This is an I-Heart podcast.

And we continue with our American stories.

There's been an ongoing debate as to whether the Irish were the first slaves in the

Americas predating the first black African slaves by almost a decade. Our next story comes to us

from Colin D. Heaton and Mike Droberg, two military veterans and the founders of the terrific

YouTube channel Forgotten History.

Their videos focus on military heroes, actions, and events spanning across the globe

and are watched by hundreds of thousands of people.

Here's Colin Heaton with the story.

Some groups deny the Irish slavery under English and later British rule, claiming that this

was nothing more than voluntary indentured servitude, which did exist. However, the official

British legal terminology used was indentured servants. Whether the servants in question had willingly signed the indenture contract to immigrate

to the Americas or were first to go.

Many were forced.

Therefore, those transported unwillingly and effectively sold were not considered to be indentured.

This included political prisoners, vagrants, convicts, political activists, thieves, prostitutes,

or people who had been defined as undesirable by the English government.

The Irish introduction to slavery was during the first Viking rates in the year 795, lasting through the mid-ninth century. This period saw the Irish killed and enslaved.

Just like many other societies, the Vikings attacked.

Most of these early raids were along the northern and eastern coast using hit-and-run tactics.

The Vikings would then flee with treasure and slaves, and returned to either their holdings in Scotland or back to Norway.

Usually, many slaves who were of value were ransomed back to their families,

...