A second collection of footage from the Viking invasion
day held in Kilkeel.
The eastern seaboard
of Ireland suffered badly from Viking raids during the middle ages and, with
Kilkeel making a major tourism push in the early 1960s, the raids were used as
the basis for what was a colourful and fun re-enactment. The Viking ship and
raiders were provided, as the year before, by enthusiasts from the Isle of Man
with locals playing the Celts trying to fight them off. The wonderfully named
Dick Riddler, an ex-Royal Marine commando led the Celts and prizes of a holiday
in the Isle of Man were to be handed out to the first six local women “captured”
by the Vikings. The first report on the festivities made by UTV can be found in
the links below.