Thursday 23 January 2014

Battle of Clontarf 1014 millenium approaches

http://www.clontarf.ie/2014
For events in Clontarf, see Clontarf2014.ie
The Battle of Clontarf was fought a thousand years ago – Good Friday (23 April), 1014 – and will be one of the major anniversaries commemmorated this year in Ireland.

The official Battle of Clontarf events programme was launched yesterday by Minister Jimmy Deenihan in the Long Room at Trinity College Dublin but doesn't seem to have made its way online yet. I'll post it here when it appears.

In the meantime.... the year-long events schedule includes seminars, festivals and many other events and it also commemorates the life of Brian Boru. Events will take place at five locations in Ireland. Below is a selection of events (I've mainly omitted family- and kid- oriented happenings) taking place in Clontarf and in Dublin City.

Friday 24 January: The Temple Bar TradFest. Venue: St Michan's Church, Dublin. The church will host the world premiere of a specially commissioned cycle of songs which span a millennium and contain eye witness accounts of Dublin from 1014 and 2014. 8pm. Tickets €18.

Wednesday 5 February: Battle of Clontarf 1014 – Irish History and Legend, with Professor Colm Lennon. Host: Old Dublin Society. Venue: Dublin City Library & Archive, 138-144 Pearse Street, Dublin. 6:30pm. For details see Clontarf.ie or email.

Monday 10 February: The Archaeology of Viking Dublin at Wood Quay, with Dr Pat Wallace.  Part of the Battle of Clontarf commemoration series of lectures hosted by Clontarf Historical Society and Raheny Heritage Society. Venue: Clasac Theatre, Alfie Byrne Road, Clontarf, Dublin 3. 8:15pm. Members free, non-members €5. Tea and coffee after lecture.Details: Kay Lonergan, +353 1-8338711.

Monday 10 March: Brian Boru and his Dal Cais origins, with Dr Cathy Swift. Part of the Battle of Clontarf commemoration series of lectures hosted by Clontarf Historical Society and Raheny Heritage Society. Venue: Clasac Theatre, Alfie Byrne Road, Clontarf, Dublin 3. 8:15pm. Members free, non-members €5. Tea and coffee after lecture.Details: Kay Lonergan, +353 1-8338711.

Friday 28 March: Launch of the Battle of Clontarf Heritage Trail, with forms part of a national Brian Boru Heritage Trail between Killaloe, Cashel, Clontarf and Armagh. Clontarf Promenade, Dublin.

Friday 28 March to Sunday 31 March: Exhibition. The Clontarf Historical Society & Raheny Heritage Society will host a weekend historical exhibition in Mach 2014. The exhibition will present information on the Vikings, Brian Boru, the Battle of Clontarf and the history of Clontarf over the last millennium.

Friday 11 and Saturday 12 April: The Battle of Clontarf Conference: International Symposium. Venue: Edmund Burke Theatre, Trinity College Dublin. The two-day conference is presented in four groups of lectures: Late Viking-Age Ireland & Brian Buru and the High-Kingship; and Brian and the Battle of Clontarf & The Legacy of Brian and Clontarf. Programme. Free. Email. Tel: +353 1 222 2780

Sunday 13 April to Sunday 27 April: Daily guided tours of the Battle of Clontarf Heritage Trail. Start at 2:30pm in Clontarf. For more information: Tel: +353 86 2330377.

Saturday 24 May: New Archaeological Discoveries Seminar. A day of lectures organised in association with the Embassy of Denmark in Ireland to present the latest archaeological discoveries on the Viking period.  International guest speakers will join Irish experts to discuss their most recent findings and provide new perspectives on life in the Viking world a millennium ago. Venue: National Museum of Ireland. Kildare Street, Dublin. Booking required. Email or Tel: +353 (0)1 648 6339.

April to December:  Clontarf 1014, an exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland, Kildare St, Dublin. The NMI say this will be a ground-breaking exhibition which will explode myths and present the evidence we have for what actually happened at Clontarf, what led up to the battle and what resulted from it. Viking and Irish weapons, typical of those used in the battle, will feature alongside hoards of precious silver objects and religious treasures. Much more recent artefacts will bring the story of Brian Boru and Clontarf right into modern times.


http://www.museum.ie/en/exhibition/clontarf-1014.aspx