The National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology (, often known as the "NMI") is a branch of the
National Museum of Ireland
The National Museum of Ireland () 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 three branches in Dublin, the arch ...
located on
Kildare Street in
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
, Ireland, that specialises in Irish and other antiquities dating from the
Stone Age
The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...
to the
Late Middle Ages
The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...
.
The museum was established under the Dublin Science and Art Museum Act 1877 (
40 & 41 Vict. c. ccxxxiv). Before, its collections had been divided between the
Royal Dublin Society
The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) () is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economically. It was long active as a learned ...
and the
Natural History Museum
A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history scientific collection, collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, Fungus, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleo ...
on
Merrion Street
Merrion Street (; ) is a major Georgian street on the southside of Dublin, Ireland, which runs along one side of Merrion Square. It is divided into Merrion Street Lower (north end), Merrion Square West and Merrion Street Upper (south end). It ...
. The museum was built by the father and son architects
Thomas Newenham Deane and
Thomas Manly Deane.
The rotunda at the front of the National Museum matches that of the
National Library of Ireland
The National Library of Ireland (NLI; ) is Ireland's national library located in Dublin, in a building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane. The mission of the National Library of Ireland is "To collect, preserve, promote and make accessible the ...
, which face each other across the front of
Leinster House
Leinster House () is the seat of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Originally, it was the ducal palace of the Duke of Leinster, Dukes of Leinster.
Since 1922, it has been a complex of buildings which houses Oirea ...
.
The NMI's collection contains artifacts from
prehistoric Ireland
The prehistory of Ireland has been pieced together from Archaeology, archaeological evidence, which has grown at an increasing rate over recent decades. It begins with the first evidence of permanent human residence in Ireland around 10,500 BC ...
including
bog bodies
A bog body is a human cadaver that has been Natural mummy, naturally mummified in a Bog, peat bog. Such bodies, sometimes known as bog people, are both geographically and chronologically widespread, having been dated to between 8000 BC and the S ...
,
Iron
Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...
and
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
objects such as axe heads, swords and shields in bronze, silver and gold, with the earliest dated to c. 7000 BC. It holds the world's most substantial collection of post-Roman era Irish medieval art (known as
Insular art
Insular art, also known as Hiberno-Saxon art, was produced in the sub-Roman Britain, post-Roman era of Great Britain and Ireland. The term derives from ''insula'', the Latin language, Latin term for "island"; in this period Britain and Ireland ...
). In addition, it houses a substantial collection of medieval metalwork, Viking artefacts including swords and coins, and classical objects from
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...
,
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
and the
Roman world.
History
The impetus for creating the museum was the 1877 Dublin Science and Art Museum Act, which combined the collections of the
Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...
(RIA) and
Royal Dublin Society
The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) () is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economically. It was long active as a learned ...
(RDS). This new law was enacted because the RIA recognised it needed government funding to continue its acquisition program and because becoming a state body allowed easier collaboration with the
British Museum
The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...
and
National Museum of Scotland
The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, is a museum of Scottish history and culture.
It was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, ...
.
[History of the Organisation]
. National Museum of Ireland. Retrieved 7 January 2022 The project was overseen by the
palaeontologist
Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure geolo ...
Alexander Carte
Alexander Carte Doctor of Medicine, MD, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, FRCSI, Royal Irish Academy, MRIA (11 August 1805 – 25 September 1881) was an Ireland, Irish zoologist and paleontology, palaeontologist and was first director Natur ...
.
Among other early sources for the museum’s collection were works held by
Trinity College Dublin
Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...
and the
Geological Survey of Ireland.
[Rudolph (2019), "National Museum of Ireland, Dublin"] These included such major pieces as the
Cross of Cong (which the RIA acquired from an Augustinian priory in
County Mayo
County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...
) and the
Domnach Airgid (acquired in 1847). In the mid-nineteenth century, the museum also acquired the collections of academy members such as
Henry Sirr and Petrie (who left some 1500 artifacts, including 900 from pre-history, six crosiers, and a number of bells and bell shrines).
[Overbe (2012), p. 22]
Many of these pieces had been found in the 19th century by agricultural labourers when population expansion and new machinery led to the cultivation of land that had not been touched since the Middle Ages.
George Petrie of the RIA and others who were members of the
Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland intervened to prevent these metalwork artifacts from being melted down and repurposed as mere metal. Discovery of such objects continues to the present day; recent major discoveries include the 8th century Tully Lough Cross, found in 1986, and the
Clonycavan bog bodies, found in 2003.
[Kingship and Sacrifice]
. National Museum of Ireland, 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2021
In 1908, the museum was renamed the National Museum of Science and Art, and in 1921, following
Irish independence, it was renamed the National Museum of Ireland.
Building and interior
The original museum was titled the Dublin Museum of Science and Art, and located between the Royal Dublin Society in
Leinster House
Leinster House () is the seat of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Originally, it was the ducal palace of the Duke of Leinster, Dukes of Leinster.
