Who were the Fenians?

[SeattleRaven]

I am a writer currently working on a story centered around the tales of the Fianna and am looking for some historically interesting components to the story. If anyone has any input to the following questions it would be appreciated.

Q: What approximate time period did the Finn tales take place?
Q: At the time of the Fianna were the Vikings (Lochlannoch)?
Q: During the supposed time frame of the tales what was the culture like (politics, dress, customs, accommodations, etc.)
Q: Are there any current poets and story tellers who have a particular interest in the Fenian stories?

Any other useful information relevant to the Fenian Cycle would be useful, the more back ground to my story the better.

Thanks!

[DJ Droood]

Did you ever write your book? I'm not surprised that this wasn't answered, however...you see this from time to time...a writer or journalist or someone doing a thesis will ask the group to summerize a great deal of knowledge and research for them....easier than hitting the books yourself, I guess, but I can see why someone with a specialized interest in a topic like this wouldn't want to spend the time answering all those questions. Perhaps a better approach would be to spend a few months on the forum, ask one question at a time, engage in a dialogue, and treat the resource with respect.