Brian Boru & The Vikings in Ireland — Knowledge Organiser

Key vocabulary

1. 1 Lochlannaigh The Irish word for Vikings — 'the Norsemen' or 'people from the land of lochs'. Came from Norway and Denmark.
2. 2 795 CE First recorded Viking raid on Ireland — on Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim. Beginning of two centuries of raids and then settlement.
3. 3 Longphort A Viking fortified harbour camp. The longphort at the mouth of the River Liffey (where Dublin now stands) was established around 841 CE. e.g. The name 'Dublin' comes from 'Dubh Linn' meaning 'black pool'
4. 4 Brian Boru (c.941–1014) High King of Ireland who united most of the Irish kingdoms under his rule — the closest Ireland came to a single king before independence. Killed at the Battle of Clontarf.
5. 5 Battle of Clontarf (1014) Brian Boru's forces defeated a Viking-Irish alliance on Good Friday 1014, near Dublin. The battle ended major Viking military power in Ireland. Brian Boru was killed after the battle.
6. 6 Viking Dublin The Norse settled in Dubh Linn permanently from about 841 CE. It became the most important Viking trading town in the British Isles. Archaeological excavations at Wood Quay, Dublin, revealed the Viking city.

• ▶ TOWNS: the main Irish coastal towns were founded or developed by Vikings — Dublin (Dubh Linn), Waterford (Veðrafjǫrðr), Wexford (Veisafjǫrðr), Cork, Limerick.
• ▶ TRADE: Vikings introduced commercial trading networks. Dublin became the most important slave-trading port in northern Europe.
• ▶ LANGUAGE: many Irish words have Norse origins — pingin (penny), margadh (market), long (ship), trosc (cod fish).
• ▶ PLACE NAMES: Strangford, Carlingford, Wicklow, Wexford, Waterford all have Norse origins.
• ▶ INTEGRATION: within 2-3 generations, many Vikings converted to Christianity and intermarried with the Irish — they became 'Hiberno-Norse'.
• ▶ CRAFTSMANSHIP: Viking metalwork and woodworking influenced Irish art. The famous 'Crozier of Clonmacnoise' shows Hiberno-Norse craftsmanship.
• ▶ HERITAGE: the National Museum of Ireland (Archaeology) in Dublin has the world's most significant collection of Viking artefacts found in Ireland.