''Havhingsten fra Glendalough'' ("The Sea Stallion from Glendalough" or just "Sea Stallion") is a
reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...
of ''Skuldelev 2'', one of the
Skuldelev ships
The Skuldelev ships are five original Viking ships recovered from the waterway of Peberrenden at Skuldelev, north of Roskilde in Denmark. In 1962, the remains of the submerged ships were excavated in the course of four months. The recovered piec ...
and the second-largest
Viking longship
Longships were a type of specialised Scandinavian warships that have a long history in Scandinavia, with their existence being archaeologically proven and documented from at least the fourth century BC. Originally invented and used by the Nors ...
ever to be found. The original vessel was built in the vicinity of
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
around 1042, using oak from
Glendalough
Glendalough (; ) is a glacial valley in County Wicklow, Ireland, renowned for an Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St Kevin. From 1825 to 1957, the head of the Glendalough Valley was the site of a galena lead mine. ...
in
County Wicklow
County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by t ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, hence the ship's name. The reconstruction was built in Denmark at the shipyard of the
Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde
The Viking Ship Museum ( da, Vikingeskibsmuseet) in Roskilde is Denmark's national ship museum for ships of the prehistoric and medieval period.
The main focus of the museum is a permanent exhibition of the Skuldelev ships, five original Viking ...
between 2000 and 2004 and is used for historical research purposes.
The ship is a war machine, built to carry many warriors at high speed. It is a bold design, both heavy and strong enough to carry its 112 m² sail, but also sufficiently light and long to be rowed by a crew of 60 — a compromise between strength and lightness.
The ship has been used during the production of historical fiction television series ''
The Last Kingdom
''The Last Kingdom'' is the first historical novel in The Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell, published in 2004. This story introduces Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a Saxon noble who is kidnapped by Danish Vikings as a young child and is assimilated ...
''.
Research trip to Dublin 2007
The voyage from Roskilde to Dublin and in 2007-2008 was the culmination of many years of work, and the most ambitious archaeological experiment the museum has ever carried out.
A return voyage to Dublin took place over the summer of 2007. The ship left Roskilde Harbour on 1 July and arrived in Dublin on 14 August.
She was put on display in the
Collins Barracks
Collins Barracks ( ga, Dún Uí Choileáin) is a former military barracks in the Arbour Hill area of Dublin, Ireland. The buildings now house the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts and History.
Previously housing both British Arm ...
, the Decorative Arts and History building of the
National Museum of Ireland
The National Museum of Ireland ( ga, Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann) is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has thre ...
, from 17 August 2007 until 29 May 2008. She was then moved to the
Grand Canal Dock
Grand Canal Dock () is a Southside area near the city centre of Dublin, Ireland. It is located on the border of eastern Dublin 2 and the westernmost part of Ringsend in Dublin 4, surrounding the Grand Canal Docks, an enclosed harbour where the ...
to be prepared for the journey back to Roskilde on 29 June 2008, and shortly afterwards the
National Bank of Denmark
Danmarks Nationalbank (in Danish often simply ''Nationalbanken'') is the central bank of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is a non-eurozone member of the European System of Central Banks ( ESCB). Since its establishment in 1818, the objective of the ...
issued a 20-
kroner commemorative coin
Commemorative coins are coins issued to commemorate some particular event or issue with a distinct design with reference to the occasion on which they were issued. Many coins of this category serve as collectors items only, although some countries ...
in celebration of the event.
The ''Sea Stallion'' is lying in the Museum Harbour. The longship is easy to recognize with its characteristic blue, red and yellow strakes.
References
Further reading
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External links
The project homepage(English and Danish).
National Museum of Ireland subsitefor the project.
th
Viking Ship Museum Denmark.
Video highlights of the voyage from
Radio Telefís Éireann.
"Sea Stallion" – Videopodcast{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629143903/http://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/index.php?id=1671&L=1 , date=2011-06-29
* Images
2004 ships
Viking ship replicas
Ships built in Denmark