Ivar of Limerick
Encyclopedia
Ivar 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
. His repeated attempts to assert his authority in Limerick and the surrounding region and possibly over even the greater province of Munster itself earned him the most prominent role as antagonist in the first part of the early 12th century saga and political tract Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib, as an enemy of Mathgamain mac Cennetig
, claimant to the title King of Munster, and his more famous younger brother and successor Brian Bóruma.
According to the author of the Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib Ivar established himself as King of Munster for a period in the 960s, until routed at the Battle of Sulcoit
in 967, but this extraordinary claim has long been doubted by scholars. He then appears to have returned only a year or two later and attempted to establish himself again in some capacity.
The two main sources for the career of Ivar are the early 12th century Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib itself and what support it receives from the Annals of Inisfallen
. Both are believed to have used as their primary source a now lost collection of annals of ultimately Chronicle of Ireland
descent to which were added material of Munster concern. Unfortunately, however, though the Cogad author made extensive use of these annals, as well as local sources also now lost, and also some contemporary poetry, his purpose was political and intended to glorify Brian and the Dál gCais
for the benefit of his descendant Muirchertach Ua Briain, so although in part annalistic it is also full of exaggerations, flowery language, and dubious passages of various origin. The major problem with the Annals of Inisfallen, on the other hand, is that they are a substantially abbreviated and otherwise edited redaction of the original and so actually preserve less ultimately reliable or contemporary coverage of Ivar in total than does the Cogad with all its faults. The Annals of Inisfallen also suffer from a considerable lacuna
or simply an empty gap containing no entries at all, for whatever reason, of two and a half critical years in Ivar's career, from mid 969 to the beginning of 972.
The third most important source for this period of Munster history are the Annals of the Four Masters
, but they were compiled much later and are occasionally of doubtful reliability, suffering in some cases from interpolations
, misplaced entries, and so on. They also cover little of Ivar himself and serve mostly for the major sources above to be checked against in places. A few other sources briefly mentioning Ivar survive but altogether these do not contribute much if anything to our knowledge of him. The Annals of Tigernach
might have been of assistance but they no longer survive for over two centuries between 766 and 974.
or House of Ivar. In the Cogad and related texts he is called Ímar ua (h)Ímair or Ímar, grandson of Ímar, but this can also be read Ímar Ua hÍmair, the capitalization producing the surname meaning "Descendant of Ímar", not unique to him and apparently used by other members of the dynasty as well. His precise relation to the previous rulers of Limerick is uncertain, the last member of the dynasty in the city state and its last known king before him being Aralt mac Sitric, who died in 940 and is generally believed to have been a third son of the great Sihtric Cáech (died 927), king of Dublin and later king of Northumbria. The problem with Ivar being a literal grandson of Ímar I (died 873) is that he would simply have been incredibly old by the time of his death in 977. A previous namesake of Ímar I, namely Ímar ua Ímair, killed in Scotland in 904, might be an alternative grandfather, in which case no correction of the form ua Ímair in the Cogad would be needed. At least two generations between the king of Limerick and the founder of the dynasty are required regardless. These assumptions made, Ivar of Limerick can be placed in the pedigree below.
The following list contains only members mentioned in the Irish annals
and other reliable and semi-reliable sources, and among those only the ones who can be placed in the pedigree with relative confidence. Thus it is by no means complete.
After various authors. Birthdates are unknown. mac = son of; ingen = daughter of; ua = grandchild of; Ua (h)Ímair = surname (descendant of Ímar).
The author goes on to describe the system of government which Ivar imposed on Munster, but doing so in a way which reflects the "structure of assessment and control in the territories of the Uí Briain at the time of composition of the text":
There does, however, survive a very similar passage, found not in any surviving version of the Cogad but in another tract entirely, preserved by Duald Mac Firbis in the 17th century. Its date is uncertain, and it may or may not come from a lost version of the Cogad. Most of the following is also mentioned in the epic, following the above passages, but there is much expanded. The following account at least gives the appearance of being a summary, but this is probably not what it is:
That Ivar or the Norse in general may have been attempting the actual takeover of some part of Munster possibly finds support in the Annals of Inisfallen:
The term used here for the Norse soldiers is súaitrech "mercenary" and so the passage has been taken by Charles Doherty to refer to the practice of billetting the hired contingents of a standing army, as was common in later times. What is peculiar about this passage is the extent of cooperation between the Gaelic kings. Here the sworn rivals Mathgamain and Máel Muad (the son of Bran) are actually found working together, the only known occasion in their careers. They are joined by one Faelán of uncertain identity, whose mention may either refer to a king of the Déisi Muman who actually died in 966, and who the Cogad alleges Ivar actually killed, or to an abbot of Emly
later mentioned dying in 980. Notably Emly was attacked by Ivar or his relations in 968 not long after the Norse loss in the Battle of Sulcoit
in 967, and possibly in retaliation for the Dál gCais plundering of Limerick.
