Bárid mac Ímair | |
---|---|
King of Dublin | |
Reign | 873–881 |
Predecessor | Ímar |
Successor | Sichfrith mac Ímair |
Died | 881 Dublin |
House | Uí Ímair |
Father | Ímar |
Bárid mac Ímair (also referred to as Barith, Baraid, and Bard; Old Norse: Bárðr or Bárǫðr; d. 881) was a ninth-century King of Dublin. He was a son of Ímar and a member of the Uí Ímair.
The earliest mention of Bárid in the Irish Annals is in part of a saga embedded within the Fragmentary Annals of Ireland. In this entry, dated 867, Bárid is named as a Jarl of Lochlann who, along with a Jarl Háimar was ambushed by men of Connacht. Bárid is mentioned again by a saga element within the Fragmentary Annals in 872, when he is said to have raided Moylurg and the islands of Lough Ree. This saga element also says that Bárid fostered a son of Áed Findliath, overking of the Northern Uí Néill. The sagas are usually considered of dubious historical value, but this particular element draws upon earlier written accounts, and there is much evidence for later links between the descendants of Áed Findliath and the Uí Ímair. Fosterage was used in Ireland as a means of strengthening ties between different ruling families, and it is possible Bárid may have tried to integrate himself with the Irish political elite.
Bárid is mentioned by the Annals of Inisfallen in 873 which say:
Downham suggests this raid was undertaken as a show of strength; it occurred shortly after the death of Ímar, with Bárid probably succeeding him as King of Dublin.Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib names a son of Amlaíb, most likely Oistin, as raiding with him. It has been suggested that Bárid and his cousin Oistin ruled together as co-kings following the death of Ímar.