BUILT ENVIRONMENT
information on the environment / eolas ar an gcomhshaol
www.enfo.ie
The Vikings and Ireland
from Norway. One of the main
The very word Viking conjures up in Ireland and founded a new
advantages of this race of people
an image of fierce warriors, with monastery at Kells.
was that they were highly skilled
flaxen hair, often worn in plaits
For about twenty-five years, from
carpenters and were able to
under helmets with horns, ready
795 onwards, there was on
build ships strong enough to sail
to invade, attack and pillage
average one Viking attack per
the Atlantic Ocean.
those poor unsuspecting people
year on Ireland. The attacks were
who lived too near the sea. This
The Vikings began raiding Ireland
mainly  hit and run affairs  at
image of Vikings as plunderers
in 795 when they attacked
this stage the Vikings were not
has lasted well over a thousand
Lambay Island (off the Dublin
interested in setting up colonies
years and it is certainly a correct
Coast) and Iona (an island off the
in Ireland, but simply getting in
view of our earliest encounters
west coast of Scotland). Colm
and out as quickly as possible.
with these invaders. What is less
Cille had founded a monastery
Once they had plundered a
well known about these invaders
on Iona in the sixth century 
monastery of its precious
is that their involvement with
monasteries were favourite
objects, provisions and people
Ireland lasted for many hundred
targets of the Vikings as they
(for slavery), they would quickly
of years: over time these
were often wealthy
return home.
terrifying warriors would settle
communities. They would not
here and become farmers and Although there are no
only provide the Vikings with
traders. More importantly, they archaeological remains in Ireland
goods, but also with slaves.
would also be responsible for from the earliest period of Viking
Because Iona was repeatedly
some of the earliest urban raids, artefacts (mainly
attacked at the beginning of the
development within Ireland. metalwork) from Ireland dating
ninth century, the monks from
to the 9th century have been
this monastery eventually settled
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
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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.
Woodstown - Ireland s First
Town!!
The Viking settlement of
Woodstown, which was recently
discovered just outside Waterford
city, has led to speculation by
This map shows both monasteries attacked by the vikings
historians and archaeologists
and areas settled by the vikings*
that this may in fact be Ireland s
very first town.
found in Western Norway. These Vikings built these first fortified
Woodstown, which is believed to
are most likely goods plundered settlements around 841 at Dublin
date back to the mid-9th century,
by the Vikings. and Annagassan in County Louth.
is located near to the River Suir.
It is 1.5km long and 0.5km wide
and so far had yielded over 3,000
Viking Settlements Viking Dublin
artefacts. These include
silverware, jewellery and
From around 830 onwards, there Around 841 the Vikings, under
weapons and even fragments
was a shift in the nature of the command of King Turgesius
Viking attacks on Ireland. Large from Norway, captured Dublin
fleets of Viking ships arrived on harbour and built a fort in the
rivers such as the Liffey, the area where Dublin Castle now
Boyne and Shannon. The Vikings stands. However they were
now set up bases and used these eventually attacked and expelled
rivers to attack parts of inland by the native Irish and their fort
Ireland that had previously been was burnt to the ground.
exempt from raids. These Viking
Seventeen years later, the Vikings
fleets could transport large
returned in greater numbers
forces, which would then
under the command of Olaf the
terrorize a large area for many
White. They now began to
months, only returning back to
construct a permanent
Scandinavia for the winter.
longphort, which became their
The success of these larger raids main centre for trading both
eventually led on the next period silver and slaves.
of Viking history in Ireland: the
This highly organised settlement,
longphorts (ship-camps). These
which included the coast from
were D-shaped fortifications
Skerries to Wicklow and inland as
which acted as defended bases in
far as Leixslip, became the
which Vikings could remain in
Kingdom of Dyflinnarskiri. It is
Ireland during winter while
from this settlement that urban
awaiting for the arrival of spring
Dublin eventually developed. Model streets and houses
and the next round of raids. The
in viking dublin *
INFORMATION ON THE ENVIRONMENT / EOLAS AR AN GCOMHSHAOL
from ships. Archaeologists have opening up Ireland up to the Castle. Another good place to
argued that early indications outside world. visit is the National Museum in
show that the complete original Dublin, where the permanent
Language: many Viking words,
Viking town of Waterford Viking Age Ireland Exhibition
especially those concerning ships
remains almost intact with many deals with the period from 795 to
and trade, were incorporated into
streets and dwellings just below the first half of the twelfth
the Irish language. Viking words
the ground. century.
also appear in many of our place
At this stage the evidence points names including Waterford,
to a fleet of around 120 Viking Wexford and Leixslip.
Viking Tourist Attractions
ships occupying the Woodstown
Towns: it could be argued that
site. This would have allowed Dublinia Exhibition
the greatest legacy of the Vikings
the Vikings to have complete
in Ireland were the towns that Dublinia at Christchurch brings
control over Waterford harbour
developed into some of largest the history of medieval Dublin
and the Suir, the Barrow and the
cities. Dublin, Wexford, vividly to life. This award-winning
Norse rivers. This in turn
Waterford, Cork and Limerick exhibition allows visitors to
provided them with access to the
stand as testaments to the experience what life was like in
lands and monasteries leading
ingenuity of the Scandinavians. the Middle Ages. Walk through
off these rivers.
the reconstructed streets and
Politics: Over time, the Vikings
Woodstown cannot be lane ways of the old city, visit the
would shift the political centre of
underestimated as one of the Merchant's house and climb
Ireland away from Tara (in the
most important archaeological aboard ship at Wood Quay.
midlands), to Dublin, (on the east
finds in recent Irish history. No Dublinia recreates the sights and
coast), where it remains today.
other longphort discovery in sounds of the medieval city to
Europe comes close to matching However, the effects of the offer visitors a fascinating
the scale and significance of the Vikings invasion into Ireland glimpse of Dublin 800 years ago.