The above account, however, is dated five years after Sulcoit in the Annals of Inisfallen, and is in fact the first entry following the lacuna beginning in mid 969, so we do not know what events have preceded it in the past two and a half years, assuming it is correctly placed. Ivar is first mentioned by name in the surviving annals in early-mid 969, which record that "Beólán Litil and his son were killed by Ímar of Luimnech." The identity of this person is not completely certain but he is assumed to be identical with the Uí Néill
king of Lagore (Loch Gabor) or Southern Brega
whose death, without cause given, is recorded in several other annals in the same year. Clare Downham notes that this puts Ivar and the Limerick Norse active all the way out in the neighborhood of Dublin and says that Beolán was an ally of the King of Dublin, namely Olaf Cuaran
. The Cogad also records this killing but provides no motive, simply mentioning it immediately after Ivar's return to Limerick, allegedly from Britain, with a second great fleet. After his alleged expulsion sometime following Sulcoit the author of the Cogad states Ivar and a certain "Amlaíb, son of Amlaíb" attempted the conquest of Britain, but without success, with Amlaib being killed by the king of Britain (unnamed). Having returned to Limerick and killed Beolán (or vice-versa), Ivar is said to have then "made many spoils and battles." No other record of these survives, if this properly counts as one, and we must wait til 972 for the Annals of Inisfallen to pick up again.
The sources have recently been reexamined by the scholar Mary Valante, who has taken an economic approach. Accepting Mac Airt's translation of súaitrech not as soldiers but officials, she interprets this as Ivar and Norse Limerick's dominance of international trade
within its region, sphere of influence, or "periphery" in Ireland. She notes that the poll tax described in the Cogad "is very similar to that listed in the Book of Rights
and the Book of the Uí Maine
from Dublin [sic]", referring to that collected for the Kings of Dublin
, and furthermore finds a possible reference to Norse Limerick's royal "officials" in two versions of the Book of Rights itself. However, whether this tribute from Limerick's hinterland
(as with Dublin's) was extracted in "a sort of protectionism racket, or as tolls on trade, or as something else entirely is unclear." In any case the Norse economy in Munster, judging from silver finds, appears to have operated somewhat differently from that of the Dublin region. Trade with France, and from there southern Europe and the Mediterranean, can be assumed, but that with elsewhere in the Anglo-Celtic Isles and the wider Norse world may have been more limited by Limerick's location.
Poul Holm has recently argued that Norse Dublin, Limerick, and Waterford
, can all three be classed as genuine city-state
s as such an entity is defined by Mogens Herman Hansen
and the Copenhagen Polis Centre. However only Dublin and Limerick can be considered major "central places" and all the remaining Norse settlements and bases were related to one or the other of these two. Limerick had streets in Ivar's time, as reported in the Cogad when Mathgamain and the Dál gCais storm the great fortress or dún
following their victory at Sulcoit.
Scattery Island, or Inis Cathaig, is believed to have been a part of the kingdom of Limerick. Its Norse name has been suggested by Donnchadh Ó Corráin
to be composed of the elements skattar + øy to mean "tribute island". Ivar is reported here twice in the annals, for which read below.
, King of Mann and the Isles, but what are unknown are the circumstances. Ivar may have gone to Scattery because he had been driven out of Limerick proper, or it could have been for some other reason, and whether or not he and Maccus were already associated is unknown. Benjamin Hudson
has offered the explanation that this event can be related to Ivar's earlier adventure in Britain as reported in the Cogad, arguing that the "King of Britain" reported slaying his comrade Amlaíb mac Amlaíb should be understood as either Maccus or his brother Gofraid mac Arailt
and not some king of the Welsh, otherwise "it probably would have been mentioned in the insular records". (Assuming Hudson is referring only to the Welsh and English records.) Elaborating, he reads this sequence beginning with "a battle over the exploitation of the Welsh" which the sons of Aralt won, and eventually ending with Maccus following Ivar all the way around Ireland to finish it.
However, Maccus and Gofraid are usually assumed to be sons of the Aralt mac Sitric (died 940) mentioned above, the last known king of Limerick before Ivar, thus easily explaining Maccus' interest in the kingdom. Hence dynastic ties and rivalry could have existed. Uniquely Maccus brings the "lawmen" of the Isles with him and instead of being slain Ivar is captured, presumably for some offence in the opinion of Colmán Etchingham, and perhaps related to his earlier expedition to Britain as argued by Hudson for another context. A year later in 975 the Annals of Inisfallen report "Ímar escaped over sea, and Inis Ubdan was captured again.", which has also been variously read as him simply being "released" somewhere in the Isles by Maccus. Alternatively, Alex Woolf
suggests Ivar may have been ransomed for a sum, noting that the Norse cities "were rapidly becoming the repositories of silver bullion in the western world." In any event who was doing the capturing of Inis Ubdan again, whether Ivar or Mathgamain, is uncertain. This was one of the islands of the Hiberno-Norse city-state but not the one, Inis Sibtonn, on which the capital was located. Mathgamain is earlier reported driving the Norse from it circa 971 in the not entirely reliable Annals of the Four Masters, but this still assumes the Norse has previously captured it themselves.
