Key elements of Viking society were thier raids, ships, and trade. The raids the Vikings conducted in Ireland started as attacks on monestaries and isolated villages. Ships were also incredibly important to the Vikings because they were the main source of transportation. There were three main classifications of ships: trade, war, and trasport. As for trade, this was fundamental for the Vikings. Trade allowed the Vikings the resources to create settlements and get very wealthy from both European and Mediterrainian partners.

Raids:

The Vikings were, by definition, groups of raiders from Scandinavia, attacking and trading with western Europe. Raids occured during the summer months with generally warmer weather, longer days, and calmer seas. In Ireland, the Vikings first attacked monesteries before establishing settlements. The raids resulted in the loss of many religious and hisorical items due to the Vikings taking anything in sight. The Vikings would also burn villages down after stealing anything of value. The Vikings would attack at night to not be seen by any enemy or potential threat. Due to this behavior the Vikings were highly feared by many Europeans. However, the raids did provide them with future settlements and control over important terriorty. The raids ultimately resulted in more goods to trade or sell in Europe, settlement prospects, and future trade of raw materials and goods from Ireland. During this period, Ireland did not have many large kingdoms or towns to protect against the Vikings.

Ships:

The Vikings designed, built, and used three different types of ships: trade, transport, and war ships. Transport ships were built with a shallow hull that allowed easier navigation across the ocean and through winding rivers of Ireland. According to Per Brunn’s “The Viking Ship” (1997) the Viking war and travel vessels could move quickly and transporting many soldiers and men to various places throughout Europe. One of the Viking ships, the Skuldelev, was a more common design to model after for ship builders. The image below is model of a Viking ship similar to the Skuldelev. Most Viking ships would only have a few ores and sails for navigation.

Barbara Mary Campbell, and Science Museum, Workshops. Model of a Viking Ship of about A.D.900, Excavated from Gokstad. 1913; c. 900 CE.

Trade vessels were designed specifically to hold more cargo (Brunn 1997). The sails could be raised or lowered at will which benefited the navigational properties of the ships. The mast, or beam the sails connect to would have been tightly fashioned to the bottom of the ship to ensure the sails worked properly. A distinction between the war, trade, and transport vessels is that the war and trade vessels would not be used in rivers. The Viking transport vessels, which carried more men, and used ores to travel the rivers of Ireland. Most Viking settlements were located by the sea where their larger vessels such as the war and trade ships would be docked.

Oseberg Ship: Model. c.825. Oak and beechwood, l. 65’. Vikingeskibshallen (Roskilde, Denmark).

Trade:

The Vikings traded with Europe from Ireland which was the main source of wealth for the Vikings. Lim de Paor in “Viking Dublin” emphasizes the importance of Viking trading routes in Ireland. The Vikings were pioneering in the establishment of trade routes between Ireland and continental Europe. Trade and the use of Ireland’s natural resources contributed to the success of settlements and Viking influence in Ireland. Settlements would have been sectioned off depending on the settlement needed. Dublin was an urban center and would have offered rings, swords, jewelry, and crafted or blacksmith items for the Vikings to trade.

Eileen McAuley writes, “The Viking craftsmen helped to make the town self-sufficient. They make ornaments, jewelry, combs, and things made out of leather such as boots and shoes. There were also blacksmiths, carpenters, coopers, and weavers all of whom were necessary members of the community. There is evidence of fine craftsmanship on the decorated bronze pins and brooches which have been uncovered” (McAuley, 1979). All of these items were sold or traded in Europe and the greater Mediterranean region.

Mary Valante in her book, The Vikings in Ireland: Settlement, Trade and Urbanization explains how raw materials were used by the Vikings. Valante writes how the Scandinavian towns in Ireland were international trading centers. Ireland was used as a place to ship raw materials to manufacture them into goods. The daily life in Viking age towns would have been incredibly busy. There were more opportunities for work especially for the Scandinavians that followed the Viking raiders from their homelands to Ireland. All the occupations that McAuley lists would fit Valante’s descriptions of the Viking towns.