Battle of Clontarf

Article abstract: Type of action: Ground battle in the Danish Invasion of Ireland. Result: Gaelic Irish victory; end of Viking dominance in Ireland.

At dawn on Good Friday, April 23, 1014, the 10,000-strong army of Brian Boru, high king of Ireland, faced a Viking force of 8,000 men. The battle lasted from early morning until three o’clock in the afternoon and consisted mainly of individual, hand-to-hand encounters. The numerical superiority of Brian’s forces eventually began to tell, and as evening approached, their opponents began a hasty retreat. The...

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