Tag Archives: halberd

Halberds and Crane dances, a new theory.

  Just after reading a very interesting article in the latest issue of Archaeology Ireland (Spring 2011). The article discusses how the crane, a large and colourful bird which is related to the heron, was once very common in Ireland, only becoming extinct c. 300 years ago. The authors, Lorcan O’ Toole and Ronan O’ Flaherty, suggest that this impressive [...]

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A Mesolithic cemetery: Ireland’s oldest burials

  On a bend of the River Shannon, Ireland’s largest watercourse, a small band of hunter-gathers came to together nearly [...]

Images of Newgrange through the ages

The Neolithic  passage tomb at Newgrange is the most visited archaeological site in Ireland. Over 5000 years old it pre-dates the first phase of [...]

The Broighter hoard

The remarkable Broighter hoard, arguably the finest treasure trove of the Irish Iron Age, was discovered on a February evening [...]

The Oseberg Viking ship burial

  In 1904 a remarkable archaeological site was uncovered at Oseberg, Norway. It consisted of an astonishingly well-preserved Viking ship [...]

The death of an elephant, Dublin, 1681

I stumbled across a curious 17th century account of an elephant in Dublin city recently. Yes, you read right, an [...]

Dublin’s lost buildings: The Dutch Billy

  Strolling through some of Dublin streets at the begining of the 18th century, an English visitor to the city [...]