Notably none of the above, Maccus' capture of Ivar in 974 or his return from anywhere in 975, is reported in the Cogad. The author had the Annals of Inisfallen entries available to him because they come from the same sources he used.
to in his own house (commonly said to be hosting a conference or feast) betray Mathgamain up to Máel Muad mac Brain
in 976. Said by the author to be after the confederates, with the addition of Ivar's son Dubcenn, had gone into revolt against Mathgamain, the Dalcassian prince was regardless in a precarious situation, and according to Alice Stopford Green
this act of going into an enemy's house was "the formal sign of submission and renouncing supremacy", from where he soon might have proceeded to submit to Máel Muad, although Mathgamain alternatively may have been attempting to detach Donnubán from the alliance. But it has also been argued that this was entirely the product of Ivar's interference with Donnubán and that Máel Muad, a considerably distance away at the time, was in essence the natural and convenient beneficiary, a theory supported by the account in the Cogad. The annals make no mention of Ivar's involvement, simply reporting Mathgamain's seizure in treachery by Donnubán and the killing of the live prisoner by Máel Muad, but at the same time do not exclude it.
in 922. At his death in 977, the generally reliable Annals of Inisfallen actually style Ivar rí
Gall or simply King of the Foreigners, a fairly rare style otherwise reserved for the Kings of Dublin
, thus perhaps lending at least some weight to the claims of the author of the Cogad that this was a person of special authority in some domain.
This political saga gives him another son, Aralt, elected King of the Foreigners of Munster soon after Ivar's slaying. He is said to have perished, slain by Brian's army, along with Donnubán in the Battle of Cathair Cuan
, probably somewhere in Uí Fidgenti
. A son of Dubcenn, namely Osli (Auisle
< Ásl/Auðgísl), is named later in the saga actually as a "high steward" of Brian, who possibly placed him in control of Mide, when killed by Flaithbertach Ua Néill
circa 1012. Another son of Dubcenn may have been Amond, possibly killed fighting on Brian's side in the Battle of Clontarf
in 1014.
Ivar is claimed to be survived by noble descendants in Ireland, the O'Donovan family. His daughter, whose name has probably not survived, is said to have married his ally Donnubán, their eponymous ancestor, although alternatively she may actually have been the daughter of Ivar's son Olaf, a possibility allowed by the pedigrees. But in any case a daughter of this princess and Donnubán is believed to have married Ivar of Waterford
and had by him several children.
977
Year 977 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Saint Æthelwold of Winchester, Bishop of Winchester, rebuilds the western end of the Old Minster, Winchester, with twin towers and no apses.* German emperor Otto II grants Lower Lorraine, where modern-day Brussels is...
, was the last Norse
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
king of the city-state
City-state
A city-state is an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as a part of another local government.-Historical city-states:...
of Limerick
Limerick
Limerick 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...
, and penultimate King of the Foreigners of Munster
Munster
Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...
, reigning during the rise to power of the Dál gCais
Dál gCais
The 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...
and the fall of the Eóganachta
Eóganachta
The 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...
. His repeated attempts to assert his authority in Limerick and the surrounding region and possibly over even the greater province of Munster itself earned him the most prominent role as antagonist in the first part of the early 12th century saga and political tract Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib, as an enemy of Mathgamain mac Cennetig
Mathgamain mac Cennétig
Mathgamain 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 ....
, claimant to the title King of Munster, and his more famous younger brother and successor Brian Bóruma.
According to the author of the Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib Ivar established himself as King of Munster for a period in the 960s, until routed at the Battle of Sulcoit
Battle of Sulcoit
The 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....
in 967, but this extraordinary claim has long been doubted by scholars. He then appears to have returned only a year or two later and attempted to establish himself again in some capacity.
The sources
Annals of Inisfallen
The Annals of Inisfallen are a chronicle of the medieval history of Ireland. There are more than 2,500 entries spanning the years between AD 433 and AD 1450, but it is believed to have been written between the 12th and 15th centuries...
. Both are believed to have used as their primary source a now lost collection of annals of ultimately Chronicle of Ireland
Chronicle of Ireland
The Chronicle of Ireland is the modern name for a hypothesized collection of ecclesiastical annals recording events in Ireland from 432 to 911 AD....
descent to which were added material of Munster concern. Unfortunately, however, though the Cogad author made extensive use of these annals, as well as local sources also now lost, and also some contemporary poetry, his purpose was political and intended to glorify Brian and the Dál gCais
Dál gCais
The 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...
for the benefit of his descendant Muirchertach Ua Briain, so although in part annalistic it is also full of exaggerations, flowery language, and dubious passages of various origin. The major problem with the Annals of Inisfallen, on the other hand, is that they are a substantially abbreviated and otherwise edited redaction of the original and so actually preserve less ultimately reliable or contemporary coverage of Ivar in total than does the Cogad with all its faults. The Annals of Inisfallen also suffer from a considerable lacuna
Lacuna (manuscripts)
A lacunaPlural lacunae. From Latin lacūna , diminutive form of lacus . is a gap in a manuscript, inscription, text, painting, or a musical work...
or simply an empty gap containing no entries at all, for whatever reason, of two and a half critical years in Ivar's career, from mid 969 to the beginning of 972.
The third most important source for this period of Munster history are the Annals of the Four Masters
Annals of the Four Masters
The Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland or the Annals of the Four Masters are a chronicle of medieval Irish history...
