The site of a medieval church dedicated to Saint Olave (Olaf) has been commemorated with a Dublin City Council commemorative plaque.
St Olaf (or Olave) is the patron saint of Norway, and sites associated with him are found across the Viking world.
The Dublin church, on Fishamble Street, was founded sometime in the 11th century and was in use for over 200 years.
The proposal to erect the plaque came from the former Norwegian ambassador to Ireland, Else Berit Eikeland, who has since moved to Estonia, a country which also has connections to St Olave.
Speaking at the unveiling, the current Norwegian Ambassador, Mari Skåre, said: “The plaque marking the site of St Olave’s Church is in a broader way a testimony of the strong connection and common history our two countries share, from the first Norwegians come to shore until today. The ocean brought us together then and will continue to do so, also in the future.”
The plaque was unveiled by Cllr Michael Pidgeon, representing the Lord Mayor, who remarked ‘I’m delighted to see Dublin’s historic links with Norway marked in this way, commemorating a place where Dubliners who walked our streets many hundreds of years ago came to pray, to celebrate the festivals of the year, and to baptise their children, and to mourn their dead’.
Named for being the place where for centuries fish were sold, Fishamble Street is one Dublin’s oldest streets, having been laid out originally in 10th century.
The decision to erect the plaque was made by the Dublin City Council Commemorations & Naming Committee, whose chair, Councillor Micheál Mac Donncha, said, “The Commemorative Plaques Scheme allows the City to formally commemorate events which have made a significant contribution to the life of Dublin. We welcome suggestions from the public for people and events to be commemorated, and full details are on the Council website”.
The plaque was unveiled Wednesday 28th September 2022.