Bárid mac Ímair - King of Dublin ( 873–881 )
Bárid mac Ímair and Oistín mac Amlaíb were the co-rulers of Dublin in the late ninth century. They were embroiled in a dynastic feud with their uncle, Halfdan Ragnarsson, for the leadership of the Viking town.
Bárid mac Ímair and his brothers, Sichfrith and Sitriuc, were the sons of Ivar the Boneless and born in Dublin in the 850s. Their kinsmen Oistín and Carlus were the children of Olaf the White.
Oistín mac Amlaíb and Bárid mac Ímair succeeded their fathers as the kings of Dublin between 873 and 874. They were the first UI Imair kings to assume the kingship of Dublin.
The Irish chroniclers first mentioned Bárid mac Ímair during a visit to Connacht in 867. The Norwegian jarl, Háimar, and a retinue of Norse warriors accompanied Bárid mac Ímair as they travelled through the province.
The people of Connacht killed Háimar and slaughtered the Norse warriors during an ambush. Bárid mac Ímair escaped with only a wound to his thigh.
The Fragmentary Annals of Ireland stated Bárid mac Ímair was foster-father to the son of Áed Findliath in 872.
Áed Findliath was the High King of Ireland and the leader of the Northern Ui Neill.
Bárid mac Ímair emulated his father, Ivar the Boneless, by fostering good relations with Áed Findliath and the Northern Ui Neill.
He was familiar with the customs of the Gaels and their habit of making alliances with neighbouring kings. The compacts increased the wealth and political influence of their kingdoms.
The Annals of Ulster eulogised the death of Ivar the Boneless in 873 as the leader of all the Vikings in Ireland. The Irish chroniclers noted Ivar the Boneless was powerful chieftain of the Norse in the Danelaw in England. The Viking colonies in Scotland and Wales regarded Ivar the Boneless as their overlord.
Bárid mac Ímair succeeded his father, Ivar the Boneless, in Dublin. Oistín mac Amlaíb was the co-ruler of Dublin by 875. Scholars assumed his father, Olaf the White, died in 874.
The Ui Imair kings, Bárid mac Ímair and Oistín mac Amlaíb took part in raids between 872 and 873. The forays proved their worthiness as the leaders of the Norse in Dublin.
Bárid mac Ímair plundered the kingdom of Magh Luirg and the islands of Lough Ree in County Roscommon in 872.
According to the Annals of Inisfallen, Bárid mac Ímair left Áth Cliath, or Dublin, at the head of a large Viking fleet in 873. He sailed to the west coast of Ireland and raided the souterrains of the Gaelic settlements in County Kerry.
The Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib noted Oistín mac Amlaíb, accompanied his cousin, Bárid mac Ímair, to Ciarraige Luachra in north Kerry.
Oistín mac Amlaíb first came to the attention of the chroniclers during the raid in Munster.
Bárid mac Ímair and Oistín mac Amlaíb experienced a dynastic challenge to their kingship from their uncle, Halfdan Ragnarsson.
Halfdan Ragnarsson was the brother of Ivar the Boneless and renowned in history as one of the leaders of the Great Heathen Army.
The Great Heathen Army conquered the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Northumbria, East Anglia and Mercia between 865 and 878.
The leaders, Halfdan Ragnarsson and Guthrum, agreed to split the Viking army into two in 874. Their brother, Ivar the Boneless, left England in 871 to re-established his power over the Vikings in Dublin.
Halfdan Ragnarsson marched to Northumbria in 875. He waged war against the Picts and Britons in the kingdom of Strathclyde.
The Norse warriors loyal to Halfdan Ragnarsson received land in Northumbria. The territory occupied by the Vikings of the Great Heathen Army in England was known as the Danelaw.
Halfdan Ragnarsson declared himself the first Viking king of York in 876. The Viking nobles expelled Halfdan Ragnarsson from the city in 877. The City of York was the capital of the Danelaw.
The Annals of Ulster told of Halfdan Ragnarsson, or Albann, murdering his nephew, Oistín son of Amlaíb, in 875. The Irish chroniclers referred to Oistín son of Amlaíb as the king of all the Vikings in Ireland.
Scholars believed Halfdan Ragnarsson killed his nephew, Oistín mac Amlaíb, during an attack on Dublin. He returned to England after failing to expel Bárid mac Ímair from the Viking town.
Some historians theorised Halfdan Ragnarsson succeeded his brother, Ivar the Boneless, as the king of Dublin in 873.
He experienced a challenge to his kingship from his nephews, Oistín mac Amlaíb and Bárid mac Ímair. Oistín mac Amlaíb died while trying capture Dublin.
Bárid mac Ímair killed Halfdan Ragnarsson at the Battle of Strangford Lough in 877.
The Chronicon Scotorum described Bárid mac Ímair as the leader of the Norwegian colonists, or Finngaill meaning “fair foreigners”. He fought Albann and his Danish warriors, or Dubgaill meaning “dark foreigners”, during a great naval battle at Strangford Lough.
The Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib reported Bárid mac Ímair and his Norwegian warriors killed Halfdan Ragnarsson and annihilated his Danish army during the conflict.
Bárid mac Ímair died in Dublin shortly after plundering the oratory of St. Cianán at Dunleek in 881. Churchmen believed St. Cianán killed the tyrant, Bárid mac Ímair, for his sins against the Church.
The kingship of Dublin passed to an unknown son of Ausile in 881.
The early Viking history of Ireland is discussed in:
Olaf the White and Ivar the Boneless - The Viking Kings of Dublin: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0916GJ3B2
And Vikings in Ireland (870 - 914): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B096KVNBZK
References
Celt UCC — The Annals of Ulster: https://celt.ucc.ie//published/T100001A/index.html
Celt UCC — Chronicon Scotorum: https://celt.ucc.ie//published/T100016/index.html
Celt UCC — Fragmentary Annals of Ireland: https://celt.ucc.ie//published/T100017/
Wikipedia — Bárid mac Ímair: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1rid_mac_%C3%8Dmair
Wikipedia — Battle of Strangford Lough: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Strangford_Lough
Wikipedia — Halfdan Ragnarsson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halfdan_Ragnarsson
Daily Express — Vikings: Who is Halfdan Ragnarsson? By Molli Mitchell: https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1266739/Vikings-season-6-who-is-Halfdan-Ragnarrson-Ragnar-Lothbrok-son
Heathen Lore and Philosophy By Go_i Andr RavenSkŸl VenŒs: https://books.google.ie/books?id=MgeuDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT313&dq=Halfdan+Ragnarsson&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj9s-iKn7rxAhW7UhUIHcP3AmAQ6AEwAXoECAMQAg#v=onepage&q=Halfdan%20Ragnarsson&f=false
Routledge Revivals: Medieval Ireland (2005): An Encyclopedia edited by Sean Duffy: https://books.google.ie/books?id=WkQrDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA29&dq=%C3%81ed+Findliath+and+monastery+at+armagh&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwitiqaN_K_xAhUbiFwKHf6cAX0Q6AEwAHoECAUQAg#v=onepage&q=%C3%81ed%20Findliath%20and%20monastery%20at%20armagh&f=false
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