THE NORSE OCCUPATION. 17 



The Scandinavians throughout the British Isles flocked tc 

 the assistance of their countrymen. According to an Irish 

 annalist, who is thought to have been a contemporary of 

 Brian Boroimhe, Sigurd, " Earl of the Ore islands and of 

 other islands," was among the first to lead in person to 

 the field of battle, " an assembled army of ignorant, bar- 

 barous, thoughtless, irreclaimable, unsociable foreigners of 

 the Ore islands, and of the Cat (Caithness) islands ; from 

 Manann (Man), and from Sci (Skye), and from Leodus 

 (Lewis), from Cenn Tire (Kintyre), and from Airir-gaidhel 

 (Argyll)." There was also "an immense army from the 

 Innsi-gall"; a distinction which seems to imply that the 

 North and South Hebrides were under separate lordships, 

 the North Isles being still, apparently, subject to the 

 Orcadian Jarldom. Both Sigurd of Orkney and the patriot 

 King, Brian Boroimhe, were killed at Clontarf ; and among 

 the slain was also one Amlaff (Olaf)" King of the Hebrides," 

 who was apparently Suibne's lieutenant in the South Isles. 



In 1034, the whole of the Hebrides again came under 

 Orcadian supremacy, Thorfinn, son of Sigurd, the most 

 powerful of the series of Jarls, having wrested Suibne's 

 Scottish possessions from him. In the contest between the 

 rivals, Suibne was probably slain, for his death coincides 

 with the acquisition of the Isles by Thorfinn, who is 

 generally supposed to have made himself master of Scot- 

 land as far south as the Firth of Tay.* Upon his death, in 

 1064, Norse domination on the Scottish mainland was 

 dissipated, and Thorfinn's possessions reverted to their 

 original owners. 



The dynasty of Godred Crovan, King of Man and the 

 Hebrides, was established between 1075 and 1080. This 

 adventurer, who was a son of Harald the Black of Iceland, 

 repaid the hospitality of Fingal, the reigning King of Man, 

 by wresting the island from his possession. Turning his 

 attention to Ireland, he subdued Dublin and forced a great 

 part of the province of Leinster to submission. The 



* Dr. MacBain, however, believes that his conquests did not extend beyond 

 Beauly Valley. 



