Magnus Barefoot - Place of Death/Burial Site

Place of Death/Burial Site

The thirteenth-century Chronicle of the Kings of Man and the Isles says that he was buried at the church of Saint Patrick in Down. The Icelandic writer Snorri Sturluson recounts his death. These accounts tell that he died "a Ulaztiri",'in the land of the Ulaid, contiguous to modern Ulster, which by the late eleventh century largely comprised the majority of what are now known as counties Antrim and Down. The political alliances of the time indicate activity in this area.

Magnus's final battle may have been fought in an area known locally as the War Hollow, situated in the town of Portrush, County Antrim. It is known that a battle took place there between an Irish army and invaders around that period and artefacts have been found from the era. Another suggested site is near Downpatrick. The study of the annals and the folklore of Strangford Lough, in County Down, Northern Ireland tell of Viking dominance over the Lough area from the 9th to the 11th Century. The Downpatrick runestone monument marking the site was erected in March 2003 to mark the 900th anniversary of his death.