The birlinn (spelt bìrlinn in Scottish Gaelic) was a type of boat used especially in the Hebrides

Hebrides

The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...

 and West Highlands of Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 in the Middle Ages

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

. The Birlinn is a Norse-Gaelic variant on the Norse longship

Longship

Longships were sea vessels made and used by the Vikings from the Nordic countries for trade, commerce, exploration, and warfare during the Viking Age. The longship’s design evolved over many years, beginning in the Stone Age with the invention of the umiak and continuing up to the 9th century with...

. Variants of the name in English and Lowland Scots

Scots language

Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...

 include "berlin" and "birling". It probably derives ultimately from the Norse byrðingr, i.e. a ship of burden.

The bìrlinn, commonly known as the long-fhada ("long-ship"), was clinker-built and could be sailed or rowed. It had a single mast with a square sail. Smaller vessels of this type might have as few as 12 oars, with the larger having as many as 40. For over 400 years, down to the 17th century, the bìrlinn or long-fhada was the dominant vessel in the Hebrides.

The bìrlinn appears in Scottish heraldry

Scottish heraldry

Heraldry in Scotland, while broadly similar to that practised in England and elsewhere in western Europe, has its own distinctive features. Its heraldic executive is separate from that of the rest of the United Kingdom.-Executive:...

 as the "lymphad

Lymphad

thumb|200pxA Lymphad or galley is a charge used primarily in Scottish heraldry. It is a single masted ship propelled by oars. In addition to the mast and oars, the Lymphad has three flags and a basket. The word comes from the Scottish Gaelic long fhada, meaning a long ship or birlinn...

" (a corruption of long-fhada).

Use

In terms of design and function, there was considerable continuity between the bìrlinn and the ships used by earlier Norse colonisers of the Isles. In an island environment ships were essential for the warfare which was endemic in the area, and local lords used the bìrlinn extensively from the 13th century. The strongest of the regional naval powers were the Macdonalds of Islay.
The Lords of the Isles maintained the largest fleet in the Hebrides. Although there is some possibility that these ships were used in the 1156 sea battle off the island of Islay

Islay

-Prehistory:The earliest settlers on Islay were nomadic hunter-gatherers who arrived during the Mesolithic period after the retreat of the Pleistocene ice caps. In 1993 a flint arrowhead was found in a field near Bridgend dating from 10,800 BC, the earliest evidence of a human presence found so far...

 in which Somerled

Somerled

Somerled was a military and political leader of the Scottish Isles in the 12th century who was known in Gaelic as rí Innse Gall . His father was Gillebride...

 the chief of Argyll overthrew the norse, viking

Viking

The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...

 overlords of the Hebrides and established the foundation of the Lordship of the Isles

Lordship of the Isles

Lordship of the Isles may refer to :*The title and territory of the Lord of the Isles, in the west coast of Scotland*Lordship of the Isles , a region of the fictional World of Greyhawk in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game....

 which survived until 1498.
Though the surviving evidence has mostly to do with the bìrlinn in a naval context, there is independent evidence of considerable mercantile activity for which such shipping would have been essential. There is some evidence of mercantile centres in Islay, Gigha, Kintyre and Knapdale, and in the 14th century there was constant trade between the Isles, Ireland and England under the patronage of local lords. Otherwise the chief uses of the bìrlinn would have been for troop-carrying, fishing and cattle transport.

Construction and maintenance

In some ways the bìrlinn resembled the more robust craft of Norse design. Viking ships were double-ended, with a keel

Keel

In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...

 scarfed to stems for and aft. A shell of thin planking (strake

Strake

A strake is part of the shell of the hull of a boat or ship which, in conjunction with the other strakes, keeps the sea out and the vessel afloat...

s) was constructed on the basis of the keel, the planks being edge-joined and clenched with iron nails. Symmetrical ribs or frames were then lashed to the strakes or secured with trenails. Over most of the ribs was laid a slender crossbeam and a thwart

Thwart

A thwart is a strut placed crosswise in a ship or boat, to brace it crosswise.In rowboats it can also serve as a seat for a rower....

