"A deftly written history that reads as smoothly as a novel." — Midwest Book Review In life, the eleventh-century Irish king Brian Boru held the Vikings at bay; in death, he remains a towering presence in history and legend. A thousand years have passed since the Battle of Clontarf, a turning point in Irish history in which two centuries of strife between Irish kings and Vikings climaxed in a fateful conflict in the swamps of Dublin. This fascinating survey explores the personalities on both sides and provides a vivid, accessible account of the historic clash. Morgan Llywelyn, author of the bestselling Lion of Ireland, ranks among the world's most successful and respected historical novelists writing about Ireland and Celtic culture. With this book she departs from fiction to transmit decades of research into a page-turning exploration of a warrior king's life, loves, and battles, bringing the facts to life with a novelist's eye for detail and drama. "Llywelyn's account is one of the most readable and dramatic on the subject. She brings the complexities of the Irish chieftain and inheritance systems to life and shows us how decisive the famous battle turned out to be." — Irish Voice

Brian Boru is the most famous Irish person before the modern era, whose death at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014 is one of the few events in the whole of Ireland's medieval history to retain a place in the popular imagination. Once, we were told that Brian, the great Christian king, gave his life in a battle on Good Friday against pagan Viking enemies whose defeat banished them from Ireland forever. More recent interpretations of the Battle of Clontarf have played down the role of the Vikings and portrayed it as merely the final act in a rebellion against Brian, the king of Munster, by his enemies in Leinster and Dublin. This book proposes a far-reaching reassessment of Brian Boru and Clontarf. By examining Brian's family history and tracing his career from its earliest days, it uncovers the origins of Brian's greatness and explains precisely how he changed Irish political life forever. Brian Boru and the Battle of Clontarf offers a new interpretation of the role of the Vikings in Irish affairs and explains how Brian emerged from obscurity to attain the high-kingship of Ireland because of his exploitation of the Viking presence. And it concludes that Clontarf was deemed a triumph, despite Brian's death, because of what he averted – a major new Viking offensive in Ireland – on that fateful day.

King, warrior, and lover Brian Boru was stronger, braver, and wiser than all other men-the greatest king Ireland has ever known. Out of the mists of the country's most violent age, he merged to lead his people to the peak of their golden era. His women were as remarkable as his adventures: Fiona, the druidess with mystical powers; Deirdre, beautiful victim of a Norse invader's brutal lust; Gormlaith, six-foot, read-haired goddess of sensuality. Set against the barbaric splendors of the tenth century, Lion of Ireland is a story rich in truth and legend-in which friends become deadly enemies, bedrooms turn into battlefields, and dreams of glory are finally fulfilled. Morgan Llywelyn has written one of the greatest novels of Irish history. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Illustrated by Donald Teskey This internationally best-selling author, winner of many awards in adult historical fiction, now turns her hand to historical fiction for children with a personalised account of the life of Brian Boru, from his childhood in the midst of a large warrior family to his final role as High King of Ireland. 'A life full of battles, intrigues, alliances and betrayals, which make a stirring tale told in realistic detail'. The Irish Times

The story of the Battle of Clontarf, fought almost a thousand years ago on April 23, 1014, is an inspiring one. It is a tale of ambition, determination, courage, and sacrifice. Although the history of the battle has often been misrepresented, it is without doubt one of the most important events to have taken place in medieval Ireland. The battle was not just influential in Irish history, it also had a major impact on the subsequent history of the jarldom of Orkney - a Scandinavian power that lay to the north and west of medieval Scotland. Brian Boru emerges from the pages of this illustrated book, not as the great reforming high-king of legend, but as a still highly ambitious and intelligent monarch, whose steely resolve led his army to victory on the Clontarf battlefield during that Good Friday in 1014. *** "McGettigan's book expertly delivers the downtempo pace of travel and communication across that ancient world - concepts alien to our expectations of instant everything. Yet after 1,000 years, the Battle of Clontarf still resonates with people, thanks to volumes like this one that delineate the eternal importance of alliances and resources - prime factors that figure in every war, everywhere."Ã?Â?Ã?Â? The Celtic Connection, November 2013

Brian Boru King of Munster, was among the most successful of all medieval Irish monarchs. This is a biography of the most famous of Ireland's High Kings.

When the treacherous O'Neill king allows Vikings to raid his home in Thomond, Brian Boru of the little known Dal Cais Clan, embarks on a life long journey to capture Ireland's high crown. But in a world where murder, sex and betrayal are commonly employed to gain political power, Brian realizes that those pretending to be his allies are working against him. With the help of Patric, the son of his closest friend, Brian wages bloody wars against the Vikings and the O'Neill Clan, inching closer to his crown. Only when he kidnaps the famed Kormlada, wife to two high kings including his nemesis, Malsakin O'Neill, does Brian realize that other worldly forces may be playing a role in his ascension. Both beautiful and mystical, Kormlada has a penchant for mischief as well as getting what she wants-and what she wants is power. With Kormlada's assistance, Brian captures his throne but his wife's over reaching ambition turns her attention toward another man-Patric's foster son, Njord the Black. The result is one of the bloodiest battles in Irish history.