Netflix new series – Vikings Valhalla

The Vikings TV drama was an epic show from the History Channel that is a joint Canadian Irish production and filmed in Ireland. A worldwide cult hit it has fueled a huge interest both in visiting Ireland to see ancient Viking sites to millennial favourites such as Viking beards, tattoos and drinking horns. The latest series Vikings Valhalla is a Netflix series now on TV. All the usual places in Ireland just south of Dublin are used for filming the Vikings and Vikings Valhalla

Viking Valhalla is here a sequel series to Vikings it will take viewers to the time of Leif Erikson, Freydis, Harald Harada and the Norman King William the Conqueror. The new series is set 100 years after the end of the History drama.

The Battle Of The Boyne field in County Louth, Ireland. one of the Vikings Filming locations

We visited every Vikings filming site in Ireland, that could be accessed and they are all just a short drive south of Dublin. The filming locations are set in some of Ireland’s most beautiful countryside in the Wicklow Mountains – so grab your hiking boots and take a journey in Ragnar’s, Bjorn’s and Lagetha’s footsteps.

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Table Of Contents

Netflix new series – Vikings Valhalla
- Valhalla TV series Faqs
- Where was Vikings filmed?

You can get a set of HBO’s The Vikings from Amazon and it contains seasons 1-7.

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Where is Vikings Filmed in Ireland? — Viking wars and battles are filmed here in the Wicklow Mountains

We even purchased Viking Drinking Horns for our son’s Christmas present and they were very happy campers.

Ireland’s Ancient East is featured heavily in the Vikings TV show and you can easily visit them all on a day trip out of Dublin. You can even like the Vikings Extras Facebook page and maybe you too can join in the Viking action and battle scenes.

Here’s a little bit of Dublin craic for you – Dublin Dont’s

Valhalla debuted on Netflix, bringing the stories of some of the most famous Vikings to the screen. While the series is a follow-up to the History Channel hit Vikings, this is a brand new show perfectly suited for those Viking-obsessed.

As a true Vikings Fan, you will need to ensure you have all of the History Channels Vikings on collector Blueray, check out Amazon here for the selection

Much of the Vikings saga has been filmed in Ireland and here are some of the areas and associated scenes that you can visit yourself when you tour Ireland.

If you are planning to visit Ireland then you want the pick of the best places to stay, from hostels to fancy castle hotels booking.com has your back when it comes to accommodations. There’s not a great selection around Luggala as it is privately held land but as you move a little further out from the area near to the water you will find lots of great places to stay.
Booking.com

Fancy some Viking-style trimmings like beard beads, and Thor’s Hammer, here is a great place to check out on Amazon.

Valhalla TV series Faqs

Do you need to have watched the original Vikings series to understand Vikings: Valhalla? Not at all apparently Vikings: Valhalla is a new series, not a sequel. This show takes place 100 years in the future.

When and where does Valhalla take place? In the early 11th century Vikings had settled in an area of England near London called the Danelaw. The Danelaw. The St. Brice’s Day massacre was a real event, and it happened on November 13, 1002. King Æthelred the Unready ordered the deaths of all DanesVikings living in England. Æthelred was told that the Danes in England would “faithlessly take his life”, all his councillors, and “possess his kingdom afterwards”, so he went to extremes to try to prevent that.

Where was the Danelaw? The Danelaw (the is translated from the Old English word Dena Lagu or the Danish Danelagen) is an 11th-century name for an area of Northern and Eastern England that was under the control of the Danish Viking empire (or Danes, or Norsemen) from the late 9th century until the early 11th century.

Who are the main characters? They are Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett), the most famous Viking explorer in history; his strong-willed sister, Freydís Eiríksdóttir (Frida Gustavsson), who has her own mythology and backstory; and Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter), the ambitious prince of Norway.

