The Vikings in Ireland. Did the Vikings have a positive effect on Irish society?

Essay from the year 2012 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1,5, University College Cork (Department of Archaeology), language: English, abstract: 'The term Viking conjures up for most Irish people bands of marauders and robbers who plundered Irish monasteries and churches, causing widespread destruction and terror [...]'. Such a negative perception of the Viking Age, about 795 and 1169, correlates with the assertion uttered by historians in the past that 'the effect of the Viking invasions on Irish society was catastrophic'. This depiction of the invaders, mostly from Norway and later also from Denmark, seems to be based on sources from monasteries which had been the main targets of the Scandinavians during the first period of raids, approximately between 795 and 840. Therefore, the reliability of these sources is doubtful and they have to be interpreted critically and very carefully. However, many scholars nowadays believe that, on the whole, the Vikings had a positive effect on Irish society. The aim of this paper is to critically discuss and assess the archaeological evidence which appears to support this position.