Battle of Islandbridge

The ruling Vikings of Dublin, the Uí Ímair, had been expelled from the city in 902 by a joint force led by Máel Finnia mac Flannacán, overking of Brega and Cerball mac Muirecáin, overking of Leinster.Downham, p. 26 However, this expulsion was temporary and Viking raids continued on Irish settlements. In 914 a large Viking fleet sailed to the previously Viking-controlled city of Waterford, and the following year more Vikings settled in Limerick, though Dublin itself remained outside Uí Ímair control.Downham, p. 31

In 917 two prominent members of the Uí Ímair, Ragnall and Sitric Cáech, grandsons of Ímar, sailed separate fleets to Ireland, Ragnall landing at Waterford and Sitric Cáech landing at "Cenn Fuait" in Leinster.

The exact location of "Cenn Fuait" is uncertain. The Annals of Ulster describe Cenn Fuait as being on the airer of Leinster. Airer is an Irish word meaning "coast" or "border region". Suggestions for the location include Confey near modern-day Leixlip, County Kildare and St Mullin's, County Carlow. {{#tag:ref|The exact location of "Cenn Fuait" is uncertain. The Annals of Ulster describe Cenn Fuait as being on the airer of Leinster. Airer is an Irish word meaning "coast" or "border region". Suggestions for the location include Confey near modern-day Leixlip, County Kildare and St Mullin's, County Carlow.Annals of Ulster, s.a. 917; Duffy, p. 123; Dictionary of the Irish Language, s.v. airer (letter A, column 199); Bartlett & Jeffery, p. 465|group="nb"}}Downham, pp. 31, 273–274

Several native Irish kings gathered forces to try to drive off the Vikings, including Niall Glúndub, over-king of the Northern Uí Néill and High King of Ireland, and Augaire mac Ailella, over-king of Leinster. The Vikings fought and won a victory against Niall Glúndub and the men of the Uí Néill at the Battle of Mag Femen in Brega, and then won another victory against Augaire mac Ailella and the men of Leinster at Cenn Fuait.{{#tag:ref|King Augaire died in the battle.Sawyer, pp. 97–98|group="nb"}}Annals of Ulster, s.a. 917; Annals of the Four Masters, s.a. 917{{cite journal |last1=Etchingham |first1=Colmán |title=The Battle of Cenn Fúait, 917: Location and Military Significance |journal=Peritia |date=January 2010 |volume=21 |pages=208–232 |doi=10.1484/J.PERIT.1.102376 |url=https://www.brepolsonline.net/doi/abs/10.1484/J.PERIT.1.102376|url-access=subscription }} Sitric led his men on a triumphant return to Dublin, re-establishing Viking rule and installing himself as king, while Ragnall returned to England.

In 919 a number of Irish kings banded together to try to expel the Vikings from Dublin once more. The known kings who took part in this coalition were Niall Glúndub of the Northern Uí Néill, Áed mac Eochocáin of Ulster, Máel Mithig mac Flannacain of Brega, Mael Craibe mac Duibsinig of Airgíalla, Conchobar mac Flainn of Mide, and Cellach mac Fogartaig of South Brega.Annals of Ulster, s.a. 919; Annals of Clonmacnoise, s.a. 919; Annals of the Four Masters, s.a. 919; Chronicon Scotorum, s.a. 919 The historian Clare Downham has suggested that Niall Glundub and the other kings were emboldened by the departure of Ragnall from Ireland to try again to force out the Uí Ímair.Downham, p. 32 The forces of Sitric and Niall met near Islandbridge in modern day County Dublin on the fourteenth of September.{{#tag:ref|The Annals of Ulster give the date of the battle as the "eighteenth of the Calends of October". This corresponds to 14 September.Annals of Ulster, s.a. 919|group="nb"}} The Annals of the Four Masters describe Niall's words before the battle:

{{quote|Whoever wishes for a speckled boss, and a sword of sore-inflicting wounds, and a green javelin for wounding wretches, let him go early in the morning to Áth Cliath.Annals of the Four Masters, s.a. 919}}

