What a weekend! What an event! The best of wishes and congratulations goes to Artur Janka of Polonica Éire who had the vision to create a Viking event here within CIE Hall, a mere stones throw away from where the famous Vilking Kilmainham sword was found. We were so impresssed with Artur and his group, Polonica Éire, that we are in talks for them to call CIE Hall their home, in the not too distant future.

Just in the same vein as the CIE Hall, Arturs entire operation is volunteer run and his efforts culminated in a meeting of Polish-Irish Viking enthusiasts, supported by traditional Irish battlefield fighters, a North African Algerian fighter and the exceptional medieval band, Maruna (not to mention all of the other acts and patrons who supported this event).

A massively family friendly event, it showcased traditional crafts, weaponry and protection followed by a talk about the history and nature of offensive and defensive techniques, delivered humourously and with knowledgeable purpose.

All kids were entertained with ceramics and viking shield activities. A lot of Polish cuisine was also on offer – cakes, pierogi and Borscht.I’m still searching for the Bigos.

A special shout out goes to Alex Sinicin who owns and runs Sushi Planet (Sushi Planet – SushiPlanet.ie) in Bluebell. It’s a company on our doorstep that we never knew existed and supplies the freshest Sushi on a daily basis. We can easily recommend his organisation with 5 gold stars. Please support Alex and his staff, who supply a fantastically fresh and tasty product.

Didn’t that stage look great? A full dress up occurred between 22:00 on the Friday night and finished at 04:00 on the Saturday monring. All of it, mirroring the Club, completely volunteer led.

CERAMICS & ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN

A huge shout out to the wonderful duo of Grazyna Chyla Kaczmarek and Juliusz Kaczmarek, who brought their unique ceramic and Viking arts activities to our CIE Hall. It’s under stating the activity by saying it went down stunningly well with the children. Making and colouring the Viking shields was a winner with the younger kids, as can be seen through the proud expression radiating from a resident on the square, with her newly crafted Viking shield.

GARMENTS, UTENSILS, CRAFTS & CAMP

In the inhospitable environments from centuries past, typical attire consisted of woolen tunics and hats. This drinking vessel, made from a Polish cow horn, caught our eye. The cow horn itself was incredibly smooth with metal trimmings encasing each endpoint. In terms of preservation, the interior was coated with beeswax for smoothness and longevity. Ales and meades were consumed from these utensils. Highly acidic alcoholic beverages such as whiskey or other spirits were kept away, as they destroy the inner lining of the vessel. This Viking was contained behind a brass bar, away from more Guinness… in case we ran dry.

WEAPONARY & WARFARE

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Each demonstration talked through the components of warfare. Items were all functional and, by design, they had distinctinve uses – be they shields, long spears, Danish axes, long swords, short swords, curved swords.

A defensive structure, known as a “shield wall”, was put to wicked use when coupled with a Danish axe, loitering in the background. A harvester of sorrow emerged when the shields were shunted together in tight formation, mimicing the wall of a Roman Phalanx. At the opportune moment, the wall quickly opened up and the fighter with Danish axe swiped violently downward, with the sole purpose of attempting to crush skull or slice through human flesh, veins and arteries .

IRISH WARRIOR

Ancient Ireland was a wilderness that was difficult to navigate. It was a wilderness of bogs, dense brush, tough thicket and deep, dark forests. The toolcraft that emerged championed function over aesthetic. The Irish warrior was equipped with long spears, small shields and smaller swords. These items were adapted to simply “work” in specific terrains. Hunting and fighting in densely vegetated terrains would simply not work with large axes and heavy long swords. Nimble items such as short swords, small shields and long spears worked best. Leather footwear was required for the soft, wet ground underfoot.

Interestingly, this particular Irish warrior is equipped with historically accurate items. All of these items were acquired from archaeological digs or based on archaeological finds.

FIGHTING DEMONSTRATIONS – THE KIDS’ SHIELD WALL

The Vikings recruited new warriors in CIE Hall, not by age but by talent. Enter the master of ceremonies, bringing the kids into shield wall formation to test their newly made defensive shields, aided by an Irish warriors long spear and cold viking steel.

FIGHTING DEMONSTRATIONS

Fighting styles won over the kids. A real highlight.

3 distinct styles of warrior appeared here… Irish warrior, Vikings and a North African Algerian fighter. If you play close attention to the Vikings you can see how a Viking duo attacked a single fighter. One went in with his Danish axe and held back the opponents sword, via the curved groove to the rear of the Danish axe, rendering the fighter defenseless through a “trapped” sword. The other Viking engaged and put the now disarmed opponent to the sword.

The next demonstration feature a powerful yet deft takedown with a shield. We just missed the start of this sequence but it was unexpectedly impressive, up close.

The younger 3 year old kids were somewhat frightened but captivated by the appearance of the Vikings and strange eye coverings. When asked if they wanted to leave it was a case of “could you hold me up. We can stay to see some more fighting”. Surprisingly, the menace of armour, chainmail and clunking crash of cold steel was a magnetic draw for the kids.

Then emerged the Tatar Bow. The traditional craftsmanship of the weaponary and attire was eye-catching and absolutely exceptional.

Maruna & Music Acts

A lot of musical styles were were on display. And in a completely chance encounter I met a traditional Polish band member who I would have come across a few years ago in Zakopane while walking in the Tatra mountains.

The Polish band Maruna (Maruna Facebook), from Bialystock, Poland, were something special. Other wordly and from a time very long ago, they were a hit with the kids and adults. Delivering melifluous melodies of ghostly chant against a sentry of drum beats, it was haunting music for the soul.

WOLIN

So what’s this Viking world all about? A major highlight for a lot of the people present was the town of Wolin or Jomsborg-Wolin as it’s known. Wolin is located in Northern Poland and draws a massive yearly meetup of Vikings from all over the world. Our Irish Warrior donned his much coveted Jomsborg-Wolin t-shirt for 2025.

The official site of the Wolin Viking village

Centrum Słowian i Wikingów WOLIN – JOMSBORG – VINETA – Skansen usytuowany na nabrzeżu rzeki Dziwna.

Wolin Viking Video Walk through.

People are curious as to the battle scenes and if it’s mainly acting. Check out the following video. It’s a full-on crash or crushing battle. It speaks to a certain sensibility as to why some Vikings take out personal health insurance of €4,000 per year.

Wolin Viking Festival

PATRON SUPPORT & DONATIONS

The CIE Hall is entirely and completely volunteer led. These events are free of charge and they would not be possible without the help of all volunteers, giving up their very valuable family and social time to entertain you and your kin.

Should you have the ability to do so, please consider making a small contribution to the famous CIE Hall.

All donations assist all volunteers and might even go as far as buying a Hang Sangwich and a glass of bainne for a Viking.

Donations and monetary support very much welcome by clicking here

Míle buíochas.

C.I.E.Hall