Bárid mac Ímar (also referred to as Baraid or Bardur Ivarsson); or ; d. 881) was a ninth-century King of Dublin. He was a son of Ivar (Ímar) Ragnarsson and a member of the

Uí Ímair The Uí Ímair (; meaning ‘''scions of Ivar’''), also known as the Ivar dynasty or Ivarids, was a Norse-Gael dynasty which ruled much of the Irish Sea region, the Kingdom of Dublin, the western coast of Scotland, including the Hebrides and ...

Biography

The earliest mention of Bárid in the

Irish Annals A number of Irish annals, of which the earliest was the Chronicle of Ireland, were compiled up to and shortly after the end of the 17th century. Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days. Over ti ...

is in part of a saga embedded within the '' Fragmentary Annals of Ireland''. Downham, p. 247 In this entry, dated 867, Bárid is named as a Jarl of Lochlann who, along with a Jarl Háimar was ambushed by men of

Connacht Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...

. Bárid is mentioned again by a saga element within the ''Fragmentary Annals'' in 872, when he is said to have raided

Moylurg {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 Magh Luirg or Magh Luirg an Dagda, anglicised as Moylurg, was the name of a medieval Irish kingdom located in modern-day County Roscommon, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It was a sub-kingdom of the kingdom of Connach ...

and the islands of

Lough Ree Lough Ree (), translated to English as ''King's Lake'' or ''King Lake'', is a lake in the midlands of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the second of the three major lakes on the River Shannon. Lough Ree is the second largest lake on the Shannon af ...

. This saga element also says that Bárid fostered a son of Áed Findliath, overking of the Northern

Uí Néill The Uí Néill (; meaning "descendants of Niall") are Irish dynasties that claim descent from Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a historical King of Tara who is believed to have died around c. 405. They are generally divided ...

. The sagas are usually considered of dubious historical value, but this particular element draws upon earlier written accounts, and there is much evidence for later links between the descendants of Áed Findliath and the

. Downham, p. 24 Fosterage was used in Ireland as a means of strengthening ties between different ruling families, and it is possible Bárid may have tried to integrate himself with the Irish political elite. Bárid is mentioned by the ''

Annals of Inisfallen The ''Annals of Inisfallen'' () are a chronicle of the medieval history of Ireland. Overview There are more than 2,500 entries spanning the years between 433 and 1450. The manuscript is thought to have been compiled in 1092, as the chronic ...

'' in 873 which say: Downham suggests this raid was undertaken as a show of strength; it occurred shortly after the death of

Ímar Ímar ( ; died c. 873) was a powerful Viking leader in Ireland and Scotland in the mid-late ninth century. He was the progenitor of the Uí Ímair dynasty, who would go on to dominate the Irish Sea region for several centuries. He was the son o ...

, with Bárid probably succeeding him as King of Dublin. ''

Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib ''Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib'' ("The War of the Irish with the Foreigners") is a medieval Irish text that tells of the depredations of the Vikings and Uí Ímair dynasty in Ireland and the Irish king Brian Boru's great war against them, begin ...

'' names a son of Amlaíb, most likely Oistin, as raiding with him. Sigurðsson and Bolton, p. 36;

, § 25 It has been suggested that Bárid and his cousin Oistin ruled together as co-kings following the death of Ímar. According to the Annals of Ulster, in 875 Oistin was "deceitfully" killed by "Albann", a figure generally agreed to be

Halfdan Ragnarsson Halfdan Ragnarsson (; or ''Healfdene''; ; died 877) was a Viking leader and a commander of the Great Heathen Army which invaded the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England starting in 865. Halfdan was one of six sons of Ragnar Lodbrok named in Norse ...

, supposed son of the legendary Viking

Ragnar Lodbrok Ragnar Lodbrok (Old Norse: ''Ragnarr loðbrók'', ), according to legends, was a Viking hero and a Legendary Kings of Sweden, Swedish and Legendary kings of Denmark, Danish king. It seems he was not successful in pressing his claim, but he tried to take Dublin again in 877, and he fell in battle against an army of " fair foreigners" at the Battle of Strangford Lough. ''Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib'' identifies Bárid as the leader of the "fair foreigners", and as being wounded "so that he was lame ever after". The next mention of Bárid in the annals comes in 881, when the ''Annals of Ulster'', the ''

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' () or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' () are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Genesis flood narrative, Deluge, dated as 2,242 Anno Mundi, years after crea ...

'', and the ''

Chronicon Scotorum ''Chronicon Scotorum'', also known as ''Chronicum Scotorum'', is a medieval Irish chronicle. Overview According to Nollaig Ó Muraíle, it is "a collection of annals belonging to the ' Clonmacnoise group', covering the period from prehistoric ...

'' describe his death; he was killed and burnt in Dublin shortly after raiding

Duleek Duleek (; ) is a small town in County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Duleek takes its name from the Irish language, Irish words ''daimh'' and ''liag'', meaning house of stones, referring to an early stone-built church, St. Cianán's Churc ...

. The annals attribute his death to a miracle of Saint Cianán.

Family

Bárid's father is identified by the ''Chronicon Scotorum'' as Ímar, King of Dublin until his death in 873. Ímar is sometimes identified with

Ivar the Boneless Ivar the Boneless ( ; died ), also known as Ivar Ragnarsson, was a Viking leader who invaded England and Ireland. According to the '' Tale of Ragnar Lodbrok'', he was the son of Aslaug and her husband Ragnar Loðbrok, and was the brother of ...

, son of the legendary Viking

Ragnar Lodbrok Ragnar Lodbrok (Old Norse: ''Ragnarr loðbrók'', ), according to legends, was a Viking hero and a Legendary Kings of Sweden, Swedish and Legendary kings of Denmark, Danish king.Sichfrith (died 888) and Sitriuc (died 896). Bárid is identified as the father of Uathmarán, who bore an Irish name derived from the Irish word "uathmar", meaning ‘awesome’, perhaps in an attempt to associate with the Irish political elite. Downham, p. 25 Bárid may also be identified as the father of Eloir mac Báirid (died 891), and the grandfather of the unnamed son of Uathmarán mac Bárid (fl. 921). This unnamed man may be identical to Sichfrith mac Uathmaráin (fl. 932). It is uncertain whether Bárid was the father of the unnamed son of Bárid (mac Bárid in the original

Old Irish Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic (, Ogham, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ; ; or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic languages, Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive written texts. It was used from 600 to 900. The ...

) who plundered ''Cill Clethi'' in 937. This unnamed man may be identical to Aric mac Báirith (died 937). Likewise, it is uncertain if Bárid was the father of Colla mac Báirid (fl. 924). Any or all of the aforementioned Aric, Colla, and the unnamed son of Bárid, could have been sons of Bárid mac Oitir (died 914), not Bárid mac Ímair. Downham pp. 245, 247, 263

Notes

References

Citations

Primary Sources

* * * * * Accessed via

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

. *

Secondary Sources

* Subscription o
UK public library membership
required. * * * * * * * *

External links

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) () is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork (city), Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of three Queen's Universit ...

. 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. {{DEFAULTSORT:Barid 881 deaths 9th-century Irish monarchs Monarchs of Dublin Year of birth unknown Uí Ímair