THE Irish sea and the river estuaries of the North West acted like the M6 of the Viking world – linking settlements and trading centres by water in a way which was not possible by land 1,000 years ago.

This maritime highway of cultural and commercial contact is being explored in a lecture day called Kings and Vikings: North-West England and the Irish Sea Region in the Early Middle Ages.

It is being organised by the Regional Heritage Centre, part of the history department, in the Management School at Lancaster University on Saturday, April 29.

A spokesperson for the centre said: “There is an increasing level of academic interest in the Irish Sea region in the Early Middle Ages, with greater recognition of the importance of this area in trade and communication and as a nexus of medieval cultural contact.

“The speakers at this event are all connected with the Irish Sea in the Middle Ages Research Network, which is based at the Universities of Liverpool, Manchester and Chester.”

The day starts with a talk called “The Northumbrian Kingdom and the Irish Sea Region by Dr Fiona Edmonds, director of the Regional Heritage Centre.

Dr David Griffiths, from the University of Oxford, will look at “Wirral and Chester: the Mercian Salient on the Irish Sea”.

After lunch, the topic “Between the Ribble and the Mersey: West Lancashire and the Irish Sea Zone from 850 to 950” will be described by Dr Charles Insley, from the University of Manchester.

Dr Marios Costambeys, from the University of Liverpool, will complete the day with a talk called “Heirs of Rome? Europe and the Irish Sea Region in the Early Middle Ages”.

The talks day costs £25 and you can find out more by sending an email to rhc@lancaster.ac.uk or check the website at

www.lancaster.ac.uk/users/rhc/events/details/2017/Kings_and_Vikings.html