As you probably know by now, Ireland Experience is a reliable agency coordinating language immersion programmes for Spanish students in Ireland. We are based in Cork and we are very proud to bring our students to this beautiful part of Ireland. Cork and the south of the country has many historical sites, some of them related to the Viking period.
The Vikings began to settle along the Irish coast in the middle of the ninth century. They were the first settlers of the most important Irish towns, including Dublin, Wexford, Limerick, Waterford and Cork. Waterford became the first main naval base to be established by the Vikings, which makes it Ireland’s oldest city. Today, Waterford’s ‘Viking Triangle’, the Viking heritage area in the city, is a very popular tourist attraction.
Many of their original settlements remain as examples of what once were early trading centres that have grown and developed into the popular towns and cities we know them to be today. By establishing trade routes between Ireland, England, and Scandinavia, the Vikings were responsible for introducing many outside influences, from language, culture, and art to new goods and raw materials.
Despite their strong pagan beliefs, many Vikings who settled in Ireland grew to adopt Christianity. It was the Viking Norse King of Dublin himself who ordered the building of the Christ Church Cathedral, one of today’s most popular tourist attractions in Dublin.
Much of Cork’s Viking origins began with a monastic settlement founded in the 7th century by St. Finbarr. Like other monasteries across Ireland, the settlement attracted Viking raiders and in 820, Corkonians experienced their first encounter with the Norsemen. Today, there’s little evidence of Cork’s Viking past, unless you know where to look.
At Ireland Experience we offer our students a total immersion in the culture, history and customs of Ireland, and especially of Cork. Contact us.
+34 618 315 727 
+353 83 482 6432 
contacto@ireland-experience.com