Since 1922, it has been a complex of buildings which houses Oirea ...
and the
Natural History Museum
A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history scientific collection, collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, Fungus, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleo ...
in
Merrion Street
Merrion Street (; ) is a major Georgian street on the southside of Dublin, Ireland, which runs along one side of Merrion Square. It is divided into Merrion Street Lower (north end), Merrion Square West and Merrion Street Upper (south end). It ...
. The museum's storage and display requirements became too large for these locations, and a new museum was built on Kildare Street. Opened on 29 August 1890, it was designed by
Thomas Newenham Deane and his son, Thomas Manly Deane, in the Victorian
Palladian
Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...
style. The
column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...
s around the entrance and the
dome
A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...
d
rotunda are made from Irish
marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...
and bear influence from both 18th century
neoclassical design
[Kelly (2007), p. 4][Ó Floinn; Wallace (2002), p. 14] and the
Pantheon in Rome. The stone on the exterior is mostly
Leinster
Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland.
The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...
granite
Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
, with the columns formed from
sandstone
Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
excavated at
Mountcharles
Mountcharles () is a village and townland (of 650 acres) in the south of County Donegal in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. It lies 6 km from Donegal Town on the Killybegs road ( N56). It is situated in the civil parish of Inver ...
, County Donegal.
[Kelly (2007), p. 5]
The
mosaic
A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...
floors in the interior contain scenes from classical mythology. Although laid out in the 19th century by the Manchaster-based artist Ludwig Oppenheimer, they were covered for decades until cleaned and restored in 2011. The wooden doors were carved by either William Milligan of Dublin or Carlo Cambi of
Siena
Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...
, Italy, while the fireplaces contain
majolica
In different periods of time and in different countries, the term ''majolica'' has been used for two distinct types of pottery.
Firstly, from the mid-15th century onwards, ''maiolica'' was a type of pottery reaching Italy from Spain, Majorca a ...
tiles by the UK-based
Burmantofts Pottery.
[Kelly (2011), p. 109] The balcony of the central court is held by rows of thin cast-iron columns containing ornate capitals decorated with groups of
cherubs
A cherub (; : cherubim; ''kərūḇ'', pl. ''kərūḇīm'') is one type of supernatural being in the Abrahamic religions. The numerous depictions of cherubim assign to them many different roles, such as protecting the entrance of the Garden of ...
.
File:Circular (31647815505).jpg, Columns and domed rotunda at the entrance
File:20130810 dublin205.JPG, Stairway between the museum's two floors
File:Interior of the National Museum of Ireland-Archaeology, Dublin, Ireland.jpg, View from the centre court overlooking the goldwork exhibition hall
File:National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, salone del tesoro.jpg, Treasury room
Collection
The NMI has a number of large permanent exhibits, mainly of Irish historical objects and also a few smaller exhibits on the ancient Mediterranean, including galleries on Ancient Egypt, as well as "Ceramics and Glass from Ancient Cyprus".
Prehistoric
Stone age to early metallurgy
The museum's
prehistoric Ireland
The prehistory of Ireland has been pieced together from Archaeology, archaeological evidence, which has grown at an increasing rate over recent decades. It begins with the first evidence of permanent human residence in Ireland around 10,500 BC ...
exhibit contains artefacts from the earliest period of human habitation in Ireland (just after the
Last Glacial Period) up to the Celtic Iron Age. The collection includes numerous stone implements created by the first
hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forager is a human living in a community, or according to an ancestrally derived Lifestyle, lifestyle, in which most or all food is obtained by foraging, that is, by gathering food from local naturally occurring sources, esp ...
colonists from around 7000 BC, as well as tools, pottery and burial objects left by Neolithic farmers.
Some notable artefacts include four rare
Jadeite
Jadeite is a pyroxene mineral with composition Na Al Si2 O6. It is hard (Mohs hardness of about 6.5 to 7.0), very tough, and dense, with a specific gravity of about 3.4. It is found in a wide range of colors, but is most often found in shades ...
axe
An axe (; sometimes spelled ax in American English; American and British English spelling differences#Miscellaneous spelling differences, see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for thousands of years to shape, split, a ...
heads imported from the
Alps
The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia.
...
of
Neolithic Italy, and the unique ceremonial
macehead discovered at the tomb of
Knowth
Knowth (; ) is a prehistoric tomb overlooking the River Boyne in County Meath, Ireland. It comprises a large passage tomb surrounded by 17 smaller tombs, built during the Neolithic era around 3200 BC. It contains the largest assemblage of megali ...
. The exhibit then covers the introduction of metallurgy into Ireland around 2500 BC, with early
copper
Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
implements.
The museum has a large array of later Bronze Age period axes, daggers, swords, shields, cauldrons and cast bronze horns (the earliest known Irish musical instruments).
[Kelly (2007), pp. 10–13] There are a few very early Iron weapons. Wooden objects include a large
dugout logboat, wooden wheels and cauldrons and ancient
reed fishing equipment.
File:River Bann Axehead NMI.jpg, River Bann Axehead, Neolithic
The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
period
File:Testa in pietra con più facce, da corleck hill, co. di cavan, I-II secolo dc. 03.jpg, The Corleck Head, a 1st or 2nd century AD three-faced stone head found in Drumeague, County Cavan
County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...
, Ireland c. 1855.
