Ragnall ua Ímair

Who was Ragnall ua Ímair?

Ragnall was a Norse overlord of northern Britain, including Northumbria, the entire Irish Sea region including the Isle of Man, south to Waterford and briefly much of the Irish province of Munster, and then returning to Britain, briefly York as distinct from Northumbria at this time. According to the majority of modern scholars, at his height he was the most powerful Norse ruler the British Isles had yet seen. Ragnall was one of the grandsons of Ímar, the dynasty known as the Uí Ímair or House of Ivar, along with his contemporary kinsmen Sihtric Cáech and Gofraid. Although once questioned, the identity between the Ragnall of the Irish Sea and Ragnald of northern Britain is no longer in doubt. He may or may not have ruled territory in western and northern Scotland including the Hebrides and Northern Isles, but contemporary sources are silent on this matter.