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Message: <blockquote data-quote="davevikingr" data-source="post: 1303392" data-attributes="member: 69939">Off subject to a degree but on the founding of Dublin by 'Danes' :-Firstly when Dublin was founded in the 9th century there was no kingdom of Denmark - just a collection of 'petty'-kingdoms, the same goes for Norway and the concept of Danish or Norwegian did not exist.  These names were given much later.  The references to Dark and Fair Foreigners in the Irish Annals  (many to be found <a href="http://www.ucc.ie/celt/publishd.html" target="_blank">www.ucc.ie/celt/publishd.html</a>) i.e. dubh-gall and finn-gall, has for many years been taken to name Danes (dark foreigners) and Norwegians (fair foreigners) on the assumption that this came from their prodiminant hair-colouring.  Not to put too finer point on most modern historians agree that this is cobblers.The Gaels often used dark- and fair- prefixes to denote age/seniority, presumably derived from hair-colour in that way.  Thus the fair-foreigners were simply those who arrived earlier than the dark-foreigners.The fair foreigners arrived in the 1st half of the 800s and founded the settlement of Dublin (Old Norse Dyflin).  In the mid 800s the 'dark' foreigners arrived, one of the leaders was the famous Ivarr, most likely the same Ivarr as Ivarr the boneless of York fame.  However he seems to have been based at Limerick (Old Norse Hlymrekur).He and his fellows were in turn disrupted by the arrival in 853 of Olaf, probably Olaf the White of Icelandic saga legend, and just possibly Olaf Gudrodsson of 'Norway' (as it was to become), although this latter ID is controversial and unproven.Olaf and Ivarr were either allies or became allies and campaigned together in Ireland and Britain.Olaf was, therefore, the first reliably recorded King of Dublin.  He left Ireland in 871 and his place was taken by Ivarr who survived to 873.  He was succeeded by various members of his kindred including, in the 1000s, Sigtrygg Silkbeard who achieved fame through the battle of Clontarf in 1014, even though he was not present alongside his many allies.  His forces got their butts kicked but their foe, Brian Boru, was killed and Sigtrygg survived into the 1040s.  His kindred continued to rule into the 1100s but with decreasing power and influence.Here endeth the lesson</blockquote>

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