File:Offerta votiva fatta da un pezzo di metallo con rilievo di ragazzi a cavallo, da newgrange, contea di meath, II-IV secolo.jpg, Votive offering in metal with relief of boys on horseback, Newgrange
Newgrange () is a prehistoric monument in County Meath in Ireland, placed on a rise overlooking the River Boyne, west of the town of Drogheda. It is an exceptionally grand passage tomb built during the Neolithic Period, around 3100 BC, makin ...
, County Meath
County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...
, 2nd-4th century AD
Bronze age and goldwork
The NMI's collection of Bronze Age goldwork ranges from c. 2200 to 1800 B.C and is considered one of the "largest and most important" in Western Europe.
[Kelly (2007), p. 15] The gold was recovered from
river gravel and hammered into thin sheets used to create objects such as crescent-shaped collars (
Gold lunula), bracelets and dress-fasteners.
Most of the goldwork is probably jewellery, but many of the objects of are of unknown (possibly ritual) function.
By the middle Bronze Age new goldwork techniques were developed; from around 1200 BC a great variety of
torc
A torc, also spelled torq or torque, is a large rigid or stiff neck ring in metal, made either as a single piece or from strands twisted together. The great majority are open at the front, although some have hook and ring closures and a few hav ...
s were produced from twisting bars of gold. Items from the late Bronze Age (that is from c. 900 BC) include solid gold bracelets, dress-fasteners, large sheet gold collars,
ear-spools and a necklace of hollow golden balls.
File:Decorated stone from Loughcrew, Co Meath (2500-1700 BC) in the National Museum Dublin.jpg, Decorated stone from Loughcrew, Co Meath, 2500-1700 BC
File:Lunula d'oro e due dischi d'oro, da coggalbeg, co. roscommon, 2200-1800 ac ca.jpg , upright=1.4, Gold lunula, Coggalbeg hoard, 2200-1800 BC
File:Gleninsheen gold gorget.jpg, The Gleninsheen gorget, Co Clare, c. 800-700 BC
File:Gold collar ( 800-700 BC) from Co Clare (detail).jpg, Gold collar, Co Clare, 800-700 BC
File:Gold Dress Fastener found in wooden box in Killymoom Demesne in Co Tyrone (800-700 BC) in National Museum Dublin.jpg, Gold dress fastener from Killymoom Demesne in County Tyrone
County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh.
Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the cou ...
(800-700 BC)
Bog bodies (Iron age)
The museum contains a number of well-preserved Irish
bog bodies
A bog body is a human cadaver that has been Natural mummy, naturally mummified in a Bog, peat bog. Such bodies, sometimes known as bog people, are both geographically and chronologically widespread, having been dated to between 8000 BC and the S ...
dating to the
Iron Age
The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
, some of which are believed to have been
ritualistically sacrificed.
[Bog Bodies of the Iron Age: Gallagh Man]
. PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
. Retrieved 14 May 2021 The archaeologist
Eamonn Kelly developed the theory that the bodies were tribal kings sacrificed by the community after failed in their kingship, drowned in pools of water at the boundary points of the tribal territory.
Some seem to exhibit evidence of the so-called
threefold death
The threefold death, which is suffered by kings, heroes, and gods, is a reconstructed Proto-Indo-European theme encountered in Indic, Greek, Celtic, and Germanic mythology.
Some proponents of the trifunctional hypothesis distinguish two types o ...
practice of strangulation, wounding and drowning.
The bog bodies in the collection are
Cashel Man
Cashel Man is a bog body found near Cashel in County Laois, Ireland, on 10 August 2011. The body was a young adult male, around 20–25,Hart, Edward, dir. "Ghosts of Murdered Kings." NOVA. Prod. Edward Hart and Dan McCabe. PBS. 29 Jan. 2014. Tel ...
(c. 2000 BC), believed to be the oldest fleshed bog body found in Europe,
Gallagh Man (470-120 BC),
Clonycavan Man (392 to 201 BC),
Old Croghan Man (362 to 175 BC),
and
Baronstown West Man (242 to 388 AD).
The bodies in the NMI's collection are males aged 25 to 40 years old who died in violent and perhaps ritualistic circumstances. The
withy
A withy or withe (also willow and osier) is a strong flexible willow stem, typically used in thatching, basketmaking, gardening and for constructing woven wattle hurdles. hoop found around Gallagh Man's neck was probably used as a
garrotte to
strangle him;
Although he may have been a criminal who was executed,
[Haughton (2019), p. 108] the willow rope strongly suggests ritual sacrifice as they often appear for this purpose in early Irish mythological stories.
The bodies are shown alongside examples of the material culture of the Celtic
Iron Age
The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
period, including metal weapons, horse trappings and wooden and leather pieces, including the
Ralaghan Idol, an
Iron Age
The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
carved wooden figure found in
County Cavan
County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...
.
File:Galagh Man body.jpg, Gallagh Man, 470-120 BC, found in County Galway
County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...
, 1821
File:Bog-body Clonycavan-Man.jpg, Clonycavan Man, 392 to 201 BC, found in County Meath
County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...
, 2003
File:Old Croghan Man.jpg, Old Croghan Man, 362 to 175 BC, found in County Offaly
County Offaly (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is named after the Ancient Ireland, ancient Kingdom of Uí ...
