Murchad mac Briain was the son and heir of

Brian Boru Brian Boru (; modern ; 23 April 1014) was the High King of Ireland from 1002 to 1014. He ended the domination of the High King of Ireland, High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill, and is likely responsible for ending Vikings, Viking invasio ...

, a

High King of Ireland High King of Ireland ( ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and was later sometimes assigned anachronously or to leg ...

. He was the de facto leader of his father's army, killed on 23 April 1014 at the

Battle of Clontarf The Battle of Clontarf () took place on 23 April 1014 at Clontarf, near Dublin, on the east coast of Ireland. It pitted an army led by Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, against a Norse- Irish alliance comprising the forces of Sigtrygg Silkbea ...

Biography

In 1013 there was a rebellion by Máel Mórda, King of Leinster, and Sitric Silkenbeard, the Viking

king of Dublin The Kingdom of Dublin (Old Norse: ''Dyflin'') was a Norse kingdom in Ireland that lasted from roughly 853 AD to 1170 AD. It was the first and longest-lasting Norse kingdom in Ireland, founded by Vikings who invaded the territory around Dublin ...

against Brian Boru's rule in Ireland. Murchad was sent by Brian to deal with the rebellion. According to the ''

Annals of Ulster The ''Annals of Ulster'' () are annals of History of Ireland, medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luin� ...

'' he "made a great raid into

Laigin The Laigin, modern spelling Laighin (), were a Gaelic population group of early Ireland. They gave their name to the Kingdom of Leinster, which in the medieval era was known in Irish as ''Cóiced Laigen'', meaning "Fifth/province of the Leinste ...

, plundered the land to Glenn dá Locha and Cell Maignenn, burned the whole country, and took great spoils and countless captives." It is said that before the battle of Clontarf that some Vikings fled "for they dread the valor of Murchad and the

Dal gCais The Dalcassians ( ) are a Gaels, Gaelic Irish clan, generally accepted by contemporary scholarship as being a branch of the Déisi Muman, that became very powerful in Ireland during the 10th century. Their genealogies claimed descent from Tál ...

in general" He also allegedly carried two swords in battle. Some accounts say he died in battle with his father Brian, though most accounts report that Brian never fought in the battle, which is the accepted version of events by historians. He was buried in

Armagh Armagh ( ; , , " Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All ...

along with his father and other relatives. He had a son called Toirdelbach mac Murchada meic Briain.

References

10th-century Irish people 10th-century births 11th-century Irish people 1014 deaths Dalcassians Murchad {{middleages-stub