The link between Iceland Ireland is not new and goes back to the times when Iceland was born. In fact it was the Irish who discovered Iceland and found it a habitable place to settle in. The Irish monks therefore landed upon the island and started living there. Iceland Ireland being neighbors, share a long connection that dates back to the beginning of the existence of Iceland.
The Irish monks, after the decline of the Roman empire, set out on voyages in pursuit of spiritual and divine missions. Thus they landed on the soil of Iceland during the 9th and 10th centuries. But they did not inhabit the island for a long time. They left the country with the arrival of the Norsemen-the Vikings who came in from northern Europe.
It may have been possible that some of the Irish had stayed on in Iceland but their presence in the island had no effect, direct or indirect, on the events that followed in Iceland. Many of the Norsemen who came in after the Irish kept Irish slaves and wives. This gave birth to an intermingled society which was neither completely Irish nor completely Norse.
The first geographical document of the northern seas was written by an Irish monk named Dicuil in the 9th century. The oldest churches in Iceland reflect the Iceland Ireland association. Kirkjubaejarklaustur in Iceland is the former site of the 12th century convent and the early home of the Irish monks. It is presently a well known tourist attraction.
The earliest Iceland Ireland relations therefore form the foundation stone on which present Iceland stands. Today Iceland and Ireland are peaceful and friendly neighbors who share a good relationship.
