Viking artifacts suggest Cork is Ireland's oldest urban settlement

What is Ireland's oldest city? Viking swords and foundations of buildings discovered in Cork city in 2018 could change that answer.

Cork City Council executive archaeologist Joanne Hughes and her team uncovered in 2018 an urban center that predates the Viking settlements in neighboring County Waterford.

A riverside site due to be developed into an events center and student accommodation unit was recently excavated and revealed Cork’s significance in the Hiberno-Norse world.

The site, the former location of the Beamish & Crawford Brewery on South Main Street, masked the stone foundations of St Lawrence’s Church, dating back to 1120 to 1150 AD.

Evidence of a house dating back to 1070 was also found. Hughes stated that dendrochronological (tree-ring dating) samples proved that the findings are the earliest evidence of urban existence in Ireland.

The earliest Viking settlements in nearby Waterford are at least 15 years older than the new findings.

Read More: Waterford's Viking past 

Look, Cork might have ruins that are fifteen years older than Waterford’s but where did Strongbow and Aoife get married? That’s right, Waterford: Ireland’s *Best* Viking City

— Big Jumper Boy (@alan_maguire) January 10, 2018

According to the Irish Times, the walls have been preserved at the site, and the development of the brewery must be reconsidered and changed. It has been suggested that the new development incorporate some of the findings into its new design.

Read More: 1,000-year-old perfect Viking sword found at Beamish brewery in Cork 

The report by Hughes confirms, “walls which are considered to be of archaeological significance in the South Main Street area have been preserved in situ.”

Planned public lectures, starting on February 7th, will detail the full find.

Norwegian Vikings in Ireland's most important Viking city, Waterford - originally Vedarfjordr.

A post shared by Else Berit Eikeland (@else.b.eikeland) on Jun 3, 2017 at 1:55pm PDT

The Cork Public Museum already houses multiple artifacts of Viking significance. The Norwegian Ambassador to Ireland, Else Berit-Eikeland, visited in September to view the swords, thread winders, and pommels. It is hoped that artifacts found during this most recent excavation will also eventually be housed in the museum.

Read More: Bronze Age fort one of 30 ancient sites discovered in Cork