Triona Nicholl: Joining the Sea Stallion voyage to Dublin
In the 1960s, five Viking ships were found at Skuldelev in the Roskilde Fjord, Denmark, where it was believed they had been scuttled deliberately to create a blockade in the fjord. Excavations by archaeologists revealed that the largest of the five, the 30-metre long warship Sea Stallion, was made in 1042 in Ireland, with the oak used in construction traced to Glendalough. The Roskilde Viking Museum made a replica of the vessel, which is currently on route to Dublin on an ambitious, six-week marine archaeological trial. On board when it arrives in August will be Triona Nicholl, who joins the voyage this week in Scotland.
The 25-year-old is halfway through a PhD in Archaeology at UCD but it was her hobby - an interest in Viking-age crafts - which led her to the Sea Stallion voyage. "I was at a craft market in Roskilde and I got a chance to go out on the Sea Stallion for an afternoon. At the time you could sign up for the Dublin voyage on their website so I signed up immediately."
Nicholl flies to Aberdeen on Monday and is part of a 20-person crew rotation. "Depending on the weather we will travel pretty close to the west coast of Scotland and then cross to Northern Ireland. We are due in to Dublin on August 14th."
It's worth bearing in mind that the longship is open to the elements, which means things could get pretty miserable on board if there are heavy seas or bad weather. "There is literally nowhere on board to keep clothes dry, so if it's raining, you are going to be wet until it stops."Even if the weather plays ball, there is still some heavy-duty rowing involved and a very real risk of a crew-member going overboard. "It's pretty full on. The vessel obviously doesn't have an engine, so when we need to manoeuvre, we have to row, and the oars are 4.5m long and very heavy. There are 65 people on board and the boat is only four metres wide at its widest point. Since 2004, we have had spring and summer sailings, and we had a three-week voyage from Norway to Denmark, so we all know each other pretty well at this stage."
In conversation with Michael Kelly.
Track the Sea Stallion voyage at www.seastallion.dk or visit the exhibition at the National Museum, Collins Barracks, Dublin