24.08.2018
Sunniva and the Seljumen on their way from Ireland
Drawing by Gösta af Geijerstam. From the series Den hellige Sunniva
©Gösta af Geijerstam, Bono Norway/IVARO Dublin, 2018
Click image to enlarge
Dublin Festival of History:
Viking Symposium and Lecture
The National University of Ireland, Dublin City Council, the Royal Norwegian Embassy and the University of Bergen are pleased to announce two events in association with the Dublin Festival of History. These events will celebrate Ireland and Norway’s shared Viking heritage and will focus in particular on St Sunniva, patron saint of Bergen. Tradition holds that St Sunniva was an Irish princess who fled the unwanted attention of the Vikings, eventually to settle on the island of Selja, off the coast of Norway.
A one-day symposium, Our Friends from the North? Irish and Norse in the Viking Age will take place on Thursday 4th October in the Wood Quay Venue, Dublin City Council Offices. Papers will also explore the historical, archaeological and literary connections between the Ireland and western Scandinavia in the Viking Age.
Professor Alf Tore Hommedal (University Museum of Bergen) and Dr Raghnall Ó Floinn (former Director of the National Museum of Ireland) will deliver plenary papers. Other speakers will include Irene Baug (University of Bergen), John Sheehan (University College Cork), Linzi Simpson (Archaeologist) and Catherine Swift (Mary Immaculate College).
The second event is a lecture by Professor Jan Erik Rekdal, entitled: The legend of St. Sunniva and its representation of Christianization of Norway and will take place at 1pm on the 5th October in the Oak Room, The Mansion House. Professor Rekdal’s research interests focus on the Christian tradition of Norse settlers in both Ireland and Scotland. He has written extensively on St Sunniva and on parallels between the Norwegian legend of the saint and Irish Voyage Tales.
Registration for both the symposium and the lecture is open now.
Both events are free to attend, however, booking is essential.
Registration for Symposium: Our Friends from the North? Irish and Norse in the Viking Age
Registration for Lecture: The legend of St. Sunniva and its representation of Christianization of Norway
For further information, please contact archaeology@dcc.ie
The Dublin Festival of History takes place from 24th September to 7th October 2018.
Please click for The full programme of events
Follow NUI on X