Is the story of Vikings Valhalla historically accurate? To a degree some of the characters are real but their actual reality is from different Viking eras. Kattegat ruler Jarl Estrid Haakon (Caroline Henderson), are invented for the series. (Though that character’s husband, Haakon Sigurdsson, is a real person.) Canute is a historical figure, both Leif Eriksson and Freyds Eriksdottir are historically accurate.

Where does Rollo from the original series fit in the new Vikings? Rollo was a real Viking who went on to become the first ruler of Normandy, and through his marriage to Poppa of Bayeux, he had a son, William I Longsword and his grandson had two children Richard II and Emma who is very important to the Viking Valhalla story.

What is Valhalla in Vikings? Valhalla, Old Norse Valhöll, in Norse mythology, the hall of slain warriors, who live there blissfully under the leadership of the god Odin. Valhalla is depicted as a splendid palace, roofed with shields, where the warriors feast on the flesh of a boar slaughtered daily and made whole again each evening.

William the Conqueror statue in Falaise France — Statue of William the Conqueror and Rollo the Viking who became the Duke of Normandy

Where was Vikings filmed?

Both Vikings the HBO series and Vikings Valhalla were dominantly filmed in Ireland in the Wicklow Mountains and Guinness Estate other locations include the stunning vistas of Iceland, the wilds of Sault Ste Marie in Canada, various locations in the UK and of course the studios

Iceland – Skógafoss

I had to add this Icelandic waterfall because a lot of folks assumed it was in Ireland. Skógafoss is a 200-foot drop waterfall that is called the Rainbow Waterfall and it is one of the best Iceland waterfalls. Alongside other impressive places on the island such as Reynisdrangar, the black beach at Vík, Skógafoss is one of the most recognisable locations in the series. Just like with the tourists who visit it, Skógafoss leaves Floki, one of the most charismatic characters in Vikings, completely speechless.

River Boyne (County Meath) – sailing the Seine

What you are actually seeing when you watch the Vikings sail down the Seine River to take Paris is the Boyne River in County Meath Ireland. The Boyne is where the famous Battle of the Boyne took place and it runs through some of the most beautiful countryside in Ireland’s Ancient East. The Vikings TV filming crew uses the Boyne river to sail the Viking Longships on and takes out the background replacing it with a CGI-created ancient Paris.

The filming of the Vikings rowing to Paris was done near Slane Castle which you may have heard of as it is the host for the many famous concerts including U2, Madonna and the Stones.

Scenes of the forest where Leif and Freydis stay outside Kattegat were filmed in the Wicklow mountains.

Seasons 3 and 4 of the original Vikings series saw some of the filming locations moved to Canada, which became home to the scenes focusing on Bjorn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig) and his journey to find new lands.

In the fourth season, scenes were filmed in Canada, in a forest in Northeastern Ontario (not far from Sault Ste. Marie Airport). These are the scenes that involved Loki and the indigenous people of Canada.

Vikings season 5 and 6 introduced other new filming locations in Iceland and Morocco. Floki’s (Gustaf Skarsgard) journey to Iceland with its black sand beaches and relentless mountain scenery. Bjorn visited Morrocco and Sicily on his trip around the Mediterranean.

Blessington Lakes – Wicklow – Longships

Apart from the Wicklow Mountains, some scenes were also shot at the Ashford Studios in County Wicklow. A few scenes were filmed in Dublin. Some more filming locations of the show included the Poulaphouca Reservoir, a reservoir and wild bird conservation area in County Wicklow.

Many of the longship scenes where you see Ragnar and the Vikings from Kattegat setting forth to discover new lands are filmed on the Blessington Lakes. Set in the Wicklow Mountains the Lakes cover 500 acres of water and were formed over 50 years ago with the building of the Poulaphouca Dam. This is the largest man-made lake in Ireland and it has some incredible views of the Wicklow Mountains.

Lough Tay – Wicklow – Kattegat

Where is Kattegat?

