Gofraid ua Ímair

Who was Gofraid ua Ímair?

Gofraid was a Norse-Gael king of Dublin and, for a short time, king of Northumbria. Gofraid was one of the grandsons of Ímar, the dynasty is known as the Uí Ímair, and along with his kinsmen Sihtric Cáech and Ragnall, he was active in Ireland and in northern Britain.

The Ímar from whom the Uí Ímair were descended is generally presumed to be that Ímar, "king of the Northmen of all Britain and Ireland", whose death is reported by the Annals of Ulster in 873. Whether this Ímar is to be identified with the leader of the Great Heathen Army, or with Ivarr the Boneless, is less certain. In the period between the death of Ímar and the expulsion of the Northmen and Norse-Gaels from Dublin in 902, it is not certain that any descendants of Ímar played a notable part in the politics of the region. Members of the kindred appear to have led armies against the Picts following their expulsion, but these were killed and the armies destroyed in 904 by Constantín son of Áed, the king of Alba.

In the following decade it is supposed that the grandsons of Ímar may have been in some part of the Atlantic or Irish Sea coasts of Britain where the historical record sheds almost no light on events, the area in question extending from the Isle of Man through the Hebrides to the Northern Isles, as well as the coasts opposite. They reappear again in 914 when Ragnall and his kinsman Sihtric are recorded leading fleets in the Irish Sea. The first report of Gofraid is in 918, when he accompanied Ragnall's expedition to Northumbria and fought at the second, or perhaps only, battle of Corbridge against Constantín son of Áed and Ealdred son of Eadwulf. The battle was not decisive, but this allowed Ragnall to take power at York. Sihtric had established himself as ruler of Dublin in late 917, and defeated and killed the High King of Ireland Niall Glúndub on 14 September 919. Sihtric joined Ragnall and Gofraid in Northumbria in 920, and succeeded Ragnall in 921. Gofraid then returned to Ireland to rule in Dublin.