A thousand years ago, Brian Boru died at the Battle of Clontarf. For a long time Irish historians taught Clontarf as the victory by which the Irish freed themselves from the Vikings (as, this being the real point of the lesson for their students, one might hope the Irish might someday free themselves from a more recent ship-borne foreign invader). Thus Brian Boru was a major historical figure in Ireland, a patriotic icon of significant standing.
In fact, of course, there were nearly as many Vikings on Boru's side as against him. What he was really doing was entering into Viking politics, with the result that an alliance was formed that improved outcomes for his side. The Irish were more important, and better off, but they didn't push the Vikings into the sea.
Nevertheless, he was a revolutionary figure. Before him the Ui Neill -- the family, that is, of the same Neil of the Nine Hostages who once enslaved Saint Patrick -- had dominated the High Kingship of Ireland. After him comes one of the most famous family names in Ireland: the O'Brians.
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I've been listening to one of the Great Courses lately about Vikings. Kenneth Harl makes the point that the Vikings hardly knew what to make of the somewhat Romanized inhabitants of England, but the Irish were their kind of people. That's not to say that the Vikings weren't interested in subjugating the Irish, but they thought of them as adversaries much like themselves: fiercely clannish and honor-driven. The English, with their nascent urbanization and administrative instincts, were alien and geeky. Any Irishmen who fought back effectively enough found themselves able to make Viking alliances, even marriages.
Eventually the Vikings settled down here and there, notably in Normandy, and became a bit Romanized themselves, but the Scandinavian culture brought something wild and rebellious into European culture that was quite at odds with the Oriental tradition that had seeped into Rome.
In fact, of course, there were nearly as many Vikings on Boru's side as against him.
From what little I know of Medieval History, this was not uncommon. Christians and Moors could be found fighting on the same side in Spain.You could find Serbs and Turks fighting on the same side. Neither current day Spaniards nor Serbs like being reminded of this.
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