The Dublin Vikings by
Brendan Grogan,
Fifth Class
I explored Vikings in Dublin as my part of this project. Before I tell you about my project I would like to tell you about Dublin as it is today.
DUBLIN: the capital of Ireland. It is situated on the east coast.
POPULATION: there is over 544,586 people living in the county of Dublin.
MAIN RIVER: the main river is the River Liffey. It flows through the main part of the city.
The First Landing
In the year 795 the first vikings came to Ireland. They landed on Lambay Island in the mouth of the River Liffey. [see map]
They soon moved on to the mainland to a place now known as Wood Quay. There they built a small village near a dark pool which they called 'Dubh Linn' which meant "black pool", [now known as Dublin]. This village began as a longphort for their longships. After about 10yrs. they explored further inland.
The first place they came by was a place called Glendalough which was a main
monastery in Ireland. They sailed up a small river which led them to two lakes where the monastery is situated, [see picture].
They killed many monks while burning houses, scrolls and manuscripts of the Bible.
Trade and money
The Vikings who had come to Ireland soon settled down in their towns.They began to trade with the the people who lived outside the town walls. They also traded with Viking towns in other countries such as Britain. Dublin soon became
one of the major trading ports of Europe.
Coins were minted for the first time in Ireland by the Vikings of Dublin about one
thousand years ago. The Vikings also made accurate weighing scales.
Viking Battles
When the Vikings went into battle extra weapons were made and on each weapon, especially axes, the craftsmen signed their names,[see picture].
In the 830s, the main part of Dublin was formed. As they Vikings settled in Ireland, they became Christians like the Irish. In the 1000s they built a hugh church called Christ Church Cathedral which is still in Dublin.
College Green, Dublin
When any Vikings died in battle they were buried in a "Haugen" [meaning burial mound]. After 100 years, when more and more Dublin Vikings were buried in the same place, it was named "Hoggen Green",but nowadays it's called College Green. It is now located in Dublin's city centre.
Viking Power Weakens Finally, in 1014, an Irish man named Brian Boru, who was High King of Ireland, decided to fight the Dublin Vikings. They had refused to accept him as High King. The Dublin Vikings asked their friends in other countries for help, and soon hundreds of longships sailed into Dublin harbour. They came from Britain, Scandinavia, Iceland and France.
The battle at Clontarf on Good Friday lasted all day. Some Vikings fought on Brian's army and some Irish helped the Vikings. The battle lasted all day. As evening came, the Vikings weakened. They fled to their longships but the tide had come in and many of them drowned trying to reach the ships. Many mpre were killed before they ever reached the sea.
Brodir, one Viking chieftain, murdered King Brian as the old man prayed in his tent. Ireland was when left without a strong leader.
Conclusion
After 1014, the Vikings in Dublin continued to work and trade as before. Some married Irish people, and in time they became just like the Irish. Many of their descendants live among us today!