The XVth Viking Congress is being held in Cork 18th August till 24th August, 2005

75 papers being given (+ 8 poster papers) on all topics relevant to Viking world by scholars from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, Norway, Denmark, Sweden & Iceland, Canada and the States. Irish speakers include people from University College Cork, National Museum, University College Dublin, Queen's University Belfast, NUI Maynooth.

One theme in the conference will be Viking Age Ireland with evidence being presented from both older excavations (Wood Quay, City Square) and newer finds (including recent Dublin excavations, Dunmore caves, Co. Kilkenny coin hoard of 1999, recent discovery of Viking female burial from Finglas etc.). Another will be 'the development of urbanism' with papers on early towns in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Britain and Ireland.

From a Waterford point of view, the key note congress address is by Professor Donnchadh Ó Corráin (who broke the news of Woodstown on Radio na Gaeltachta in May 2004) and there are papers by Professor Howard Clarke and Dr Colman Etchingham who both gave talks to the Woodstown lecture series organised by SVWAG over the winter. There is also a poster paper by John Maas who published the controversial aerial photographs of the site in the Irish Times last summer which gave rise to the designation ' Woodstown, Ireland's Pompeii?'

There was a one day field trip to Waterford on the 22nd August (Monday) led by Eamonn McEneaney (Director of the Granary) and Dáire O'Rourke (Senior Archaeologist, NRA).

This includes a visit to the Woodstown site

A seminar on Woodstown with short presentations by Dáire O'Rourke and Maurice Hurley (leader of City Square excavations, now Cork City archaeologist), followed by a discussion chaired by Dr Patrick Wallace of National Museum.

A tour of Waterford treasures exhibition (focussed on City Square material) led by Orla Scully and a Waterford City council reception for Congress delegates at Reginald's Tower.