Irish sea raiders were pillaging the coast of Saxon Britain long before the Vikings arrived, they later opposed the Viking incursions into Ireland and continued fighting alongside anyone who would pay them until well after the Normans appeared on the scene. So a useful addition to any Dark Ages collection, sadly nobody ever made 54mm toys soldiers depicting Kerns or Gallowglass, so I gave them my own twist:
In the centre is a modern metal figure of an Irish Chieftain made by Del Prado, he needed a warband to follow him and that kickstarted this little project. Irish warriors are depicted wearing predominantly ochre cloth (wool dyed with urine) so I used this colour liberally to pull the figures together as a unit.
They also used a hotchpotch of weaponry and armour, when they had them, so this allows considerable licence when selecting figures and converting them, the chap centre front is throwing a dart, a uniquely Irish weapon of the period.
Wealthier warriors and sub-chieftains were better armed and armoured than the hoi-polloi so I've included a few of these. They won't win any prizes for historical accuracy but were fun to paint and being of Irish heritage myself I have a certain fondness for them.
I note two conversions from American Indians, one being a fairly recent made in China and the other a Cherilea one.
ReplyDeleteSpot on James, there's also another Indian from Jean Hoefler, a Beja tribesman from AiP, a Barzo Robin Hood character and Charles Martel from Mokarex.
DeleteAn excellent warband indeed Brian, and so very unique! Your painting is great, right down to the tattoos, wonderfully detailed! Very well done!
ReplyDeleteThanks Brad, the adddition of beards and tattoos is my attempt to make them look more Celtic than the North American natives they started life as.
DeleteHi Brian. I'm no expert on the Dark Ages but, if I may, the following might be of interest. There was a period after the Romans departed Britain when the Gaels were the dominant ethnic grouping in the British Isles, lasting several hundred years. There is still considerable denial on their record, as they raided, invaded, and enslaved the Brythonic Celtic lands (Welsh), and what evidence we have indicates they overran the Pictish kingdom in one (or two) battles, eliminated most of the males, and imposed their language/culture on the surviving Brythonic Picts. One modern Scottish DNA survey indicates the Picts make up about 10%, mainly on the female line. (Even the modern English are about 35% Brythonic Celt, but also mainly on the female line.) By the way, St. Patrick was a Brythonic Celt kidnapped/enslaved as a child by Gael pirates, but later escaped. It is possible that more Pictish blood survives in the Orkneys which was under Viking control than in the heartland of Pictish Scotland! Concerning dyes. Urine was vital for blue clothing, as a fixer. Yellow is mainly derived from plants but urine would also fix that colour. Apologies for the long comment but until recently we knew so little about the ancient Picts and the arrival of the Gaels to Caledonia.
ReplyDeleteMichael
Thanks Michael, I have to admit I didn't know anything of this, but do like the idea of Gael pirates, I'll have to look into it a bit further!
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