Take cover - the Vikings are here!

Jenny McGovern

Kids of all ages were thrilled yesterday when the Vikings landed at the County Museum. Fresh from their recent stint at the Battle of Clontarf reenactment on Easter Sunday in Dublin, the Fingal Living History Society made a pit stop in Ballyjamesduff on their way to Armagh.
Children from several schools were there to watch the Vikings, who were dressed from head to toe in traditional garb. They thrilled the crowd with sword fight demonstrations, and their craft village showcased many Viking era skills such as archery, cooking and coin making. The most striking feature on the day was the Viking Long Ship, that was built in Wales and transported to Ireland for the festivities.
Speaking to The Anglo-Celt before the event, museum curator, Savina Donohoe, said: “Hopefully the children will enjoy it and learn a bit about the Vikings. There will be talks and, to make it a learning opportunity as well as a fun opportunity, we will be distributing hand outs on Vikings and we’ll be holding arts and crafts workshops.”
Chairman of the Fingal Living History Society, Barry Gaynor, told the Celt: “By demonstrating the different crafts and the lifestyles of the Vikings, we believe people will appreciate the history that bit more. When you’re ‘hands on’ with history, and people can look, feel and see the things they’re learning about, they get so much more out of it than reading it in a book.”
The Europe prize rewards local and regional authorities for their active promotion of the “European ideal”.
Twinnings, European events and exchange visits are all taken into account by the Council of Europe when selecting candidates for the four awards. The award categories are European Diploma, the Flag of Honour, the Plaque of Honour and the Europe Prize. Fifteen ‘Flags of Honour’ were awarded across Europe this week with Cavan receiving one.