, but they were compiled much later and are occasionally of doubtful reliability, suffering in some cases from interpolations
Interpolation (manuscripts)
An interpolation, in relation to literature and especially ancient manuscripts, is an entry or passage in a text that was not written by the original author...
, misplaced entries, and so on. They also cover little of Ivar himself and serve mostly for the major sources above to be checked against in places. A few other sources briefly mentioning Ivar survive but altogether these do not contribute much if anything to our knowledge of him. The Annals of Tigernach
Annals of Tigernach
The Annals of Tigernach is a chronicle probably originating in Clonmacnoise, Ireland. The language is a mixture of Latin and Old and Middle Irish....
might have been of assistance but they no longer survive for over two centuries between 766 and 974.
Pedigree
Ivar's patronym is not given in the Irish annals, which as mentioned above have survived very incomplete, but he is generally accepted as a member of the prolific Norse dynasty known to historians as the Uí ÍmairUí Ímair
The 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...
or House of Ivar. In the Cogad and related texts he is called Ímar ua (h)Ímair or Ímar, grandson of Ímar, but this can also be read Ímar Ua hÍmair, the capitalization producing the surname meaning "Descendant of Ímar", not unique to him and apparently used by other members of the dynasty as well. His precise relation to the previous rulers of Limerick is uncertain, the last member of the dynasty in the city state and its last known king before him being Aralt mac Sitric, who died in 940 and is generally believed to have been a third son of the great Sihtric Cáech (died 927), king of Dublin and later king of Northumbria. The problem with Ivar being a literal grandson of Ímar I (died 873) is that he would simply have been incredibly old by the time of his death in 977. A previous namesake of Ímar I, namely Ímar ua Ímair, killed in Scotland in 904, might be an alternative grandfather, in which case no correction of the form ua Ímair in the Cogad would be needed. At least two generations between the king of Limerick and the founder of the dynasty are required regardless. These assumptions made, Ivar of Limerick can be placed in the pedigree below.
The following list contains only members mentioned in the Irish annals
Irish annals
A number of Irish annals were compiled up to and shortly after the end of Gaelic Ireland in the 17th century.Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days...
and other reliable and semi-reliable sources, and among those only the ones who can be placed in the pedigree with relative confidence. Thus it is by no means complete.
After various authors. Birthdates are unknown. mac = son of; ingen = daughter of; ua = grandchild of; Ua (h)Ímair = surname (descendant of Ímar).
- Ímar/Ívar/Ivar/Ívarr (died 873)
- Bárid mac Ímair (died 881)
- Sichfrith mac Ímair (died 888)
- Sitric mac Ímair (died 896)
- ? mac/ingen Ímair, and/or among the above sons
- Amlaíb ua Ímair (died 896)
- Ímar ua Ímair (died 904)
- Ragnall ua ÍmairRagnall ua ÍmairRagnall was a Norse overlord or emperor of northern Britain, including Northumbria, the entire Irish Sea region including the Isle of Man, south to Waterford and briefly much of the Irish province of Munster, and then returning to Britain, briefly York as distinct from Northumbria at this time...
(died 920/1)- ? mac Ragnaill (died 942)
- Ímar (died 950)?
- probably Ímar of WaterfordIvar of WaterfordIvar of Waterford was the Norse king of Waterford from at least 969 until his death in the year 1000, and also reigned as King of Dublin, possibly from 989 to 993, and certainly again for less than a year between 994 and 995, returning after his expulsion from the city in 993 by Sigtrygg...
(died 1000)- Gilla Pátraic mac Ímair (died 983)
- Ragnall mac Ímair (died 995)
- Donndubán mac Ímair (died 996)
- Ragnall mac Ímair II (died 1018)
- ? mac Ragnaill (died 1015)
- Ragnall mac Ragnaill (died 1035)
- Sihtric mac Ímair (died 1022)
- probably Ímar of Waterford
- Sihtric Cáech (died 927)
- Sichfrith mac Sitric (died 937)
- Ausle mac Sitric (died 937)
- Aralt mac Sitric (died 940)
- probably Maccus mac ArailtMaccus mac ArailtMaccus mac Arailt or Maccus Haraldsson was a Scandinavian or Norse-Gael king. He and his brother Gofraid were active in the lands around the Irish Sea in the 970s and 980s...
(died 984/7) - probably Gofraid mac ArailtGofraid mac ArailtGofraid mac Arailt , in Old Norse Guðrøðr Haraldsson, was a Scandinavian or Norse-Gael king. He and his brother Maccus were active in the lands around the Irish Sea in the 970s and 980s.-Origins:...
(died 989)- Ragnall mac GofraidRagnall mac GofraidRagnall mac Gofraid was a Norse-Gael King of the Isles of Scotland during the early eleventh century. Ragnall's Norse name was Røgnvaldr Guðrøðsson and he was titled rí na nInnsi meaning that he ruled over the Hebrides. It is also possible his territory included the Isle of Man...
(died 1005) - Lagmann mac Gofraid (died ?)
- Amlaíb mac Lagmann (died 1014)
- ? Donnchadh mac Amlaíb (died 1014)
- Amlaíb mac Lagmann (died 1014)
- Máel Muire ingen Gofraid (died ?)
