Follow Battle of Clontarf live - 1,000 years after it happened

Anniversary of landmark event in Irish history falls today

Over 500 vikings take part in the Battle of Clontarf re-enactement in St. Anne's Park, Raheny. The Festival is running from the 18th-19th of April, and is expected to have over 40,000 visitors. Video:Daniel O'Connor

Today marks the 1,000th anniversary of the Battle of Clontarf.

As in the way of all such things, social media boffins hav e taken to Twitter to offer their own slant on what went on back then.

One Twitter account, @1014retold, being added here on a rolling updates basis, is giving a blow by blow account of the battle (that’ll be quite a multitude of blows so).

It's probably about as live as it gets, unless you made the re-enactments in St Anne's Park over the weekend. So, what news from the field?

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Meanwhile, President Michael D Higgins was to attend an ecumenical service in Dublin today to mark the death of Brian Boru a millennium ago.

Also due at the midday service in St John the Baptist Church, Seafield Road, Clontarf were Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin Most Rev Michael Jackson, the Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin Éamon Walsh, representing Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Danish ambassador Niels Pultz, Norwegian ambassador Ronald Names and representatives of Ireland’s Defence Forces.

The theme of the service is peace and reconciliation. Representatives of six local churches were to attend as well as representatives of local business, sporting, educational, leisure and political interests.

Peter Smyth

Peter Smyth is a digital production journalist at The Irish Times