Lodge member Mike Conlan gave a presentation on the Viking settlements in Ireland, including the norse founding of Dublin, Cork, Waterford and Limerick, all Viking settlements from which marauders conducted raids on Irish market towns and, especially, monasteries.
Monasteries were the source of much of the wealth of the country, serving as the repositories of the kings’ treasuries and of treasure-laden religious books and reliquaries. Monasteries were essentially unguarded and the monks unarmed, making the sites easy picking for Viking raiders seeking loot.
In response, the Irish built ‘Viking towers all across the country – these structures served as watchtowers to warn inhabitants of the approach of Viking raiders, and as a refuge, as villagers would gather in the tower. The towers had no ground-level doorways – access was via a ladder which would be pulled up and the tower secured after the last resident was safely inside.