Settlement Overview:

Over three decades after the first raid in Ireland, the first Viking settlement was created. Settling in Ireland was a very logical move, at this point the Vikings had settlements in England and trade connections with western Europe. The Vikings also ventured across the Atlantic to North America, meaning Ireland was a very valuable place to settle for them. Each settlement required organization, which created protection and a sense of stability, especially being so far from their Scandinavian homelands.

Settlements were considerably small and often built in a D-shape (Hadley and Harkel, 2013). Efficiency was key with all the settlements due to the necessity of needing a place to live during the winter months. Oftentimes, they would reuse naturally occurring barriers such as banks and ditches to create obstacles and protection (Hadley and Harkel, 2013). Most of the towns followed the same structure and plans. However, the larger towns such as Dublin were larger and interconnected within other Viking towns and Europe.

Due to the positioning of Viking towns, they could easily connect to rural areas. Dublin was a fundamental town for Viking groups due to the travel connections such as rivers and being positioned on the coastline. Dublin also provided connections to Ulster. Ulster provided access to natural resources such as timber and wool which was useful in construction and making clothes (Hadley and Harkel 4). Connections in Ulster also provided fish and livestock to Viking settlers which would have given food, milk, and other food products (Hadley and Harkel 2013). Having access to goods from rural communities would have supported the growing town of Dublin.

Settlement Size and Shape:

In the book, The Vikings in Ireland and Beyond: Before and After the Battle of Clontarf. Provides interesting details on the size and shape of Viking settlements in Ireland. The text reads, “The longphort has two main components. There is an outer D-shaped enclosure, flanked by the two rivers, measuring 360 by 15m, and a central oval enclosure measuring 3.8m in width. Outside this there is a ditch 5.3m wide, which is partly waterfilled, and a counterscarp bank…” (2015). The measurements taken as part of this archaeological study are important to understand. Having a connection to the past such as through measurements allows historians and archaeologists to rebuild history. The settlement was well protected with rivers on either side and ditches to prevent enemies from coming too close.