The Irish Sea: Celts and Vikings

Episode 15 The Irish Sea: Celts and Vikings

The Celtic World

Dr Jennifer Paxton (2018)

Film Review

The Vikings* made their appearance in the Irish Sea in the late 8th century AD. With an initial focus on raiding Irish coastal and island monasteries for silver and gold religious artifacts, they eventually occupied all the east coat Anglo-Saxon kingdoms as far as Wessex. For the most part they left Wales, which had no wealthy monasteries. alone.

By the mid-9th century, Viking groups had settled the eastern Irish coast, providing the nucleus of many future Irish cities, including Limerick, Cork, Waterford, Wexford and Dublin. In addition to importing silver from the Muslim world, they also introduced shipbuilding and metalworking skills and the Viking battle ax.

Following numerous intermarriages, Viking settlers gradually came under the control of Ireland’s provincial kings as they converted to Christianity. By 1000 AD, most of the Viking homeland had converted to Christianity and their ocean raids ceased.

In the first English invasion of Ireland (1160-1170), England seized most of the Viking towns and incorporated them into privately owned English Earldoms. These would persist until the creation of the Kingdom of Ireland in 1542.

In Scotland, the Vikings began by invading the Shetland and Orkney Islands in the 8th century and establishing more or less permanent settlements there and in the Herbrides Islands. Viking rule in the Scottish islands wouldn’t be overturned until the end of the 15th century, and all their residents spoke the Viking language Norn until the 18th century.

In 1260, AD Scotland and Norway went to war over the Isle of Man and the Scots won. In the 13th century, both England and Scotland claimed possession of Man. At present it’s an independent self-governing British Crown dependency.

*The word Viking means “to go raiding.” It’s not a cultural or genetic designation.

Film can be viewed free with a library card on Kanopy.

https://pukeariki.kanopy.com/en/pukeariki/video/5701024/5701056