Linn Duchaill: Ireland's unlikely Viking capital

BBC ^ | October 24, 2011 | Conor Macauley

[decimon]

A windswept barley field just south of Dundalk seems an unlikely spot for Ireland's capital.

But if things had been different, Annagassan near Castlebellingham might have been the principal city on the island of Ireland.

Twelve hundred years ago it was the site of Linn Duchaill, one of the first Viking settlements, which rivalled Dublin in size and importance.

Folklore said it was there, but all traces of it had disappeared, until a group of archaeologists and local historians set out to prove its existence.

Extensive field research and test digs have now done that.

What they found was a huge fortified settlement up to 150 acres in size, established by 841AD where the Vikings built and repaired their ships, traded and raided into the surrounding countryside.

Artist and historian Micheál McKeown was one of those who carried out extensive field research.

[decimon]

Irish mist ping.

[Domangart]

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[SunkenCiv]

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Thanks decimon. Fortress uncovered: Co Louth Viking site of international importance To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.

[SunkenCiv]

Too bad we can't reprint this [from The Independent]:

• Archaeologists find 'zombie' graveyard in West of Ireland by Tom Prendeville, Sunday September 25 2011

[afraidfortherepublic]

The Vikings chose Linn Duchaill as one of their first settlements in Ireland

A slave chain is among the items found at the site.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Re: the Zombie Graveyard. Is it possible that these people were buried alive? Were they bound?

[wildbill]

‘Deviant burials’ are sometimes associated with demonic possession and the revenants (deceased) or the ‘walking dead’ often tended to be people who were outsiders in society.

“In this case, the stones in the mouth might have acted as a barrier to stop revenants from coming back from their graves,” explained Mr Read.

One of the men was between 40 and 60 years old, and the other was a younger adult, probably between 20 and 30. The two men were laid side by side and each had a tennis-ball-sized rock shoved in his mouth.”

Hmmm. Two guys buried together with rocks in their mouths?

Perhaps this was just the Viking way of letting them get their rocks off forever.

[SunkenCiv]

I’m trying to make sure I don’t wind up in a deviant burial ground.