Brian Boru, << BRY uhn baw ROO >> (940?-1014), was an Irish tribal chief who became King of Munster after 976, and High King of Ireland after 1002. His power was based in the South (Munster). He ended 200 years of domination by the Norsemen and introduced a “Golden Age” of building, sponsoring restoration of the church and developing Irish culture. He unified about 100 small Irish kingdoms but was unable to give Ireland lasting political unity. He fought his greatest battle in 1014 against a group of Danes and Irish at Clontarf (now a suburb of Dublin), a victory that cost him his life.
