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Irish River Find May Be First Discovery Of Viking Ship
Yahoo News ^ | 1-26-2007 | Andrew Bushe

Posted on 01/29/2007 9:25:44 AM PST by blam

Irish river find may be first discovery of Viking ship

by Andrew Bushe
Fri Jan 26, 5:29 PM ET

AFP/Scanpix/File Photo: A replica of a Viking ship sails off Oslo in 2006. An ancient boat discovered... "

DUBLIN (AFP) - An ancient boat discovered in a riverbed north of Dublin may be the first Viking longship found in the country, Environment and Heritage Minister Dick Roche said.

The wreck in the River Boyne, close to the northeastern port of Drogheda, was described by Roche as potentially an "enormously exciting discovery".

The vessel, nine metres (30 feet) wide by 16 metres long, was discovered accidentally during dredging operations last November but the find was not made public until now.

"It is described as clinker built, a shipbuilding technology dating from the Viking era but also still in use centuries later," Roche said.

"Clearly we have to wait and see what condition the vessel is in and have it dated. Carbon dating analysis of some of the vessel's timbers has been arranged by my department, with the results expected in a number of weeks."

The investigation and excavation operation will be completed by the end of March.

"It is likely to take considerably longer to fully examine and draw complete knowledge from what is being heralded as a potentially unique discovery in Irish maritime archaeological heritage.

"A find like this can tell us much about the technologies, trading patterns and daily lives of our ancestors and can open a window onto how life was in Ireland over a thousand years ago," Roche said.

Archaeologists in the heritage ministry are carrying out an inventory of wrecks in the country's rivers, lakes and around the coastline.

There are thought to be as many as 12,000.

The high number of wrecks is a result of the country being an island that imported many of its needs for centuries, suffered invasions and is close to major international shipping routes.

Usually ancient wrecks are preserved in situ but the newly discovered Boyne wreck is in mid-stream, so it cannot be left there.

"The wreck will be fully excavated and, if recoverable, be preserved and conserved for further investigation and ultimately public display, or reburied at a more suitable location on the river," Roche said.

Between 795, when they first raided Rathlin Island off Northern Ireland, and 1169 when the Normans invaded from Wales, Vikings established themselves in Ireland.

Most of the main coastal cities, including the capital Dublin, began as Viking settlements.

Before setting up trading bases, Viking raiders were attracted by Ireland's early Christian monasteries. Poorly defended, they were not only centres of learning but of wealth.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: drogheda; dublin; godsgravesglyphs; irish; longship; river; riverboyne; ship; thevikings; viking; vikings
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1 posted on 01/29/2007 9:25:47 AM PST by blam
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To: SunkenCiv

GGG Ping.


2 posted on 01/29/2007 9:26:15 AM PST by blam
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To: SunkenCiv

GGG Ping?


3 posted on 01/29/2007 9:26:49 AM PST by MplsSteve
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To: blam

What kind of self-respecting ship is 30 feet wide and 45 feet long? That's a tub.


4 posted on 01/29/2007 9:27:26 AM PST by RightWhale (Repeal the law of the excluded middle)
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To: blam; Irish_Thatcherite
I don't get it?  There are viking boats touring Dublin everyday!

 

Viking Splash Tours

 


5 posted on 01/29/2007 9:30:38 AM PST by Incorrigible (If I lead, follow me; If I pause, push me; If I retreat, kill me.)
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To: RightWhale

A boat that is designed for transporting cargo back and forth along a river. Or armed men from one side of a river to another.


6 posted on 01/29/2007 9:35:12 AM PST by wideawake
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To: wideawake

Barge


7 posted on 01/29/2007 9:36:57 AM PST by RightWhale (Repeal the law of the excluded middle)
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To: RightWhale
What kind of self-respecting ship is 30 feet wide and 45 feet long?

Well, they obviously were not contending for the America's Cup.

8 posted on 01/29/2007 9:41:11 AM PST by Michael.SF. (It's time our lawmakers paid more attention to their responsibilities, and less to their privileges.)
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To: blam

Those vikings. Took all the blondes and snakes, left their red haired neanderthal calling cards on every corner.


9 posted on 01/29/2007 9:47:53 AM PST by kinghorse (calls them like I sees them)
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To: blam

Friggin' terrorists....the Vikings not the Irish. ;-)


10 posted on 01/29/2007 9:55:04 AM PST by rhombus
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To: blam; MplsSteve; FairOpinion; StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 24Karet; 3AngelaD; 49th; ...
Thanks for the pings, Blam and MplsSteve.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)

11 posted on 01/29/2007 10:23:21 AM PST by SunkenCiv ("In theory, theory and practice are the same, but in practice, they're not." -- John Rummel)
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To: blam

The Hammer of the Gods
Will drive our ships to new lands
Fight the horde
Sing and cry
Valhalla, we are coming.....


12 posted on 01/29/2007 10:26:36 AM PST by Terabitten (How is there no anger in the words I hear, only love and mercy, erasing every fear" - Rez Band)
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To: Terabitten

There's a link to a viking kitty video set to that song, but I've lost it.


13 posted on 01/29/2007 10:33:07 AM PST by east1234 (It's the borders stupid. It's also WWIV.)
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To: wideawake

I seem to recall that that is what gave the vikings the edge for so long. Seaworthy ships that could still sail/row up shallow rivers and get behind a city's main coastal defenses.


14 posted on 01/29/2007 10:34:25 AM PST by geopyg (Don't wish for peace, pray for Victory.)
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To: blam

bookmark


15 posted on 01/29/2007 10:55:25 AM PST by GOP Poet
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To: geopyg

I also recall that usually they could move/carry the boats over land for short distances etc.


16 posted on 01/29/2007 10:58:31 AM PST by najida (Campers laugh at clowns behind closed doors.)
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To: blam

I've always said that the Irish and the Scots are shipwrecked Swedes. LOL


17 posted on 01/29/2007 11:00:53 AM PST by fish hawk (Hate the sin but love the sinner, except for the sin of Liberalism)
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To: blam; Incorrigible; Dead Corpse; Colosis; Black Line; Cucullain; SomeguyfromIreland; Youngblood; ...
Undocumented Danes - only doing the raping, pillaging and plundering that Early Christian Irish won't do! :-P

Ireland Ping!

18 posted on 01/29/2007 11:34:55 AM PST by Irish_Thatcherite (New Tagline Loading... Please Wait)
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To: Irish_Thatcherite
Undocumented Danes - only doing the raping, pillaging and plundering that Early Christian Irish won't do! :-P

OK, that made me laugh.

19 posted on 01/29/2007 11:39:41 AM PST by jla
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To: blam

Got Spam??


20 posted on 01/29/2007 11:42:39 AM PST by Bean Counter (Stout Hearts!!)
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