- Ragnall mac Gofraid
- probably Maccus mac Arailt
- Gofraid mac SitriucGofraid mac SitriucGofraid mac Sitriuc , in Old Norse Guðrøðr Sigtryggsson, was King of Dublin. He was the son of Sihtric ua Ímair and a great-grandson of Ímar, founder of the Uí Ímair kindred which dominated much of the Norse-Gael and Scandinavianised parts of Britain and Ireland in the 10th century.Gofraid became...
(died 951) - Amlaíb Cuarán (died 981)
- Ragnall mac Amlaíb (died 980)
- GlúniairnGlúniairnGlúniairn , in Old Norse Járnkné, was a Norse-Gael king of Dublin of the Uí Ímair kindred which ruled over much of the Scandinavianised and Norse-Gael parts of Great Britain and Ireland in the tenth century....
(died 989)- Gilla Ciaráin mac Glúniairn (died 1014)
- Sitric? mac Glúniairn (fl. 1036))
- Aralt mac Amlaíb (died 999)
- Ímar mac Arailt (died 1054)
- Dubgall mac Amlaíb (died 1014)
- Ragnailt ingen Amlaíb (died ?)
- Máel Muire ingen AmlaíbMáel Muire ingen AmlaíbMáel Muire was Queen of Ireland, being actually styled so in the Annals of Clonmacnoise. The wife of Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill, High King of Ireland, she was a daughter of Amlaíb Cuarán, King of Dublin until 980/1 and formerly King of York, making her a member of the Norse-Irish Uí Ímair dynasty...
(died 1021) - Gytha ingen Amlaíb (died ?)
- Sigtrygg SilkbeardSigtrygg SilkbeardSigtrygg II Silkbeard Olafsson was a Hiberno-Norse King of Dublin of the Uí Ímair dynasty...
(died 1042)- Artalach mac Sitric (died 999)
- Amlaíb mac Sitric I/II (died 1013)
- Glúniairn mac Sitric (died 1031)
- Amlaíb mac SitriucAmlaíb mac SitriucAmlaíb mac Sitriuc was the son of the Hiberno-Norse King of Dublin, Sigtrygg Silkbeard, a member of the Uí Ímair dynasty. His ancestors included Brian Boru, Olaf Cuaran, and Gormflaith, who were influential in medieval Ireland...
II/I (died 1034)- Ragnailt ingen Amlaíb (died ?)
- Gofraid mac Sitric (died 1036)
- Cellach ingen Sitric (died 1042)
- Gofraid ua ÍmairGofraid ua ÍmairGofraid was a Norse-Gael king of Dublin and, for a short time, king of Northumbria...
(died 934)- Alpdann mac Gofraid (died 927)
- Amlaíb mac Gofraid (died 941)
- Cammán mac AmlaíbCammán mac AmlaíbCammán mac Amlaíb was a Norse-Gaelic viking who is recorded in the Irish annals as being defeated in 960. He has been identified as being a son of Amlaíb mac Gofraid , as well as possibly being Sitriuc Cam, who was defeated in battle by Amlaíb Cuarán two years later.-Cammán:In 960, Cammán is...
(fl. 962)
- Cammán mac Amlaíb
- Ragnall mac GofraidRagnall mac GofraidRagnall mac Gofraid was a Norse-Gael King of the Isles of Scotland during the early eleventh century. Ragnall's Norse name was Røgnvaldr Guðrøðsson and he was titled rí na nInnsi meaning that he ruled over the Hebrides. It is also possible his territory included the Isle of Man...
(fl. 943) - Blácaire mac GofraidBlácaire mac GofrithBlácaire mac Gofrith , in Old Norse Blákári Guðrøðsson, was King of Dublin. Son of Gofraid ua Ímair, he was a great-grandson of Ímar, ancestor of the Uí Ímair kindred which dominated the Scandinavianised and Norse-Gael regions of Britain and Ireland in the tenth century.According to the Annals of...
(died 948)
- ? ua Ímair (or among the above grandsons?)
- Ímar of Limerick (died 977)
- Amlaíb mac Ímair (died 977)
- Dubcenn mac Ímair (died 977)
- Osli mac Dubceinn (died 1012)
- Amond mac Dubceinn (died 1014)
- Aralt mac Ímair (died 978)
- Ímar of Limerick (died 977)
Tyrant of Muman
The passage in the Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib describing Ivar's arrival and kingship in Munster:There does, however, survive a very similar passage, found not in any surviving version of the Cogad but in another tract entirely, preserved by Duald Mac Firbis in the 17th century. Its date is uncertain, and it may or may not come from a lost version of the Cogad. Most of the following is also mentioned in the epic, following the above passages, but there is much expanded. The following account at least gives the appearance of being a summary, but this is probably not what it is:
That Ivar or the Norse in general may have been attempting the actual takeover of some part of Munster possibly finds support in the Annals of Inisfallen:
The term used here for the Norse soldiers is súaitrech "mercenary" and so the passage has been taken by Charles Doherty to refer to the practice of billetting the hired contingents of a standing army, as was common in later times. What is peculiar about this passage is the extent of cooperation between the Gaelic kings. Here the sworn rivals Mathgamain and Máel Muad (the son of Bran) are actually found working together, the only known occasion in their careers. They are joined by one Faelán of uncertain identity, whose mention may either refer to a king of the Déisi Muman who actually died in 966, and who the Cogad alleges Ivar actually killed, or to an abbot of Emly
Emly
Emly or Emlybeg is a village in South Tipperary, Ireland. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Clanwilliam. It is also an Ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly....
later mentioned dying in 980. Notably Emly was attacked by Ivar or his relations in 968 not long after the Norse loss in the Battle of Sulcoit
Battle of Sulcoit
The 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....
in 967, and possibly in retaliation for the Dál gCais plundering of Limerick.