Woodstown find. It will allow us went both ways. Many of the Detailed reconstruction of the
to gain a greater understanding pagan Vikings who settled here streets, houses and even the
of Viking settlement and may would eventually convert to citizens of the time reveal how
eventually become an extremely Christianity. Their craftsmen much life in Dublin has changed,
interesting tourist destination for would also begin to make and how much remains the
both us and our foreign visitors. ornaments which incorporated same.
Irish patterns into their designs:
Find at: St Michael s Hill,
examples of this include stone
Christchurch, Dublin 2.
Effects of the Viking carvings on crosses at both
Tel: [phone]
Invasion on Ireland Clonmacnoise and
Email: [e-mail]
Monasterboice.
Money: the start of Irish coinage www.ireland.ie/things_2_do.ie
can be dated to around 997,
when pennies were struck in
Viking Legacy
Dublin under Sitric, King of Dublin s Viking Adventure
Dublin. These silver coins The Vikings remain an essential
Visitors travel through time at
continued to be issued until the part of the history of this island.
Dublin's Viking Adventure which
time of the Norman invasion. For anyone interested in learning
is an interactive experience of life
more about how we became the
Weaponry: the Irish took note of in Viking Dublin. The Norse guide
people we are today, it is
the superior weaponry used by takes you on a journey to Viking
essential that we study the
the Vikings and by the beginning Dublin. Walk the narrow streets
Vikings.
of the eleventh century both the of the Viking town of Dyflin. The
Irish and the Vikings were There are various places and Viking adventure
fighting with identical weapons. artefacts in Ireland today that we
Find at: Essex Street West, Temple
can visit in order to learn more
Economy: it was not only Bar, Dublin 8.
about this ferocious and
coinage that helped to change Tel: [phone]
intelligent people. Part of the
the simple economy of native http://www.tourist-information-
town defences of the original
Ireland. The Vikings used their dublin.co.uk
Viking settlement of Dublin is on
great ports to develop trading,
view at the Undercroft in Dublin
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BUILT ENVIRONMENT / The Vikings and Ireland / BE 15
The Viking Age Ireland Websites
Exhibition at the National
www.dublincastle.ie/history2.html
Museum
www.rte.ie/culture/millennia/hist
This permanent exhibition deals
ory.html
with the period from 795 to the
first half of the twelfth century. www.ncte.ie/vikings
The Viking's initial impact on
www.armaghcountymuseum.co.uk
Ireland is illustrated chiefly by
the collection of weapons, tools
and ornaments from the great
" The National Museum is in
ninth-century cemeteries at
Kildare Street, Dublin, Ireland.
Kilmainham and Islandbridge to
Tel: [phone]
the west of Dublin.
" Dublin Castle, Dublin 2. Tel: 01
The exhibition includes both
677 7129
Viking Ireland and Medieval
Ireland galleries; the former with
" Save Woodstown Viking Site.
the artefacts recovered in the
Tel: [phone]
Wood Quay excavations and the
latter the sacred reliquaries of
" The Viking Ship: Cruises to
the Irish Later Middle Ages.
Loughrea and historic
There is also a 30-film about the
Clonmacnoise on a replica
Vikings, which can be viewed in
Viking Ship. Dress up in Viking
conjunction with the exhibition
Costumes, helmets, swords and
"Viking Ireland".
shields. Tel: [phone]
The National Museum contains
extensive collections of Viking
* This map was originally printed
artefacts (including many found
in "Exploring History 4" by
at Woodquay) such as coins,
Michael Ryan, (Dublin 1986)
swords and jewellery.
published by Gill and Macmillan
Find at: Kildare Street, Dublin 2.
Ltd., Goldenbridge, Dublin 8
Tel: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
http://www.museum.ie
Text and Images by Alison
Lennon, Department of Medieval
Issued by:
History, Trinity College, Dublin.
Further Reading ENFO  The Environmental
Information Service,
J Bradley,  The Interpretation of 17 St Andrew Street,
Dublin 2, Ireland.
Scandinavian Settlement in
Ireland in J Bradley (ed), Tel: [phone]
Locall: 1890 200191
Settlement and Society in
Fax: [phone]
Medieval Ireland, (1988)
e-mail: [e-mail]
www.enfo.ie
De Paor, Liam,  The Age of the
Write to or visit our Centre at the above
Viking Wars in T W Moody & F X
address or you may check out the ENFO
Martin (eds), The Course of Irish
information stands at your Local Authority
History, 1967 Office / County Library
D Ó Corráin, Ireland before the
ENFO is a service of the Department of the
Normans, (1972)
Environment, Heritage and Local
Government.
A P Smyth, Scandinavian York and
Dublin, Two Volumes (1975-79)
Printed by Print & Promotions
Tel: [phone]
Printed on recycled paper
March 2005