Niamh and the Viking Prince

By Robert Collins

Viking Gormlaith is married to Brian Boru and she has two sons from her previous marriage Sitric, King of the Dublin Danes and Olaf. Niamh falls in love with Olaf. He, however, becomes a Christian, then states he wishes to become a priest so he will have direct access to the sacristy, which contains a chalice ornamented with priceless jewels and which he wants to steal at his mothers behest. His mother is politically devious and wants one of her sons to become High King. Maelmorda, her brother, king of Leinster wants the High-kingship as well. Gormlaith decides to expedite Brians death by having him poisoned. Lonan, a physician, arrives in Sitrics palace and tells Sitric he is an expert in everything to do with poisoning. He also said that because of family rivalry he hates Brian. Sitric sends him to Gormlaith but little do they realise that Lonan is in fact a friend of Brian and saves him. Foreign kings and princes were aware that Gormlaith was high queen and whoever married her would be high king.
Sitric told her I have promised you in marriage to Sigurd from the Orkneys then I promised you to Brodar, king of Denmark. Carrol Cnut and Anrud, sons of the king of Norway are looking after their fathers interests and didnt come here so that the others could have Ireland between them. Obviously someone will stay back from battle and move in to annihilate the others and have Ireland for themselves. However, they were all beaten in battle by Brian but he was slain by Brodar.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Aug 26, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496988065

Robert Collins

Two people with different cultural backgrounds and ethnicities met at a European and Balkan music and dance ensemble named Koroyar and their lives became intertwined, combining their gifts to continue exploring life as an avenue of creative expression. Robert Collins has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, and has been an educator in the Los Angeles area for thirty years. He studied writing with Joan Oppenheimer in San Diego, with Cork Millner privately, and also in the Santa Barbara Writer's Conferences. Elizabeth Herrera Sabido, at the age of sixteen years, began working as a secretary at the Secretaria de Industria y Comercio in Mexico City where she was born, then she was an educator for twenty-six years, and a teacher of international dance for The Los Angeles Unified School District. She has also studied Traditional Chinese Medicine, and is a Reiki Master Teacher. Attracted by the Unknown, the Forces of the Universe, and the human psyche, during their lives they have studied several different philosophies. Elizabeth has been involved with various religions, Asian studies, and Gnosticism with SamaelAun Weor, and Robert has explored spiritual healing practices in Mexico, and studied with Carlos Castaneda's Cleargreen and Tensegrity. Elizabeth and Robert start their day at four-thirty in the morning. They enjoy playing volleyball and tennis, and in the afternoons play music, alternating between seven different instruments each. Their philosophy of Personal Evolution has led them to explore over 110 countries between the two of them such as Japan, Nepal, Egypt, Bosnia- Herzegovina, the Philippines, Turkey,Russia, etc.

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Niamh

and the

Viking Prince

ROBERT COLLINS

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AuthorHouse™ UK

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© 2014 Robert Collins. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 09/26/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-8807-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-8806-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014913541

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Chapter 1   Niamh And The Viking Prince Conflict Of Souls

Chapter 2   Tadhg And Olaf

Chapter 3   Accepting The Faith

Chapter 4   Subject For The Priesthood

Chapter 5   The Papal Legate

Chapter 6   Hatred

Chapter 7   Treachery

Chapter 8   Messengers

Chapter 9   Men Of Ireland

Chapter 10   Foot-Messengers

Chapter 11   Villainy

Chapter 12   Unfavourable Suspicion

Chapter 13   Intrigue

Chapter 14   Blindfolds

Chapter 15   Two Olafs

Chapter 16   Two Bad Boys

Chapter 17   Death By Kindness

Chapter 18   Royal Visit Of Submission

Chapter 19   Calm Before The Storm

Chapter 20   Help For Help

Chapter 21   Blind Activity

Chapter 22   The Power Of Herbs

Chapter 23   A Game Of Chess And A Hole In A Tree

Chapter 24   The King Of Leinster

Chapter 25   Tit For Tat

Chapter 26   The Treachery Goes Wrong

Chapter 27   The Two Lonans

Chapter 28   Michael The Red

Chapter 29   Connla

Chapter 30   Promised To Two

Chapter 31   What Shall Befall?

