![]() The first group of Vikings to invade Ireland were most likely Norwegian and known as the Finngaill, translated as fair foreigners. The history of the Vikings in Ireland spans over 200 years and although it can be considered short-lived, they did make important contributions to the Irish way of life. They plundered the monastery of its valuables, such as relics, and laid it to waste. ![]() A small group of Norse warriors attacked a monastery on the east coast. The Vikings first invaded Ireland in 795 AD. Now we know these broad trends, we can better understand the details of everyday life." She explains: "Often in archaeology we are focused on interpreting the evidence from a single site, but analysing quantities of data in this way allows us to think about the long term. This allowed the researchers to access information that was not previously available.ĭr McLaughlin commented: "This large database has opened up a completely new perspective on the past that we simply could not obtain any other way."Įmma Hannah is the lead author of the paper and is taking the work further with her PhD research. Today, genetic evidence suggests many Irish people have some Viking blood."įor the study, the researchers used a database of archaeological sites discovered during the 'Celtic Tiger' years, when there was a boom in motorway building and other development in Ireland.ĭevelopers are required by law to employ archaeologists to record sites before they are destroyed. He adds: "The Vikings settled in Ireland in the tenth century, during the phase of decline and despite being few in number, they were more successful than the 'natives' in expanding their population. However, there was no single cause or one-off event, as the decline was a gradual process." "Around the year 700, this population in Ireland mysteriously entered a decline, perhaps because of war, famine, plague or political unrest. ![]() The data shows the importance of migration as without the Vikings, the population decline could have been much worse.ĭr Rowan McLaughlin, Research Fellow from the School of Natural and Built Environment, explains: "Millions of people lived in Ireland during prehistory and the earliest Christian times. Using rigorous archaeological data science algorithms, the experts have released an estimate of past population numbers. However, the researchers have found that the population was in serious decline for almost two centuries before the Vikings migrated. Previously it was thought that the population of Ireland gradually increased over the years. ![]() The research from Queen's University Belfast's School of Natural and Built Environment is the first of its kind and has been published in the Journal of Archaeological Science. New research has found that the population of Ireland was in decline for almost 200 years before the Vikings settled. ![]()
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