, 2003
File:Baronstown West Man4.jpg, Baronstown West Man, 242 to 388 BC, found in County Kildare
County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...
, 1953
Early Medieval
The museum's treasury room exhibits early medieval Christian and secular Irish metalwork dating from the late Iron Age to the late 12th century, and contains important pieces from both the La Tène and
Insular periods. The earlier works shows growing influences from the Anglo-Saxon art from England as well as the Germanic areas of Europe, while many of the pieces after the late 8th century show the influence of
Viking art
Viking art, also known commonly as Norse art, is a term widely accepted for the art of Scandinavian Norsemen and Vikings, Viking settlements further afield—particularly in the British Isles and Iceland—during the Viking Age of the 8th-11th ...
.
[Kelly (2011), p. 110]
Chalices, crosses, reliquaries, crucifixion plaques
The displays in the Treasury room are arranged chronologically, beginning with pieces such as the late 7th century
Rinnegan Crucifixion Plaque, one of the earliest extant representations of
the crucifixion in Irish art, and outside of
illuminated manuscript
An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared manuscript, document where the text is decorated with flourishes such as marginalia, borders and Miniature (illuminated manuscript), miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Churc ...
s a rare example of both representation and a narrative scene in early Insular art.
[O'Toole (2013)]
Bell shrines are among the most numerous early medieval artifacts to survive. The best known examples in the museum's collection are St. Columba's bell and the bell and shrine of St. Patrick.
The so-called "Golden Age" of Irish art begins with ecclesiastical metalwork produced from the 8th-century, mainly reliquaries and liturgical vessels, including the 8th century
Moylough Belt-Shrine and the 8th or 9th century
Ardagh and
Derrynaflan chalices. The impact of the
Viking invasion can be seen in Irish metalwork after the early 10th century, both in an expansion of the available materials such as silver and
amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin. Examples of it have been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since the Neolithic times, and worked as a gemstone since antiquity."Amber" (2004). In Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen (eds.) ''Encyclopedia ...
, and the absorption of Scandinavian techniques and styles. This period coincides with an era of church reform Church and the beginning of secular patronage for artwork.
[Kelly (2011), p. 111]
File:Placca della crocifissione, in bronzo, da st. john's rinnagan, contea di roscommon, viii secolo.jpg, The Rinnegan Crucifixion Plaque, late 7th or early 8th century
File:Moylough Belt-Shrine Front view 2.jpg, The Moylough Belt-Shrine, 8th century. Discovered in a bog in Sligo in 1945
File:Calice argenteo, da derrynaflan, contea di tipperary, ix secolo, 03.jpg, Chalice from the Ardagh Hoard, 8th- or 9th-century
File:Processional Cross, National Museum of Ireland (B).jpg, The Tully Lough Cross, 8th or 9th century. Bronze, gilt and tin mounted on wood
File:Derrynaflan chalice.jpg, Derrynaflan Chalice, 8th- or 9th-century. Part of the Derrynaflan Hoard found in 1980 near Killenaule, County Tipperary
County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...
.
File:Reliquiario del corp naomh (sacro corpo), argento e bronzo con cristallo di rocca, da Templecross, co. Westmeath, x poi xv secolo, 01.jpg, The Corp Naomh (sacred body) bell-shrine, 10th and 15th centuries
File:Croce di cong, da cong, contea di mayo, 1100-1125 ca. 06.jpg, The Cross of Cong, early 12th-century
File:Campana di san patrizio e il suo contenitore, da armagh, co. armagh, VI-VIII secolo, poi 1100 ca. 02.jpg, Shrine of St. Patrick's Bell, c. 1100
File:Shrine of Saint Lachtin's Arm NMI.jpg, Shrine of Saint Lachtin's Arm, c. 1118–1121. A reliquary
A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', ''Chasse (casket), chasse'', or ''phylactery'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary, or the room in which one is stored, may also be called a ''feretory''.
Relics may be the purported ...
made of wood and metal shaped as an outstretched forearm and clenched fist.[Moss (2014), p. 291]
File:Reliquiario del dente di san patrizio, del xii e xiv secolo, in oro, argento, lega di rame, cristallo di rocca su anima lignea, da athenry, co. galway 02.jpg, Shrine of St Patrick's Tooth, 12th and 14th centuries
As many of these objects were lost in antiquity and only re-discovered in the 19th and 20th centuries, the museum has played a key role in dating, restoring and preserving newly found objects. Major recent finds include the Tully Lough Cross, found in
County Roscommon
County Roscommon () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the List of Irish counties by area, 11th largest Irish county by area and Li ...
in 1986, and the
Faddan More Psalter
The Faddan More Psalter () (also Irish Bog Psalter or "Faddan Mor Psalter") is an Early Middle Ages, early medieval Christian psalter or text of the book of Psalms, discovered in a peat bog in July 2006, in the townland of Faddan More () in north ...
(c. 800 AD), discovered in a bog in July 2006 in the townland of Faddan More in north County Tipperary, which is held in an adjacent gallery to the Treasury.