The battle was an overwhelming victory for the Vikings, with many Irish nobles killed, including six kings: Forte, Oram and Pedersen, p. 103; Annals of Ulster, s.a. 919 Niall Glúndub of the Northern Uí Néill, Áed mac Eochocáin of Ulster, Máel Mithig mac Flannacain of Brega, Mael Craibe mac Duibsinig of Airgíalla, Conchobar mac Flainn of Mide, and Cellach mac Fogartaig of South Brega.{{#tag:ref|The Cogad Gaedel re Gallaib mentions twelve kings other than Niall Glúndub who died in the battle, but these are not named by contemporary annals and modern historians name only six kings.Cogad Gaedel re Gallaib, pp. 35–37; Downham, p. 32; Forte, Oram and Pedersen, p. 103|group="nb"}} Other notable casualties include one of Niall Glúndub's kinsmen, a member of the ruling dynasty of the Southern Uí Néill, and Eiremón mac Cennétig, Chief of the Cenél Maine.Downham, p. 32; Chronicon Scotorum, s.a. 919

The failure of this coalition to drive out the Vikings ensured the hold of the Uí Ímair on Dublin remained strong. Nevertheless, war between the Vikings and the native Irish continued, and the following year there was a battle between the Vikings of Dublin and Donnchad Donn, the brother of the slain king Conchobar mac Flainn and the new High King of Ireland.

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• {{cite web |url=http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100005B/index.html |title=Annals of the Four Masters |date=16 December 2013 |website=Corpus of Electronic Texts |publisher=University College Cork |accessdate=5 March 2015 |ref=A4M}}
• {{cite web |url=http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100001A/index.html |title=Annals of Ulster |date=15 August 2012 |website=Corpus of Electronic Texts |publisher=University College Cork |accessdate=5 March 2015 |ref=AU }}
• {{cite web |url=http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/T100016/index.html |title=Chronicon Scotorum |year=2010 |website=Corpus of Electronic Texts |edition=24 March 2010 |publisher=University College Cork |accessdate=26 November 2014 |ref=CS }}
• {{cite web|url=http://edil.qub.ac.uk/dictionary/search.php |title=Dictionary of the Irish Language |year=2012 |website=Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language |edition=2012 |publisher=Royal Irish Academy |access-date=5 March 2015 |ref=Dictionary |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102041916/http://edil.qub.ac.uk/dictionary/search.php |archive-date=2 January 2015 }}
• {{cite web |url=http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100017/index.html |title=Fragmentary Annals of Ireland |year=2008 |website=Corpus of Electronic Texts |edition=5 September 2008 |publisher=University College Cork |accessdate=5 March 2015 |ref=FAI }}
• {{cite book |year=1896 |editor-last=Murphy |editor-first=D |title=The Annals of Clonmacnoise |url=https://archive.org/details/annalsofclonmacn00royauoft |publisher=Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland |location=Dublin |ref=AC }} Accessed via Internet Archive.
• {{cite book |year=1867 |editor-last=Todd |editor-first=JH |editor-link=James Henthorn Todd |title=Cogad Gaedel re Gallaib: The War of the Gaedhil with the Gaill |url=https://archive.org/details/cogadhgaedhelreg00todd |publisher=Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer |location=London |ref=CGG}} Accessed via Internet Archive.

• {{cite book|last1=Bartlett|first1=Thomas|last2=Jeffery|first2=Keith|title=A Military History of Ireland|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MPZiWhhAmXAC&pg=PA465|year=1997|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-62989-8|ref=BartlettJeffery}}
• {{cite book |last=Downham |first=Clare | author-link=Clare Downham |year=2007 |title=Viking Kings of Britain and Ireland: The Dynasty of Ívarr to A.D. 1014 |publisher=Dunedin Academic Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j-sWAQAAIAAJ |location=Edinburgh |isbn=978-1-903765-89-0 |ref=Downham }}
• {{cite book|last=Duffy|first=Seán|title=Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a7uTAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA122|year=2005|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-135-94824-5|ref=Duffy}}
• {{cite book|last1=Forte|first1=Angelo|last2=Oram|first2=Richard D.|last3=Pedersen|first3=Frederik|title=Viking Empires|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_vEd859jvk0C&pg=PA103|year=2005|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-82992-2|ref=ForteOramPedersen}}
• {{cite book|last=Sawyer|first=Peter|title=The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nJqf8e1vHFgC&pg=PA97|year=2001|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-285434-6|ref=Sawyer}}

• [http://celt.ucc.ie/index.html CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts] at University College Cork. The Corpus of Electronic Texts includes the Annals of Ulster and the Four Masters, the Chronicon Scotorum and the Book of Leinster as well as Genealogies, and various Saints' Lives. Most are translated into English, or translations are in progress.

{{History of Dublin}}

{{Viking}}

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Category:910s conflicts

Category:Battles involving the Vikings

Category:Battles involving the Uí Néill

Category:History of County Dublin

Category:Viking Age in Ireland