Woodstown is a Viking archaeological site located less than 6km from the town of Waterford. Considered a major site in Ireland, it was a considerable source of information on the Viking way of life at the time… Today, Woodstown is a mecca for archaeological tourism, so don’t hesitate to come and discover the secrets of Viking life in Ireland!
The site was discovered in the early 2000s, when the National Roads Authority launched work to build a road (the N25) bypassing the town of Waterford. Initial preliminary work revealed the presence of significant archaeological artefacts, forcing the National Roads Authority to halt work, and eventually to rethink the location of the road that was to be built.
Extensive archaeological excavations in 2003 provided more precise information on the discovery: the site measures 1.5km wide by 0.5km long, and is thought to have been an ancient Viking settlement until the 11th century.
This new information created a controversy: should the site be preserved or razed to the ground?
Faced with this danger, a group was formed to defend the preservation of the site: the Save Viking Waterford Action Group (SVWAG), founded in September 2004. Thanks to their intervention, the site will finally be preserved as it is, classified as a historic site by the Irish State, and new excavations are scheduled.
More than 4,000 Viking artefacts, all dating from the 9th century, are on display:
Professor Donnchadh O’Corrain, Ireland’s leading medieval historian, declared Woodstown“the most significant discovery in Viking studies for perhaps a century“.
All these objects suggest that the site was once densely populated by Vikings. Its proximity to the River Suir made it ideal for trade and military defense. The dating of the objects found, however, suggests that the site was abandoned around 1050… No explanation has yet been found…
If you’d like to visit Woodstown, prepare to be disappointed: at first glance, the site now holds little interest, its archaeological artefacts having been moved to museums around the country (notably the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin). Nevertheless, it’s a pleasant place to take a stroll along the Rivière Suir, and there’s no charge for exploring the site.
What better way to take a stroll through ancient Viking territory!
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