Brian Boru was an Irish man and was the son of an Irish minor warlord. In his youth Brian fought the invading Danes in Limerick where their headquarters were. At the age of 20 Brian only had 15 followers and determined to conquer the foreigners. He attracted volunteers and in a pitched battle defeated King Ivar of Limerick.
Ivar sailed overseas and after one year came back with more troops, joined by the remaining Danes and certain Irish chieftains. But this time Ivar was killed in battle against Brian Boru and Brian became lord of southern Ireland. In the decade that followed Brian had many victories until in the year 999 Brian marched on Dublin where he conquered the Viking stronghold. He kept marching north where the king of northern Ireland submitted without a fight and there, consequently, Brian Boru became king of all Ireland. The next eight years after that were the most peaceful years Ireland had had in two centuries.
