Cormac Bourke (born in Dublin) is an Irish

archeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts ...

specialising in

Medieval studies Medieval studies is the academic interdisciplinary study of the Middle Ages. Institutional development The term 'medieval studies' began to be adopted by academics in the opening decades of the twentieth century, initially in the titles of books ...

, early church history and insular Christianity. He is a former, long term,

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

of Medieval Antiquities at the

Ulster Museum The Ulster Museum, located in the Botanic Gardens in Belfast, has around 8,000 square metres (90,000 sq. ft.) of public display space, featuring material from the collections of fine art and applied art, archaeology, ethnography, treasure ...

, Belfast, and currently works at the antiquities department of the

National Museum of Ireland The National Museum of Ireland ( ga, Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann) is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has thre ...

.The National Museum of Ireland publishes most authoritative study ever undertaken on medieval hand-bells
.

, 7 December 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2022 His publications focus on early medieval Irish metalwork and the archaeology of saint's relics, and range from surveys of early Irish hand-bells, to

Insular crozier An Insular crozier is a type of processional bishop's staff (crozier) produced in Ireland and Scotland between and 1200. Such items can be distinguished from mainland European types by their curved and open crooks, and drop (that is, the hollo ...

s, Celtic brooches,

crucifixion plaque Crucifixion plaques are small early medieval sculptures with a central panel of the still alive but crucified Jesus surrounded by four smaller ancillary panels. consisting. of Stephaton and Longinus (the lance and sponge bearers) in the lower ...

s and

cumdach A (, in Irish "cover"Joynt (1917), p. 186) or book shrine is an elaborate ornamented metal reliquary box or case used to hold Early Medieval Irish manuscripts or relics. They are typically later than the book they contain, often by several c ...

s. Describing his widely praised 2022 book, ''The Early Medieval Hand-bells of Ireland and Britain'', on a topic that was relatively under-studied, the National Museum of Ireland wrote that the "breadth of research undertaken, and extraordinary level of detail and description provided throughout...make it the most authoritative study ever undertaken on medieval hand-bells... ndan immense achievement both nationally and internationally."

Selected publications

Books

* ''The Early Medieval Hand-bells of Ireland and Britain''. Dublin: Wordwell, 2022. * "Bell-Shrines". In: Moss, Rachel. ''Medieval c. 400—c. 1600: Art and Architecture of Ireland''. London: Yale University Press, 2014. * ''Studies in the Cult of Saint Columba'', Dublin: Four Courts Press, 1997. * ''Patrick: The Archaeology of a Saint''. Stationery Office Books, 1993. .Patrick: The Archaeology of a Saint
. Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur. Retrieved 23 July 2022

Articles

* " The Prosperous, Co. Kildare, Crozier: archaeology and use". ''Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History, Literature'', volume 117C, 2017 * " St Mel's Cathedral fire". ''Archaeology Ireland'', volume 24, no. 1, Spring 2010. * "The "

Domnach Airgid The Domnach Airgid (; also Domhnach Airgid, English: Silver Church or Shrine of Saint Patrick's Gospels)Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ga, Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned socie ...

, volume 85C, 1985. * "Early Irish Hand-Bells". ''The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland'', volume 110, 1980.

References

External links

The Bells of the Irish Saints
2021 video lecture {{DEFAULTSORT:Bourkel, Cormac Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Irish archaeologists Irish art historians People associated with the National Museum of Ireland