In 902 AD the Vikings were pushed out of Ireland by the Irish king Muirecán. They were allowed by the Saxons to settle in Wirral, England, but would however later return to retake Dublin.[21] However, the Vikings never achieved total domination of Ireland, often fighting for and against various Irish kings. The Battle of Clontarf in 1014 began the decline of Viking power in Ireland but the towns which Vikings had founded continued to flourish, and trade became an important part of the Irish economy.