The Kiltubbrid Shield is an

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly ap ...

wooden shield from Ireland, discovered during the 19th century in the

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...

Kiltubbrid Kiltubrid or Kiltubbrid () is a civil parish in the barony of Leitrim, County Leitrim, Ireland. The villages of Keshcarrigan and Drumcong lie within the civil parish. History The name Kiltubrid derives from the Irish ''Cill Tiobraid'' meani ...

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; gle, Contae Liatroma) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for th ...

. It is probably the only perfect article of its description found in Europe, and dates from the late Celtic (La Tène) period.

Description

The Kiltubbrid shield is a remarkably well-preserved example of an ancient Irish wooden shield. It was discovered , buried deep in a turf bog, at

townland and just north of Lough Scur. The shield is a perfect specimen, oval in shape, with a perfect central boss high, and seven slightly raised concentric circles (ribs), plain on the reverse, with a handle, the whole carved out of one piece of wood. The original measurements were in height by in width, with a thickness of . Unlike ancient classic shields, through which the forearm was passed, the Irish wooden shield, grasped by the cross-piece underneath the umbo (boss), could be projected to full arm's length during battle. The wood was probably

alder Alders are trees comprising the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few spe ...

. Killtubrid Shield Illustration.png, 1st Illustration Kiltubrid-Alder-wooden-shield-Ireland.png, 2nd illustration Kiltubrid-Alder-wooden-shield-Ireland2.png, 3rd illustration Kiltubrid Shield Illustration.png, 4th illustration The shields was probably covered with leather, painted and decorated. The ribs show an indentation on one side, presenting a remarkable interruption in the symmetry of the ornament. Shrinkage may have caused the indentation. MacAllister wondered if the indentation is a survival of the observation-notch which adorned shield edges in medieval time, or if this interruption of circular ornament reflected a widespread taboo and superstition against closed rings which prevailed at the time.

Etymology

Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh Roderick O'Flaherty ( ga, Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh; 1629–1718 or 1716) was an Irish historian. Biography He was born in County Galway and inherited Moycullen Castle and estate. O'Flaherty was the last ''de jure'' Lord of Iar Connacht, ...

stated in Ogygia (1685) that the Irish name for alder was Fearn, because "shields are made of it". The Irish word "sciath", i.e. shield, is more recently applied to a shallow wicker basket, of oval shape — sometimes called a skib — used for straining potatoes, and which closely resembles in size and form of the Kiltubbrid wooden shield.

Purpose

The toughness and density of the alder would, in itself, be a firm defence against the thrusts of swords, if not spears, but half-inch thick wooden shields would be useless against Roman javelins. An illustration sculptured on a stone cross at

Kells, County Meath Kells (; ) is a town in County Meath, Ireland. The town lies off the M3 motorway, from Navan and from Dublin. Along with other towns in County Meath, it is within the " commuter belt" for Dublin, and had a population of 6,135 as of the 20 ...

evidently depicts a conflict between different tribes or cultures; one armed with long-handled spears and circular bossed-shields, the opposing warrior shields have no boss, and are armed with short swords, of a kind often found on

crannog A crannog (; ga, crannóg ; gd, crannag ) is typically a partially or entirely artificial island, usually built in lakes and estuarine waters of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Unlike the prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, which were b ...

s and first adopted with the introduction of iron as a primary material for weapons of warfare.

References

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