Vikings should not be regarded as a long-lost tribe, but as part of what we are. This is the message from the National Museum in Dublin where an exhibition of Viking ships opens today.
"They didn't pack up and go home, you know. They came and settled here. The people of Dublin are as much descendants of the Vikings as I am," Ms Tinna Dam gard-Sorensen, the director of the Ship Museum of Roskilde in Denmark, explained.
According to Ms Damgard-Sorensen, who has arrived at the museum in true Viking style with a full-size ship, two shipbuilders and one rope-maker, Danes are suffering from the same affliction. "We find similar attitudes in Denmark. People see the Vikings as a strange tribe who have disappeared, almost like dinosaurs," she added. The exhibition, which is described as a new departure for the museum, was opened yesterday by the President, Mrs McAleese. Prince Joachim and Princess Alexandra of Denmark, on a three-day visit to Ireland, also attended.
A full-size Viking cargo ship built 20 years ago in Denmark is on display outside the museum in Kildare Street, and another will be built inside by two Danish shipbuilders. The frame of the boat, measuring six metres, has already been built, and regular visitors to the exhibition will be able to watch it take shape.
Traditional methods and tools are being used, and it will take the two more months to complete.
Ms Damgard-Sorensen said it was only one generation of Vikings which engaged in pillaging and "hit-and-run" tactics in Ireland. One of the exhibits is a reminder of this less savoury aspect of the Viking culture.
Ranvaik's casket, a beautiful ornamental box in wood and tinned bronze and so called because of an inscription in Norse saying "Ranvaik owns this casket", was made in Ireland in the eighth century to hold relics of saints. It is believed to have fallen into Viking hands by the 10th century, and is now on loan from a Danish museum.
A model of a huge Viking warship, which was uncovered and excavated in Roskilde fjord along with four other ships in 1962, has been made especially for the exhibition. Called Skuldelev 2 and 4 because it was originally thought to have been two different boats, it was built in Ireland about 1060. Tree-ring analysis of the wood in the ship showed it was made from Irish oak.
Mrs McAleese said it was one of the best examples of the shared history and heritage between Ireland and Denmark. There was "a wonderful bond and set of friendships" between the two countries which should be preserved for future generations.
The exhibition, part of a Danish cultural programme "Out of Denmark", also includes events at the National Gallery and the National Concert Hall. It continues until next April.