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05/11/2020 10:31 PM

Vikings in Ireland

An Irish Viking Empire In the middle of the tenth century, Olaf Cuaran Sictricson (a.k.a. Amlaíb Cuarán) was a Norse descendant who became king of Dublin. Olaf was part of the Uí Ímair dynasty of Ivar the Boneless, and like Ivar, he was ambitious.5 Olaf crossed into England and took the city of York.6,10 He procured and alliance with Scotland through marriage to King Constantin’s daughter.10 He also took possession of the Isle of Mann.11 Thus, Olaf Cuaran began to build an empire on both sides of the Irish Sea.

As Olaf gathered power, he began fighting (and winning) against the larger Irish kings. Olaf was a Norse king, but many Irish and Scots fought for him. But King Máel Sechnaill II (great-great-grandson of Turgesius’s killer) crushed his army at Tara in 980. Defeated, and heart-broken over the death of his eldest son, Olaf’s empire fell apart and he retired to a monastery.5,10 The End of the Viking Age in Ireland Olaf’s former victories in Ireland left the way open for Brian Boru to become High King.6,10

Brian was a great warrior and a skilled diplomat, but Máel Mórda mac Murchada, the king of Leinster, was not ready to accept that all of Ireland was to have a single, strong ruler. His rebellion was eagerly joined by Sihtric Silkbeard, Olaf’s younger son and heir. Seeking allies, Máel Mórda turned to the Vikings of Ireland, Orkney, Mann, and even Scotland.12 In 1014, after a series of tangled, tragic events worthy of a saga, Brian Boru and Máel Mórda fought a great battle by the sea at Clontarf (near Dublin).6,13 The battle is remembered as the event in which Brian Boru drove the Vikings from Ireland, but this is not quite accurate.

The Vikings fought on both sides, and only made up about half of Mórda’s army.12 It was a pyrrhic victory for Brian (for neither he nor his heir would live to see the next day), but Mórda and most of the Viking leaders were killed. It is recorded that 10,000 men died, which would be about five out of every six that fought.13 It was Máel Sechnaill II who profited the most, for he had backed out of most of the fighting but was basically the last Irish ruler standing, and soon became high king.6,13

The Battle of Clontarf in Ireland and the Battle of Stamford Bridge in England (52 years later) is where historians end the Viking Age. The Norse continued on in Ireland, though distinctions between the two ethnicities faded as their mutual interests continued to grow. Soon there was no point in worrying about who was Norse and who was Irish.

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Maire Mac Domnaill Irish Viking

Jul 28th 2020 - 6:53 AM

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Maire considered the question Shani posed. Had she conjured magic?...had she the sight?...well, if she was capable of either she didn’t know. She was quiet for a spell, and thought about how she might be afraid. Even as she knew she was not perfect, she had not allowed herself to be evil.

“It is not so much what I can ‘do’, Shani, as what I sense. When I come to the field and forest….I feel
the company of the otherworld; the mystic realm.
I see the rustle of the undergrowth, the glow of the wisps. I hear the chatter, the trill of the busy sprites, and the subtle pricking of harp strings. When I come upon a mushroom ring the air is solemn and thick with reverence. Sometimes I am at a brink of crossing the ley line, entering into the spirit world…but I fear that it is evil.”

Could it be that the spirit world allowed for both good and evil? Unlike the human world which suppressed evil at all costs? Could it be that this had been the reason she could not cross over into the otherworld freely? She looked to Shani for more answers.

Spitfire Whisky

Jul 23rd 2020 - 1:42 PM

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Shani could not help but chuckle at her last question. It was true there were two courts of Fae, the Light or Seelie, and the Dark or Unseelie but they both had the capabilities to be extremely mischievious and highly unpredictable in thier thoughts and actions. Most were self serving prigs to be truly honest. "I am going to tell you the truth, I am both. Depending on the situation and how I fee about it I can be good or I can be bad. But, we all have those qualities within us. We are all capable of wonderful and vile things." She sighed then but quickly brushed the thoughts away.

Now she smiled and looked the girl up and down, she did have potential, "I want you to show me what if anything you are capable of doing ... magic wise. Are you able to conjure anything up? Maybe with a spell of some sort? Are you able to see events that have not happened yet? Flashes of things that are yet to come even if they don't make sense until it actually happens?" This was her first test.

