The Vikings in Ireland Ireland was first settled around the year 8000 BC, when hunter-gatherers came from Great Britain and Europe, possibly by land bridge. They lived by hunting and fishing for about four thousand years. Around 4000 BC they began to farm, and the old hunter-gatherer lifestyle gradually died out. Early Irish society was organized into a number of kingdoms, with a rich culture, a learned upper class, and artisans who created elaborate and beautiful metalwork with bronze, iron, and gold. Irish society was pagan for thousands of years. This changed in the early fifth century AD, when Christian missionaries, including the legendary St. Patrick, arrived. Christianity replaced the old pagan religions by the year 600. The early monks introduced the Roman alphabet to what had been largely an oral culture. They wrote down part of the rich collection of traditional stories, legends and mythology that might have otherwise been lost. Two centuries later, from the early ninth century AD, Vikings invaded Ireland. These attacks went on for over 100 years. At first the Vikings raided monasteries and villages. Eventually, they built settlements on the island, many of which grew into important towns. Irish cities founded by the Viking invaders include Dublin, the capital city of the Republic of Ireland, as well as Limerick, Cork, and Wexford. Irish society eventually assimilated the descendants of the Vikings.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Aug 2013 14:31:52 +0000
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