Mr. Simon Harris, TD, Minister of State with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW) today (10 September 2014) officially opened the Viking House at the National Botanic Gardens.

A 1,000 year-old thatched house has been re-created at the National Botanic Gardens and is a replica of a 10th century Dublin house on Fishamble Street.   Viking Dublin marks the foundation of the capital city dating back to 860 AD. This Viking House was built by Eoin Donnelly, master craftsman of Enniscorthy and Peter Compton, skilled thatcher from Cavan. The design, craftmanship and methods are all timeless examples of the skill of traditional timber frame buildings. The project was supported by Dublin City Council, The National Museum of Ireland and the School of Archaeology, University College Dublin and the Irish Museums Trust.

Speaking at the opening, Minister Harris said, “It gives me great pleasure to be at the National Botanic Gardens this afternoon to officially open the Viking House. The Botanic Gardens is managed by my office, the OPW, and is a well-known public institution that continues to act as a scientific and educational resource. This building will serve as a living outdoor classroom for both young and old and will show how Dubliners lived a millennium ago."

The Viking House is an almost 100% organic structure and built from four species of plants i.e. Oak, Ash, Hazel and Reeds. Due to the interest raised by the construction of this house it was decided to reprint a book by Ruth Johnson titled Viking Age Dublin which was also launched by Minister Harris today.

The Minister concluded, "I am delighted also to launch the reprint of Ruth Johnson's book "Viking Age Dublin" and I am confident that this book, along with the Viking House, will help us all to further understand and appreciate the Dublin of a thousand years ago".

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For further information or if you wish to interview Minister Harris please contact Colette Davis at 046 942 6128, 087 947 5552 or colette.davis@opw.ie

Note to Editors:

Photography available after the event from: www.maxwellphotography.ie

About the Viking House:

The house was built by Eoin Donnelly, master craftsman of Enniscorthy, and Peter Compton, a skilled thatcher from Cavan. Eoin manages the woodland that all the materials came from and harvested the Oak, Ash and Hazel himself.

An important aspects of modern archaeology has been the experimental construction of these buildings in order to better understand the techniques and materials used. As well as celebrating crafts that are many centuries old, the Viking House carries an important message about how we value our natural resources.

Further details about the Viking House are at http://www.botanicgardens.ie/viking 

About The National Botanic Gardens

The National Botanic Gardens were established in 1795 under the auspices of the Dublin Society, later the Royal Dublin Society, at the behest of the Irish Parliament to 'promote a scientific knowledge in the various branches of agriculture'. In 1992 the Gardens transferred from the Department of Agriculture to the Office of Public Works. An architectural Masterplan by OPW led to a National Botanic Gardens Management Plan in October 1992. The implementation of the plans led to a rejuvenated National Botanic Garden. To date, over 15 different projects have been carried out by the same OPW architectural team. The most notable projects include the Restoration of the Turner Curvilinear Range (awarded RIAI Restoration medal), the Great Palm House (both of which won the EU Prize for Conservation – Europa Nostra Award) the original 1732 Estate House and new building such as the Library/Herbarium and the Visitors Centre.

Open every day except Christmas Day. Opening Hours:

Summer (March to October) Mon-Fri 09.00-17.00, Sat & Sun 10.00-16.30.

Winter (November to February) Mon-Fri 09.00-16.30, Sat & Sun 10.00-16.30

Admission Free. Car parking charge €2.