Battle of Sulcoit

The Battle of Sulcoit was a large military engagement between the Dal gCais of Munster and the Norse of Limerick. The Dal gCais were led by the brothers Brian Boru and Mathgamain mac Cennetig, while the Vikings were led by King Ivar of Limerick. The battle started when a band of men sent by Brian to bait the Vikings led them to a small rise in a forest called Sulcoit. There the Dal gCais attacked. The battle ended up as a great success for the Dal gCais but a great loss for the Vikings. Not only did the Vikings lose a large amount of men that day but they also lost their entire city of Limerick to the Dal gCais after the battle. AI967.2: A defeat of the foreigners of Luimnech by Mathgamain, son of Cennétig, at Sulchuait, and Luimnech was burned by him before noon on the following day.

U967.5: Mathgamain son of Cennáitig, king of Caisel, plundered and burned Luimnech. The annals only offer the above brief report of the battle and the plundering of Limerick the following day. The only extended account of the battle, including background, mustering, and aftermath, is found in the controversial Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib.

Background
In the year 942 A.D., 18 years before the battle, Brian Boru was born in a Dal gCais village in modern day County Clare. 12 years after his birth he was attending school at an Irish monastery. While Brian was at the monastery his village was raided by Vikings from the city of Limerick. Brian's father was killed during the raid and power shifted to his son, Latchna. All of the young men in the village were taught by elders how to wrestle and how to use weapons such as the Irish Short Sword and the Irish Long Ax. In 953 Latchna died and power shifted to Brian's other brother, Mathgamain mac Cennetig. In 963 Mathgamain formed an alliance with a Viking king, Ivar of Limerick. In 964 Brian left with a group of followers to fight the Vikings whom his brother recently made peace with. Brian's rag tag army used guerrilla tactics against the Vikings when ever he had the chance. Although Brian's army took a tole on the Vikings, the Vikings took a tole on Brian. In Brian's journal he described that by the year 968 his army had only 15 surviving members after 4 years of war. Brian's brother, Mathgamain, decided to join Brian in his fight against the Vikings and break peace between with the Vikings.

Battle
One day in the year 968, Brian sent out a small raiding party to bait the Vikings by having them follow the men to where the Dal gCais were waiting. The Vikings fell for the trick and followed the men into the thick forest leaving the safety of their fortress. At a small rise called Sulcoit near the modern town of Soloheadbeg Brian's men lied in wait. Although smaller in size the Irish made up for it with the element of surprise. Confident in their numbers the Vikings pursued them deeper into the forest. Brian's men led them to Sulcoit and there Brian's men attacked. Immediately the Vikings were caught off guard by the Irish attack. Because of the tangled forest the Vikings were unable to use their best defensive tactic called the "Wall of Shields". Fighting alone a Viking was no match for the Irish Battle Ax. By mid day the Vikings fled and scattered in disorder, relentlessly pursued by Brian's men. The battle was hard fought and bloody, with fighting lasting from dusk until dawn. The Viking line finally broke and the Irish were described as beheading whom ever the captured along the way. Due to their disordered retreat this left the Viking city of Limerick vulnerable to attack.

Aftermath
The Battle of Sulcoit was a great success for the Dal gCais but the battle had a great reward for the Dal gCais, the Viking stronghold of Limerick. In Mathgamain's personal notes he describes what happened, "The entire city was reduced to smoke and ash. Any man fit for war was killed and the rest were enslaved." Brian had finally avenged his father's death. Soon after the battle, a rival King from the kingdom of Leinster killed Mathgamain. Brian describes, "My heart shall burst inside my breast unless I avenge this great king. He shall forfeit life for this deed or if I parish it will be a violent death". Brian was true to his word and soon killed the King of Leinster. It was not until the year 975 when Brian finally rid the Vikings of Ireland when he killed Ivar of Limerick and his entire family at Scattery Island. Over the next 30 years Brian conquered every kingdom in Ireland until he gained control over all of Ireland which was the only time in history that it had ever been done. It was not until the year 1014 when Ireland was invaded by Vikings again when a rebel king formed a pact with Viking King Sigtrygg Silkbeard. They were again ridden out of Ireland at the Battle of Clontarf where Brian, too old to fight, was killed by Brodir of Man when Brodir was fleeing from the battlefield. Brodir was punished by Brian's men and is described that Brian's men were so enraged that they tied Brodir to a tree with his own intestines. After the death of Brian, Ireland split up into different kingdoms and was fully conquered by foreign invaders the Battle of Faughart in the year 1318.