Ireland, Europe and the Atlantic World: Vikings in Ireland

Vikings in Ireland (in progress).

The first references to any kind of encampment made by the vikings in Ireland generally use the term 'longphort' which is not very well understood today. For greater depth, see John Sheehan's review or Mick Gibbons thoughts on the subject. In brief, the contemporary references use the same term to desribe a location used for a few days encampment and for a more permanent settlement. Some archaeologists have identified a particular form of enclosure along navigable rivers and suggested that they can be recognised as a distinctive group of sites which conform to the locations and broad dates during which the vikings were active.
Sites that have been described as longphorts include Ballykeeran Little on Lough Ree, Dunrally Fort, Co. Laois and Athlunkard, Co. Clare.
Woodstown in Co Waterford has been claimed, amongst other things, as a longphort (see here for one view of the interpretation of the archaeological evidence from this site).
It is also believed that there was a longphort in Dublin.

Dubhlinn: Pre-Viking Churches
Kilmainham,
Founded by St Maignenn in 7th century AD
Mentioned in Annals of Ulster 787 AD
Named in Felire Oengusso in 9th century AD
Sometimes suggested as the Ath Cliath
Dubhlinn,
Has an abbot in 650 AD (Annals of Four Masters)
Named in 790 AD in Annals of Ulster
Dublin, c. 840
Dublin, c. 1000 AD
St Michael le Pole
First mentioned in 1121 (Book of Ui Maine)
In decline from 14th century.
Subject of excavations in the 1980s.
Produced equivocal evidence of pre-Viking occupation.
St Michael le Pole
St Peters on the Hill
Longphort: Dublin?
Ship Street Great burial
South Great George’s Street burials
South Great George’s Street burials
Golden Lane Burial
VIKING CEMETERIES AT KILMAINHAM AND ISLANDBRIDGE
Viking cemeteries
Female Burials
Ballyholme, Co. Down
Rathlin Island
THE NAVAN VIKING BURIAL
Larne Viking Burial
Kilmainham, Islandbridge and Dubhlinn
Temple Bar West
Fishamble Street: House plan
Dublin Viking Houses
Reconstructed Viking Houses
Commerce
Viking Cork
VIKING WATERFORD
VIKING WATERFORD: Defences
VIKING WATERFORD: Churches
VIKING WEXFORD
VIKING WEXFORD: Houses.
VIKING WEXFORD: The Plant Remains.
VIKING WEXFORD: Food Sources and Diet.
Viking Limerick
Rural Viking sites: Dunnyneill Island
Dunnyneill
Cherrywood, Dublin
Is this another longhouse?
Underhoull, Norse longhouse, Shetland (Unst)
Hamar (Unst, Shetland)
Cherrywood, Norse phases
Large enclosure used for burials in the 6th-7th century AD.
Abandoned but apparently re-used in the 9th century AD.
Cherrywood, Norse phases
Several phases of structures built. The long house (shown in the plan below) couldn’t be dated directly but must be at least a century earlier than 11th century. Note the pit (F535).
Cherrywood
Ringed pin. Like many of the finds it does not necessarily imply anything about the settlers identity.
Cherrywood: Whale bone plaque
Fragment from Kilmainham
Cherrywood: later Norse activity
Cherrywood
Type 1
Viking
House
Typical
of those
found
in Dublin
Cherrywood
Second phase of probable Norse settlement.
Must pre-date the 11th century but not by much.
Reminds us that the Norse and Vikings were rural people and founding towns, like Dublin, was unusual.
Cherrywood
Finds included objects of bronze, iron, bone, glass, amber and antler.
Animal bone and other finds indicate farming and craft production.

Llanbedrgoch, Anglesey
Cherrywood
Another find from Cherrywood, while unprovenanced, represents one of the reasons why the Norse are important in Ireland’s links to the outside world – the silver trade.