Although these longphorts were used as bases for Viking raids, the term had additional meanings and these sites had multiple purposes.
[1] These camps would be of great importance to the Vikings during their raids of Ireland, which included attacks on many churches and monasteries located on the coast.
[4] Archeological evidence shows that imports and exports included textiles, animal skins, amber, and glass from England.
Many camps along river banks and lakes did not last long, however, some only as little as one or two seasons, but others such as Dublin developed into large urban centers, as did the other significant Norse settlements at Cork, Waterford, Woodstown (in Waterford), Wexford and Limerick which remain the largest urban centers in Ireland today.
The town and county of Longford are anglicisations of the Irish equivalent "longfort", referring to a fortress or fortified house.