Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Letter of Florence Mac Carthy to the Earl of Thomond, on the ancient history of Ireland (Author: Florence MacCarthy Reagh)
paragraph 10
And as divers helped before to repulse them, so now all was performed by the endeavour and valour of Brien, 2nd son to Kinedy, or Cinnedi mac Lorcain, chief of north Munster who (after his elder brother was unluckily killed)83 foiled the Danes and others that stood in controversie with him and attaining to be King of the half of Mowh overthrew in many battles and expulsed the Danes, and was by common consent received King of all Ireland. In his later days Maelmorda mac Murchadha84 chief of Leinster rebelled, and (by the help of a colony of Danish merchants which the King permitted to remain at Dublin) wrought Carolus, Cnutus and Andreas, the King of Denmark's sons, to come with a great army to Dublin, where (when the King of Ireland came) a terrible battle well ordered and arranged was long fought, in the which the Danes were overthrown, and their King's three sons, and all the nobility,
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and 6700 of those that were in the maine battle, and well nere 4000 of the Dublin men and Danes that were mingled with them, and the chief and nobility of Leinster and 3200 of their men were all killed. Of the other side the Prince of Ireland, Murchard, son and heir to the King, and chief commander of the army, who for valour and reputation in arms excelled, and his son, and almost all the nobility of both Munster and Connaught, and above 4000 of their men were all killed. Some few of the Danes that fled into the land lighted to the old King's tent, where they were killed, in which broil the King received a wound in his head, with an axe, whereof he died, being 88 years of age,85 after he was 37 years King of the Half of Mowh, [Leath-Mhogha] and 12 years King of all Ireland. This battle was fought at Cluan Tarff by Dublin [Clontarf near Dublin] on Good Friday the 22 of April in the year of our Lord 1014, being the 25th battle wherein he overthrew the Danes, who never since attempted to invade that country. His 2nd son Donnchadh86 succeeded him, who in his latter days, after he raigned above 50 years, went to Terra Sancta, leaving the kingdom to Toirdealbhach,87 son to his 2nd brother Tadhg, a man of good worth, that reigned 17 years, whose son Muirchertach88 that succeeded him (being for his justice, generosity and valour well beloved and esteemed, and much favoured and affected by the King and the rest of the nation in Scotland, after he reigned 29 years) fell extreme sick at Ardmacha, in the year 1115, whereof he died 5 years after, and was the last King of the nation, this King that now is being the first after him, of the nation itself, that reigned over Ireland, of whose ancestors many have been before Kings of all Ireland, who being the first of our nation that reigned over these three kingdoms, altho' all sorts are hard to be pleased in this world, nobody can deny him to be a just King, which is the greatest praise that either King or anie other can have, and to be a man that wants neither sense nor utterance.