When Vikings Brought Irish Women to the Edge of the World

Céad Míle Fáilte, and welcome to your Letter from Ireland for this week. We’ve just passed the New Year so we’re deep into the winter months here in County Cork, with the days staying dark until well after eight in the morning. However, there’s a particular stillness to these mornings that I find quite beautiful, the kind that makes you grateful for a warm kitchen and a cup of Barry’s tea. How are things in your part of the world today?

I’m settled in with my tea as I write, and I hope you’ll join me with a cup of whatever you fancy as we start into today’s letter. This week, I want to take us on a journey to a place that might seem quite distant from Ireland, but is actually connected to us through fascinating threads of history, culture, and even genetics – the land of fire and ice known as Iceland.

When Irish Monks Sailed to the Edge of the World

Last month, I noticed the following post in the Green Room from Deirdre:

“I recently took a DNA test and was surprised to see a small percentage of Scandinavian ancestry alongside my Irish heritage. When I mentioned this to a friend, she also told me there were actually ancient connections between Ireland and Iceland, which I was quite surprised to hear. I’d love to learn more about this as I recently visited Iceland and was very taken by the beauty of the natural landscape.”

What a fascinating subject, Deirdre! Unknown to many, the connection between Ireland and Iceland is one of the most intriguing stories in early medieval history, and it begins long before the Vikings arrived there.

According to Icelandic sources, when Norse settlers first arrived in Iceland around 870 AD, they found Irish monks already there. These monks, called “Papar” in Old Norse, had arrived decades earlier, seeking isolation for prayer and contemplation. They’d sailed the treacherous North Atlantic in small boats called “Currachs” which consisted of wood frames covered with animal hides.

These Irish monks didn’t stay after the Norse arrived, supposedly they left because they didn’t wish to live among heathens. But they did leave behind Irish books, bells, and croziers. Place names across Iceland still echo their presence: Papey (Monks’ Island), Papos, and Papyli all commemorate these early Irish visitors.

The Viking Age: A Two-Way Connection Begins

The relationship between Ireland and Iceland deepened dramatically during the Viking Age. From the late 8th century onwards, Norse raiders and traders had established settlements around Ireland, particularly in the cities that became known as Dublin, Waterford, Wexford, Cork, and Limerick. While originally temporary camps, they eventually became thriving Norse-Irish communities where both cultures blended.

So, when Iceland was permanently settled starting around 870 AD, many of those settlers came directly from these Norse colonies in Ireland. They brought with them Irish wives, servants, and slaves. The Icelandic Landnámabók (Book of Settlements) records the names of the original Icelandic settlers, and a significant number have Irish connections.

One famous example is Aud the Deep-Minded, a Norse woman who lived in Dublin before settling in Iceland. She brought with her twenty freed Irish slaves and granted them land. Her story illustrated how intertwined these two island cultures had become.

What DNA Tell Us

Modern genetics has filled in remarkable detail over this historical picture. DNA studies reveal that while most Icelandic men have Scandinavian ancestry, a significant proportion of Icelandic women, some studies suggest up to 60%, have Gaelic genetic heritage.

This pattern tells a powerful story. Norse men who’d spent time in Ireland or western Scotland often brought Gaelic women with them to Iceland – sometimes as wives and sometimes as slaves who later integrated into society. The genetic legacy of these women has persisted through the centuries in Iceland’s relatively isolated population.

For those of us with Irish ancestry, this means the connection can run both ways. Many people of Irish descent might find small amounts of Scandinavian DNA because of Norse settlement in Ireland, while Icelanders often carry Irish genetic markers from this same period of contact.

Cultural Echoes Across the Water

The cultural connections go beyond genetics. Both islands developed rich oral and literary traditions. Ireland’s monastic scribes preserved early Irish literature, while Iceland’s saga writers created some of medieval Europe’s finest prose.

Some scholars believe Irish literary traditions influenced early Icelandic writing. The detailed genealogies, the emphasis on family honour, and the preservation of oral history were features of both cultures. When you read an Icelandic saga (I’m afraid I have only read modern Icelandic murder mysteries, of which there are a surprising number), you’re encountering something that would feel familiar to an early Irish storyteller. You have the respectful attention to ancestry, the importance of place names, and the way stories anchor families to the land.

Both islands also share a tradition of independent spirit. Ireland, despite centuries of conquest, maintained its language, culture, and identity. While Iceland may not have been under the same colonial pressure, there is a similar stubbornness to both peoples – a refusal to simply disappear into larger neighbouring cultures.

Two Islands, One Story

What strikes me most about the Ireland-Iceland connection is how it reminds us that our ancestors’ stories were never confined to one place. The Irish monks who sailed to Iceland seeking God in the wilderness, the Norse-Irish families who settled a new land, and the Gaelic women who became founding mothers of Iceland’s population – all of these people carried Irish blood and culture far beyond our shores.

When you research our Irish heritage, you’re not just exploring one small island on the edge of Europe. You’re connecting with a people who travelled, traded, and left their mark across the medieval world.

The next time you look at your DNA results or trace your family tree, remember that your Irish ancestors were part of this broader story. Their blood and culture flowed out across the seas, just as other peoples’ blood flowed into Ireland. We’re all part of a rich, complex tapestry of human movement and connection.

So, thanks to Deirdre for raising this interesting topic. How about the rest of our readers. Have you discovered unexpected connections between your Irish heritage and other parts of the world? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

That’s it for this week,

Slán for now,

Mike.