Blácaire mac Gofrith

Blácaire mac Gofraid
King of Dublin
1st reign	939–945
Predecessor	Amlaíb mac Gofraid
Successor	Amlaíb Cuarán
2nd reign	947–948
Predecessor	Amlaíb Cuarán
Successor	Gofraid mac Sitriuc
Died	948
House	Uí Ímair
Father	Gofraid ua Ímair

Blácaire mac Gofraid (Old Norse: Blákári Guðrøðsson; died 948) was a Viking leader who ruled Dublin in the 10th century. He succeeded his brother Amlaíb mac Gofraid as king in 939 after the latter left Dublin to rule Northumbria. In the early years of his reign Blácaire led raids on important Christian sites at Clonmacnoise and Armagh, but repeated attacks by the Irish of Leinster in 943 and 944 led to the sack of Dublin. A year later Blácaire was replaced as King of Dublin (perhaps because of his inability to defend the city) by his cousin Amlaíb Cuarán, who had succeeded Blácaire's brother in Northumbria in 941, but had been driven out in 944.

Amlaíb allied with Congalach Cnogba, overking of Brega and the Southern Uí Néill, one of those Irish kings who led the attack on Dublin in 944, and was possibly subject to him. They fought together against the Northern Uí Néill in 947, but they were defeated and the Dubliners suffered many casualties. That year Blácaire was able to regain the kingship from Amlaíb and reversed the alliance with Congalach. Vikings raided into Congalach's lands in 948, leading to a battle between the Dubliners and the Southern Uí Néill in which Blácaire was killed. With his rival dead, Amlaíb left for England to regain Northumbria and his brother Gofraid mac Sitriuc was made king in Dublin.

The main historical sources for this period are the Norse sagas and the Irish annals. Some of the annals, such as the Annals of Ulster, are believed to be contemporary accounts, whereas the sagas were written down at dates much later than the events they describe and are considered far less reliable. A few of the annals such as the Fragmentary Annals of Ireland and the Annals of the Four Masters were also complied at later dates, in part from more contemporary material and in part from fragments of sagas. According to Downham: "apart from these additions [of saga fragments], Irish chronicles are considered by scholars to be largely accurate records, albeit partisan in their presentation of events".

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