Chapter 32   Sitric’s Eyes Are Opened

Chapter 33   Haste, Eagerness And Activity

Chapter 34   People In Anticipation

Chapter 35   Brian’s Battlecry

Chapter 36   The Battle

Chapter 37   The Battlefield

Chapter 38   After The Battle

CHAPTER 1

Niamh and The Viking Prince Conflict of Souls

In the year of Our Lord 984 Brian Boru captured the city of Limerick from the Vikings and he destroyed the city. Those Vikings who were neither killed nor captured fled from the place. Some of them fled to Inis Cathaigh in the Shannon estuary. The Vikings had possession of the island at that time. They had expelled the monks from the island and had fortified themselves therein. It wasn’t long until Brian pursued them and he and his forces broke into the island. It was a fight for survival for the Vikings. There was fierce fighting on both sides. The Vikings were defeated and Brian emerged triumphant. As a result Limerick and Inis Cathaigh were freed from the Viking menace nor was there a likelihood of the Vikings ever returning to the place.

When this was realised the monks returned to the island. A devout and saintly character called Colla, returned and was installed as abbot of the monastery and he re-established all the Christian practices there. Everything of a Christian character had been destroyed and demolished by the Vikings. Colla re-consecrated all the holy places and Brian sent him wood and stone, lime and tradesmen, and everything essential to rebuild and replace the destruction caused by the Vikings.

As well as all these gifts Brian sent a golden chalice, which had come from Rome, from the pope as a token of his appreciation for the great deeds done by Brian against the Vikings, the enemies of Christianity. The chalice was of great value. Completely of gold the chalice was heavy and strong. But if the gold itself was of great value more so was the intricate and ornate ornamentation thereon. But there was something on it more valuable than gold and intricate ornamentation combined. Surrounding the base of the chalice was a circle of precious stones, each in itself worth a prince’s ransom. Brian gave the chalice to Colla and his monks of Inis Cathaigh. Great was their appreciation of Brian for his contributions.

As soon as the monks had come, the students came. As soon as the students arrived, schools were established. Students came from all over Ireland to obtain education. Colla’s name became widespread because of the extent of his knowledge, the depth of his understanding and the excellence of his teaching. It wasn’t long until students came from England, north from Scotland, south from France and east from Germany. The families of kings and nobles used to come. They used to obtain education, food and drink and lodgings, and every necessity free of charge, without payment in the schools of Ireland at that time.

CHAPTER 2

Tadhg And Olaf

At this time some of the Vikings themselves were beginning to accept Christianity, especially those who had settled in Ireland and had married with the Irish women. First a link, then a relationship had been established with their surrounding neighbours. From then onwards they began to accept and practice Irish customs. Knowledge of Christianity impregnated their beliefs and slowly they began to practice Christian customs. They began to enter the schools like everyone else and they were welcomed in these schools like everyone else.

One day as schoolwork was proceeding as usual in Inis Cathaigh a young nobleman arrived and presented himself at the monastery. He had a mop of fair hair, falling heavily to his shoulders. He was wearing a cloak stretching to his shoulder blades as was usual for the son of a king, and his countenance and personality were regal. He arrived at the monastery where the doorkeeper met him.

‘I would like to see the Abbot, if you please’ he said. ‘Very well,’ said the door-keeper. ‘Follow me please.’

He was brought into Colla’s presence. ‘What do you require? said the Abbot to him.

‘I would like if you would permit me to spend some time studying in this monastery.’

‘Who are you if you please’ said the abbot

‘Tadhg O’Kelly is my name, Father,’ said the youth, ‘and I have come from Ui Maine in the south.’

‘Are you the son of the Great Tadhg O’Kelly?’

‘Yes, Father,’ said the youth.

He was immediately placed in the school considered most suitable for him. Tadhg O’Kelly was eighteen years old at that time.

A few days after this, another youth came to the monastery. He was a Viking. He had a mop of hair as black as coal and he had a twinkle in both eyes and mouth, and everyone liked him at first sight. He was brought before Colla.

‘What’s your name my son, and from whence have you come?’ ‘I am a Viking,’ said the youth, ‘and Olaf is my name, Olaf the younger, I am called, for Olaf is my father’s name as well. I have come here to be educated, for it is said the best education is to be obtained here.’

‘Very well,’ said the Abbot.

‘It is likely that you are not of our faith but that makes no difference. Faith is a gift from God. You shall be taught here whatever knowledge or learning you require. There is no danger that anyone will interfere with you because of your beliefs.’

‘I have been thinking for quite a long time,’ said the youth, ‘that it would be a good thing to become acquainted with your religion. A person cannot accept the faith without first being acquainted with it. If I discover from my knowledge of it that faith is a good thing, it would be right for me to accept it. Whether I accept it or not what harm can it do to me to be acquainted with it?’

