Ireland’s population in ‘serious decline’ before Vikings’ arrival

[Elderberry]

The Irish Times by Shauna Bowers 8/22/2019

Vikings more successful than ‘natives’ in expanding population, research shows

Ireland’s population was in “serious decline” before the arrival of the Vikings, new research suggests.

It had been assumed that the Irish population saw a steady rise across the centuries until the Famine in the 1840s, but new estimates show there was a decline in population numbers for almost 200 years before the Vikings settled in Ireland in the 10th century.

Academics from Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) used rigorous archaeological data science algorithms to analyse a database of archaeological sites discovered during Ireland’s Celtic Tiger years, when there was a boom in motorway building and other developments.

The researchers examined the radiocarbon readings that were included on excavation reports from these archaeological sites, and translated those readings into the level of activity during the early medieval Ireland period.

Dr Rowan McLaughlin, research fellow from the School of Natural and Built Environment at QUB, said based on these readings, Ireland’s population appears to have gone into an unexplained decline about 700AD.

More: https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/ireland-s-population-in-serious-decline-before-vikings-arrival-1.3993346

[Sanguine]

Interesting.  So, maybe the Vikings started viking partially because there was a vacuum to exploit there.

@Gefn, you may find this interesting.

[Elderberry]

I haven't done much on my tree in a long long time. I did trace back on my mother's side to:

Ragnvald Óláfsson, King of Vestfold
782–850
Birth 782  Vestfold, Norway

[Gefn]

Interesting.  So, maybe the Vikings started viking partially because there was a vacuum to exploit there.

@Gefn, you may find this interesting.

Thank you @Sanguine

I do.