Viking find 'extremely significant'

The discovery of the body of a Viking woman buried 1,100 years ago with a collection of artefacts is extremely significant, the National Museum of Ireland said today.

The find was made last Thursday at a site in Finglas in north Dublin where builders were constructing 48 apartments.

National Museum director Dr Patrick Wallace said an oval brooch which was found with the woman’s body was of great historical importance.

“It’s priceless academically, architecturally and scientifically. It’s the first time a brooch of this kind has been found on the island,” he said.

The brooch is believed to have come from Scandinavia. Archaeologists also discovered an unusually long bone comb and other copper alloy ornaments. Mr Wallace said the presence of the brooch indicated the woman may have come from the upper echelon of Viking society.

“Is she a pure Scandinavian woman – a Viking who came home? Or an Irish woman who mattered a lot to a wealthy Viking?”

Her skeleton was found almost completely intact but the bones from the knees down were missing due to previous pipe laying. “She didn’t feel any of the pain. She was 1,000-years-old,” joked Mr Wallace.

Archaeologists are continuing the excavations at the site in Finglas which is close to an area called St Patrick’s Wells. Guards are maintaining 24-hour security around the 70 metre by 40 metre site to prevent vandals interfering with it.

The National Museum which displayed the oval brooch and other finds at its Collins Barracks headquarters today hoped to have them ready for an exhibition by St Patrick’s Day next year.

The woman was believed to be between 25 and 35-years-old when she died around 900AD. At the time Viking chieftains had established control over Dublin, which had a population then of around 3,000 people. Mr Wallace said Irish monasteries around Dublin such as Swords and Clondalkin were being controlled by the Vikings.

“They were using them to do things such as make jewellery and creaming off the income,” he said. He added that the Vikings would have spoken Old Norse but were becoming assimilated into the Christian religion.

Osteo-archaeologists are to carry out further tests on the bones of the woman to establish illnesses, diet and if she had any children.

John Kavanagh, the archaeologist in charge of the excavation said an early medieval ditch had been found around the site as well as domestic pits. He added that the excavation would not interfere severely with the construction of the apartments.

Rolly Read, the head of conservation at the National Museum said it would be possible to restore the oval brooch found on the woman’s body to its original glory.

“The brooch was made from copper alloy and gilded with gold and silver. Although it looks quite robust, it’s like handling eggshells. When it was made, it was in your face and it was dazzling.”