Dún na nGall, ‘Fort of the Foreigners’?

The Vikings and their legacy in Donegal

Megan McAuley

Dún na nGall, the Irish name for ‘Donegal’, translates as ‘Fort of the Foreigners’, but who were the foreigners in question? This book considers that they were Vikings and reviews the archaeological and documentary evidence for Vikings in Donegal and addresses the nature of Viking activity and possible settlement in the county. From Viking silver hoards found throughout Inishowen to a potential Viking-type dwelling at Portnablagh, the evidence for Vikings is strongest in the north and east of the county.

Megan McAuley is a PhD student in the Department of History at Maynooth University. Her research interests include the history of childhood, gender history and the local history of County Donegal from the medieval to the modern period. Her MA thesis assessed the evidence for Viking activity in County Donegal.