Eleventh Century AD

Worksheet 5

‘Doomed to Die’

Battle of Clontarf 2

Fact File

Tradition tells us that Brian Boru was alone, except for one attendant, in his tent at Tomar Wood during the battle of Clontarf. A painting done centuries later shows the attendant to be a young boy, though other sources say that the attendant was his nephew, son of one of Brian’s elder brothers.

Obviously he was left without a proper guard as Brodar, the Viking, came across him by chance and killed him. The story of this is told in a Viking saga, which seems to show that there was a witness to the event. Harald, was my invention, but I think it was a possibility that Brodar had a son, or companion with him who managed to escape and to tell the whole story.

Read &Write:

1 Chapter 9 What happened to the Vikings at the end of the Battle of Clontarf?

2 Chapter 9 Why do you think the Vikings were unable to escape by boat?

3 Chapter 9 Where did Brodar go in order to escape?

4 Chapter 9 What was the name of the wood on the top of the hill?

Chapter 9 What did Brian Boru do to Brodar?

6 Chapter 9 What did the Irish do to Brodar in revenge for the killing of Brian Boru?

Draw…!

Draw the scene outside the tent at Tomar Wood.

Or

Draw a Viking battle-axe.

Explore…!

Look at a large-scale map of Clontarf, in north Dublin. Try to estimate how many people live in that district now.

It is considered that about eight thousand men, Vikings, Irish and Scots took part in the Battle of Clontarf in 1014.

Imagine…!

Describe the scene in Tomar Wood at sundown on Good Friday 1014

Brian Boru's bard, Liag, composed a poem telling about the Battle of Clontarf. Describe the scene at Kincora when he sang it in front of the new king, Brian Boru's third son, Teige.