The above account, however, is dated five years after Sulcoit in the Annals of Inisfallen, and is in fact the first entry following the lacuna beginning in mid 969, so we do not know what events have preceded it in the past two and a half years, assuming it is correctly placed. Ivar is first mentioned by name in the surviving annals in early-mid 969, which record that "Beólán Litil and his son were killed by Ímar of Luimnech." The identity of this person is not completely certain but he is assumed to be identical with the Uí Néill
Uí Néill
The Uí Néill are Irish and Scottish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noigiallach , an historical King of Tara who died about 405....
king of Lagore (Loch Gabor) or Southern Brega
Kings of Brega
-Overview:Brega took its name from Mag Breg, the plain of Brega, in modern County Meath, County Louth and County Dublin, Ireland. They formed part of the Uí Néill kindred, belonging to the Síl nÁedo Sláine branch of the southern Uí Néill. The kingdom of Brega included the Hill of Tara, the site...
whose death, without cause given, is recorded in several other annals in the same year. Clare Downham notes that this puts Ivar and the Limerick Norse active all the way out in the neighborhood of Dublin and says that Beolán was an ally of the King of Dublin, namely Olaf Cuaran
Olaf Cuaran
Amlaíb mac Sitric , commonly called Amlaíb Cuarán, in Old Norse: Óláfr kváran, was a 10th century Norse-Gael who was king of Northumbria and king of Dublin. His byname, cuarán, is usually translated as "sandal"...
. The Cogad also records this killing but provides no motive, simply mentioning it immediately after Ivar's return to Limerick, allegedly from Britain, with a second great fleet. After his alleged expulsion sometime following Sulcoit the author of the Cogad states Ivar and a certain "Amlaíb, son of Amlaíb" attempted the conquest of Britain, but without success, with Amlaib being killed by the king of Britain (unnamed). Having returned to Limerick and killed Beolán (or vice-versa), Ivar is said to have then "made many spoils and battles." No other record of these survives, if this properly counts as one, and we must wait til 972 for the Annals of Inisfallen to pick up again.
Economics and the city-state
International trade
International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories. In most countries, such trade represents a significant share of gross domestic product...
within its region, sphere of influence, or "periphery" in Ireland. She notes that the poll tax described in the Cogad "is very similar to that listed in the Book of Rights
Lebor na gCeart
Lebor na gCeart, the "Book of Rights", details the rents and taxes paid by the King of Cashel to various others in Ireland. The Great Book of Lecan and the Book of Ballymote contain copies.- References :...
and the Book of the Uí Maine
Leabhar Ua Maine
Leabhar Ua Maine is an Irish genealogical compilation, created c...
from Dublin [sic]", referring to that collected for the Kings of Dublin
Kings of Dublin
The Vikings invaded the territory around Dublin in the 9th century, establishing the Norse Kingdom of Dublin, the earliest and longest lasting Norse kingdom in all of Europe outside of Scandinavia, excepting the so-called Kingdom of Mann and the Isles. This corresponded to most of present-day...
, and furthermore finds a possible reference to Norse Limerick's royal "officials" in two versions of the Book of Rights itself. However, whether this tribute from Limerick's hinterland
Hinterland
The hinterland is the land or district behind a coast or the shoreline of a river. Specifically, by the doctrine of the hinterland, the word is applied to the inland region lying behind a port, claimed by the state that owns the coast. The area from which products are delivered to a port for...
(as with Dublin's) was extracted in "a sort of protectionism racket, or as tolls on trade, or as something else entirely is unclear." In any case the Norse economy in Munster, judging from silver finds, appears to have operated somewhat differently from that of the Dublin region. Trade with France, and from there southern Europe and the Mediterranean, can be assumed, but that with elsewhere in the Anglo-Celtic Isles and the wider Norse world may have been more limited by Limerick's location.
Poul Holm has recently argued that Norse Dublin, Limerick, and Waterford
Waterford
Waterford 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...
, can all three be classed as genuine city-state
City-state
A city-state is an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as a part of another local government.-Historical city-states:...
s as such an entity is defined by Mogens Herman Hansen
Mogens Herman Hansen
Mogens Herman Hansen FBA is a Danish classical philologist who is one of the leading scholars in Athenian Democracy and the Polis....
and the Copenhagen Polis Centre. However only Dublin and Limerick can be considered major "central places" and all the remaining Norse settlements and bases were related to one or the other of these two. Limerick had streets in Ivar's time, as reported in the Cogad when Mathgamain and the Dál gCais storm the great fortress or dún
Dun
Dun is now used both as a generic term for a fort and also for a specific variety of Atlantic roundhouse...
following their victory at Sulcoit.
