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Dublin, 1171In 1171 two forces arrived outside Dublin to contest its possession with the Normans, who were within. One was led by the Norse king of Dublin, Haskulf. Haskulf had gone overseas in the previous year to enlist support, and he now had with him, together with his own men drawn from the town and the surround-ing Norse area, men also from the Scottish islands and the Isle of Man. The other force was the army of Rory O'Connor, the High King, and his adherents. Whether these two bodies were outside Dublin at the same time, whether they co-operated with one another, in opposition to the invaders, and which was first engaged with the Normans are alike matters of obscurity. The contemporary evidence seems, however, to indicate that Haskulf came up first and that he attacked the Normans and was defeated before the efforts made by the Irish had greatly affected the position.We are told that Haskulf arrived about Whitsun, which in 1171 was in the middle of May. The Dublin of that time was a small fortified settlement on the south bank of the Liffey, the centre of which was the high ground later crowned by Dublin Castle. The town extended northward to the Liffey, westward to the site of the bridge, which was probably marked by the later Bridge Street, southward to where the river Poddle flowed below the Castle hill, and eastward to the point near the present Parliament Street where the Poddle – long since covered over and running invisibly beneath the modern city-discharges into the Liffey. Haskulf and his companions, who included a renowned warrior known as John the Wode, or Mad, came ashore below the town at the place called the Steine. This was an open space on the south bank of the Liffey in the area where Trinity College now stands, and it derived its name from a pillar stone which had been erected there, probably by the Norsemen. We have no way of saying when Haskulf's force fell foul of the Normans, but hostilities seem to have continued between them for some time before the day when the first phase of the battle of Dublin was decided. On this occasion, as usual, we find the Normans outside the fortifications and fighting in the open against the combined force of the Dublinmen and their allies, which exceeded the Normans in numbers. The struggle took place in the vicinity of the present Dame Street, between the Steine and the east gate of the town, the gate of St Mary del dam-the mill dam at the mouth of the Poddle. Miles de Cogan, who led the Normans, was worsted, and fell back fighting to the gate. Even in this extremity, however, the aggressive Normans were unwilling to seek shelter and to fight on the defensive. While he continued the struggle at the east gate, de Cogan sent his brother Richard secretly and hurriedly through the west gate, on the other side of the town. Richard had thirty knights. Riding hard, he fetched a circuit around what is now the centre of the south side of the city of Dublin and came down heavily and noisily on Haskulf's rear, threatening his line of retreat to his camp and his shipping and completely surprising him. The rear of the Norse force turned to face Richard. Miles sallied over the Poddle; can we doubt that-ever audacious-he flung his last man at the red, iron-rimmed shields, locked now in a hasty shield-wall? Haskulf was caught. The archers shot gaps in his packed warriors; the heavy horsemen rode over them. John the Wode died fighting, his terrible axe that had chopped limbs at a stroke unavailing to save him. And around him died Dublin-men and Islanders. Dispirited and suddenly weary, what was left of them fled. Haskulf, taken, was later put to death. This was the end of the first phase of the fight for Dublin; the later phases culminated in a scene of rout that was far more extraordinary. The history of the Battle of Dublin, 1171 continues here Taken from Irish Battles by G.A. Hayes-McCoy, published by Appletree Press. Further reading: A Little History of Ireland by Martin Wallace with illustrations by Ian McCullough. Click here for more information on the book. Battle of Dublin: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 6 | Part 7 | |
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