Ireland during Viking Raids (800 - 1100 A.D) Story Research.. Help?

Initiate

Hi,
I am going to Japan soon – and my girlfriend has to finish school here – but she will join me later. As a present – to symbolize my live I want to write her a short story – and bind it.

She is Irish and I have Germanic roots so I want to write a love story – from the perspective of an invading Viking who falls in love with a young Irish girl. From what I have read I believe that during the Viking raids Christianity was in Ireland – but what would the girl’s interests be? Dancing? Would she be a housewife or a farmer or – what?

I want her to be 16 – 20 and the Viking warrior to be around 20 – 24. I looked up Ireland and Dublin and want to write it around there near Boyne Valley – I have geography down I think – I have seen enough films in Ireland to know what it looks like – but how do the settlements look?

The year would be 800 – 1100 Ad. I need any help I can get, even if you just think perhaps the Irish girl might be doing something like and you say it – it will help. I know little about it.

I know some Norse elements and enough about Vikings to get that down – its just Ireland I have no clue about.

Would they be able to communicate? Would the invaders spare girls? I am approaching this a little like Pocahontas – don’t know each other’s language but fall in love anyway kind of thing.

Dress, Attitude, Culture, Anything will help.

Any help would be great.

Thanks!

lu22

I don't mean this to sound stupid but I am sure if you look in some history books for junior certs you will probably find some info on this, maybe maybe not! why not try easons / waterstones for some irish folklore books.
I would also imagine that the girls were not spared.... !

lu22

i think your idea is great so i am trying to help here... try find this book.. maybe on line

Ireland and Scandinavia in the Early Viking Age

by HOWARD CLARKE, MÁIRE NÍ MHAOINAIGH & RAGHNALL Ó FLOINN, Editors

lu22

i dont know if your based in dublin but if you are then defo check this out...

http://www.museum.ie/exhibitionsandcollections/details.asp?id=34&subsection=collections&site_id=2

thats a link to a web page tellin about the viking ireland exhibition in museum on archaeology in kildare street, i was there its the business...

Blush_01

Get your hands on some of of the novels Morgan Llywellen (probably not spelled correctly) wrote about Irish folklore, in particular Strongbow.

Abby D Cody

I wouldn't necessarily got the fiction-writer route. There's plenty of research material in Dublin Tourism office on Suffolk Street - they used to run a Viking museum, but it closed down about 4 years ago. Also try the Civic Buildings near the Viking Longboat sculpture. It was built over a Viking settlement site (much to the annoyance of archaeologists and historians) so they better have some material on it.

The web has loads of Viking/Irish stuff, as well.

In capsule, Viking raiders arrived first. Their helmets had no horns. They brought horses. They cleared the land of opposition and the settlers followed, usually the families of the warriors. They assimilated into the community quite readily, which included learning the language and mutual trade arrangements. They built wattle houses with straw rooves. They introduced almost hygienic toilets an and water systems and a legal system. Their children trained as warriors from a very young age. Women were mainly commodoties and home-workers. Some Vikings in Ireland would have had Irish slaves. Vikings adopted Christianity around 1000 under the enocouragement of the king at the time, whose name I've forgotten.

Probably enough research for a fiction piece, I'd guess, but there's plenty more around that's freely available and mostly accurate.

Good luck.