Brooches
The museum holds a substantial number of ornate penannular
Celtic brooch
The Celtic brooch, more properly called the penannular brooch, and its closely related type, the pseudo-penannular brooch, are types of brooch clothes fasteners, often rather large; penannular means formed as an incomplete ring. They are especial ...
es. Produced as clothes fasteners for the elites of Ireland and Scotland, they were usually worn singly at the shoulder by men and on the breast by women. Brooches are the most significant objects in high-quality secular metalwork from Early Medieval Insular art, and were later worn by the emerging middle-classes, more often by men than women. The most elaborate examples were clearly significant expressions of status at the top of society, and also worn by clergy, probably to fasten
cope
A cope ( ("rain coat") or ("cape")) is a liturgical long mantle or cloak, open at the front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. It may be of any liturgical colour.
A cope may be worn by any rank of the Catholic or Anglican clerg ...
s and other
vestment
Vestments are Liturgy, liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christianity, Christian religion, especially by Eastern Christianity, Eastern Churches, Catholic Church, Catholics (of all rites), Lutherans, and Anglicans. ...
s rather than as everyday wear.
[Laing (1975), p. 304]
The
Vikings
Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...
began to raid Ireland from 795, with catastrophic effect for the
monasteries
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which m ...
in particular. However, although the Vikings established several
longphorts, initially fortified encampments for overwintering, and later towns like
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
,
Wexford
Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...
,
Cork and
Waterford
Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
, the native Irish were more successful than the English and Scots in preventing large-scale Viking takeovers of areas for settlement by farmers. The period is characterised by a greatly increased availability of silver, presumably the result of Viking raiding and trading, and most brooches are made from silver throughout, as gilding and decoration in other materials nearly disappears. The brooches are often large, but plainer than the most elaborate earlier ones. This continues a trend that can be detected in later brooches from the preceding period, before much Viking influence can have made itself felt.
The early 8th century
Tara Brooch
The Tara Brooch is an Irish Celtic brooch, dated to the late 7th or early 8th century. It is of the pseudo-penannular type (with a fully closed head or hoop), and made from bronze, silver and gold. Its head consists of an intricately decorated ...
is the widely considered the most complex and ornate of the surviving medieval examples and has been described as the "most outstanding item of secular metalwork of the early medieval period."
[Kelly (2007), p. 24] It has been exhibited internationally and was one of the artifacts that fuelled the Celtic Revival in the mid-19th century. The 9th century
Roscrea Brooch
The Roscrea brooch is a 9th-century Celtic brooch of the pseudo-penannular type, found at or near Roscrea, County Tipperary, Ireland, before 1829.Briggs (2017), p. 74 It is made from cast silver, and decorated with zoomorphic patterns of open-ja ...
is one of a number of transitional brooches. Later Irish brooches Scandinavian stylistic and technical influence, notably an example found on
Rathlin Island
Rathlin Island (, ; Local Irish dialect: ''Reachraidh'', ; Scots: ''Racherie'') is an island and civil parish off the coast of County Antrim (of which it is part) in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's northernmost point. As of the 2021 ...
.
File:Spilla celtica penanulare, da ballinderry, co. di offaly, 610 dc ca.jpg, Ballinderry Brooch, c. 600, one of the most complexly designed and important of the surviving early brooches
File:Spilla celtica d'argento, da rathlin island, contea di antrim, ix secolo.jpg, 9th century silver brooch, Rathlin Island
Rathlin Island (, ; Local Irish dialect: ''Reachraidh'', ; Scots: ''Racherie'') is an island and civil parish off the coast of County Antrim (of which it is part) in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's northernmost point. As of the 2021 ...
, County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...
File:Kilmainham brooche NMI.jpg, The Kilmainham Brooch, late 8th- or early 9th-century. Its design was influenced by both Pictish
Pictish is an extinct Brittonic Celtic language spoken by the Picts, the people of eastern and northern Scotland from late antiquity to the Early Middle Ages. Virtually no direct attestations of Pictish remain, short of a limited number of geog ...
and Viking metalwork.[Ó Floinn; Wallace (2002), p. 185]
File:Spilla celtica penanulare, da ervey, contea di meath, ix secolo.jpg, Penanular Celtic brooch, County Meath
County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...
, 9th century
File:Spilla celtica anulare, in arghento, da roscrea, co. di tipperary, ix secolo dc.jpg, The Roscrea Brooch
The Roscrea brooch is a 9th-century Celtic brooch of the pseudo-penannular type, found at or near Roscrea, County Tipperary, Ireland, before 1829.Briggs (2017), p. 74 It is made from cast silver, and decorated with zoomorphic patterns of open-ja ...
, 9th century
House-shaped shrines
House (or tomb) shaped shrines originate from the European continent, Ireland and Scotland and mostly date from the 8th or 9th centuries, and like many Insular shrines, they were heavily reworked and embellished in the centuries following their initial construction, often with metal adornments or figures influenced by
Romanesque sculpture. Typical examples consist of a wooden core covered with silver and copper
alloy
An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which in most cases at least one is a metal, metallic element, although it is also sometimes used for mixtures of elements; herein only metallic alloys are described. Metallic alloys often have prop ...
plates. They were built to hold relics of saints or martyrs from the early Church era;
[Ó Floinn (1990), p. 49] a number held corporeal remains when found in the modern period, presumably they were parts of the saint's body. Others, including the now badly damaged
Breac Maodhóg, held manuscripts associated with the commemorated saint.
