be15%20vikings%20and%20ireland.pdf

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

www.enfo.ie

The Vikings and Ireland

The very word Viking conjures up

an image of fierce warriors, with

flaxen hair, often worn in plaits

under helmets with horns, ready

to invade, attack and pillage

those poor unsuspecting people

who lived too near the sea. This

image of Vikings as plunderers

has lasted well over a thousand

years and it is certainly a correct

view of our earliest encounters

with these invaders. What is less

well known about these invaders

is that their involvement with

Ireland lasted for many hundred

of years: over time these

terrifying warriors would settle

here and become farmers and

traders. More importantly, they

would also be responsible for

some of the earliest urban

development within Ireland.

from Norway. One of the main

advantages of this race of people

was that they were highly skilled

carpenters and were able to

build ships strong enough to sail

the Atlantic Ocean.

The Vikings began raiding Ireland

in 795 when they attacked

Lambay Island (off the Dublin

Coast) and Iona (an island off the

west coast of Scotland). Colm

Cille had founded a monastery

on Iona in the sixth century –

monasteries were favourite

targets of the Vikings as they

were often wealthy

communities. They would not

only provide the Vikings with

goods, but also with slaves.

Because Iona was repeatedly

attacked at the beginning of the

ninth century, the monks from

this monastery eventually settled

in Ireland and founded a new

monastery at Kells.

For about twenty-five years, from

795 onwards, there was on

average one Viking attack per

year on Ireland. The attacks were

mainly ‘hit and run’ affairs – at

this stage the Vikings were not

interested in setting up colonies

in Ireland, but simply getting in

and out as quickly as possible.

Once they had plundered a

monastery of its precious

objects, provisions and people

(for slavery), they would quickly

return home.

Although there are no

archaeological remains in Ireland

from the earliest period of Viking

raids, artefacts (mainly

metalwork) from Ireland dating

to the 9th century have been

Who were the Vikings?

The Vikings were from

Scandinavia and became

infamous for carrying out sea

borne raids and invading various

parts of Northwest Europe from

the 8th to 11th centuries AD.

They were also known as Ostmen

(men of the east) or

Lochlannaigh (people from the

land of the loughs) or simply the

Norse or Norsemen.

The Vikings were pagan farmers

and seamen who originally came

A typical example of a viking ship

it’s easy | to make a difference

information on the environment / eolas ar an gcomhshaol

BUILT ENVIRONMENT / The Vikings and Ireland / BE 15

The Vikings created a town,

which included streets and

houses, and industrial centres

that manufactured clothes and

ornaments. They also began set

up markets and Dublin (as well

as Waterford, Wicklow, Cork and

Limerick) became a major trading

centre. This had a major impact

on the Irish economy, which had

previously mainly centered

around an agricultural society.

This map shows both monasteries attacked by the vikings

and areas settled by the vikings*

Woodstown - Ireland’s First

Town!!

The Viking settlement of

Woodstown, which was recently

discovered just outside Waterford

city, has led to speculation by

historians and archaeologists

that this may in fact be Ireland’s

very first town.

Woodstown, which is believed to

date back to the mid-9th century,

is located near to the River Suir.

It is 1.5km long and 0.5km wide

and so far had yielded over 3,000

artefacts. These include

silverware, jewellery and

weapons and even fragments

found in Western Norway. These

are most likely goods plundered

by the Vikings.

Vikings built these first fortified

settlements around 841 at Dublin

and Annagassan in County Louth.

Viking Settlements

From around 830 onwards, there

was a shift in the nature of

Viking attacks on Ireland. Large

fleets of Viking ships arrived on

rivers such as the Liffey, the

Boyne and Shannon. The Vikings

now set up bases and used these

rivers to attack parts of inland

Ireland that had previously been

exempt from raids. These Viking

fleets could transport large

forces, which would then

terrorize a large area for many

months, only returning back to

Scandinavia for the winter.

The success of these larger raids

eventually led on the next period

of Viking history in Ireland: the

longphorts (ship-camps). These

were D-shaped fortifications

which acted as defended bases in

which Vikings could remain in

Ireland during winter while

awaiting for the arrival of spring

and the next round of raids. The

Viking Dublin

Around 841 the Vikings, under

the command of King Turgesius

from Norway, captured Dublin

harbour and built a fort in the

area where Dublin Castle now

stands. However they were

eventually attacked and expelled

by the native Irish and their fort

was burnt to the ground.

Seventeen years later, the Vikings

returned in greater numbers

under the command of Olaf the

White. They now began to

construct a permanent

longphort, which became their

main centre for trading both

silver and slaves.

This highly organised settlement,

which included the coast from

Skerries to Wicklow and inland as

far as Leixslip, became the

Kingdom of Dyflinnarskiri. It is

from this settlement that urban

Dublin eventually developed.

Model streets and houses

in viking dublin *

INFORMATION ON THE ENVIRONMENT / EOLAS AR AN GCOMHSHAOL

from ships. Archaeologists have

argued that early indications

show that the complete original

Viking town of Waterford

remains almost intact with many

streets and dwellings just below

the ground.

At this stage the evidence points

to a fleet of around 120 Viking

ships occupying the Woodstown

site. This would have allowed

the Vikings to have complete

control over Waterford harbour

and the Suir, the Barrow and the

Norse rivers. This in turn

provided them with access to the

lands and monasteries leading

off these rivers.