Maire Mac Domnaill Irish Viking

Jul 5th 2020 - 9:23 AM

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Maire’s eyes widened upon hearing of this ‘test’ that could show she had faerie blood, all the while there was a ‘kenning’ in her being that it was so. She would, of course agree to this test but she had yet another mystery to sort out. Her father told her of a castle in the northern most part of the isle. There
she might find the answers she so desired.

“Would you do that for me, Shani,” her eyes glowed and her lips curved into a genuine smile. Maire was so in awe of the lady before her. Her dark features hinted her serious nature. There would be no time for games with her, Maire knew this and tried to focus. This was important to her. She could hardly believe her luck, and yet she had one more burning question to have settled in her mind…
“Are you a good faerie or a bad faerie, Shani?”

Spitfire Whisky

Jun 25th 2020 - 9:44 PM

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The poor girl seemed almost desperate in her plea to know if she had the blood of the Fae flowing through her veins. Shani turned ever so slightly to face the girl and took a good long look at her. There were definitley a few small attributes that could be attributed to the faery world but there were certain tests that could be conducted to know for sure.

"We have heard of your father yes," she told her kindly. "As for the fae blood that is not so certain. There are times that Fae and human blood do not mix well and things have been known to go wrong." She thought about what she had just said, and tried to correct it to make not sound so dire, "I'm sorry, that sounds awful. Though you have felt the magic, however, does not mean that there is feary blood doing the work. It could just be that there was a witch in your family and the gift was passed down. You have seen the lights so there is a bit of hope," she smiled. She really didn't want to dash the girl's dreams of being at least part faery.

"I can put you to the test if you want, to see if you have fae blood." Then she reassured her, "Don't worry it's not painful, just little things to see if you are able to do them and if you can then you are indeed part faery. What do you say?"

Maire Mac Domnaill Irish Viking

Jun 23rd 2020 - 3:20 PM

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Marie couldn’t believe her luck. How many nights had she done just this; waited patiently for a faerie to talk with her. She studied the woman before her. She was very beautiful. Her face had an ethereal glow, yet clearly she was no-nonsense….one hour?

The princess sighed and sat. She was not afraid, but very mindful of the faerie’s time.

“Well, there is something that is of most import, Shani. Do you know that my da is the King here?” she pointed to the small island and then the ringfort nearby. His name is King Seichnaill Domnaill and he is High King of Mida. He is King of the Northern ui Neill” she looked to see if that was something known to the fae then continued.

“Some just call him Malacky….well, both my parents are Irish…but my da I believe has fae in his blood…like you? And if he has it then I do. How would I know this, Shani? I have been to the holy grounds of Tara. I have ‘felt’ the magic of it, but how can I know this is true, my new friend? She stopped and hoped for a real answer.

Spitfire Whisky

Jun 9th 2020 - 3:40 PM

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Shani stood gazing upon her and slightly smiled. Not only did she see the thoughts that the woman had by the expressions that played across her features but she could also hear them as they netered her mind. An angel from God? Not bloody likely. After those first few initial thoughts Shani stayed out of the lady's mind. She knew it was intrusive and took away her privacy but she always had to know what a person's intentions were before interacting with them. Humans were fickle creatures, their minds changed faster than they even knew.

"Yes I am a faery, princess," she said plainly and matter-of-factly. Shani looked down and began to play with the little litghts, bouncing them between her fingers and in the palm of her hand.

"I am not going anywhere. I sense you have the gift of site. My name is Shanialia but you may call me Shani. I'd wager you have many questions about my kind," she smiled as she sat down near to the young woman, somewhat facing her. This was just the distraction she needed to keep her mind form the sorrow that had been keeping it and her heart hostage.

"I have but a few hours, here is your chance, what would you like to know?"

Maire Mac Domnaill Irish Viking

Jun 4th 2020 - 8:56 AM

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The shimmering was now dancing all around the circle and even causing a beautiful glow around this lovely lady. Maire had other sightings of fae, had heard the tingling bells and happy fiddles of the faerie folk. She had been led down woodland paths to witness their solemn rituals and celebrations…but never had any spirit creature actually spoken to her…in her native gaelic tongue..and she was thrilled to answer.
“Greetings to you, beautiful lady. Are you a faerie?

