base in Waterford.
916
- 25 May: death of Flann Sinna (b 847 or 848), the son of Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid of Clann CholmáinClann CholmáinClann Cholmáin is the name of the dynasty descended from Colmán Mór , son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill. Part of the Southern Uí Néill — they were the kings of Mide — they traced their descent to Niall Noígiallach and his son Conall Cremthainne.Related dynasties descended through Conall...
, a branch of the southern Uí NéillUí NéillThe Uí Néill are Irish and Scottish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noigiallach , an historical King of Tara who died about 405....
. He was King of Mide from 877 onwards, following Donnchad mac Eochocain, and is counted as a High King of IrelandHigh King of IrelandThe High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...
917
- The Annals of UlsterAnnals of UlsterThe Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...
records the arrival of two Viking fleets in Ireland in 917, one led by Ragnall and the other by Sigtrygg, both of the Uí Ímair kindred. They fought a battle against Niall GlundubNiall GlúndubNiall Glúndub mac Áedo was a 10th century Irish king of the Cenél nEógain and High King of Ireland. While many Irish kin groups were members of the Uí Néill, tracing their descent from Niall of the Nine Hostages , the O'Neill dynasty took their name from Niall Glúndub rather than the earlier Niall...
in which the Irish were routed, and according to the annals Sigtrygg then "entered Áth Cliath", i.e. Dublin, which we must assume means that he took possession of it. Ragnall Uí ÍmairUí ÍmairThe Uí Ímair , or Dynasty of Ivar, were an enormous royal and imperial Norse dynasty who ruled Northern England, the Irish Sea region and Kingdom of Dublin, and the western coast of Scotland, including the Hebrides, from the mid 9th century, losing control of the first in the mid 10th, but the rest...
went on to ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and then conquered York and became king there.
919
- Niall Glúndub, overking of the Uí Néill, killed in the battle of Dublin. He fell fighting the Dublin Norse at Islandbridge.
920s
922- The Vikings establish a Longphort in LimerickLimerickLimerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
. - Death of Muiredach Mac Domhnaill, abbot of MonasterboiceMonasterboiceThe historic ruins of Monasterboice are of an early Christian settlement in County Louth in Ireland, north of Drogheda. It was founded in the late 5th century by Saint Buithe who died around 521, and was an important centre of religion and learning until the founding of nearby Mellifont Abbey in...
, under whose auspices the great high crossMuiredach's High CrossMuiredach's High Cross is a high cross from the 10th or possibly 9th century, located at the ruined monastic site of Monasterboice, County Louth, Ireland. There are two other high crosses at Monasterboice; in local terms Muiredach's cross is also known as the South Cross...
was made.
926 or 941
- Brian BoruBrian BoruBrian Bóruma mac Cennétig, , , was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill. Building on the achievements of his father, Cennétig mac Lorcain, and especially his elder brother, Mathgamain, Brian first made himself King of Munster, then subjugated...
(d.1014), future High King of Ireland is thought to have been born in 926 or in 941.
927
- Death of Sigtrygg Caech (or Sihtric), a Norse-Gael King of Dublin who later reigned as king of YorkYorkYork is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
. His epithet means the 'Squinty'. He belonged to the Uí ÍmairUí ÍmairThe Uí Ímair , or Dynasty of Ivar, were an enormous royal and imperial Norse dynasty who ruled Northern England, the Irish Sea region and Kingdom of Dublin, and the western coast of Scotland, including the Hebrides, from the mid 9th century, losing control of the first in the mid 10th, but the rest...
kindred.
928
- Viking massacre of native Irish in Dunmore CavesDunmore CavesDunmore Cave is a limestone cave in Ballyfoyle, County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is a show cave open to the public, particularly well known for its rich archæological discoveries and for being the site of a Viking massacre in 928.- Show cave :...
in County KilkennyCounty KilkennyCounty Kilkenny is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. The territory of the county was the core part of the ancient Irish Kingdom of Osraige which in turn was the core of the Diocese of...
.
940s
944- Death of Donnchad Donn mac Flainn, King of Mide; he is succeeded by Oengus mac Donnchada.
950s
956- Death of Congalach Cnogba, High King of Ireland, of the Síl nÁedo SláineSíl nÁedo SláineSíl nÁedo Sláine is the name of the descendants of Áed Sláine , son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill. Part of the Southern Uí Néill—they were the kings of Brega—they claimed descent from Niall Noígiallach and his son Conall Cremthainne....
, part of the Southern Uí Néill. Domnall ua NéillDomnall ua NéillDomhnall ua Néill was High King of Ireland from 956 to 980.Domnall was the son of Muirchertach mac Néill, and grandson of Niall Glúndub, a member of the Cenél nEógain northern Uí Néill. He became co-King of Ailech with his brother Flaithbertach on the death of his father in 943...
becomes overking of the Uí Néill and reigns until his death in 980.
960s
960- GormflaithGormflaithGormflaith ingen Murchada was born in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland, around 960. She was the daughter of Murchad mac Finn, King of Leinster, sister of his successor, Mael Mórdha mac Murchada, and widow of Olaf Cuaran, the Viking king of Dublin and York. The main source of her life history is the...
was born in NaasNaasNaas is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. With a population of just over twenty thousand, it is also the largest town in the county. Naas is a major commuter suburb, with many people residing there and working in Dublin...
, County KildareCounty KildareCounty Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
. She was the daughter of Murchad mac Find, King of LeinsterKings of LeinsterThe following is a provisional list of the kings of Leinster who ruled the Irish kingdom of Leinster up to 1632 with the death of Domhnall Spainnach MacMurrough-Kavanagh, the last legitimately inaugurated head of the MacMurrough Kavanagh royal line...
