The initial arrival of the Viking in Ireland brought bloody skirmishes and raids, the desecration of sacred structures, and economic decline. However, by 840 AD the relationship between the Vikings and Gaelic natives experienced a major change after the Vikings constructed permanent settlements. The creation of these Viking urban centers invited interaction between the Gaelic and Scandinavians, and with that interaction came the merging of the Gaelic and Scandinavian cultures and languages. As this page progresses it will utilize evidence from the Irish Annals and these ancient Viking settlements as it aims to uncover the complex relationship between the Gaelic and Scandinavians.

Social and Religious Fusion Between the Vikings and Gaelic Natives:

Evidence of an Altering Relationship Between Gaelic and Scandinavian in the Irish Annals:

As early as 827 AD the Irish Annals outline a relationship change between the Gaelic and Scandinavians as the Annals refer to the Vikings as Gaill or “Foreigners” opposed to their previous title of “Heathens” (Sigurdsson and Bolton 24). This change to foreigners in 827 AD is notable as it displays a shift away from associating the Vikings as a simple group of barbarians, instead, this title is insulating the arrival of Vikings as a form of emigration to Ireland. Also, this new title expresses an acceptance of the Vikings arrival and building of permanent settlements alongside existing Irish townships and monasteries. Then between 837 AD to 948 AD, the Irish Annals referred to the Viking settlers as the Nordmanni or “Northmen” which directly points to the Scandinavian lineage of the Vikings (Sigurdsson and Bolton 25). This change is major when considering the social intermingling between the Gaelic and Scandinavians as this reveals the adoption of a name that this historically and culturally associated with the Vikings lineage. Also, during this block of time, there had been several permanent Viking settlements established including the settlements of Lisnaran Fort and Dublin in 841 AD which allowed for interaction between Gaelic natives and Scandinavian settlers (McKeown 70). Considering the time alignment of the construction of permanent and this name change within the Irish Annals expresses social interaction between Gaelic and Scandinavians within urban centers. This interaction between the two groups became more concrete and extensive, especially after the Vikings conversion to Christianity which prompted both social and economic cohesion.

Loanwords Between the Gaelic and Scandinavians:

One way to directly view the social intermingling of the Vikings and Irish is to directly view the language utilized by both groups during this period between the eighth and tenth centuries. Interestingly recovered inscriptions from medieval Ireland reveal the extensive exchange of language between the Gaelic and Scandinavians through intermingling in Viking settlements as both groups utilize words from the other’s language. Shared words between the Vikings and Irish can be found in all manners of inscriptions including those that relate to trade, commerce, society, clothing, food production and agriculture, animals, housing, and even weapons for warfare (Borkent 2). Since this section is specifically focused on the social merging of the Gaelic and Scandinavian it is prudent to turn toward the shared words that reflect elements of society that appear within records from the ninth and tenth centuries. For instance, there are several social occupations names that appear to be shared between the Gaelic and Scandinavians after social contact. This includes the sharing of the Gaelic and Scandinavian words for teacher as records display the mixing of the Gaelic word for teacher, fithir, and the Scandinavian word for those that taught wisdom, Vitir (Borkent 54). Also, there’s evidence of language exchange for other occupations such as a town crier, hag, officer, soldier, ruler, salesman, and captain (Borkent 55). Thus, this linguistic exchange of these job titles expresses the social contact between Gaelic and Scandinavian settlements where one may encounter one of these occupations. Also, this expresses another event of peace exchange and interaction between Gaelic and Scandinavians that betrays their brutish outlook but instead portrays the Vikings as a fluid entity within medieval Irish society.

Shared Religion Promotes Social Cohesion:

One major element that facilitated social interaction between the Gaelic and Scandinavians was the Vikings conversion to Christianity during the ninth century, shortly after they settled in coastal territories (Downham 141). This conversion allowed for a connection to be established between the Gaelic and Scandinavians through a shared God, and there’s even evidence to suggest that the Vikings developed religious cults that praised Irish saints (Downham 141). There’s even evidence of Vikings spreading the worship of the Irish saint, Berga, across the Irish Sea in parts of England (Downham 142). Also, the Vikings constructed various religious monuments after their conversion, including the creation of “high crosses, stone churches, and round towers” that contained architectural elements shared between the Gaelic and Scandinavians (Downham 141). One can also view this religious link through the language utilized by Medieval Irish as there is evidence of the borrowing of Scandinavian religious terms. One identifiable instance is when archaeologists uncovered a runic stone made by Gaelic Christians that had the Norwegian runic word Krus or “cross” inscribed into it, and thus displays the direct usage of the Scandinavian’s runic language for Christian practices (Sigurdsson and Bolton 110). The combination of the shared religious architecture, the Vikings adoption of Irish saints, and the Irish’s usage of the runic language reveals the “give and take” nature between these two groups as they shared a common religion. Truly this betrays the initial brutal and bloody entrance of the Vikings to Gaelic religion, instead, this evidence suggests the peaceful and intellectual exchange of religious habits. Thus, this evidence of social cohesion displays the complex nature of the Vikings in Ireland and betrays their generalized outlook of heathens that was given to them during their initial arrival in Ireland.