Woodstown cannot be

underestimated as one of the

most important archaeological

finds in recent Irish history. No

other longphort discovery in

Europe comes close to matching

the scale and significance of the

Woodstown find. It will allow us

to gain a greater understanding

of Viking settlement and may

eventually become an extremely

interesting tourist destination for

both us and our foreign visitors.

opening up Ireland up to the

outside world.

Language: many Viking words,

especially those concerning ships

and trade, were incorporated into

the Irish language. Viking words

also appear in many of our place

names including Waterford,

Wexford and Leixslip.

Towns: it could be argued that

the greatest legacy of the Vikings

in Ireland were the towns that

developed into some of largest

cities. Dublin, Wexford,

Waterford, Cork and Limerick

stand as testaments to the

ingenuity of the Scandinavians.

Politics: Over time, the Vikings

would shift the political centre of

Ireland away from Tara (in the

midlands), to Dublin, (on the east

coast), where it remains today.

However, the effects of the

Vikings invasion into Ireland

went both ways. Many of the

pagan Vikings who settled here

would eventually convert to

Christianity. Their craftsmen

would also begin to make

ornaments which incorporated

Irish patterns into their designs:

examples of this include stone

carvings on crosses at both

Clonmacnoise and

Monasterboice.

Castle. Another good place to

visit is the National Museum in

Dublin, where the permanent

Viking Age Ireland Exhibition

deals with the period from 795 to

the first half of the twelfth

century.

Viking Tourist Attractions

Dublinia Exhibition

Dublinia at Christchurch brings

the history of medieval Dublin

vividly to life. This award-winning

exhibition allows visitors to

experience what life was like in

the Middle Ages. Walk through

the reconstructed streets and

lane ways of the old city, visit the

Merchant's house and climb

aboard ship at Wood Quay.

Dublinia recreates the sights and

sounds of the medieval city to

offer visitors a fascinating

glimpse of Dublin 800 years ago.

Detailed reconstruction of the

streets, houses and even the

citizens of the time reveal how

much life in Dublin has changed,

and how much remains the

same.

Find at: St Michael’s Hill,

Christchurch, Dublin 2.

Tel: 01 679 4611

Email: info@dublinia.ie

www.ireland.ie/things_2_do.ie

Effects of the Viking

Invasion on Ireland

Money: the start of Irish coinage

can be dated to around 997,

when pennies were struck in

Dublin under Sitric, King of

Dublin. These silver coins

continued to be issued until the

time of the Norman invasion.

Weaponry : the Irish took note of

the superior weaponry used by

the Vikings and by the beginning

of the eleventh century both the

Irish and the Vikings were

fighting with identical weapons.

Economy: it was not only

coinage that helped to change

the simple economy of native

Ireland. The Vikings used their

great ports to develop trading,

Viking Legacy

The Vikings remain an essential

part of the history of this island.

For anyone interested in learning

more about how we became the

people we are today, it is

essential that we study the

Vikings.

There are various places and

artefacts in Ireland today that we

can visit in order to learn more

about this ferocious and

intelligent people. Part of the

town defences of the original

Viking settlement of Dublin is on

view at the Undercroft in Dublin

Dublin’s Viking Adventure

Visitors travel through time at

Dublin's Viking Adventure which

is an interactive experience of life

in Viking Dublin. The Norse guide

takes you on a journey to Viking

Dublin. Walk the narrow streets

of the Viking town of Dyflin. The

Viking adventure

Find at: Essex Street West, Temple

Bar, Dublin 8.

Tel: 01 679 6040

http://www.tourist-information-

dublin.co.uk

it’s easy | to make a difference

BUILT ENVIRONMENT / The Vikings and Ireland / BE 15

The Viking Age Ireland

Exhibition at the National

Museum

This permanent exhibition deals

with the period from 795 to the

first half of the twelfth century.

The Viking's initial impact on

Ireland is illustrated chiefly by

the collection of weapons, tools

and ornaments from the great

ninth-century cemeteries at

Kilmainham and Islandbridge to

the west of Dublin.

The exhibition includes both

Viking Ireland and Medieval

Ireland galleries; the former with

the artefacts recovered in the

Wood Quay excavations and the

latter the sacred reliquaries of

the Irish Later Middle Ages.

There is also a 30-film about the

Vikings, which can be viewed in

conjunction with the exhibition

"Viking Ireland".

The National Museum contains

extensive collections of Viking

artefacts (including many found

at Woodquay) such as coins,

swords and jewellery.

Find at: Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Tel: 01 677 7444

Email: marketing@museum.ie

http://www.museum.ie

Websites

www.dublincastle.ie/history2.html

www.rte.ie/culture/millennia/hist

ory.html

www.ncte.ie/vikings

www.armaghcountymuseum.co.uk

• The National Museum is in

Kildare Street, Dublin, Ireland.

Tel: 016777444

• Dublin Castle, Dublin 2.Tel: 01

677 7129

• Save Woodstown Viking Site.

Tel: 051-378405

• The Viking Ship: Cruises to

Loughrea and historic

Clonmacnoise on a replica

Viking Ship. Dress up in Viking

Costumes, helmets, swords and

shields.Tel: 0902 73383

* This map was originally printed

in "Exploring History 4" by

Michael Ryan, (Dublin 1986)

published by Gill and Macmillan

Ltd., Goldenbridge, Dublin 8

Text and Images by Alison

Lennon, Department of Medieval

History, Trinity College, Dublin.

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: