Travel, transport and communication to and from Ireland, c. AD 400-1100: an archaeological perspective

Loveluck, Chistopher; O'Sullivan, Aidan

Abstract

In this paper we examine the extensive new archaeological evidence for the early Irish medieval economy, trade and exchange, evidence which has accrued during the explosion of developer-led archaeological research in Ireland in recent decades and has highlighted the importance of the Atlantic-facing regions of Europe in helping to drive the social, economic, and political transformations of early medieval western Christendom. An archaeological re-assessment of links between Ireland, Britain and continental Europe is, therefore, an essential prerequisite to understanding the role and impact of the Irish in early medieval Europe. An assessment of this role between the fifth and eleventh centuries has to be conducted within the context of the maritime cultural landscapes of Atlantic Europe and the Channel, and the principal river ‘transport corridors’ leading into the interior of continental Europe and ultimately to the Mediterranean.

Citation

Loveluck, C., & O'Sullivan, A. (2016). Travel, transport and communication to and from Ireland, c. AD 400-1100: an archaeological perspective. In R. Flechner, & S. Meeder (Eds.), The Irish in early medieval Europe: identity, culture, religion. Palgrave MacMillan

• Acceptance Date: Nov 30, 2015
• Publication Date: Jun 24, 2016
• Deposit Date: Jul 25, 2016
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Book Title: The Irish in early medieval Europe: identity, culture, religion
• ISBN: 978-1-13743-059-5
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/793658
• Additional Information: Loveluck, Christopher and O'Sullivan, Aidan. Travel, transport and communication to and from Ireland, c. AD 400-1100: an archaeological perspective in The Irish in early medieval Europe: identity, culture, religion, 2016, Palgrave, reproduced with permission of Palgrave Macmillan. This extract is taken from the author's original manuscript and has not been edited. The definitive, published, version of record is available here: https://he.palgrave.com/page/detail/The-Irish-in-Early-Medieval-Europe/?K=9781137430595
• Contract Date: Jul 24, 2016