Viking Festival launched in 1980

We explained on 4 April of that year: “The crux of the event surrounds a Viking invasion, mock battles, parades, and ceremonial burning of a ‘longship’ which already promises to be a series of dramatic spectacles in the capable hands of the experienced Norse Pageant Society. The Society would also be setting up a Viking Village around the pencil for the week of the festival.” Famous tv quizmaster Magnus Magnusson of ‘Mastermind’ was to open the proceedings, and nationwide publicity was financed by the Scottish Tourist Board.

The Largs Tourism Working Party who were organising the event were busy approaching firms and individuals who had any sort of link between Scotland and Norway to ask if they were interested in participating in the festival.

Councillor Dan Doris said that the real link between the two nations is the North Sea and suggested that sponsorship was sought from some of the big oil firms.

A Norse warrior model was to go on display outside the Tourist Information Centre. The model in full chain-mail dress cost £100.

The chairman of the Largs Festival Week committee Josh Nordbo said: “This is our first year and the better we can make it, the better it will be for the future. We want the Viking Festival to become international. Let’s make it a good foundation.” Excitement was building, we reported on April 25, as a three-man delegation from Largs was to travel to Frederikstadt - the Norwegian town with which Largs was hopeful of establishing a twinning link. As part of the exchange, the Largs party were heading to Scandinavia in June, with the Frederikstadt group returning for the Viking Festival.

Magnus Magnusson officially declared the festival open on Wednesday September 3 1980, having just presented a documentary on the Vikings for the BBC. He also gave the first Haakon Haakonsson lecture which was appropriately held in The Nordic Suite of the Royal Hotel.

After the official opening ceremony on the lawn outside Barrfields, local schoolchildren presented their own version of the Battle of Largs of 1263 when the Scots defeated the Vikings.

The first spectacular Viking battle re-enactment took place on the following Saturday when the Pageant Society took the guise of the Viking warriors who tackled the local army of Scots fighters.

At the Pencil the latter-day Vikings re-enacted a Norse raid, landing from the boats for a dramatic battle sequence, and on the same evening, a Viking funeral took place with fireworks.

On Sunday, there was to be a further battle where the Scots were ultimately victorious and marched on foot and horseback to Kelburn Country Centre.

There was also a top level Scotland-Norway weightlifting competition featuring international men battling it out on the promenade.

Among the other attractions were the Viking Spears darts tournament, the King Haakon sea angling contest, a Viking sailing regatta, variety shows and competitions.

The festival was promoted as one of Scotland’s top events on the national calendar, and Magnus Magnusson said before the launch: “Largs wants to catch the flavour of those heady days of the past when the last of the Vikings came to grief. I am looking forward to it immensely.” A family ticket for the festival cost the princely sum of £1.

At the big launch, Magnus said: “This has been called The Year of the Viking with a vengeance. The Largs Viking Festival is celebrating history for its own sake and a great many fun things to do have been arranged for the coming week, they should be taken as fun and enjoyed as such.

“What we are doing in Largs is reliving the past. It must never be allowed to die, it must always be part of us.” Other events included a Viking Festival ball at Barrfields Pavilion, a screening of ‘The Vikings’ movie starring Kirk Douglas, as well as archery demonstrations and Viking markets.

Speaking at the Haakon Haakonsson Memorial Lecture, which has always been run by Largs and District Historical Society, Magnus Magnusson revealed that although Vikings were adventurous and fighters, they were also Christians.

He said that Norwegian King Haakon whose invading army was defeated by the Scots at the Battle of Largs in 1263 had had a great effect on both Scandinavia and in Scotland.

As part of Haakon’s influence over Scotland he had spread Christianity and the building of churches.

Magnus revealed that his name came indirectly from Norway’s patron saint, Olaf, who is reputed to have had a son called Magnus who, in turn, became King Magnus The Good.

Indeed he was so good that he was also revered as a saint.

Turning to the Vikings’ reputation for murder, rape and pillage, he pointed out that they were victims of their own success because historians had taken a shrill attitude towards them.

“Everyone was into piracy at that time,” Mangus pointed out, “The Vikings were just better than everyone else because of their marvellous ships. They were not he first to introduce hooliganism and vandalism.” He explained that much of the folklore about the Vikings came from the great Norse sagas which were the ‘horror comics’ of their age and did not put the right emphasis on their lifestyle.

Magnus continued: “However, in the past 25 years modern writers are beginning to see the Viking as an ordinary man and not as a myth, We are celebrating a revisionism. Sure, they got beaten here but what they brought to Scotland was enormously important. They brought something to the language and social system and a love of life. I would suggest in answer to the question ‘Saints or Sinners’ they have been more sinned against tby history than they ever sinned themselves.” Mangus spent three days at the Viking Festival and expressed his admiration for the efforts mad be the town, Councillor William Donald, chairman of the Largs Resorts in the 80s’ committee proposed a vote of thanks to the TV star in front of a packed audience.