National Museum of Ireland

The words "A Viking warship comes home" were written on huge banners outside the gates to Collins Barracks, the exhibition area for the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin. Inside, the Sea Stallion from Glendalough rested in the court yard, lifted over a 16 metre high wall by the biggest crane in Ireland.

After arriving in Dublin in 2007, the Sea Stallion was the main item of an exhibition about the Viking Age in Ireland and our related pre-history. The building process of the Sea Stallion was shown through film and pictures, and exhibited items found at archaeological excavations in Dublin described life in the capital between 800-1150 A.D.

Dublin was founded by Vikings in 800 A.D. as a longphort and later as a fortified city. Irish pride of kinship with the old Nordics meant that the exhibition drew large crowds of visitors. People came to see the ship they had heard so much about, with their own eyes. During the first couple of weeks 70,000 – 80,000 visitors came to see the Sea stallion at Collins Barrack.

The director of the National Museum of Ireland, Dr Pat Wallace, wrote a letter to colleagues of the future. Like many of the letters, it has not been seen by anybody and will remain unopened until 2258.