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9th century Viking skeletal remains found in Dublin

Ancient skulls and bones found near the Viking port of Lusk

By
KATE HICKEY,
IrishCentral.com Editor
Published Monday, June 20, 2011, 7:08 AM
Updated Monday, June 20, 2011, 1:44 PM

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Vikings arrive to Ireland
Vikings arrive to Ireland


Construction workers building Ireland’s largest energy project have discovered ancient skeletal remains on farmland in Rush, north county Dublin.

The discovery was made as EirGrid laid piping for a high voltage direct current underground power line.

Skulls and bones were found near Rogerstown estuary. Local historians believe the remains date back to the 9th century. The former port of Lusk, close by, was used by the Vikings.

The National Monuments Service has been informed about the find by the on-site archaeologist and a full survey will begin next week. Until a more in-depth examination they will not know how many bodies are buried there.

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READ MORE:

10th Century Viking settlement discovered in Dublin

Slainte! Ireland's Viking Heritage

Best preserved Viking settlement found in Ireland

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Examinations in the surround areas continues. The spokeswoman for Eirgrid said “A previously unrecorded burial ground has been located on private land in Rush earlier this week…It wasn’t marked up on any ordnance survey maps."

There was no evidence that the land had been disturbed before the workers dug the 1.5 meter-deep trench on the farmland.

A local historian Kevin Thorpe said “It sounds like a Viking settlement where people were buried…But it all depends on whether the bodies were criss crossed or buried in straight lines, if there was any clothing on them, the composition and if they were men or women or young and old."

Thorpe, a member of the Loughshinny and Rush Historical Society, said this area was the final resting place of hundreds of people when a ship called the Tayleur was shipwreck just off a nearby island, Lambay, in 1854. The locations of their remains also is a mystery.

He added "Altogether more than 300 people went down with that ship, mostly women and children."

EirGrid confirmed, with the Press Association, that this land had been condoned off and protect from the heavy rain.

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16 Comments

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Towngate | Jun 24, 2011, 12:47 PM EDT
Of course we all got mixed up; fought,settled and intermarried over thousands of years. Exactly who we are is very hard to claim even with the help of modern science. As with recent discoveries of ancient cities in Egypt, there is bound to be evidence of what happened and to whom still to be unearthed on the island we now call Ireland, over the millions of years that man has existed. We are just a tiny part of a vast moving maelstrom. Relax and enjoy the ride!

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Springfield9 | Jun 23, 2011, 10:13 AM EDT
It's all very interesting. I love the references to "red hair". The real kicker, though, is a DIASTEMA - split in the teeth. Scandinavians had large jaws. The native Irish had small teeth - marry them and you get a split because of the larger jaw and smaller teeth. My aunt, God bless her, told me it meant I'd have money - waiting for it Auntie dear!

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bunkerhill | Jun 22, 2011, 10:54 AM EDT
My submission was deleted when I posted that my eyes were not good. I will rewrite a synopsis of the original. The Irish were incredible achievers long before any "Viking" arrived on it's shores. They were able to sail to Ireland, the Scottish isles and Iceland long before a viking put his foot in the water. The Icelanders have always claimed they were half Irish and now their DNA proves it. National Geographic wrote many years ago that the Sagas of Ireland were originally Irish. The Icelanders have also said they were never vikings. In actuality tracking a medical mystery is giving a whole new perspective to the Scandinavian incursions to countries to the south. Apparently they were put out of their native homeland in Northern Germany and being homeless and starving went searching for a new homeland. Their lack of food caused a genetic problem. This ties in with the arrival of Danish families in Munster Province brought back by Irish navigators because of famine and war in their original homeland. Countries with royalty at the top always like to present a conquering stance. However as Christians we can look forward to the meek inheriting the earth. By the way the Scandinavians had to come from the south. Remember the Ice Age?

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bunkerhill | Jun 22, 2011, 10:43 AM EDT
Please excuse typos on previous submission. Eyes not too good. Thanks.

