Page 126 - Demo

126 Stephen Dunford: The Journey of The IrIsh
sanctuary had been destroyed by the plunderers; and Brian himself gave the price of learn- ing and the price of books to everyone separately who went on this service. Many churches were built and repaired by him, bridges and roads were made, and the fortresses strength- ened. He continued in this way prosperous, peaceful, just-judging, venerated, with law and rule among the clergy, with honour and renown among the laiety.”
An anonymous Mayo historian held the belief that Brian had qualities which made him successful beyond the dreams of any Irishman of his own or any other age in Irish history. According to the historian, the following were his main characteristics:-
1st- His craftiness in council and in handling both friends and enemies. He defeated everybody who was anybody in Ireland and yet retained their friendship either by his system of diplomatic marriages or his gentlemanly and generous treatment of defeated chieftains and kings.
2nd - His ability to instil absolute loyalty into the men of his command, to inspire absolute confidence in his leadership and to inspire them with his own physical cour- age to great deeds of heroism.
3rd - His overwhelming ambition. His people were deise, i.e., tribute paying people- in fact nobodys-and yet he raised them to the first rank of nobility-he had all the driv- ing power of the beggar on horseback without the lack of vision of such people.
4th - His patience. During his life of warfare he was never rushed by anger or any other consideration into any engagement until conditions were favourable. He forgot no insults, but his vengeance had to await until the physiological moment when he could with certainty repaqy his enemies a hundred-fold.
5th - His supreme genius in handling his men in battle. When a boy he became master o the art of guerilla warfare and employed those tactics right through his career. He taught succeeding generations the type of warfare to be employed by Irish armies.
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