The Waterfront: Dublin's Window to the Viking World.
Let's begin our walk where all Viking cities began - at the waterfront. The first thing that strikes us is the smell - it's a mixture of salt water, fish, tar, and wooden ships. But what really catches our attention is the sheer variety of vessels in the harbour. This is not just an Irish port - this is one of the major hubs of the Viking world.
Look to your right - those ships with the distinctive red-and-white striped sails are from York, Dublin's sister city at the opposite side of Britain. The Vikings have created a powerful trading kingdom stretching from Dublin to York, with the Isle of Man at its centre. Sitric himself mints coins that are accepted across this Norse kingdom, marked with his name in both Norse runes and Anglo-Saxon script.
To our left, you'll spot ships from Orkney and the Hebrides, part of the Norse trading network that stretches all the way to Norway. You see, Dublin isn't just facing inward to Ireland - it's facing outward, connected to a vast web of Viking settlements across the North Atlantic. This network stretches from Norway onto the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and even covering some new settlements in Greenland.
Let's watch that merchant ship being unloaded - its cargo tells the story of Dublin's place in this trading world. You have walrus ivory from Greenland, furs from Norway, amber from the Baltic, and silver from as far away as Baghdad. Dublin serves as a central marketplace where goods from across the Viking world meet products from Ireland and Britain. Irish wool cloaks being loaded onto that Norse ship will likely end up in markets in Norway, while oak planks will become ships in the Orkney Islands.
But it's not just goods being traded. We listen to the languages being spoken - Norse mixing with Irish and Anglo-Saxon merchants haggling with Welsh traders. Dublin under Sitric has become a true international city, as much a part of the Viking world as the Irish world.
Through the Gates and along the Streets.
We pass through the city gates, paying a small toll - a silver penny minted right here in Dublin. The Vikings introduced coined money to Ireland, replacing the old system of bartering and payment in cattle or silver by weight. The city walls themselves are impressive - built of earth and timber, topped with a wooden barrier, which have successfully protected the city from native Irish raids on many the occasion.
The streets beneath our feet are nothing like the muddy tracks you'd find in smaller Irish settlements. These are deliberately laid out, covered with wooden planks to keep us above the mud. The houses lining these streets are narrow and deep, built gable-end to the street to allow as many buildings as possible to have street access. They're made of wood with thatched roofs - many with workshops at the front where craftsmen practice their trades.
The Market Square and The Craftsmen Quarter.
The heart of the city is its market square, and it's already bustling despite the early hour. Here we see the true diversity of a Viking city. Irish farmers are bringing in food to sell, while Norse merchants haggle over prices in a mixture of languages. Look carefully and you'll spot amber from the Baltic, warlus ivory from the North Atlantic, and silks that have made their way from Byzantium.
There's a slave market too - a darker aspect of Viking commerce, but one we can't ignore. Dublin was one of the largest slave-trading ports in Western Europe at this time.
Let's turn down a side street and into the craftsmen's quarter. The air is thick with smoke from forges where Viking smiths work with iron and bronze. The Norse craftsmen brought new techniques to Ireland - these craftsmen are creating distinctive Viking-style brooches, but incorporating Irish patterns into the designs. In other workshops along the street, we see leather workers, carpenters, and shipwrights, all contributing to the city's trade and wealth.
Irish or Viking? Both, Really.
Up ahead is a raised mound where the "Thing" (Norse for an Assembly) meets to make laws and settle disputes. There is a blend of Norse governance and Irish Brehon law that is unique to the Viking cities around Ireland. Some of the leaders gathering there are wearing a mixture of Norse and Irish clothing styles - another sign of how the cultures are merging.
Surprisingly for a city founded by pagans, you will find a wooden church here too. By this time, many Vikings have converted to Christianity, though they maintain their own bishops separate from the Irish church system. The building shows both Norse and Irish architectural influences - a physical representation of the cultural blending taking place in these urban centres.
As we climb the hill to the Thing-mound where the assembly meets, it's a good moment to understand Dublin's delicate position in Irish politics. While Sitric Silkbeard rules Dublin with considerable autonomy, he's playing a game of alliances and rivalries with the surrounding Irish kingdoms.
The reality is that Dublin can't survive by opposing the Irish kingdoms - it needs them. Many of Dublin's Norse rulers, including Sitric himself, have Irish mothers and wives. They speak both languages, understand both cultures, and often play one side against the other to maintain Dublin's independence. This intermarrying means that many of Dublin's Norse rulers are as much Irish as they are Viking in their ancestry and culture. They might worship in Christ Church (which Sitric founded), but maintain connections with both Irish churches and Norse bishops. They speak both languages, respect both legal systems, and move easily between both worlds.
Those Irish wool cloaks we saw being loaded at the harbour? They come from trade agreements with Irish chieftains in Leinster. The cattle being driven through the streets for provisioning the city? They're from Irish farmers in the surrounding countryside. Dublin might face the sea, but its prosperity depends on maintaining good relations with its Irish hinterland.
This political balancing act would continue until the Norman invasion in 1169, but for now, in 1035, Dublin is managing to maintain its independence through a mix of military strength, strategic family alliances, and diplomatic skill. The city thrives by becoming an integral part of Ireland's political and economic landscape while maintaining its crucial links to the wider Viking world.
Stepping Back into The Present.
As we end our walk through Viking Dublin, it's worth commenting that much of what we've seen has been confirmed by archaeological excavations in modern Dublin, particularly at Wood Quay and Fishamble Street. The Vikings didn't just raid Ireland - they created its first true cities, established international trading networks, and left a legacy that shaped urban life in Ireland forever.
Today, you can still walk many of the same streets we've just visited in our imagination. The old Viking city lies beneath modern Dublin's Wood Quay, Fishamble Street, and Christchurch area. While the wooden buildings are long gone, their foundations, along with thousands of Viking artefacts, help us understand what life was like in Ireland's first cities.
Have you ever visited any of the Viking sites in Dublin, Waterford, or other Irish cities? Perhaps you have walked down the same streets that were first laid out by Norse settlers over a thousand years ago?
I'd love to hear your experiences - do HIT REPLY and let me know.
Slán for now,
Mike.
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