Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)

The millennium of the Battle of Clontarf will be commemorated in 2014. This signal anniversary presents a special opportunity to enhance the appreciation and understanding of the Vikings in our national history, their settlement in centres throughout Ireland and contribution to economic and cultural life in Ireland. Officials from my Department have had discussions with various groups, including historians, archaeologists and the ambassador of Denmark, with a view to developing a commemorative programme that reflects the influence of the Vikings in Ireland and the Battle of Clontarf as a defining event in our history.

Operating under the aegis of my Department and within the confines of available resources, I envisage that the national cultural institutions will play an important role in any commemorative arrangement, especially the National Museum of Ireland. In that context, I understand the National Museum of Ireland intends to hold a major exhibition on Brian Boru and the Battle of Clontarf in 2014. It is expected that the exhibition will have an international focus, with loans from institutions across Europe. The exhibition will not only present Ireland and Europe in the later Viking age but also examine the continuing significance of Brian Boru and Clontarf in Irish folklore and popular imagination right up to modern times. In addition to possible initiatives by the national cultural institutions, my Department will be consulting local authorities and other interested parties with a view to the development of a co-ordinated programme. I will convene a meeting in early course of the key parties, including the Danish and Norwegian ambassadors, to progress these plans further. I expect to receive a report on planned activities in the autumn.

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