Lough Tay (pronounced here as lock) is known to locals as the Guinness Lake because of course it is owned by the Guinness Family and is situated on the Guinness Estate at Luggala. You may recognize it as the home of Kattegat which is Ragnar and his family’s home base.

The Loch itself is on private land and you can’t get closer than a view from Military Road but that view has become an iconic Irish photo in its own right – apparently, if you look closely enough the outline of the Loch resembles a pint of Guinness.

Powerscourt Waterfall – Wicklow – Aslaug

Powerscourt is an absolutely glorious estate with gardens covering over 47 acres in total. Waterfalls, Japanese Gardens, statuary, formal gardens and so much more can be seen at Powerscourt House.

The Powerscourt waterfall is in the scene where Aslaug bathes and first catches Ragnar’s eye.

Powerscourt House a view of the manor from the Gardens that are used for filming in Vikings.

Luggala Estate – Wicklow – battles and Kattagut

This is the estate that belongs to the Guinness Family and one of its outstanding features is, of course, Loch Tay. The grand estate is comprised of over 25 km2 (9.7 sq mi) and was up for sale for €28 million Euros.

Luggala has reportedly been sold for about $22 million. The Irish Times reports that the estate was sold earlier this year to an overseas buyer for what is believed to be significantly less than its €28 million ($30 million) price tag

The Luggala Mountain itself is called Fancy Mountain which comes from the Irish Gaelic Fuinnse which means ash tree. The Estate and the mountain have been home to Ragnar and the crew filming many outdoor scenes from the TV show. However, it has also hosted films like Braveheart and Excalibur.

Nuns Beach – Kerry – Viking’s Northumbrian scenes

Most of the filming of Vikings takes place in Ireland’s Ancient East but for the Northumbrian scenes, the crew moved to the Ring of Kerry where they filmed in Ballybunion. Nuns Beach is probably one of the most spectacular beaches on the Wild Atlantic Way. The beach itself is a horse-shoe-shaped cover and it lies just beneath an old convent obviously, this is how it got its name as the nuns used to bathe here. The beach itself is only accessible by boat or if you have the stomach for it you can go down the side of the cliff-hanging onto the fixed rope handrail.

There is an old legend attached to an area just around the corner from Nuns Beach called the Nine Daughters. The legend states that the 9 daughters of the Village Chief fell in love with Viking invaders. They had planned to run away with the Vikings but their father caught them and threw them and the Vikings into the blowhole where they drowned.

Lough Dan – Wicklow – Viking Longship scenes

Lough Dan is the largest natural lake in Leinster a spectacular deep lake situated in a glaciated valley, it is one of the last reserves of Arctic Char Trout in the British Islands so it is well visited by anglers and fishermen attempting to catch some trout.

A very popular lake for hikers and kayakers it lies very close to the Wicklow Way and is used for a variety of Viking TV shows locations and sets.

Ashford Studios – Wicklow

Finally, and not quite as exciting as the rest, is Ashford Studios. The Wicklow studio has become the base for Viking’s filming since 2013 and much of the CGI and green screen effects you see on the shows begin life here!

As you can see, much of Vikings is filmed in County Wicklow in the east of Ireland so if you want to discover more about Ireland’s Ancient East just click here

Yes, there is a Norse saga about Ragnar’s life, adventures, and progeny. However, these are not historical texts. Dr Shannon Godlove, assistant professor of English and the coordinator of Columbus State University’s Medieval and Renaissance Studies Certificate Program, says that these accounts were oral history and legends of the time that paralleled historic events. While the show may often stick close to the saga, the story itself is not fully accurate.

Now, this looks like a fascinating book it’s all about the Viking Kings of Ireland and England including Ivarr in 1014.

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If you are planning a visit to Ireland and Dublin here are some other movies and TV shows to watch to get a feel for what you want to see. If you are a fan of shows like Ripper Street, Penny Dreadful and the Fall you can find more information on these here.