Dr Elizabeth Boyle - Ireland, the Vikings and Slavery

Dr Elizabeth Boyle is Head of Early Irish at Maynooth University and an accomplished historian of the medieval world. She has a doctorate from Cambridge University in Anglo Saxon, Norse and Celtic Studies. Lizzie, as she is known, lives between Ireland and England. In this audio interview Helen Shaw gets Lizzie to describe what Ireland was like, as a political and economic society, at the time of the Norse Vikings invasion and settlements in the 9th Century. Lizzie gives a picture of the normalcy of slavery both in Irish society and in the Viking world and gives context to the story of Melkorka the supposedly mute Irish slave princess of the Icelandic Sagas - in the Laxdaela Saga. To find out more about Elizabeth Boyle's work and research visit: www.maynoothuniversity.ie/people/elizabeth-boyle Her personal blog, full of interesting treasures, is here thecelticist.ie/ to find out more about our project go to www.mothersbloodsistersongs.com Music is Numarimur by Linda Buckley - find out more about Linda's work on www.lindabuckley.org/

Om Podcasten

How the genetics of Iceland reveals its Irish motherhood; an exploration of the connections between Iceland and Ireland presented by composer Linda Buckley and produced Helen Shaw at Athena Media. Acclaimed Irish composer Linda Buckley has a personal and professional affinity to Iceland and in this radio series she teams up with documentary maker Helen Shaw to trace the connections between the two places. The Icelandic female line goes directly back to gaelic women, mostly taken as slaves, by Norwegian Vikings who settled the land over a thousand years ago. http://mothersbloodsistersongs.com