The Vikings in Ireland

Keys and locks

Viking Age finds from Ireland

These four examples of finds made in Ireland show a different side of the Vikings from those in the other national exhibits.

Shoes: Although poorer Vikings might not have had shoes, most Vikings would have worn leather shoes like those in the picture. The shoes are so dark because of the way they have been preserved. Viking shoes were probably tan coloured.

Locks and keys: Vikings had valuables that were kept locked away in chests. The locks and keys shown here are typical of what they would have used to keep their treasures safe.

Line sinkers are weights used to make sure that a fishing line would sink in the water when fishing. Without them, the line would float on the surface of the water.

The toy ships were probably the prized possessions of a Viking child in Dublin. Viking children played with toy ships, wooden swords, and similar hand-made playthings.

Dublinia

Dublinia is a Viking experience centre in Dublin. As well as offering the chance to get up close with the Vikings, it has an excellent website with plenty of material that will teach you about the Vikings in Dublin. the interactive map allows you to see how Dublin developed from a small Viking camp to a large medieval town.

The site also provides pre- and post-visit activity sheets for you to use as part of a visit to Dublinia, but which can be used separately to provide additional activities and learning information.

Viking Age Dublin: Walking Tour and Activity Book

Walking tour of Dublin

To learn about the Vikings in Dublin, you can't beat a good walking tour. This downloadable booklet provides a walking tour and activity book aimed at younger learners. The tour takes you around the Viking area of Dublin. It points out what to look out for and offers activities related to the sites you will see.

The walking tour starts at Dubh Linn Gardens, the site of the black pool from which Dublin got its name. At Dublin Castle it points out stone figures of an Irish and a Viking warrior, representing bravery and justice. From there it leads to City Hall where you can see paintings that include Vikings. Other highlights of the tour are a mural of a Viking ship marking important dates in Dublin's Viking history. The tour visits Fishamble Street, the centre of most Viking trade in Dublin, and whose shape is the same now as it was in the Viking Age. There are bronze plaques on the pavement here that relate to the finds archaeologists made near each plaque. On Winetavern Street you can see outlines of Viking houses that were excavated here, and then the tours move on to and finishes at Christchurch Cathedral. The original Christchurch Cathedral was built of wood in the early 11th century. The first stone building was only begun in the 1180s by the Anglo-Norman invaders.

Viking Age Cork

Cork is first mentioned in the Irish annals in 820 AD when a Viking raid attacked a monastery in Cork. The centre of Viking Age Cork was on an island around what is now South Main Street, and the Norwegian settlement of the area was interrupted when Danish invaders attacked in 914 AD. The Danes stayed and developed the town, as well as raiding further inland against the Irish tribes living there.