Annagassan ()"Annagassan" A Dictionary of British Place-Names. A. D. Mills. Oxford University Press, 2003. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Solihull Libraries. 16 April 2008 is a village in the

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...

of Ballynagassan, County Louth,

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 ...

. It sits where the

River Glyde The River Glyde ( ga, an Casán) is a river in eastern Ireland, flowing from County Cavan to County Louth. Course The Glyde rises in the town of Bailieborough in Cavan, the upper reaches are sometimes known as the Lagan River, but after the Kil ...

enters the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...

History

Annagassan was first mentioned as ''

Linn Duachaill Linn Duachaill (; "Duachall's pool") is the name of a Viking longphort near the village of Annagassan, County Louth, Ireland. The settlement was built in 841 CE, the same time as the settlement of ''Dubh Linn'', or Dublin. In contrast to Dublin, t ...

'' in AD 841 when the establishment of a

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

longphort was recorded. This has subsequently been confirmed by archaeological work. In 827, the ''Annals of Ulster'' record that the Vikings attacked the Ciannachta people of Louth and north Meath. These early raids were sporadic coastal attacks by small seaborne forces; however, from the 830s, a new phase was characterised by larger fleets, which penetrated up navigable rivers and plundered extensive inland areas. There is a legend that one such Viking was stranded after a raid and settled there. The locals believe this Viking heritage is evidenced by the long-held residence of a seafaring man of "mythic proportions" and wild Scandinavian appearance and demeanour, known to the villagers as "The Bear". Annagassan was once as important as the Viking settlement at Dubh Linn (The Black Pool). The modern village is generally believed to be built on what archaeologists consider to be a man-made polder structure, constructed to provide shelter for the fjord. The original settlement was located further upstream; navigation was considerably easier on the River Glyde in the 9th century before the intervening build-up of sediment.

Transport

Bus Éireann route 168 provides two journeys to

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

Mondays to Fridays inclusive and a solitary return journey from

. The morning outward journey and the return journey serve Dromiskin.

References

{{Authority control Towns and villages in County Louth Viking Age populated places

History

Transport

See also

References