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General >> Project Goliath - The History of The Sling >> Slings in the Battle of Clontarf 1014
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Message started by slingbadger on Feb 12th, 2013 at 2:55pm

Title: Slings in the Battle of Clontarf 1014
Post by slingbadger on Feb 12th, 2013 at 2:55pm
This comes from Chapter XIII of the Illustrated History of Ireland by Margaret Anne Cusack.
" The mailed armour of the Danes (Danar) seems to have been a source of no little dread to their opponents. But the Irish battle axe well have set even more secure protection and defiance. It was wielded with such skill and force that, frequently, a limb was lopped off with a single low, despite the mail in which it was encased; while the short lances, darts and slinging stones provided a means of decapitating or stunning a fallen enemy"

 This is the battle in which Brian Boru died.

 Now, as far as I know, the first written account of the Battle of Clontarf was put down almost 150 years later.  I really wonder how accurate a retelling it is after all that time.

Title: Re: Slings in the Battle of Clontarf 1014
Post by Mauro Fiorentini on Feb 12th, 2013 at 6:53pm
Topic moved to Project Goliath and added to its Index  :)
Greetings,
Mauro.

Title: Re: Slings in the Battle of Clontarf 1014
Post by Lugh-Lamhfada on Feb 13th, 2013 at 9:24am
Not sure the accounts are very accurate, many were written by Brian Borus descendants looking to use it as self affirming propaganda. No doubt slings were used though.

Not sure what he author means by "while the short lances, darts and slinging stones provided a means of decapitating or stunning a fallen enemy".

Many of the irish would have had a large stone held inside the boss of their shield that they threw at short range before engaging, as well as irish darts but who uses a sling to kill a fallen enemy?

Title: Re: Slings in the Battle of Clontarf 1014
Post by curious_aardvark on Feb 16th, 2013 at 2:51pm
A man who forgot to bring a sword :-)

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