Introduction
Ireland was a land whose people were of Gaelic ancestry. For most of its pre-history, the Irish were small bands living off the bounty of the countryside. The Irish were well enough left alone by the Roman Empire. It was only with the coming of Christianity that Ireland received any serious attention from without. This was about to change.
Ireland Before the Vikings
Irish history really began in the 5th century AD with the introduction of Christianity, credited to St. Patrick and those who came after him, and the Latin literacy it brought with it. This is because during this era the history of Ireland could be recorded and preserved by the Monks who lived in the relative peace of their abbeys. Although much of the recorded history of this period still remains to be deciphered by scholars, this is the first period where history was recorded first hand.
The first recorded even in Irish history is the ordination of Palladius by Pope Celestine the first as the first Bishop of Ireland in 431. While the Christianization of Ireland would still take many years this was the official start of Christianity’s role in Ireland. Pallidius’ ordination is coincidental with St. Partick’s arrival in Ireland which is reportedly around 4321. Their efforts bore ample fruit as by the 6th Century AD the Church in Ireland was large enough to form separate dioceses or bishoprics. In the year 700 Ireland could be considered a Christian country. The Church became a pervasive part of Irish society. So pervasive was the status of the ecclesiastics that secular laws were imposed. Many of the monastics hailed from Irish nobility and this contributed to the fact that Monasteries in the 8th century were at times at war with one another2.
Before Christian-era Ireland the political climate was divided into subdivisions called fifths the most well known of these were Ulster, Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Meath3. During the Christian Era the fifths Uà Néill and Eóganachta changed the political landscape. The Uà Néill were descended from the Connachta or Connacht through aggressive campaigning they conquered Uliad and established the kingdoms of Airgialla and Ailech. Irish records reveal that there was frequent warfare between the Uà Néill and the Laigin. The Uà Néill later claimed the kingship of Tara which would later be conceived as the High Kingship of Ireland. As a result of Uà Néill’s conquests the country was divided into two halves, Leth Cuinn in the north and Leth Moga in the south. While some Irish oral traditions claim that the two Leth’s or Halves date back to the 2nd century, historical analysis suggests that they were established in the 8th century when Uà Néill was dominant4.
UĂ NĂ©ill dominance would soon come to an end, not from rivals within Ireland itself but because from beyond the North Seaborne on their mighty Longships the Vikings were coming.
The Vikings
The Vikings were a famous race of explorers, warriors, merchants and pirates who hailed from modern-day Scandinavia. They raided and colonized vast tracts of Europe from the late 8th Century to the early eleventh century. They were such intrepid explorers that they discovered Iceland, Greenland and arrived in what is now Canada centuries before Christopher Columbus discovered America. To the south they made it as far as Constantinople where Europe and Asia meet.
The Vikings were famed for their longships, small boats which were agile enough to maneuver in rivers but hardy enough to withstand the rigors of the Atlantic. It was the longship that carried Vikings as far as Newfoundland in what is now Canada. It was the longship that was the terror of the seas during the Viking Age (8th Century to 11th Century AD). The mere sight of the longship and the terror it inspired is the source of the exclamation “Save us from the Northmen”.
The word Viking is actually an Old Norse word which is spelled vikingr. “To go on an expedition” or fara i viking is a common phrase in Old Norse sagas, the Viking is someone who goes on these expeditions. Perhaps the reason the name Viking stuck was that the Scandinavian Norsemen that other Europeans met were almost always engaged in expeditions, for trade or plunder, hence were Vikings. As a result the people they met associated the term Viking as the name of the race as a whole.
Viking society in this era was essentially feudal, like the rest of Europe. Unlike other feudal societies where loyalty is tied to landholdings, Vikings owed their allegiance to the leader of their expedition.
The Vikings adopted customs that were peculiar to their situation. For example, Viking law prohibited a man from turning away other Vikings during the winter. He was duty-bound to offer them the hospitality of his home. This is a direct result of the brutal arctic conditions of the Scandinavian winter.
