While many sources point to the Vikings as a group that contributed to a massive economic decline in Ireland, there is considerable evidence uncovered that suggests there was a system of material exchange established between the Vikings and the Gaelic natives of Ireland. The proving of this exchange will diverge from and discourage the reliance upon the popular or reoccurring narrative that surrounds the Vikings involvement in Ireland, instead, the uncovering of exchange between the Vikings and Irish will emphasize the complex nature of the Viking-Gaelic relationship that contains both positive and negative attributions. Thus, this page will serve as a clear presentation of the peaceful trade conducted between the Vikings and the Irish and the merging of their material cultures.

Beginning and Promotion of Material Exchange Between Gaelic and Norse: 

As previously discussed in this website the Vikings initially scored economic gains from the Irish by plundering their ecclesiastical buildings which served as the main centers for commerce. This was a practice that was beneficial to the Vikings during their hit-and-run attacks against the Irish settlers, but once the Vikings sought to establish permanent settlements in Ireland this plundering practice had to be changed. The Vikings knew that if the settlements were to survive, they had to tap into the existing trading networks of the Irish in order to completely flourish (Downham 140). Therefore, it was the Vikings move toward establishing settlements in Ireland that essentially forced them to cooperate with the Irish settlers as the practice of plunder would only go so far in sustaining them economically. This practice was reinforced through treatises and alliances established by Irish and Viking kings (Downham 140). Ultimately the Vikings were desirable to the Irish for their craftsmanship skill and sea navigation as the Vikings served as a connection to trade across the Irish Sea and beyond (Downham 140).

Soon this practice grew into a highly accepted and traditional exchange by the tenth century as the Vikings began their multi-generational stay in Ireland and began to convert to Christianity. This allowed families to become acquainted, merge, and even intermarry with Gaelic natives and thus build a multi-ethnic society in Ireland that accepted the merging of the Gaelic and Scandinavians. This acceptance and growth of the Vikings in Ireland made trade with Viking urban centers a regular practice as commerce began to flourish through the two groups’ corporative trade. Then once the Vikings adopted Christianity around the beginning of the tenth century strengthened the bond between Gaelic and Scandinavian settlers and such co-worship further promoted trade on the basis of shared values and trust (Downham 142). As these two societal changes set into the Gaelic-Scandinavian society in medieval Ireland, trade inevitably continued to flourish, and as such the generalized “heathen” outlook of the Vikings appears incomplete as the Vikings carry this complex position in medieval Irish commerce.

What Goods Were Exchanged and Valued:

As notorious craftsmen and seasoned traders the Scandinavian settlers in Ireland highly desired trade with Gaelic natives for their agricultural goods and materials that could be utilized for crafting and trading (Valante 246). These materials and agricultural goods included farm animals, beer, implements, salt, clothing, and more scarcely such luxuries as horses, female slaves, drinking horns, and brooches (Doherty 72). Meanwhile, the Irish had economically suffered by the initial plundering of the Vikings which led to their sole desire for coin to allow for economic recovery, and thus led them to trade agricultural and other goods to the Vikings in exchange for silver. The Vikings, who had bountiful amounts of silver saw merits in this exchange and gave the Irish kings silver for their desired goods, and thus established an economic system of reciprocity that economically benefited both the Gaelic and Scandinavian settlers.

Taxation and Tribute Systems in Dublin:

Aside from the establishment of mutually beneficial trade networks, the Vikings and Irish created a tax and tribute system that emphasized the interactions between the Gaelic and Scandinavian economies. Before the Vikings arrived the Irish already had an existing system of taxation referred to as cis, a taxation form that is commonly equated with the concept of rent (Valante 243). During the pre-Viking era, Irish kings demanded cis from trading clients, whether they be an individual or groups, and this exchange between cis and goods became the predominant system of economic exchange in Ireland (Valante 243). The Vikings fit well into this system of exchange with their similar system of tribute with the collection of danegeld, a payment that swore allegiance and guaranteed protection from raids (Valante 244). However, once the Vikings arrived and made permanent settlements in Dublin there was the creation of a system of taxation that went both ways. The Irish kings collected land taxes in their familiar system of cis while the Vikings in turn were paid in tribute with animals and agricultural goods such as grains, meat, cereals, cheeses, ale, and wine (Valante 246). Seeing as the Vikings held physical wealth through hoards of silver and were able to extend trade overseas and access the larger international market, the Irish kings sought to provide them with goods for trade while the Vikings turned over their bountiful “hack silver” as land rent. In essence, the Irish got their income through the Vikings rent and the Viking settlers gained wealth through the usage of the Irish goods overseas through craft specialization and trade, thus created an economic system that was mutually beneficial to both parties.

Aside from some skirmishes sparked by a failure to present tribute, this system of exchange was for the most part maintained and encouraged by the Gaelic and Scandinavian leaders (Valante 250). Thus, this indicates the peaceful and beneficial coexistence between Gaelic natives and Scandinavian settlers as they maintained a beneficial economic system that promoted Gaelic-Scandinavian corporation. Therefore, this economic system shared between the Gaelic and Scandinavians reveals yet another piece of evidence that betrays the narrative of the Vikings being simple barbarians within Irish history. Instead, this system even displays cooperation between the Vikings that was not only encouraged by Scandinavian and Irish leaders but also served as the main source of commerce for the Irish from the ninth and even into the eleventh century.