How is it that you have come to greet me?”
By this time ,the night was black and the glowing white apparitions truly lit up the grove. In her mind the princess considered the fact that she might be dreaming, but then quickly moved on with her musings…no, maybe this was Etian, or maybe an angel sent from God? Yet, always she knew that there was ~in her~ a sort of sixth sense, an understanding, a kenning that there was a realm quite alive beyond her being. Even her father had hinted at the ‘seeing’ he had experienced …a presence he felt even as his ancestors before him. The only real proof of it though, was a book which he had once shown her, that was kept in his room with his Bible. He had shared it with her, one time after she had been confused about an event she had experienced with the otherworld …and he read from it affectionately. Maybe it was time to ask to see that book again…. now that she was grown.

The lady did not speak again….but Maire wouldn’t allow her to go.
“Please…milady, tell me who you are so that we might be friends. I am happy to share this night with you, and I believe you exist.” She waited patiently for a response.

Spitfire Whisky

Jun 3rd 2020 - 8:26 AM

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Once she caught the scent and sound of another creature, Shani became curious as to whom it might be. Not many dared to be out after dark not unless they were up to dirty dealings. However, once she glanced the being that was near to her, she knew they posed no threat. She was a very pretty blonde young woman. Shani was curious as to what this young lady had been seeing. She too saw the tiny shimmering lights that played upon the stones. They always did so when there was one of the faery folk nearby. It just so happened that on this night, Shani was the one that they felt.

She was of the Tuatha de, the highest order of Faery there was. Both the First and Second Battles Magh Tuireadh were before her time but she grew hearing their stories told. These Fae were warriors through and through. They were magical, of course, having deep rooted connections to the land they called home, Tir na nOg, and of Ireland herself. They also had the pension for the whimsical and delight of others, though some of those others were ill used and gravely misinformed. Due to her father’s birth, Shani was the grand child of the Morrigan herself, so the fight and headstrong willfulness surged through her veins as it did like no others.

On this night however, she was there merely to enjoy the sounds of nature and to remember better evenings spent in the company of people she loved. It seemed the night had other plans in mind for her and she was to meet new company instead. “Greetings to you my lady,” Shani greeted her gently.

Maire Mac Domnaill Irish Viking

May 26th 2020 - 2:27 PM

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She knew that faerie forts were a place where someone lived long ago….so Maire respected the spot she had come upon . Standing there breathing in the night air, her thoughts returned to Etain.

Closing her eyes~ the way the tale had been told to ~once more came alive....
Etain, of her it was said that no one was more fair. Her beauty was sweeter than honey….her mantle was purple with a fringe of silver…and it was fastened with a broad golden broach. Long were her lashes, and they hid hyacinth-blue eyes and her lips were red as rowen-berry. Her golden tresses glittered in the sunlight, yet in the radiance of the moonlight her skin was pure as seafoam.

Yet as much as Maire adored the faerie Queen, there was a sadness at her core. So when she opened her eyes a tear blurred her vision….or was it the darkness which had blanketed the lake’s edge?

Normally, the blackness would have lured the princess in, but not on this night….for she could see just beyond ~ the glowing moon’s promise, and could feel the presence of another. Suddenly, she noticed a faint light playing off of her smock , and a slight shimmering coming from the circle of stones. Careful not to move or scare off the phenomenon, her eyes darted around surveying the ground.

It is not that this had never happened before, when she was younger it happened quite often. Excitement raced through her now, as she hoped, even as she had grown to nineteen, that she could still experience the fae folk.

Closing her eyes one more time, and keeping them closed in a prayer …that this wasn’t all her imagination working over time….she again opened them and this time, saw before her a lovely young woman…someone she had never met, but someone who didn’t cause her to be afraid.

Spitfire Whisky

May 25th 2020 - 3:23 PM

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As she walked along the water’s edge she appreciated the soft oranges and light pinks that mixed with the rapidly fading blues. Night was approaching and this was her favorite time of day. It was only one of two times in a twenty-four period where light and dark were equals. She did not go home to her isle because she wanted the coolness the night afforded her. There it was always warm no matter the time of year. Shani enjoyed the change in seasons, witnessing how nature was ever changing and always beautiful.

She loved coming to Ireland and even kept a small three-room cottage nearby. It was cloaked by magic so no one would happen upon her and disturb her. The last thing she wanted was to have to explain how a cottage simply appeared out of nowhere. Now as she walked the stillness of the water and the quiet of the early evening soothed her battered soul. Shani was a widow and missed her husband dearly. Peace was what she needed now or go stark raving mad from grief. It didn’t take long for her to find a good spot in which to watch the sun make its final dissent before the darkness took its watch over the realm. She sat and pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and rested her chin on top of her knees. With sigh she tried to smile and closed her eyes while listening to the sounds of the animals that lived near the water.

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