Viking religion is peculiar and noteworthy. The Vikings believe that only the truest, bravest warriors will be taken by the Valkyries to Valhalla, their conception of heaven, where they will feast on meat, mead and women in the company of the gods. However, their happiness will not be eternal for upon the coming of the Ragnarok, Viking Apocalypse, they will do battle at the side of the gods against the jotun, giants, and lose. This is a sharp contrast to practically all other religions where the adherents will win in the final battle, take for example Christians who believe that the faithful will be saved after Armageddon. Viking religion is peculiar to their warrior culture. Hence they have no conception of what happens to non-warriors in the afterlife.
Vikings are disparaged for being unclean or untidy in historical literature. While it is tempting to accept descriptions of Vikings as unkempt barbarians the truth may be somewhat different. Scandinavians today have a tradition of bathing in the many hot springs of Norway. This tradition was most likely handed down to them by their Viking ancestors. Furthermore, most of the records on Vikings were written by Christian scholars who had good reason to keep unflattering records of the Vikings. Vikings frequently raided their abbeys and victimized Christians during their raids, hence attracted considerable animosity from those who wrote History.
Vikings are frequently seen as raiders and bandits. They were also effective mercenaries. The Varangian Guard was an elite force in the employ of the Byzantine Emperor entirely made up of Varangian Vikings. They were also traders who thank their intrepid explorer nature had access to a wide variety of goods to trade. Eventually they learned to settle in the places they went to intermingling with the local population and losing their edge as wild berserkers.
The Viking Conquest Of Ireland
Vikings entered Irish history around 800 AD and their dominance ended around 1169 AD. Like most of Europe the Irish first made contact with the Vikings as victims of their frequent raids. Eventually, the Vikings learned to settle in Ireland and would establish the first major ports in Ireland. Vikings were known to have built Dublin, Arklow, Wexford, Cord, Waterford and Limerick. The Vikings changed Ireland almost from the moment their first longboats arrived.
The first Vikings arrived as raiders in 795 when they looted Rechru. Historians dispute if this refers to the modern-day Island of Lambay or to Rathlin which is off the coast of Dublin5. As with most early Viking attacks the raids were short and swift intent only on robbing the locality of its goods and then sailing back home before the local lord could muster his defenses.
The first Viking raids disturbed what was then the golden era of Christian Irish culture and would set the stage for over two centuries of constant warfare between the waves of Viking raiders plundering the settlements and abbeys of Ireland on one side and the desperate Irish lords trying to keep them out. The resilience of the Viking raiders is noteworthy because by the time they arrived in Ireland to raid and plunder they had already traveled hundreds of miles by sea. The path of the Vikings took them from their homes in western Norway to the Shetland Islands then to Orkney then and only then would they finally sail down the Atlantic coast of Scotland and finally to Ireland. The early raids into Ireland were funded by enterprising Viking aristocrats seeking fame and glory.
By 840AD Viking raids into Ireland were a common sight. The Viking raider’s impunity had reached a fever pitch. They were so bold that they even began establishing permanent settlements along the Irish coast and wintered there. Some Vikings would raid deep inland and use their settlements as base camps where they could retreat if their raid did not go well. Their settlements would later grow into major towns in Ireland.
The first Viking to try to establish a Viking kingdom in Ireland was Turgesius. He took his men up the Shannon and the River Bann to Armagh in 839. He would eventually establish a kingdom in what is now Ulster, Connacht and Meath. However, his real was short-lived because by 845 he was captured and killed by Máel Sechnaill mac MaĂl Ruanaid, King of Mide in a battle near Lough Owen.
In 852 more Vikings under the command of Olaf, the White and Ivar Beinlaus landed in Dublin and established their base of operations. This base would late become modern-day Dublin. Since Olaf the White was of Norwegian nobility he crowned himself king of Dublin. However like Turgesius claim at Ulster this kingship would be short-lived.
Vikings would also build settlements at Waterford in 853, as well as Inner Dea in 836. Inber Dea would later become Arklow.
In 914 Viking settlement of Ireland resumed anew. Waterford was occupied and would hold the distinction of being Ireland’s first city. It was built by Regnall the Viking who is commemorated by Reginald’s Tower. Reginald’s Tower is notable because it is the oldest civic urban building in Ireland. Waterford, whose name comes from windy ford, is the only place in Ireland that retained its old Norse name.
Viking dominance in Ireland was not meant to last. As they began to settle in Ireland the Vikings had less incentive to raid and plunder as they could now live off the rich land. The longer they remained the more they began to intermingle with their Irish neighbors. Intermarriage and the pacifying effect of living a settled life in Ireland soon resulted in the Vikings becoming assimilated into the local population.