‘Very well, my son,’ said the Abbot. ‘Follow your own will and understanding in that respect. May God give you the knowledge you require.’

Olaf the Younger was placed in the school considered most suitable for him, and where should he be placed but in the same school as Tadgh O’ Kelly. It wasn’t long until both became well acquainted. A lasting friendship developed between them. Both were extremely good at learning, and it was difficult for anyone to distinguish between them. In athletics and physical prowess, it was the same story. Neither of them could defeat the other. No other in the school could match either of them.

Tadhg wasn’t long in Inis Cathaigh when he was brought east to Kincora, to Brian’s own palace. Brian was well acquainted with and had a great regard for Tadhg’s father. When Tadhg was called to Kincora he couldn’t leave his friend and companion, Olaf, behind him in the monastery. Both of them went to Kincora. As soon as they were known in Kincora one would think they had fallen from the sky, because of the respect and regard shown them by all. Kincora was a place where all kinds of track and field events and other sports took place. Running, jumping, bowling, weight-lifting, wrestling, took place and there were young men there over whom it would be difficult to be victorious in those events. Tadhg and Olaf were good enough for their contemporaries. They were unable, however, to defeat the hard and seasoned warriors who were there. As well as athletic events there were also events of a warlike nature.

The younger men used light arms for practising. Both Tadhg and Olaf tried all the various sorts of arms with the best in Brian’s household, and they amazed everyone with their prowess. There was a wooden horse there with a dummy rider seated on it and a uniform on the rider, and it was considered manly to be able to run up to the horse, and with one blow of an axe to sever the leg of the rider from the body so that the leg fell on one side of the horse and the body on the other.

Olaf said that he thought he could do the deed. The axe of Murchad, the son of Brian, was given to him. It was too heavy for him. A lighter axe was given to him. The false rider was raised on the dummy horse. Olaf swung the axe over his head and ran towards the rider and struck his blow. The blow dented the armour of the rider but that was all. The false rider was replaced on the horse. Tadhg got another axe which he himself selected. He swung the axe around and ran towards the rider. The blow severed the leg from the rider so that the leg fell on one side and the body on the other.

Olaf’s eyes widened in wonder. ‘Oh, he said, ‘and you only used half your strength in the blow.’

‘Yes’ said Tadhg, but you wouldn’t think it. It’s a trick. I put as much strength in the blow as you, but you didn’t let the blade do its work. It is only a trick which has to be practised.’

‘Perhaps,’ said Olaf, but pity the man on whom the trick would be played in time of battle.’

Brian was married for the second time at that time. Gormlaith was the name of his second wife and she was a widow when Brian married her. She was a sister of Maelmorda who came to the throne of Leinster when they submitted to Brian as High-King. She was first married to one of the Viking kings of Dublin named Olaf. They had a son named Sitric who was king of the Vikings in Dublin when she married Brian in Kincora.

According to all contemporary stories of the times, no other in the world could match her beauty. As well as that, there was no other woman as evil as she. When Brian married her he didn’t know what she was really like. He had decided not alone to unite the Irish together, so that their combined strength would be capable of defeating any foreign foe, but also, if it were possible, to unite the Vikings who had settled in Ireland, with the Irish and make one supreme power.

He realised that to be married to the mother of the Dublin Viking king would help him enormously and that the marriage would give her part in his own power and would give him part in her son’s own power. He gave his daughter in marriage to Sitric, king of the Dublin Vikings. There was kinship and close relationship in plenty between him and the king of Leinster and between him and the Dublin Vikings.

There was every likelihood at that time that if the friendship continued that Brian would obtain the High kingship and that Brian’s heirs would follow as High Kings of Ireland from generation to generation for quite a while. But the queen had opposite ideas. It wasn’t Brian or his descendants she had in mind for the high kingship in future times, but her own son, Sitric, Sitric of the Dublin Vikings. Brian was old. He didn’t at best, have much time to live in this world. She would have preferred to drown herself rather than see Murchad, Brian’s son as High King. In her view something would have to be done which would prevent Murchad from obtaining the High-Kingship.

CHAPTER 3

Accepting the Faith

After some time had elapsed the two youths returned to Kincora and they had another day of athletic feats, and a night of merriment afterwards. It wasn’t long until they made a habit of coming and they used to look forward to it and everyone in the clan had a welcome for them. Everyone was friendly to them, and everyone cared extremely well for them but none cared for them more than