. She was also the mother of King Sigtrygg SilkbeardSigtrygg SilkbeardSigtrygg II Silkbeard Olafsson was a Hiberno-Norse King of Dublin of the Uí Ímair dynasty...
of Dublin.
964
- Mathgamain mac CennétigMathgamain mac CennétigMathgamain mac Cennétig was King of Munster from around 970 to his death in 976. He is the elder brother of Brian Bóruma and the ancestor of the McMahon family of County Clare in Western Ireland ....
, leader of the Dál gCaisDál gCaisThe Dál gCais were a dynastic group of related septs located in north Munster who rose to political prominence in the 10th century AD in Ireland. They claimed descent from Cormac Cas, or Cas mac Conall Echlúath, hence the term "Dál", meaning "portion" or "share" of Cas...
from east ClareCounty Clare-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
, captures CashelCashel, County TipperaryCashel is a town in South Tipperary in Ireland. Its population was 2936 at the 2006 census. The town gives its name to the ecclesiastical province of Cashel. Additionally, the cathedra of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly was originally in the town prior to the English Reformation....
from the EóganachtaEóganachtaThe Eóganachta or Eoghanachta were an Irish dynasty centred around Cashel which dominated southern Ireland from the 6/7th to the 10th centuries, and following that, in a restricted form, the Kingdom of Desmond, and its offshoot Carbery, well into the 16th century...
.
967
- Battle of SulcoitBattle of SulcoitThe Battle of Sulcoit was an important victory for the rising Dál gCais against their enemies, the Norse of Limerick under Ivar of Limerick. The Dál gCais army was led by Mathgamain mac Cennétig with the possible assistance of his younger brother Brian Bóruma....
where Mathgamain defeats Ivar of LimerickIvar of LimerickIvar of Limerick , died 977, was the last Norse king of the city-state of Limerick, and penultimate King of the Foreigners of Munster, reigning during the rise to power of the Dál gCais and the fall of the Eóganachta...
.
970s
970- A hoard of 43 silver and bronze items was left in a rocky cleft deep in Dunmore CavesDunmore CavesDunmore Cave is a limestone cave in Ballyfoyle, County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is a show cave open to the public, particularly well known for its rich archæological discoveries and for being the site of a Viking massacre in 928.- Show cave :...
near KilkennyKilkennyKilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
. It consisted of silver, ingots and conical buttons woven from fine silver and was discovered in 1999.
976
- Mathgamain, leader of the Dál gCais from east Clare, is killed.
- Death of Muirchertach mac Mael Sechnaill, King of Mide.
977
- Brian Bóruma has Ivar of Limerick killed.
977/8
- Brian Bóruma defeats the last independent Norse of Limerick in the Battle of Cathair CuanBattle of Cathair CuanThe Battle of Cathair Cuan refers to a perhaps extended conflict fought in or between 977 and 978, or simply to a single battle in one or the other year, in Munster in Ireland. Attacking were Brian Bóruma and the Dál gCais, while defending were Donnubán mac Cathail and the remainder of the royal...
.
978
- Brian Bóruma defeats Máel Muad mac BrainMáel Muad mac BrainMáel Muad mac Brain , commonly anglicised Molloy, was King of Munster, first possibly from 959 or alternatively 963 to around 970, when he may have been deposed by Mathgamain mac Cennétig of the Dál gCais, and then again from 976, following his putting to death of the latter, until his own death...
in the Battle of Belach LechtaBattle of Belach LechtaThe Battle of Belach Lechta or Bealach Leachta was an important battle fought in 978 in Munster between Máel Muad mac Brain, King of Munster, and Brian Bóruma, younger brother of Mathgamain mac Cennétig and future High King of Ireland...
and becomes King of Munster; death of Máel Muad mac Brain.
980s
980- Death of Domnall ua Néill, overking of the Uí Néill, who had reigned since 956: he is succeeded by Mael Seachnaill IIMáel Sechnaill mac DomnaillMáel Sechnaill mac Domnaill , also called Máel Sechnaill Mór, Máel Sechnaill II, anglicized Malachy II, was King of Mide and High King of Ireland...
, who reigned until his death in 1022 - Battle of Tara, at which Mael Seachnaill II defeats a Viking army from Dublin.
981
- Mael Seachnaill II besieges and takes the city of Dublin from the Vikings and imposes a heavy tribute on them.
982
- The King of Munster, Brian Boru starts extending his authority from his base around LimerickLimerickLimerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
up the River ShannonRiver ShannonThe River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at . It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception...
. By doing so, he comes into conflict with High King Mael Seachnaill II whose power base is the Province of Meath. It is that start of a conflict that lasts until 997.
989
- Sigtrygg Silkbeard becomes King of Dublin
990s
997- Brian Boru and Mael Seachnaill II divide Ireland between them
998
- King Mael MordhaMael MórdhaMael Mórdha is a doom metal band from Dublin, Ireland. Its name can also be written in traditional Irish typography, as Mael Mórḋa. The band's music melds doom metal with Irish folk music to create what has been referred to as "Gaelic doom metal".-History:...
of Leinster, rebelled against the High King of Ireland, Brian Ború.
999
- Brian Boru defeats the Leinstermen and the Vikings at the Battle of Glenn Mama. Sigtrygg Silkbeard, King of Dublin, submits to him. Brian plunders the city.
1000s
1000- Brian Boru led a combined Munster-Leinster-Dublin army in an attack on High King Máel Sechnaill II's home province of Meath.