Visit the heritage centre and learn all about the Vikings, how they lived by raiding and trading, ans how sturdy ships were a necessity. The ship on the stocks has been modelled on an 11th century Viking ship found at Roskilde, Denmark, which was built in Ireland around 1060 AD.

From Norway, the Vikings had come to Ireland at the end of the 8th century, first for plunder, but later for trade and commerce.

Soon they began to stay in Ireland during the winter. This meant setting up some sort of fortification to protect themselves and their ships.
The settlement would have been surrounded by a wall and ditch. These gradually grew into bigger
establishments, where trade was carried on.

Slaves, wine, delicacies like figs and olives, and other luxury goods changed hands in return for the cowhides and products of Irish agriculture. In this way the first Irish towns, including Wexford, Waterford, Dublin and Limerick were established.

The house reconstruction in the Irish National Heritage Park is based on one found in excavations in Wexford. They were rectangular, with post and wattle walls and a hipped roof. Inside, a central aisle ran from front to back, with seating/sleeping areas on either side, and a hearth in the middle. There was no chimney, but there was a
smoke hole in the ridge.

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