. The mast

Mast (sailing)

The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...

 was stepped amidships or nearly so, and oars, including a steering oar, were also used. The stem and stern post might have carefully carved notches for plank ends, with knees securing the thwarts to the strakes and beams joining the heads of the frames.
The bìrlinn, like Norse vessels, was clinker-built and propelled both by sail and oars, the latter being inserted through round oar-ports. The hull bore a general resemblance to the Norse pattern, but stem and stern were rather more steeply pitched and clearly distinguishable from each other, and surviving images show a rudder. 19th century boat-building practices in the Highlands are likely to have applied also to the bìrlinn: examples are the use of dried moss, steeped in tar

Tar

Tar is modified pitch produced primarily from the wood and roots of pine by destructive distillation under pyrolysis. Production and trade in tar was a major contributor in the economies of Northern Europe and Colonial America. Its main use was in preserving wooden vessels against rot. The largest...

, for caulking

Caulking

Caulking is one of several different processes to seal joints or seams in various structures and certain types of piping. The oldest form of caulking is used to make the seams in wooden boats or ships watertight, by driving fibrous materials into the wedge-shaped seams between planks...

, and the use of stocks in construction.

Oak

Oak

An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...

 was the wood favoured both in Western Scotland and in Scandinavia, being tough and resistant to decay. Other types of timber might be used as appropriate. It is likely that the Outer Isles of Western Scotland had always been short of timber, but birch

Birch

Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...

, oak and pine

Pine

Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...

 abounded in the Inner Isles and on the mainland. The abundance of timber at Lochaber

Lochaber

District of Lochaber 1975 to 1996Highland council area shown as one of the council areas of ScotlandLochaber is one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland Council of Scotland and one of eight former local government districts of the two-tier Highland region...

 was proverbial: "B'e sin fiodh a chur do Loch Abar" ("Bringing wood to Lochaber," said of any superfluous undertaking).

The tools used are likely to have included adze

Adze

An adze is a tool used for smoothing or carving rough-cut wood in hand woodworking. Generally, the user stands astride a board or log and swings the adze downwards towards his feet, chipping off pieces of wood, moving backwards as they go and leaving a relatively smooth surface behind...

, axe

Axe

The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...

, auger

Auger

An auger is a drilling device, or drill bit, that usually includes a rotating helical screw blade called a "flighting" to act as a screw conveyor to remove the drilled out material...

 and spoon bit, aul, plane

Plane (tool)

A hand plane is a tool for shaping wood. When powered by electricity, the tool may be called a planer. Planes are used to flatten, reduce the thickness of, and impart a smooth surface to a rough piece of lumber or timber. Planing is used to produce horizontal, vertical, or inclined flat surfaces on...

, draw knife and moulding iron, together with other tools typical of the Northern European carpenter's kit. As in traditional shipbuilding generally, measurements would have been largely by eye.

The traditional practice of sheltering boats in bank-cuttings ("nausts") - small artificial harbours - was probably also employed with the bìrlinn. There is evidence in fortified sites of constructed harbours, boat-landings and sea-gates.

The survival of Norse shipbuilding techniques, though plausible, is conjectural, since to date no substantial remnants of a bìrlinn have been found. Traditional boat-building techniques and terms, however, may furnish a guide as to the vessel's construction.

Rigging and sails

Carved images of the bìrlinn from the 16th century and before show the typical rigging: braces, forestay

Forestay

On a sailing vessel, a forestay, sometimes just called a stay, is a piece of standing rigging which keeps a mast from falling backwards. It is attached either at the very top of the mast, or in fractional rigs between about 1/8 and 1/4 from the top of the mast. The other end of the forestay is...

 and backstay

Backstay

On a sailing vessel, a backstay is the piece of standing rigging that runs from the mast to the transom of the boat, counteracting the forestay and jib...

, shrouds (fore and aft), halyard

Halyard

In sailing, a halyard or halliard is a line that is used to hoist a sail, a flag or a yard. The term halyard comes from the phrase, 'to haul yards'...

 and parral

Parral

Parral may refer to:*El Parral, Avila, Spain*Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico*Parral, Chile*Parral, Peru*The village and monastery of Santa Maria del Parral, near Segovia, Spain*Parral , a vine training system...

