The Irish: The First Slaves in the Americas

Their suffering was silenced, their story erased.

Ireland’s introduction to slavery began with Viking raids. Starting in 795 AD, Norse invaders pillaged monastic towns like Armagh and Kildare, capturing Irish men and women as slaves. Many were taken to Scotland, Norway, and Iceland, where they were ransomed, sold, or forced into labor.

In 875, Irish slaves in Iceland staged a rebellion, one of the larg…