The Viking invasions were largely over by the 11th Century. But instead of lasting peace, the Irish nobles began to fight among themselves for the position of High King and they would not be able to take advantage of the opportunities they could have had in the absence of Viking invasions. Busy fighting with fellow Irish, Ireland would next fall prey to the Normans in 1169
Changes in Ireland Society
When a people dominate a territory they are supposed to make major contributions to the culture and history of the territory they conquered. Unfortunately for the Vikings they were not about civilizing or influencing local cultures. In fact, quite the opposite tended to occur. The Vikings would assimilate the manners and culture of the region where they were settling. The Vikings still made two significant contributions first they established many of the townships that stand to this day and second they contributed to the fractured nature of Ireland that would prevent it from unifying to oppose any foreign threats.
The Vikings failed to achieve any lasting dominance in Ireland. Some of them chose to be mercenaries in the service of the Irish nobility. They were foreigners and pagans. The Irish petty lords could sometimes make common cause against them and campaign to prevent further Viking encroachment. Ultimately most of the Vikings in Ireland assimilated into the local population.
What did last among their contributions were the towns and cities they founded. These towns, Dublin among them, continued to prosper as centers of trade and contributed greatly to the Irish economy. They founded many coastal towns which subsist to this day.
Unfortunately the same can not be said of their bloodlines. A study by geneticist Dr. Brian McEvoy learned that people with Irish-Viking surnames carry Irish genes6. This suggests that the Vikings were never more than a minor elite and the majority of the people living in their towns were mostly Irish locals. As a consequence other than names for some places and archeological remains, there is little that remains to remind us that Vikings once occupied Ireland.
Viking raids contributed to the confused nature of Ireland as it was found by the Normans and later the English. By encroaching on Ireland in the 8th Century at a time when minor lords were consolidating their power it is possible that the Vikings prevented the formation of a strong Irish kingdom. Because the disturbed the balance of power Ireland was in no position to resist the Norman invasion of 1169. In 1169 Ireland was still a fractured state with many petty kingdoms. In short, the Vikings may have contributed to Ireland’s ability to gain independence from foreign rule.
Conclusion
After the Viking age ended, Ireland would be subjected to more internal strife as the petty lords tried to establish dominance over their fellows. As a result, they were helpless against the Normans and later the English. Individual Irish families and nobles would resist manfully but without unity, they were no match against foreign powers. Regrettably, Ireland would remain a fractured collection of minor states for most of its history. It is only in modern times that the Irish can set aside regional differences to fight for the common cause of independence.
Bilbliography
Brian McEvoy, Claire Brady, Laoise T Moore1 and Daniel G Bradley, The scale and nature of Viking settlement in Ireland from Y-chromosome admixture analysis European Journal of Human Genetics (2006) 14.
Additional Bibiography
Alice Stopford Green (1925). History of the Irish state to 1014.
William Skene (1889). Celtic Scotland – A history of ancient Alban. Vol. III. Edinburgh: David Douglas.
R.F. Foster (ed.) (1989). The Oxford Illustrated History of Ireland. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Kenneth Neill (1979). The Irish people. An illustrated history. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan.
Brian de Breffny (ed.) (1977). The Irish World. London: Thames & Hudson.
Donncha O’CorrĂ in (1972). Ireland before the Normans. The Gill history of Ireland. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan.
Footnotes
- DáibhĂ Ă“ CrĂłinĂn, Early Medieval Ireland 400-1200, Longman, 1995, pp. 1, 14-40.
- Kathleen Hughes, “The church in Irish society, 400-800”, in DáibhĂ Ă“ CrĂłinĂn (ed.), A New History of Ireland Vol 1: Prehistoric and Early Ireland pp. 301-330.
- Eoin MacNeill, Phases of Irish History, pp. 98-132.
- DáibhĂ Ă“ CrĂłinĂn, New History of Ireland Vol 1: Prehistoric and Early Ireland, pp. 182-234.
- Ó CorráinThe Vikings&Ireland, p. 9.
- The scale and nature of Viking settlement in Ireland from Y-chromosome admixture analysis in European Journal of Human Genetics 14 EJHG 1288-1294.