Scattery Island, or Inis Cathaig, is believed to have been a part of the kingdom of Limerick. Its Norse name has been suggested by Donnchadh Ó Corráin
Donnchadh Ó Corráin
Donnchadh Ó Corráin is an Irish historian and Professor Emeritus of Medieval History at University College Cork. He is an early Irish and mediaeval historian and has published on the Viking Wars, Ireland in the pre-Hiberno-Norman period and the origin of Irish language names.-Works:Ó Corráin's...
to be composed of the elements skattar + øy to mean "tribute island". Ivar is reported here twice in the annals, for which read below.
Maccus
Depending on whether or not Mathgamain and Máel Muad were successful in achieving anything following their resolution in 972, Ivar may or may not have found himself in a very weakened position. Curiously neither of our major primary sources has anything clear to say about the state of affairs at this time. But in 974 Ivar met with misforture, the Annals of Inisfallen reporting that "The son of Aralt made a circuit of Ireland with a great company, and plundered Inis Cathaig, and brought Ímar from it into captivity.", and the Annals of the Four Masters "The plundering of Inis-Cathaigh by Maghnus [Maccus], son of Aralt, with the Lag-manns [lawmen] of the islands along with him; and Imhar, lord of the foreigners of Luimneach, was carried off from the island, and the violation of Seanan thereby." His captor is easily identified as Maccus mac ArailtMaccus mac Arailt
Maccus mac Arailt or Maccus Haraldsson was a Scandinavian or Norse-Gael king. He and his brother Gofraid were active in the lands around the Irish Sea in the 970s and 980s...
, King of Mann and the Isles, but what are unknown are the circumstances. Ivar may have gone to Scattery because he had been driven out of Limerick proper, or it could have been for some other reason, and whether or not he and Maccus were already associated is unknown. Benjamin Hudson
Benjamin Hudson
Benjamin T. Hudson is an American medievalist based at Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pennsylvania. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree at Pennsylvania State University, received his Masters at University College, Dublin, and his Ph. D. at Worcester College, Oxford...
has offered the explanation that this event can be related to Ivar's earlier adventure in Britain as reported in the Cogad, arguing that the "King of Britain" reported slaying his comrade Amlaíb mac Amlaíb should be understood as either Maccus or his brother Gofraid mac Arailt
Gofraid mac Arailt
Gofraid mac Arailt , in Old Norse Guðrøðr Haraldsson, was a Scandinavian or Norse-Gael king. He and his brother Maccus were active in the lands around the Irish Sea in the 970s and 980s.-Origins:...
and not some king of the Welsh, otherwise "it probably would have been mentioned in the insular records". (Assuming Hudson is referring only to the Welsh and English records.) Elaborating, he reads this sequence beginning with "a battle over the exploitation of the Welsh" which the sons of Aralt won, and eventually ending with Maccus following Ivar all the way around Ireland to finish it.
However, Maccus and Gofraid are usually assumed to be sons of the Aralt mac Sitric (died 940) mentioned above, the last known king of Limerick before Ivar, thus easily explaining Maccus' interest in the kingdom. Hence dynastic ties and rivalry could have existed. Uniquely Maccus brings the "lawmen" of the Isles with him and instead of being slain Ivar is captured, presumably for some offence in the opinion of Colmán Etchingham, and perhaps related to his earlier expedition to Britain as argued by Hudson for another context. A year later in 975 the Annals of Inisfallen report "Ímar escaped over sea, and Inis Ubdan was captured again.", which has also been variously read as him simply being "released" somewhere in the Isles by Maccus. Alternatively, Alex Woolf
Alex Woolf
Alex Woolf is a medieval historian based at the University of St Andrews. He specialises in the history of the British Isles and Scandinavia in the Early Middle Ages, especially in relation to the peoples of Wales and Scotland. He is author of volume two in the New Edinburgh History of Scotland,...
suggests Ivar may have been ransomed for a sum, noting that the Norse cities "were rapidly becoming the repositories of silver bullion in the western world." In any event who was doing the capturing of Inis Ubdan again, whether Ivar or Mathgamain, is uncertain. This was one of the islands of the Hiberno-Norse city-state but not the one, Inis Sibtonn, on which the capital was located. Mathgamain is earlier reported driving the Norse from it circa 971 in the not entirely reliable Annals of the Four Masters, but this still assumes the Norse has previously captured it themselves.
Notably none of the above, Maccus' capture of Ivar in 974 or his return from anywhere in 975, is reported in the Cogad. The author had the Annals of Inisfallen entries available to him because they come from the same sources he used.
