Spotlight - 13.2019

TRAVEL 13/2019 Spotlight 31

Fotos: Paul Wheatley

wood from Ireland. My initial fears of

Viking Waterford as a mere branding ex-

ercise are disappearing fast.

Virtual Vikings

From Reginald’s Tower, which certainly

adds plenty of authentic history to Water-

ford’s Viking past, Donnchadh leads me

to a townhouse and tells me I’m about

to enter a very modern world to discov-

er first-hand how Vikings lived. One wall

is decorated with a “King of the Vikings”

logo lit by a spotlight; another has an ar-

tefact on it surrounded by curious writ-

ing: “Wind fierce tonight / Mane of the

sea whipped white / I am not afraid / No

ravening Norse / On course through qui-

et waters.” I later learn that it’s a transla-

tion by the late great Irish poet Seamus

Heaney from an early Irish manuscript.

Through another door and we’re out-

side, staring at an impressive remake of

a Viking house with a perfect-looking

thatched roof. Even better, Donnchadh

explains, are the ruins of a medieval mon-

astery enclosing the house from behind.

Inside, beneath a series of sloping wood-

en roof beams, are ten seats, each with a

mini longboat-type dragon’s head.

“Doesn’t look very modern,” I say, sit-

ting down. Donnchadh passes me a pair of

very large glasses and some headphones.

“When it starts, stay seated, don’t move.”

I’m more intrigued than excited. A bit un-

comfortable, too, because the glasses I’m

now wearing are quite heavy. As I try to

tighten them, I see a Viking walking to-

wards me. Although I’m still seated, I in-

stinctively move my body to avoid him. I

hope nobody saw me; I must have looked

like an idiot. Who cares, though! If this is

“the world’s first virtual reality Viking ex-

perience”, I plan to enjoy the novelty.

Over the next half hour, I’m immersed

in a world of Viking battles — in a long-

boat so close to the water that I reach out

to touch it. I meet various people, Viking

leaders, such as Regnall, who established a

longphort here in 914 and became the first

Viking king of Waterford, as well as ordi-

nary folks. I also witness violent deaths.

It’s incredible! Being transported back

more than 1,000 years could be gimmicky

and cheap — but this is superb.

Donnchadh explains that in the com-

ing years, as the technology develops, the

glasses will become lighter, further im-

proving the experience. Outside again,

under the now rainless sky, I’m fascinat-

ed by a 23-metre-long Viking sword made

from a single tree and said to be the long-

est in the world.

Donnchadh then leads me on a tour

of the new Medieval Museum. Below

the museum’s 13th-century spiral stair-

case are two fully preserved medieval

rooms: the lower chamber of a deanery

— known as Choristers’ Hall — which

dates to around 1270, and the wine vault,

from around 1440. Among the many

treasures above is the only surviving ar-

ticle of clothing worn by England’s infa-

mous Henry VIII: the ceremonial Cap of

Maintenance made of red Italian velvet

and embroidered with a Tudor rose. I just

have time for a quick look at the portraits

of kings on the fascinating four-metre

Great Charter Roll of Waterford (1373)

before it’s time to leave. “Next time,” I tell

myself, “plan for two days in Waterford.”

Norsemen on TV

My destination the next morning is

Ashford Studios, home of the popular

Vikings TV series. It’s in County Wicklow,

a two -hour drive from Waterford and

on the edge of the Wicklow Mountains

National Park. On the way, at New Ross,

I pass a museum replica of the Dunbrody

— the ship on which Patrick Kennedy, the

great-grandfather of US President John F.

Kennedy, travelled to America in 1849 to

flee the famine in Ireland.

At Ashford Studios, I meet Morgan

O’Sullivan, a former journalist credited

with almost single-handedly building

up the Irish film industry. His long list

of achievements as a producer includes

films such as Angela’s Ashes and David Cop-

perfield, the TV series The Tudors and, of

course, Vikings. O’Sullivan is a natural sto-

ryteller and he entertains us with amus-

ing anecdotes as he reels off the names of

various stars.

His most interesting stor y is about

how he persuaded the then minister of

art and culture (Michael D. Higgins, now

Ireland’s president) and the countr y’s

minister of defence to allow Irish soldiers

to act as extras in a major battle scene in

Braveheart, the 1995 film starring Mel Gib-

son. Thanks to O’Sullivan, who was doing

his best to promote the modern Irish film

industry, key scenes in this “Scottish film”

not only featured Irish soldiers, but were

also shot in Ireland.

beam [bi:m]

, (Holz)Balken

credit sb. with sth.

[(kredIt]

, jmdm. etw. zuschrei-

ben

deanery [(di:nEri]

, hier: Amts- und Wohn-

sitz des Dekans

embroider [Im(brOIdE]

, besticken, schmücken

enclose [In(klEUz]

, umzäunen, umgeben

extra [(ekstrE]

, Statist(in)

famine [(fÄmIn]

, Hunger, Hungersnot

fierce [fIEs]

, heftig, wild

gimmicky [(gImIki]

, effekthascherisch

immerse [I(m§:s]

, eintauchen

infamous [(InfEmEs]

, berüchtigt

initial [ɪˈnɪʃəl]

, Anfangs-

intrigued [In(tri:gd]

, fasziniert

mane [meIn]

, Mähne

mere [mIE]

, bloß, rein

novelty [(nQv<i]

, Neuheit, Novum

preserve [pri(z§:v]

, erhalten, bewahren

ravening [(rÄv&nIN]

, beutegierig, räuberisch

reel off [ri:&l (Qf]

, abspulen, herunter-

spulen

sloping [(slEUpIN]

, abfallend, schräg

spiral staircase

[)spaI&rEl (steEkeIs]

, We n d e l t re p p e

starring [(stA:rIN]

, mit ... in einer Haupt-

rolle

superb [su(p§:b]

, hervorragend,

erstklassig

thatched roof

[TÄtSt (ru:f]

, Strohdach

the late [DE (leIt]

, der; die verstorbene

vault [vO:lt]

, Gewölbe; hier: Keller

velvet [(velvIt]

, Samt

whip [wIp]

, schlagen, peitschen

witness [(wItnEs]

, Zeuge sein von