Although it may seem rather strange, raiding does not suitably describe the history of a ‘Viking Age’ Ireland, but rather it has been their settlements and their then emerging new role within Irish society that has brought forth the most curiosity. In fact, it is perhaps their behavior in Ireland that beckons us to question what the Viking identity truly was then, and what it remains today; to look beyond the raids and plunder and see the growing diversity, cooperation, and complexity that bloomed as the Norsemen journeyed abroad.
CONTENTS:
I. The Founding and Importance of Dublin
II. A New Player Joins: Complicating Internal Conflict
III. Integration: From Norse to Hiberno-Norse
I. THE FOUNDING AND IMPORTANCE OF DUBLIN:
The story behind Dublin is a fascinating tale of integration, conflict, politics, and economics. The coming of the Vikings and their settlement of Dublin changed the Irish political landscape dramatically. As this settlement grew, the kings of Ireland sought control over its wealth and prosperity, with both Irish and Scandinavian rulers fighting to control it; to them, Dublin was a method for grasping authority. Through this settlement, Ireland saw the rise of its first and only High King, Brian ‘Bóruma’ mac Cennétig. However, for the average settler, it remained a place of integration and co-existence between Irish and Norse culture.
I have alluded to it already, but Dublin is not a native Irish settlement.1 Rather, it was a collective effort which at first began with Vikings. As it is said in the Annals of Ulster:
841 CE, fourth entry…
“There was a naval camp at Duiblinn from which the Laigin and the Uí Néill were plundered, both states and churches, as far as Sliab Bladma.”2
Of course, the picture is a bit more complicated than this. In Irish literature, for example, the area in which Dublin now stands was indeed settled and referred to as Áth Clíath.3 Yet, I must clarify that this does not refer to the town itself, but rather the area of Dublin. Dublin would be officially and properly settled by Vikings on the Louth coast, on the other side of Liffey mouth.4
Thus, the settlement that would grow into the city of Dublin was born, and it began as a naval base for raiding operations in Ireland. In the long run, though, this town became much more than just a place from which plundering could take place. History has often gotten lost in the activities of the ruling elite. If we stick only to that point of view, we would continue our discussion to say that the Vikings sought political dominance and perhaps even ‘conquest’. While that is not entirely false (it is not exactly true, either), it is only a sliver of the Viking impact on Ireland, or even on other nations abroad.
By the year 856 CE, hardly fifteen years after the original settlement of Dublin, identities had already begun to change. The annals began to use new terminology to describe the people living at Dublin. Rather than simply dark heathens (Danes) and fair-haired foreigners (Norwegians), there was now a new identity: Norse-Irish (Hiberno-Norse). As it says in the annals:
856 CE, third entry…
“Great warfare between the heathens and Mael Sechnaill, supported by Norse-Irish.”856 CE, fifth entry…
“Aed son of Niall inflicted a great rout on the Norse-Irish in Glenn Foichle and a vast number of them were slaughtered by him.”5
This is crucial to consider, because the Vikings had already entered into a society which they had at once been dismissed from and deemed simply as unfamiliar intruders. Yet significance of these new identities does not end here. In fact, the annals continue to use terms, such as “king of the heathens,” to refer to those who are invading.6 The Viking identity that existed in Ireland was now divided, which meant that their behavior and role in Ireland had also changed. In other words, there were the invaders, but now there were also settlers considered by Irish society to be somewhat Irish.
I should point out that many of these settlers still practiced Norse customs, as archaeological evidence has shown.7 It was likely a fluid exchange of practices between both Norse and Irish alike. Eventually, though, the Norse culture was assimilated into Irish culture, as was the fate of most Viking settlements. Yet, perhaps the most important idea to take from this is that many Vikings and their families came to Ireland on their own initiative and chose to live with people not like themselves. In fact, once could argue that the Vikings had great interest in cultures and lands beside their own. After all, in Brennu-Njáls saga (the name Njál, by the way, comes from the Irish name Níall), there are several chapters dedicated to the famous battle of Clontarf.8 Many settlers of Iceland came form Celtic countries, such as Unn the Deep-Minded.9 There are many, many more examples where the lines of racial and national identities are blurred, but this is not the place for that discussion.
To summarize the key points, Dublin began as a longphort in 841 CE, or naval port, from which they would raid the monasteries of Ireland. Yet, this town quickly became more than just a base for raiding. By 856 CE, only fifteen years later, the Vikings had begun to integrate themselves into Irish society. Another important take away regarding Dublin is the economic fact, because the Vikings introduced a trade network that Ireland had not had access to prior to the settlement of a proper town like Dublin. It would be this factor that would lead Irish and Scandinavian ruler alike to battle over control of this profitable and strategical town.
II. A NEW PLAYER JOINS: COMPLICATING INTERNAL CONFLICT:
We have already mentioned that some of the Vikings in Ireland had come to be known as Hiberno-Norse. The other aspect of this that I have yet to discuss is that they were playing a role in native Irish politics. It was not long after its settlement that Dublin was founded as a distinct kingdom by a Viking named Olaf. this kingdom remained separate from Irish society, yet remained strongly intertwined with its conflicts. While having strong oversea ties, especially back in England (such as York), Dublin still engaged with various Irish rulers in conflict.10
The events get quite complicated, so I will summarize it more briefly. Nonetheless, you will quickly get a sense for the complicated shifting of alliances. You will also notice that the Vikings were not at war with the Irish, but rather stood in the middle of Irish politics, having become a new player in a game of Irish thrones:
- Vikings fight Irish
- Vikings and Irish fight Irish
- Irish fight Vikings
- Vikings fight Vikings
- Irish fight Vikings again
As much as I would be thrilled to go into more depth, I already feel as though I have wandered too far into the details rather than providing you all with a suitable overview. To summarize the situation, Dublin had a few prominent Viking rulers. The peak of Viking control was in the 860s. In 902, they were driven out of Dublin, but this was only the ruling class and not the average people living there.11 In 917, Dublin is reclaimed by the Vikings, but the identity of Viking is by this time mixed with Irish identity, hence Hiberno-Norse.12 We will be returning to Dublin more when we talk about Brian Boru.