The Breac Maodhóg was probably used as a battle standard when it would have been carried onto the battlefield by a cleric to offer protection to the troops and perhaps bring victory. A medieval text on the patron saints of the
kings of Leinster records that the kings of Breifne sought that "the famous wonder-working Breac
ascarried thrice around them" during battle.
File:Lough Erne Shrine 11th Century.jpg, upright=1.0, The Lough Erne Shrine, 11th century. The smaller but similar shrine was found inside the larger container.
File:Shrine found in the River Shannon.jpg, Drawing of a shrine found in the River Shannon
The River Shannon ( or archaic ') is the major river on the island of Ireland, and at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of I ...
, c. 9th century
File:Earliest Irish harp on the Breac Máedóc reliquary, circa 1000-1100 A.D.jpg, Gable of the badly damaged but important Breac Maodhóg, showing the figure of a harpist. Late 11th century[O'Toole (2013), p. 86]
File:Saint Manchan's Shrine (S1).jpg, Saint Manchan's Shrine, 12th century
Cumdachs
Cumdach
A (, in Irish "cover"Joynt (1917), p. 186) or book shrine is an elaborate ornamented metal reliquary box or case used to hold History of Ireland (400–800), Early Medieval Irish manuscripts or relics. They are typically later than the book t ...
s (or book shrines) are elaborate ornamented metal reliquary boxes or cases used to hold
Early Medieval Irish manuscripts or
relic
In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...
s. They are typically later than the books they contain, often by several centuries. In most surviving examples the book comes from the peak age of Irish monasticism before 800, and the extant cumdachs date from after 1000, although it is clear the form dates from considerably earlier.
[Moss (2014), p. 294] The usual form is a design based on a cross on the main face, with use of large gems of
rock crystal
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical fo ...
or other
semi-precious
A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, semiprecious stone, or simply gem) is a piece of mineral crystal which, when cut or polished, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. Certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, ...
stones, leaving the spaces between the arms of the cross for more varied decoration. Several were carried on a metal chain or leather cord, often worn off the belt, or suspended around the neck, placing them next to the heart and thus offering spiritual and perhaps medical benefits. They were also used to bring healing to the sick or dying, or more formally, as witness contracts. Many had hereditary laykeepers from among the chiefly families who had formed links with monasteries.
Although most of the extant book-shaped protective shrines are mentioned in
Irish annals
A number of Irish annals, of which the earliest was the Chronicle of Ireland, were compiled up to and shortly after the end of the 17th century. Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days. Over ti ...
, they were not properly described until the early 19th century, when antiquarians and collectors such as Petrie began to seek them out from heredity collections. Most are badly damaged, including due to general wear and tear over the centuries, fires at their holding location, or more usually, having elements such as their gemstones removed for sale by their owners. A majority are now in the NMI.
File:Contenitore del messale con iscrizione al 're' d'irlanda donnchad, 1030 ca., dal monastero di lorrha, co. di tipperary, 02.jpg, The shrine of the Stowe Missal, showing openwork
In art history, architecture, and related fields, openwork or open-work is any decorative technique that creates holes, piercings, or gaps through a solid material such as metal, wood, stone, pottery, cloth, leather, or ivory. Such techniques ha ...
patterns
File:Cassetta di libro sacro di san cairneach, lati dell'xi secolo e fronte del 1534, in argento dorato e filigranato con cristallo di rocca su anima di legno, da clonmany co. donegal.jpg, Shrine of Miosach, 11th century. May have once contained a manuscript with psalms
The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament.
The book is an anthology of B ...
or extracts from a Gospel
File:Shrine of the Cathach.jpg, The Shrine of the Cathach of St. Columba, 11th century
File:Soiscél Molaisse (St. Matthew).jpg, Detail from the 11th century Soiscél Molaisse showing St. Matthew
File:Reliquiario di dohnach airigd ('chiesa d'argento') tradiz. donato da s. patrizio a s. macartan, viii secolo, poi 1350 ca., da clones, co. monaghan 01.jpg, Panel from the Domnach Airgid, an 8th-century wooden reliquary reworked between the 13th and 15th centuries.
Croziers
The NMI holds the vast majority of extant
Insular croziers. There are types of processional
bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
's staff (
crozier
A crozier or crosier (also known as a paterissa, pastoral staff, or bishop's staff) is a stylized staff that is a symbol of the governing office of a bishop or abbot and is carried by high-ranking prelates of Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholi ...
) produced in Ireland and Scotland between and 1200. They can be distinguished from mainland European types by their curved crooks and drop (the hollow box-like extension at the end of the crook).
[Murray (2007a), p. 81] Symbols of office for bishops or abbots, their form is based on the idea of the clerics as
shepherds
A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations; it exists in many parts of the globe, and it is an important part of Pastoralism, pastoralist animal husbandry. ...
for their flocks. Although their production ended c. 1200, they continued in use and were often refurbished and added to until the late medieval period.