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bunkerhill | Jun 22, 2011, 10:40 AM EDT
Re Slainte, Ireland's viking heritage. This is Irish masochism at it's best, writing from the celler. Hoorah for the master race. How lucky the Irish were that all these mighty conquers came to their shores and brought all their knowledge. It is a wonder that the Irish ever managed to sail to Ireland, the Gaelic speaking Scottish islands and Iceland long before any viking put his foot in the water. Incidentally there is a new perspective to the "viking" raids. A medical genetic mystery is tracking a people displaced by invaders who crossed into Scandinavia searching for a home eventually landing in England and finally Ireland. In actuality they were fighting for survival and that story ties in with the Danes of Munster. Wonderful American author James V. Shannon wrote about the arrival of "Danish" families in Clare and Limerick seeking to escape war and famine. Churchill also mentions it in his "Birth of Britain." Countries with royalty at the top always try to present a mighty conquering image, but if you lived in a luzurious palce and didn't have to work, you would probably do the same thing. However we all aspire to Christianity and hopefully the meek will truly inherit the earth. The early Irish were incredible people and science and history is just on the verge of discovering how extraordinary. As I put on another blog. Remember the Ice Age? The Scandinavians had to come from the south.

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bunkerhill | Jun 21, 2011, 10:08 AM EDT
My father-in-law came from Clare, Ireland and he passed on that his family were Danes, "peaceful" families who arrived in Munster with Irish navigators. Indeed he passed down the history of a "castle" or "fort" which the Clare geneology acknowledged was a "Danish" fort. However National Geographic said they were actually Norwegians and Ennis was their central town. Brian Boru had a Scandinavian wife so I am not quite sure who he was driving out. My father-in-law said the Irish had a saying, "If you can't beat them marry them." In a book written about Scots the American writer said the Irish had a way of marrying their invaders and turning them into super Irish patriots. He attributed it to the strong willed Irish women. By the way, the "vikings" probably lived in a group because they had no land.

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Towngate | Jun 21, 2011, 09:06 AM EDT
Re; Wreck of the Tayleur. It is unlikely these remains are connected as the wreck is well documented. The new iron hulled sailing ship departed Liverpool without sea trials and the Pilot reported the iron hull seemed to interfere with her compasses. Instead of heading south for Australia with her cargo and passengers,she was caught in a storm, sailed due West straight into Ireland with tragic loss of life. The Captain survived and was able to rescue the cargo of timber!

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Towngate | Jun 21, 2011, 05:17 AM EDT
I'd like to know more about the Tayleur Shipwreck. Much more interesting. Was she coming or going? ~ ~ ~ Vikings,is it? Aahh Shure,the country is litthered with auld Vikings and not all of them dead!

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cavan61 | Jun 21, 2011, 12:49 AM EDT
Last year in Weymouth, England they found a mass grave with 51 decapitated skeletons of young men. They were able to date the skeletons to about 960 AD, and scientific analysis of the minerals in their teeth revealed that they had grown up in Scandinavia. Apparently they were Vikings who got beaten by Anglo-Saxons. Hopefully, Irish archaeologists can do a comparable analysis of the skeletons they found in Rush.

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haikued2 | Jun 21, 2011, 12:08 AM EDT
To all you ruddy complexion, red haired and freckled Irish...where do you think that came from? Celts didn't look like that. Norwegians did.

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haikued2 | Jun 21, 2011, 12:06 AM EDT
My, what a surprise! What the hell do you think you find where Vikings lived and died. They basically founded the city of Dublin...taking the area from a small farming area to a bustling trading center...

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NickOHara | Jun 20, 2011, 11:38 PM EDT
Aye, for sure, Vikings. Been there a while, eh? Now the descendants of those who 'contributed' so much to the Irish bloodlines will have fine ground to not only join the Sons of the Hibernians ... AND.... a reasonable toehold for being granted Irish citizenship and the passport.

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mamaginnty | Jun 20, 2011, 05:54 PM EDT
Haha Automan, like me, after I read a story on I.C. his name comes into mind in what sort of hatred will he spout on it. But I should know better by now, its always the same, repeats. About the vikings, looking forward to reading more about the find. Ireland must be that little bit of heaven when so many over the centuries wanted it.

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antoman | Jun 20, 2011, 04:15 PM EDT
Viking immigrants.This will not go down well with georgyboy.

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SeamusMor | Jun 20, 2011, 01:04 PM EDT
If the skulls and bones were smashed these Vikings may have run into Brian Boru!

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