ABSTRACT
Clontarf was a sad victory. Not only Brian hirnself, but his son Murehad, who had led Brian's army, was killed, and many Irish nobles alongside hirn. Yet Viking ambition was stopped from that day, the Vikings eontenting themselves thereafter with developing the towns they had founded at Dublin, Cork, Wexford, Waterford and Limerick, and the ports of the eastern seaboard. The Vikings set up the shops and trading posts which the lrish were not interested in providing for themselves and served Ireland peaeefully as merehants, seamen and 'farmers. The Viking towns beeame independent, self-sufficient republies, eut off from eaeh other by land and eommunicating only by sea. They made allianees with loeal kings but gave no allegianee exeept, oeeasionally, to the high king.
