The replica Viking longship the Sea Stallion from Glendaloughwhich set sail from Roskilde in Denmark on 1st July berthed at Port Oriel in Clogherhead, Co Louth at 4am yesterday.
For her 65 strong crew it was the "culmination of a dream" to arrive in Ireland on the 30m wooden ship which is a replica of the type of vessel used by the Vikings.
They sailed across the North and Irish seas just as the Vikings did using a single large sail and a small amount of rowing.
Their journey took them to many of the small islands of the Scottish and English coast before they landed in Clogherhead where they met "incredible hospitality and a lot of interest in Viking history" said crew member Mads Ellebaek Peterszn.
However, they did not have the comfort of a cabin during what was at times a very stormy trip.
"We experienced some very rough weather, there was pouring rain for most of the trip and it is really cold at night when you are sailing on an open deck ship.
"This has been a great experience and a challenge both physically and mentally. A lot of people learnt a lot about themselves and how they act under pressure," said Louise Henriksen, a crew member and a historian at the Viking ship museum in Roskilde.
The ship was built over four years at the museum using replicas of Viking Age tools, materials and techniques. Next year it will make the return trip from Dublin.
Arriving in Co Louth yesterday was a huge triumph for the crew which is made up of men and women of 11 nationalities.
The ship's seaworthiness was put to the test during the trip and only one problem was found - with the steering oar which fell off three times and was repaired by the crew each time. "It was probably a problem the Vikings had too but part of this whole idea was to test and evaluate the ship and learn by doing the trip," added crew member Lars Toft .
The longship will return to the Irish Sea for the relatively short sail to Malahide later today and it formally arrives in Dublin next Tuesday.