. There is a rudder with pintle

Pintle

A pintle is a pin or bolt, usually inserted into a gudgeon, which is used as part of a pivot or hinge.A pintle/gudgeon set is used in many spheres, for example: in sailing to hold the rudder onto the boat; in transportation a pincer-type device clamps through a lunette ring on the tongue of a...

s on the leading edge inserted into gudgeon

Gudgeon

A gudgeon is a circular fitting, often made of metal, which is affixed to a surface. It allows for the pivoting of another fixture. It is generally used with a pintle, which is a pin which pivots in the hole in the gudgeon. As such, a gudgeon is a simple bearing.-Winged gudgeons:A winged gudgeon...

s. It is possible that use was made of a wooden bowline or reaching spar (called a beitass

Beitass

A beitass, or stretching pole, is a wooden spar used on Viking ships that was fitted into a pocket at the lower corner of the sail. This innovation was used to stiffen and hold the edge of the sail when sailing close to the wind....

 by the Norse). This was used to push the luff

Luff

Luff or luffing may refer to:* Luffing, when a sailing sheet is eased so far past trim that airflow over the surface is disrupted* The leading edge of a sail...

 of the sail out into the wind.

Traditional Highland practice was to make sails of tough, thick-threaded wool

Wool

Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....

, with ropes being made of moss-fir or heather. Medieval sails, in the Highlands as elsewhere, are shown as being sewn out of many small squares, and there is possible evidence of reef points.

Ireland

The Irish long fhada seems, from contemporary sources, to have resembled its West Highland equivalent, though there is as yet no archeological confirmation.

The Annals of the Four Masters

Annals of the Four Masters

The Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland or the Annals of the Four Masters are a chronicle of medieval Irish history...

 record the use of fleets in an Irish context, often with a Scottish connection. In 1413 Tuathal Ó Máille, returning from Ulster to Connacht with seven ships, encountered a severe storm (anfadh na mara) which drove them northwards to Scotland: only one of the ships survived. In 1433 Macdonald of the Isles arrived in Ulster with a large fleet (co c-cobhlach mór) to assist the O'Neills in a war with the O'Donnells.

In Ireland oared vessels were employed extensively for warfare and piracy by the O'Malleys and the O'Flathertys, western lords whose base was in Connacht

Connacht

Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...

. English officials found it necessary to counter them with similar vessels. The most famous of these local rulers was Gráinne Ní Mháille, of whom Sir Richard Bingham reported in 1591 that she had twenty vessels at her command. She, like her father, was engaged in extensive seaborne trade.

There was constant maritime traffic between Ireland and Scotland, and Highland mercenaries were commonly transported by bìrlinn to Ireland.

Birlinns were being built in a number of Irish ports in the 13th century, and were even commissioned by the Crown. Their use in Northern Europe, in contrast to the Mediterranean, had greatly declined by the 16th century; their survival in the west of Ireland, as in the Isles, was facilitated by very local conditions, among them the ready availability of bays and islands.

Naval technology

The bìrlinn, when rowed, was distinguished by its speed, and could often evade pursuers as a result. No cannon were mounted even in the later period: the birlinn was too lightly built and its freeboard was too low. It was highly suitable for raiding, however, and with experienced marksmen on board could mount a formidable defence against small craft.
The bìrlinn was at its most vulnerable when beached or when cornered by a heavier vessel carrying cannon.

Possible change in design

There is some evidence that by the end of the 16th century new influences were affecting birlinn design. A carving made at Arasaig in 1641 shows a vessel with a lowered stem and stern. An English map of north-east Ireland made no later than 1603 shows "fleetes of the Redshanks [Highlanders] of Cantyre" with vessels one-masted as before but with a square sail mounted on a sloping yard arm and a small cabin at the stern projecting backwards. Two Clanranald seals attached to documents dated 1572 show birlinn with raised decks at stem and stern, a motif repeated in later heraldic devices. If such changes occurred, they would reflect influences from the south-east and ultimately from the Mediterranean. The supporting evidence has been criticised, however, for being slight and unconvincing.

Further reading

• Birlinn - Longships of the Hebrides, John Macaulay, The White Horse Press, 1996

External links

• GalGael - using the Birlinn to rebuild community in Scotland
• Highland Galleys, from Mallaig Heritage
• Image of 15th-century engraved Birlinn, in Rodel Chapel, Harris, on Flickr