longphort

The Oxford Companion to Irish History | 2007 | 638 words | Copyright

longphort, a defended enclosure designed originally to protect ships. The word was first used in 841 to describe the Viking encampments at Dublin and Linn Duachaill (Annagassan, Co. Louth). it was also used to describe the new Scandinavian settlements established at Waterford in 914 and at Limerick in 922. The sites are characterized by a sheltered harbour which was easily defended and had immediate access to the sea. Subsequently the term was applied to any fortress or stronghold. Among modern scholars the earliest period of Viking occupation at Dublin (841–902) is usually referred to as the longphort phase.

John Bradley

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"longphort." The Oxford Companion to Irish History. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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