[Moss (2014), p. 83] After the dissolution of the monasteries in the 12th and 13th centuries, the croziers were in danger of plunder from both Viking and Norman invaders. As large objects, they were difficult to hide, a reason why so many surviving examples show evidence of having been broken in two; reducing their length made them easier to hide in small spaces. A majority of the surviving extant croziers or fragments were held over the centuries by hereditary keepers (usually generations of a local family) until they were re-discovered by
antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...
s in the early 19th century.
[Mitchell (1996), p. 6]
The croziers are often ornamented with
interlace designs, geometric patterns and
zoomorphic
The word ''zoomorphism'' derives from and . In the context of art, zoomorphism could describe art that imagines humans as non-human animals. It can also be defined as art that portrays one species of animal like another species of animal or art ...
(portraying humans as non-human animals) figures. The animal designs in the earliest example, including the 9th century
Prosperous Crozier, are depicted in a naturalistic manner, while many of the later examples, such as the c. 1100
Lismore Crozier, bear influence from both the Ringerike and l
Urnes styles of Viking art.
[Bourke (1985), p. 151][Ó Floinn; Wallace (2002), p. 220] Some of the Ringerike style animals bear close resemblance to figures on the margins of ninth-century Celtic brooches.
[Bourke (1985), p. 153] In craftmanship and ornamentation, the late 11th century
Clonmacnoise Crozier is considered the finest of the fully intact example, followed in quality by the 11th century
River Laune and Lismore Crozier.
File:Prosperous Crozier 1.jpg, Prosperous Crozier, late 10th or early 11th century
File:Crozier of Dysert O'Dea.jpg, Crozier of Dysert O'Dea (or St. Tola's Crozier), 11th century
File:Crozier Head, NMI.jpg, Crozier head (fragment)
File:Bastone pastorale di lismore, 1100 ca. 05.jpg, Lismore Crozier, c 1100
Late Medieval
Over the course of the 12th century, the Viking port cities of Dublin,
Waterford
Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
and
Cork developed extensive trade links with Britain and the continent. This led to greater exposure to international styles and inevitably began the end of the Insular period of Irish art.
[Ó Floinn; Wallace (2002), p. 257] The earlier style largely came to an end after the mid-12th century Church reform movement, the
Norman invasion of 1169–1170 and the subsequent wide adoption of Romanesque art. According to Kelly, by the late Middle Ages, "much of the material on display
n the museumillustrates lifestyles, trades and activities that were common to much of medieval Europe".
[Kelly (2007), p. 37] This, through the Gothic and Renaissance periods Irish art was essentially a regional variation of wider European styles.
The English colonisation of Ireland resulted in the island having two separate identities through the last Middle Ages, each with their own language, laws and cultures, a fact that can be discerned from contemporary objects in the museum's collection.
The museum defines the late period as extending from c. 1150 to c. 1550, but allows for a lot of cross-over with the earlier "golden age" of Irish art (including some of the later croziers, bell-shrines and cumdachs).
[Medieval Ireland 1150-1550]
. National Museum of Ireland. Retrieved 30 January 2022
The museum displays its collection of later work under three groupings: "bellatores (those who fight), oratores (those who pray) and laboratores (those who work)".
[Kelly (2007), p. 38]
File:Figurina di crocifisso in lega di rame, da baltinglass, co. di wicklow, xii secolo.jpg, Copper-alloy crucifix figurine, County Wicklow
County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...
, 12th century
File:Figura di crocifisso in lega di rame dorata, 1470 ca., irlanda.jpg, Crucifix in gilded copper-alloy, c. 1470
File:Clashnamuck bascinet - NMI Kildare St - (A&I) 495-1902 - PXL 20250604 122418006.jpg, Remains of a bascinet
The bascinet – also bassinet, basinet, or bazineto – was a Medieval European open-faced combat helmet. It evolved from a type of iron or steel Cervelliere, skullcap, but had a more pointed apex to the skull, and it extended downwards at ...
made of iron, 14th–15th century. Found in Clashnamuck, County Laois
County Laois ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Hist ...
.
File:Pendente a croce in argento dorato, 1500 ca. 02.jpg, Gilded silver cross pendant, c. 1500
File:Pendente a croce in argento con vetro e granati, 1500 ca., dai pressi di callan, co. di kilkenny.jpg, Silver cross pendant with glass and garnets, c. 1500. Found near Callan, County Kilkenny
Callan () is a town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in County Kilkenny in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated 16 km (10 mi) south of Kilkenny on the N76 road to Clonmel, it is near the border with County Tipperary. It is ...
File:Pendente con crocifisso a tau, in argento dorato, 1500 ca., dai dintorni di waterford, irlanda.jpg, Pendant with crucifix, gilded silver, c. 1500, County Waterford
County Waterford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the city of Waterford. ...
Governance
The museum's stated function is to hold the nation's "archaeological, ethnographical, classical and Egyptian collections. The Division is also responsible for the administration of various statutory functions such as the acquisition of archaeological objects claimed as the property of the State and the regulation of licences to export and alter archaeological objects".
