Reconstructions

There have been a number of reconstructions of Norse boats as well as a West Highland Galley.  Reconstructions are important because they allow us to test academic theory and help us understand practical problems. On this page you will find photographs of the Aileach which was a reconstruction of a 16-oared Highland Galley. It was built in Northern Ireland by a family of boat-builders who fled Scotland after the ’45 Rising. It was the brainchild of Wallace Clark.

The Sea Stallion is a reconstruction of one of the Viking longships found at Roskilde. Accompanying it are other  photographs from Roskilde which illustrate finished boats as well as a knarr (merchant ship) under construction.

Defensive structures on the west coast might include a ‘sea-gate’ or ‘galley-port’ as a means of escaping to sea in the event of a land-attack. I include a photo of the sea-gate at Mingary Castle, Ardnamurchan.

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