 The similarities that do exist suggests the later pots may have been made by Norse who had settled in Ireland, or Irish slaves.There are frequent references in early Icelandic history to slaves from Ireland and the Hebrides, but none from Orkney.Gaelic certainly continued to exist as a spoken language in the southern Hebrides throughout the settlement period, but place name evidence suggests it had a lowly status and Norse may have survived as a spoken language until the 16th century in the Outer Hebrides.