📖 Ancient Restoration

Vestmannaeyjar - Westman Isles. Named after Irish (Vestmann) slaves that escaped the vikings in Iceland & fled to live on the isles.

On #Iceland's bleak southern coast an ancient carving on a stone column reads: "Fionn mac Cumhaill was here."

#Icelanders trace about 37% of their matrilineal and 75-80% of their patrilineal DNA ancestry to Scandinavia:

Genetic studies of #Iceland show that a quarter of men and up to half of women among the founding pop. would have been of #Gaelic origin.

Many Icelanders look very much like Irish people, as almost half of Icelanders originally came from Ireland/Scotland as bondsmen. Examples:

Many Icelanders look very much like Irish people, as almost half of Icelanders originally came from Ireland/Scotland as bondsmen. Examples:

Knockdoe, site of the bloodiest battle in Irish medieval history. It means 'Hill of the Axes' due to the vast number of Gallowglas who died.

'Gaelic society in Ireland and Scotland encouraged a particularly strong martial ethos.. the retaining of Gallowglass was nurtured by lords'

Felim O'Connor, reigned as the king of Connacht, 1233–65. Eight of his Gallowglass soldiers keep vigil at his tomb-effigy, Co #Roscommon.

The five-foot-long Sparth axe was the primary weapon used by the Gallowglass. Employed in axe-wall formation it stopped Norman cavalry cold.

The Gallowglass was an Irish equivalent of the Samurai warrior: His loyalties were hereditary in nature, his honour belonged to the clan.

Tomb effigy of Cooey-na-Gall O'Cahan (†1385) surrounded by his loyal Gallowglass warriors, Co #Derry. His name means 'Terror of the Norman'.