Ostmen, Irish and Welsh in the eleventh century

Abstract

Recent work on Hiberno-Welsh relations in the eleventh century asserts that contacts between the countries rarely amounted to more than raids by Irish-based Vikings, and that these raids followed a pattern, often taken place after defeats inflicted on the Ostmen in Ireland. It is argued that this interpretation is flawed, that relations between Ireland and Wales were more complex, that both Ostmen and Irish kings had close political links with Wales, and that the text Historia Gruffud vab Kenan is a useful primary source for the subject.