Overcoming

Barriers

The sea was probably the single most influential element in the history of the Norse and Gaels. For the men from the west coasts of Scotland and Norway, the sea was not a barrier; it was their motorway. Travelling over land in both places was difficult, so an alternative was needed - and the sea provided it. To get from place to place in large numbers, Somerled and his Norse adversaries needed ships adapted to their specific purposes. First came the longship.

Viking Longship

Also known as “dragon ships”, they were fast, ocean going ships powered by sail and oar. They came in various sizes and styles dependent on whether they were for fighting, trading or fishing. Not having a keel, they could be easily beached enabling their occupants to leap out, raid and quickly re-float to escape any reprisal. Their shallow draft made them useful for travelling up rivers as well as across oceans. They could also be transported over land between rivers relatively easily, which enabled them to explore inland as well as across seas.

Highland Galley

The Gaels of western Scotland and Ireland adopted the longship to replace their traditional sea going curraughs, or coracles; boats made of leather stretched over a wooden frame. The longships were bigger, stronger and faster - superior in every way to the coracle. But, for the seas west of Scotland, ships were needed that were more manoeuvrable. And when the Norse came raiding, Somerled wanted to be able to attack them while they were still at sea. This led to a stern mounted rudder and the addition of fore and aft platforms and a “crows nest” on the mast. These changes enabled the Gaels’ ships to change direction more rapidly and their archers to shoot down into even the largest longship, as well as see further from the vantage point near the top of the mast. These ships became known as the highland galley, or birlinn.