Christi-Īnity, which had already been dominant in Europe for several centuries, now began to gain a strong foothold in Scandinavia, replacing the old native pagan faith, and the many small kingdoms were gathered into the three larger nations of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Trading links were set up, with well developed distribution and communication systems. The Viking Age was the period when Scandinavians travelled the world to conquer, to colonise and to plunder, but it was also the period when they settled in foreign countries and established townships which became centres of specialised crafts. The exhibition covers the era of the Vikings in Ireland, which was one of the most fascinating periods in our history, covering as it did a time when there were rapid changes both in the structure of society and in cultural patterns. Traditional Irish harp music was played by Helen Davies. The exhibition was opened by the Irish Minister of Culture Síle de Valera and the Irish Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney read extracts from his recent translation of the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf. In 2000 The Viking Ship Museum opened its doors on the special exhibition ‘The Vikings in Ireland’, which was the culmination of five years of co-operation on the project. The exhibition was arranged jointly by the two museums, and The National Museum in Copenhagen contributed with the loan of specific artefacts. The initiative for ‘Viking Ships’ came from the Royal Danish Embassy in Dublin as part of the cultural project ‘Out of Denmark’ which was aimed at increasing knowledge of a wide spectrum of Danish culture. One of the closest and most valuable of these collaborations continues to be that with The National Museum of Ireland, and it has resulted in two major exhibitions: ‘Viking Ships’ at The National Museum of Ireland in the 1998-99 season, and ‘The Vikings in Ireland’ now showing at The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde until 30 December 2001. 165Ħ The Vikings in Ireland Edited by Anne-Christine Larsen, Roskilde 2001 Foreword The Viking Ship Museum has a long tradition of collaboration with foreign institutions and over the past thirty years has worked with more than twenty countries from four continents. 127 Anne-Christine Larsen The Hidden Island: An Outline of Danish-Irish Relations in 1000 Years. 115 Anne-Christine Larsen & Steffen Stummann Hansenĥ The Vikings in Ireland Edited by Anne-Christine Larsen, Roskilde 2001 The Exhibition – The Vikings in Ireland. 107 Gillian Fellows-Jensen Viking Ireland and the Scandinavian Communities in the North Atlantic. 99 Máire Ní Mhaonaigh Nordic Names and Loanwords in Ireland. The Vikings in Medieval Irish Literature. 77 Cormac Bourke Irish and Scandinavian Art in the Early Medieval Period.

Harrison A View of the Early Irish Church. Viking Graves and Grave-goods in Ireland. Wallace Ireland’s Viking Age Hoards: Sources and Contacts. 29 Charles Doherty Ireland’s Viking Towns. 17 Donnchadh Ó Corráin The Viking Impact upon Ireland. Worsaae in Ireland – another Letter from Dublin. The Vikings in Ireland Edited by Anne-Christine Larsen, Roskilde 2001 Contents Foreword.

Sketch after photo from The National Museum of Ireland.

All rights reserved Editor Anne-Christine Larsen Layout Keld Hansen Assistance Birthe Borch & Hanne Horsbøll Tellefsen Language corrections by Helen Davies & Gillian Fellows-Jensen Translation of exhibition texts by Helen Davies Printed in Denmark by Kannike Graphic A/S, Århus 2001 Photos and illustrations by the authors where nothing else is mentioned ISBN 87 85180 42 4 Published with support from Kongelig Dansk Ambassade, Dublin & År 2000 Fonden The publication is distributed by The Viking Ship Museum P.O. THE VIKING SHIP MUSEUM Roskilde 2001 The Vikings in Ireland Edited by Anne-Christine Larsen, Roskilde 2001 © The various authors & The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, Denmark 2001. The Vikings in Ireland Edited by Anne-Christine Larsen, Roskilde 2001 The Vikings in Ireland Anne-Christine Larsen Editor The Vikings in Ireland Edited by Anne-Christine Larsen, Roskilde 2001 This page intentionally left blank

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