[National Museum of Ireland annual financial reports and other corporate information, 2019]
. National Museum of Ireland, 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2022 Its day-to-day work is preoccupied with recording and cataloging newly found artefacts, which in 2019 mostly involved bog finds,
lithics and
ceramic
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...
s.
References
Notes
Sources
*"Antiquities": Wallace, Patrick, O Floinn, Raghnall (eds). ''Treasures of the National Museum of Ireland: Irish Antiquities''. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan, 2002.
* Arnold, Matthew.
The Study of Celtic Literature'. London: Smith, Elder, & Co, 1891
* Bourke, Marie. ''The Story of Irish Museums 1790-2000: Culture, Identity and Education''. Cambridge University Press, 2011.
* Casey, Christine. ''Dublin: The Buildings of Ireland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)''. London: Yale University Press, 2005.
* Crawford, Henry. "A Descriptive List of Irish Shrines and Reliquaries. Part I". ''The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland'', 6th series, volume 13, no. 1, June 1923.
* Crooke, Elizabeth. ''Politics, Archaeology and the Creation of a National Museum of Ireland: An Expression of National Life''. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 2001.
* Cone, Polly. In: ''Treasures of early Irish art, 1500 B.C. to 1500 A.D: From the collections of the National Museum of Ireland, Royal Irish Academy, Trinity College Dublin''. NY:
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
, 1977.
*
*
Henry, Françoise. ''Irish Art during the Viking Invasions (800–1020 A.D.)''. London: Methuen & Co, 1967
* Haughton, Brian. ''Hidden History: Lost Civilizations, Secret Knowledge, and Ancient Mysteries''. Franklin Lakes, NJ: New Page Books, 2019.
* Hourihane, Colum. ''The Grove Encyclopedia of Medieval Art and Architecture, Volume 1''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.
*
Kelly, Eamonn. "The Treasury: content and context". ''Irish Arts Review (2002-)'', volume 28, No. 2, 2011.
* Kelly, Eamonn.
Guide to the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology. Dublin: National Museum of Ireland, 2007
* Kelly, Eamonn.
Bodies from the Bog: New Insights into Life and Death in Pagan Celtic Ireland. In: Fagan, Brian (ed), '' Unearthing the Bodies from the Bog: New Insights into Life and Death in Pagan Celtic Ireland''. London: Thames and Hudson, 2007.
* Laing, Lloyd Robert. ''The archaeology of late Celtic Britain and Ireland, c. 400–1200 AD''. Taylor & Francis, 1975.
*
Lucas, A. T. "The Social Role of Relics and Reliquaries in Ancient Ireland". ''The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland'', volume 116, 1986.
* O'Neill, Timothy. ''The Irish Hand: Scribes and Their Manuscripts From the Earliest Times''. Cork: Cork University Press, 2014.
* Overbey, Karen. ''Sacral Geographies: Saints, Shrines and Territory in Medieval Ireland''. "Studies in the Visual Cultures of the Middle Ages", 2012.
*
Mahr, Adolf. "Irish Early Christian Handicraft". ''
Limerick Leader'', 1939
* Mitchell, Frank (ed.). ''Treasures of Early Irish Art, 1500 B.C. to 1500 A.D.'' NY:
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
, 2013.
*
Moss, Rachel. ''
Medieval c. 400—c. 1600''. "
Art and Architecture of Ireland" series. London: Yale University Press, 2014.
*
Murray, Griffin. "Insular-type crosiers: their construction and characteristics". ''Making and Meaning in Insular Art: Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Insular Art'', 2007
*
Ó Floinn, Raghnal. ''The Moylough Belt-Shrine''. In: Fenwick, Joe (ed), "Lost and Found: Discovering Ireland's Past". Dublin: Worldwell, 2003.
* Ó Floinn, Raghnal; Wallace, Patrick. ''Treasures of the National Museum of Ireland: Irish Antiquities''. National Museum of Ireland, 2002.
*
O'Toole, Fintan. ''A History of Ireland in 100 Objects''. Dublin:
Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...
, 2013.
* Rudolph, Conrad (ed.). "A Companion to Medieval Art: Romanesque and Gothic in Northern Europe". Hoboken (NJ): Wiley-Blackwell, 2019.
* Rynne, Etienn. "The Three Stone Heads at Woodlands, near Raphoe, Co. Donegal". ''The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland'', volume 94, no. 2, 1964.
* Stalley, Roger. "Irish Art in the Romanesque and Goth Periods". In: ''Treasures of early Irish art, 1500 B.C. to 1500 A.D: From the collections of the National Museum of Ireland, Royal Irish Academy, Trinity College Dublin''. NY:
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
, 1977.
* Warner, George F. (ed.)
The Stowe Missal: MS. D. II. 3 in the Library of the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin Henry Bradshaw Society, 1906
* Youngs, Susan (ed.). ''"The Work of Angels": Masterpieces of Celtic Metalwork, 6th—9th centuries AD''. London:
British Museum
The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...
Press, 1989.
External links
Museum website
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology
History museums in the Republic of Ireland
National museums of the Republic of Ireland
Museums in Dublin (city)
Archaeological museums in the Republic of Ireland
Military and war museums in the Republic of Ireland
*