Vikings establish Dublin

Ireland’s capital city Dublin was originally founded by Vikings. In fact they founded many of Ireland’s first cities including Waterford, Wexford, Arklow, Cork, and Limerick. The Vikings raided and looted the Irish cost but eventually made stronger impacts on Ireland and not all of them were bad.

The Vikings started making raids on Ireland around 795 AD. They descended on churches and monasteries up and down the Irish coast. Their main goal was to plunder but over time they began holding relics, abbots and noblemen for ransom. The Vikings found even more money by capturing Irishmen and selling them as slaves. After decades of raids the Vikings decided to set up camp and stay in Ireland.

In 841 a Viking by the name of Turgeis lead his band ashore at present day Dublin. It was a perfect place to lunch raids all along and into Ireland. It was next to the Liffey River and had a harbor on the sea. The Vikings built houses, defensive walls, and established an affective Vikings trading and raiding settlement.

Dublin would be in Viking control for over a hundred years. The Barbarian invasion of Ireland by the Vikings caused panic, death, and destruction, but it also brought positive impacts. The Vikings introduced the concept of cities to Ireland. The cities became centers for international trade. They also taught the Irish to build ships and introduced coinage.

Information available at

http://www.ncte.ie/viking/listt.htm
http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/past/pre_norman_history/vikings.html
and in this book
http://www.amazon.com/Barbarian-Invasions-Shaped-Modern-World/dp/1592333036/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255586303&sr=8-5