III. INTEGRATION: FROM NORSE TO HIBERNO-NORSE:
I have already discussed this in great detail, but has turned out to be the main theme of this lesson, so I shall take a moment to restate the significance in a conclusion-like manner.
Up until this point, the Vikings had been raiding monasteries. They did not stop during much of their time there, of course, but they had also begun to enter the Irish political sphere. In other words, they were no longer coming to Ireland just to plunder and then head home to start a farm and family–they had come to stay and Ireland was their new home. Yet, they were not conquerers nor did they ever substantially threaten Ireland with a Viking take-over! This was not an invasion. I have used the term simply to emphasize their outsider identity. They came to Ireland and gradually became more Irish. This was a choice many of them made and desired. Of course, they did not give up their own culture and ways, but many settlers had come to Ireland not for plunder, but for opportunity.
We must look past the upper class to notice the levels of depth that exist in the interactions between Viking and ‘other’. Once we do this, we realize there were less rigorous boundaries between different groups of people than some have imagined. The Norse had not problem settling with Irish. One could even argue that these Vikings did not have any issue becoming Irish. This is very similar to what happened with the Danelaw and Knútr, if we recall lessons 23c and 23d. Continuing this logic, the Vikings actually have a longer history of accepting other cultures than they do campaigning against them.
The identity of Hiberno-Norse is important to Viking history because it demonstrates that the Vikings were not aggressively propagating their culture, nor were they actively seeking to impose their ways onto other people. Instead, it never seems to be a concern for them. Perhaps it is due to our poor use of an inaccurate term to describe an entire people, who were complex and arguably diverse. Although the term Viking specifically means only a person who raids and plunders, there were ‘Vikings’ who crossed the seas to settle in new lands and start a new life.
CONCLUSION:
I personally find it more important for you all to realize the integration that occurred in Ireland during this time, rather than the names of a few notable Viking rulers who sought to extend their authority abroad. Thus, I have structured this lesson to emphasize the complication of the Viking indentiy. In fact, I have perhaps forced a few of you to question what a ‘Viking’ is and was (and there is a difference).
I do hope this lesson was suitable for you all. I feel that my lessons on Ireland have been a bit more difficult than previous ones because I have not stuck to traditional history lessons, in which I would tell you key dates, rulers, and events in a chronological order. Yet, I feel this may also be a better approach to make, and perhaps the information discussed in this lesson will prove more beneficial. Regardless, I would appreciate some feedback, if anyone is willing. If this approach is problematic, I would like to make sure to stick to traditional means in the future, rather than allowing myself to get into deeper historical debates as I have done here. Vikings in Ireland is a particular focus and research interest of mine (academically speaking), so I do apologize if I have not done well in simplifying it. Otherwise, I hope you found this lesson helpful. I look forward to any feedback that I might receive!
Footnotes
- It is debatable to say that Dublin was not a ‘native’ settlement, because people of Irish decent ended up living in this town as well, even while under the control of Viking rulers. Hence, in the following sentence, I clarify that Vikings settled Dublin, but the formation of the town itself was inevitably a joint effort between native and ‘intruder’. Of course, as time drew forth, the intruder became less and less foreign and more familiar. ↩︎
- Annals of Ulster, U841.4, via CELT. ↩︎
- Jeffrey Gantz, Early Irish Myths and Sagas. (London: Penguin Books, 1981), 34. ↩︎
- Liam de Paor, “The Age of the Viking Wars: 9th and 10th centuries,” in The Course of Irish History, 5th ed., edited by T. W. Moody, F. X. Martin, and Dermot Keogh, with Patrick Kiely. (Lanham, MD: Roberts Rhinehart Publishers, 2012), 82. ↩︎
- Annals of Ulster, U856.3 and U856.5, via CELT. ↩︎
- Ibid., U849.6, for example: “A naval expedition of seven score ships of adherents of the king of the foreigners came to exact obedience from the foreigners who were in Ireland before them, and afterwards they caused confusion in the whole country.” ↩︎
- This is but one example, but, if you have the access, see Julian D. Richards,“The Vikings in Ireland: Longphuirt and Legacy,” Antiquity. Oct 2016, Vol. 90 Issue 353, p1390-1392. 3p. Or, for something free to view and easier to access, you may read John Seehan’s “Kerry’s Viking-age silver: a legacy of antiquarians, collectors and dealers.” I am not yet familiar with archaeological resources, so my word is largely based on what I have read or heard in my lectures. ↩︎
- Chapters 154 through 157, to be precise. ↩︎
- Unn is fairly prominent in the beginning of Laxdæla saga, and she is featured in chapters 4 through 7. ↩︎
- Liam de Paor, 82. ↩︎
- Annals of Ulster, U902.2:“The heathens were driven from Ireland, i.e. from the fortress of Áth Cliath, by Mael Finnia son of Flannacán with the men of Brega and by Cerball son of Muiricán, with the Laigin; and they abandoned a good number of their ships, and escaped half dead after they had been wounded and broken.” ↩︎
- Ibid., U917.2:“Sitriuc, grandson of Ímar, landed with his fleet at Cenn Fuait on the coast of Laigin. Ragnall, grandson of Ímar, with his second fleet moved against the foreigners of Loch dá Chaech. A slaughter of the foreigners at Neimlid in Muma. The Eóganacht and the Ciarraige made another slaughter.” ↩︎
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