The Irish vs Viking Wars

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In 795, the Irish warrior culture comes in contact with the Viking warrior culture. This clash sparks multiple centuries of brutal conflict, shifting alliances, and power grabs that culminate in devastating wars and battles, and the rise of the storied High King Brian Boru.
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Some flute accents provided by Envato Elements

Musical vocals provided by Makemi at Wikimedia Commons
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SOURCES

[TheManFromWaco]

Machiavelli once said that centralized states are difficult to conquer but easy to rule, while decentralized states are easy to conquer but difficult to rule. The former can concentrate greater strength against you, but have a fixed point of critical failure. The latter might not be able to bring as much strength together at a single point, but individual regions and local lords are used to operating independently.

The Vikings kill an English or French king and the country devolves into chaos. They kill an Irish king and the Irish shrug and say "Eh, we've got 99 more kings where that guy came from."

[HistoryTime]

Epic stuff guys. Really did Brian Boru justice. Really beautiful art work too

[Giacomus]

"In these roaring hours spent hacking and stabbing, men were so doused in blood as to be unrecognizable to their kin. Their spears became heavy with the hair of butchered enemies."

Those lines are hauntingly epic.

[Truffle_Pup]

Every Irishman is brought up on the tales of Brian Boru... You did us proud with this.

[encahill]

We've had loads of films and TV shows about Vikings .. time for a series about Celts .. Boru would make a fantastic series.

[pogfrog]

Historydose, you are literally my favorite history youtuber. You can tell stories and battles like no one else. The atmosphere in every video is top-notch, man, keep it up!

[Spoon]

I did an exchange program last year, and stayed in Clontarf for two weeks.
The history of Ireland remains palpable, you'd think Brian Boru had died less than 100 years ago, not 1000. I'm still enamored by the culture of the Irish, how persistently independent it is; it felt as though their ancestors were family, not the distant men relegated to history books.

[IrishTechnicalThinker]

"If you're lucky to be Irish, you're lucky enough." Irish medieval proverb.

[Robin_Goodfellow]

I've always loved the mental image of a bunch of Vikings trying to figure out what the hell to do about an island with 100+ kings on it.
The answer for many seems to have been "screw it, we're Irish now"

[epicdragon]

Brian just casually said "screw this" and took over the whole country

[CRsVideoVaults]

“The Danes came to Ireland with nothing to do,
But dream of the plundered old Irish they slew,
'Well you will in your Vikings' said Brian Boru,
Then he threw them back into the ocean.”

Great Vid 👍🏻

[evanlucas]

Its always been fascinating to me the contrast of ireland. The island is a land of plenty. Verdant fields and teeming shores gave rise to one of the most embattled people on the planet. They fought each other for their land as much as they fought others. Often times it seems as though they only banded together to fight off a greater threat so they could get back to fighting each other. All of this is a back drop to one of the deepest repositories of ancient stone monuments and artifacts; belying and undercurrent of pervasive culture that almost seems at odds with the war like people.

[Philipk]

It was described by Vikings that the Irish back in those days were physically huge, even compared to Vikings. The Irish were nourished on beef and lamb and the pastures were green year round in a fair climate.

[MiddleSpoon]

Went to Ireland this past August. Stayed at Clontarf castle, amazing place. Thoroughly enjoyed the country.

[slainemccool]

It's very frustrating that every Viking show only focuses on England we're missing out on amazing stories in Ireland

[feasogachsionnach]

I'm a student who studies extensively into Early Medieval Irish History, and you've hit the nail on the head with his video.

Modern history grossly misportrays the Vikings as having an easy time in Ireland, which they did not. One minor detail I personally feel that should be addressed is that the Vikings did not introduce trading with the outside world to Ireland. Evidence exists of Irish trade with the outside world dating roughly 6000 BC from Jadeite axeheads found in Ireland that came from a Neolithic quarry in Italy.

Brian Boru and his victory in Clontarf is also greatly downplayed by museums and historians alike, who act as if though it was a petty squabble that happened for no reason and that no one won the battle, which is utter rubbish.

You touched well with the themes of ancestral heritage and the ancient tombs of ancient kings who were still praised by their descendants, it is something that is not often discussed in my experience.

Apologies for the lecture, but this topic is one I am particularly passionate about due to how downplayed Irish resistance is against the Vikings and how Brian Boru is treated as a side figure of sorts by many.

Edit: I forgot to mention the Scottish, who are often overlooked on this topic. Fair play for giving them a mention as again, they are often overlooked. There's not enough I can say without turning this into a longer lecture and I do apologise, nevertheless, great job with this video.

[shamiemcguire]

When I attended Carlow College. The chosen head of the O'brien clan attended for a speech about Brian. It was an amazing experience, and I spoke to him afterwards. The one thing that bugged us both. Was the loss of his sword. It was taken to England. And somehow got lost??. What an absolute shame.

[whyyes]

These guys NEVER fail to deliver, their style of making videos is intensely nostalgic to me somehow. It seriously captivates me like no other channel, especially some of the older videos, really immersive storytelling, the artstyle and sound effects are just done so well.

[daverage]

Fabulous video. I'm from Dublin myself and have to say this is the best retelling I've seen of Brian Boru's story. Bravo sir!

[hansg]

Incredible history of a battling and blending of peoples. I love the beautiful watercolors illustrating this compelling story.