Irish King

In 870 AD Ireland was divided into small areas called tuatha, each ruled by a minor king called a ri tuatha. King Yvar was the real king of Dublin 871-873 AD. The Vikings called him Yvar or Ivar Olafsson (son of Olaf) and the Irish called him Ivar mac-Aulaffe (mac means ‘son of’).

The Curach

The Irish really built boats from ox hides, and travelled in them to various other lands, including Iceland.

Ringforts

Within the tuatha, people lived in ringforts. Each ringfort was a tiny farming community surrounded by a wall and a deep ditch to keep out enemies. These were built even before the Vikings came because there was much fighting and raiding between different Irish groups. Fields were outside the ringfort wall.

To see photos of a reconstructed ringfort go to

http://www.liosnagcon.com/ringfort/tour.shtml

Old Irish language

The language spoken by Dúngal in Stormriders is called Old Irish.

It is a bit different from the Irish language that is spoken in Ireland today.