Battle of Tara (Ireland)
The Battle of Tara was fought between the Gaelic Irish of Meath, led by Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill, and the Norse Vikings of Dublin, led by Amlaíb Cuarán. It took place near the Hill of Tara in Ireland in the year 980. The battle was a devastating defeat for the Vikings and led to the Irish regaining control of Dublin.
Description
On one side there was a Norse army from the Kingdom of Dublin supported by troops from the Hebrides, which was commanded by a son of Olaf Cuaran named Ragnall.[1] The other side was led by Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill, who had recently come to power as head of the southern Uí Néill. The latter's force consisted of troops from his home province of Mide (the Kingdom of Meath), probably with strong support from troops from Leinster and Ulster.
The battle ended in a devastating defeat for the Norse of Dublin, called a "red slaughter" in the Annals of the Four Masters.[1] Olaf abdicated and died in religious retirement in Iona.[1] Dublin was besieged by the victorious Máel Sechnaill, who forced it to surrender slaves and valuables, as well as give up all its prior claims to Uí Néill-held territory.[1] In the following decade, Dublin was more or less under the control of Máel Sechnaill and the Southern Uí Néill.
The Battle of Tara is regarded as a far more decisive defeat for the Norse of Dublin than the later, and much more famous, Battle of Clontarf. Olaf Cuaran was the last of the great Norse kings in Ireland, and following him the status of the Kingdom of Dublin was never the same again.
See also
- Battle of Clontarf
- Battle of Confey
- Early Medieval Ireland 800–1166
- Irish battles
References
- Hudson, Benjamin T. (2005). Viking Pirates and Christian Princes: Dynasty, Religion, and Empire in the North Atlantic. Oxford University Press. pp. 51–53, 111. ISBN 978-0-19-516237-0.
Bibliography
- The Annals of the Four Masters
- Donnchadh Ó Corraín, The Vikings & Ireland
