Irish Archaeology
Sharing Ireland’s amazing archaeology as well as interesting sites and finds from around the world.
Amazing artifacts from Ireland
The Mac Durnan Gospel is a beautifully illustrated, but little known Irish manuscript that now resides in the Lambeth Palace Library in London. A relatively small book, measuring just 15.9 cm by 11.1 cm in size, it contains the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). These are written in Irish miniscule script, a style […]
Alva Mac Gowan recounts her recent voyage on the Sea Stallion of Glendalough, a reconstructed Viking longship ‘It is the still and silent sea that drowns a man‘- Hávamál Last month I sailed with a crew of fifty-five in a 30m (100ft) long reconstructed Viking war ship called the Sea Stallion of Glendalough. We travelled […]
This small wooden artefact was discovered during the National Museum of Ireland’s excavations at Fishamble Street in Dublin. These extensive works revealed a wealth of information about the Viking Age city and the people who lived there between the 9th and 11th centuries AD. Measuring circa 5 cm in diameter and carved from a single piece […]
The Brockagh axe is one of my favourite artefacts in the National Museum of Ireland. It dates from the Middle Bronze Age and was discovered deep within a peat bog at Brockagh, Co. Kildare. What is very unusual about the axe is the fact that it was found within a small leather pouch that appears […]
A Middle bronze Age ‘rapier’ blade has been discovered at a bog in Rossan, Co. Meath. It was identified on the surface of the bog by Christie Nolan and then reported to the National Museum of Ireland by Pat Dunne, both of whom work for Bord na Móna. The find-place was subsequently investigated by Mary […]
When the 14th century city officials of Waterford wanted to petition King Edward III to support their claim to the monopoly of having ships unload their wares at their town, rather than at a New Ross in county Wexford, they knew they had to dig to their deepest abilities of strategy and creativity. They produced […]
Very interesting news from Co. Sligo where archaeologists working for the National Monuments Service have uncovered artefacts relating to a Spanish Armada Vessel, La Juliana, which sank off the Sligo coast in 1588. The material includes a number of cannons that are described as being in excellent condition. Two of the cannons have been lifted, one of […]
Exciting news from Donegal, where the County Museum have just announced that St. Conall Cael’s Bell is returning to the county for the first time in over 100 years. This ornate relic, which now resides at the British Museum, is thought to have once belonged to St. Conall Cael, a 6th century saint whose monastery […]
Archaeologists at the University of Southampton have found evidence of an ancient gold trade route between south-west Britain and Ireland. This new study suggests that people were trading gold between the two countries as far back as the early Bronze Age (2500 BC). The research, in collaboration with the University of Bristol, used a new […]
This distinctive leather arm-ring was found on an Iron Age bog body from Co. Offaly. It represents a very unusual find from this period, as organic jewellery rarely survives in the archaeological record. Thankfully, in this instance, the cold, acidic and oxygen-free conditions of the bog prevented the leather from decaying. The bog body containing […]