Instigator
In a debated passage, the author of the Cogad reports Ivar instigating his ally Donnubán mac CathailDonnubán mac Cathail
Donnubán , Donndubán , or Donnabán mac Cathail, anglicised Donovan, son of Cahall , was a 10th century ruler of the Irish regional kingdom of Uí Fidgenti, and possibly also of the smaller overkingdom of Uí Chairpre Áebda within that...
to in his own house (commonly said to be hosting a conference or feast) betray Mathgamain up to Máel Muad mac Brain
Máel Muad mac Brain
Máel 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 976. Said by the author to be after the confederates, with the addition of Ivar's son Dubcenn, had gone into revolt against Mathgamain, the Dalcassian prince was regardless in a precarious situation, and according to Alice Stopford Green
Alice Stopford Green
Alice Stopford Green was an Irish historian and nationalist.She was born Alice Sophia Amelia Stopford in Kells, County Meath. Her father Edward Adderley Stopford was Rector of Kells and Archdeacon of Meath. Her paternal grandfather was the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Meath...
this act of going into an enemy's house was "the formal sign of submission and renouncing supremacy", from where he soon might have proceeded to submit to Máel Muad, although Mathgamain alternatively may have been attempting to detach Donnubán from the alliance. But it has also been argued that this was entirely the product of Ivar's interference with Donnubán and that Máel Muad, a considerably distance away at the time, was in essence the natural and convenient beneficiary, a theory supported by the account in the Cogad. The annals make no mention of Ivar's involvement, simply reporting Mathgamain's seizure in treachery by Donnubán and the killing of the live prisoner by Máel Muad, but at the same time do not exclude it.
Death, sons and descendants
Possibly in retaliation for instigating the betrayal and killing of Mathgamain the year before, Ivar and two of his sons, Amlaíb/Olaf (Cuallaid or "Wild Dog") and Dubcenn ("Dark Head"), were killed, apparently after being surprised, by Brian in 977 on Scattery Island, marking the end of an independent Norse Limerick, which lasted only a surprising fifty five years from the arrival of Tomrair mac AilchiTomrair mac Ailchi
Tomrair mac Ailchi, or Thormod/Thorir Helgason, was the Viking jarl and prince who reestablished the preexisting small Norse base or settlement at Limerick as a powerful kingdom in 922, and overnight, when he is recorded arriving there with a huge fleet from an unknown place of departure...
in 922. At his death in 977, the generally reliable Annals of Inisfallen actually style Ivar rí
Rí
Rí, or very commonly ríg , is an ancient Gaelic word meaning "King". It is used in historical texts referring to the Irish and Scottish kings and those of similar rank. While the modern Irish word is exactly the same, in modern Scottish it is Rìgh, apparently derived from the genitive. The word...
Gall or simply King of the Foreigners, a fairly rare style otherwise reserved for the Kings of Dublin
Kings of Dublin
The Vikings invaded the territory around Dublin in the 9th century, establishing the Norse Kingdom of Dublin, the earliest and longest lasting Norse kingdom in all of Europe outside of Scandinavia, excepting the so-called Kingdom of Mann and the Isles. This corresponded to most of present-day...
, thus perhaps lending at least some weight to the claims of the author of the Cogad that this was a person of special authority in some domain.
This political saga gives him another son, Aralt, elected King of the Foreigners of Munster soon after Ivar's slaying. He is said to have perished, slain by Brian's army, along with Donnubán in the Battle of Cathair Cuan
Battle of Cathair Cuan
The 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...
, probably somewhere in Uí Fidgenti
Uí Fidgenti
The Uí Fidgenti or Wood-Sprung People were an early kingdom of northern Munster, situated mostly in modern County Limerick, but extending into County Clare and County Tipperary, and possibly even County Kerry and County Cork, at maximum extents, which varied over time...
. A son of Dubcenn, namely Osli (Auisle
Auisle
Auisle , in Old Norse either Ásl or Auðgísl, was a Scandinavian, or perhaps Norse-Gael, king active in Ireland and north Britain in the 850s and 860s....
< Ásl/Auðgísl), is named later in the saga actually as a "high steward" of Brian, who possibly placed him in control of Mide, when killed by Flaithbertach Ua Néill
Flaithbertach Ua Néill
Flaithbertach Ua Néill was king of Ailech, a kingdom of north-west Ireland. He abdicated in 1030 and undertook a pilgrimage to Rome, for which reason he was known as Flaithbertach an Trostáin...
circa 1012. Another son of Dubcenn may have been Amond, possibly killed fighting on Brian's side in the Battle of Clontarf
Battle of Clontarf
The Battle of Clontarf took place on 23 April 1014 between the forces of Brian Boru and the forces led by the King of Leinster, Máel Mórda mac Murchada: composed mainly of his own men, Viking mercenaries from Dublin and the Orkney Islands led by his cousin Sigtrygg, as well as the one rebellious...
in 1014.
Ivar is claimed to be survived by noble descendants in Ireland, the O'Donovan family. His daughter, whose name has probably not survived, is said to have married his ally Donnubán, their eponymous ancestor, although alternatively she may actually have been the daughter of Ivar's son Olaf, a possibility allowed by the pedigrees. But in any case a daughter of this princess and Donnubán is believed to have married Ivar of Waterford
Ivar of Waterford
Ivar of Waterford was the Norse king of Waterford from at least 969 until his death in the year 1000, and also reigned as King of Dublin, possibly from 989 to 993, and certainly again for less than a year between 994 and 995, returning after his expulsion from the city in 993 by Sigtrygg...
and had by him several children.