The National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology ( ga, Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann – Seandálaíocht, often known as the "NMI") is a branch 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 ...

located on

Kildare Street Kildare Street () is a street in Dublin, Ireland. Location Kildare Street is close to the principal shopping area of Grafton Street and Dawson Street, to which it is joined by Molesworth Street. Trinity College lies at the north end of t ...

in Dublin, Ireland, that specialises in Irish and other antiquities dating from the Stone Age to the Late Middle Ages. The museum was established under the Science and Art Museum Act of 1877. Before, its collections had been divided between the Royal Dublin Society and the Natural History Museum on Merrion Street. The museum was built by the father and son architects

Thomas Newenham Deane Sir Thomas Newenham Deane (1828 – 8 November 1899) was an Irish architect, the son of Sir Thomas Deane and Eliza Newenham, and the father of Sir Thomas Manly Deane. His father and son were also architects. Works attributed to Thomas New ...

and Thomas Manly Deane. The NMI's collection contains artifacts from prehistoric Ireland including

bog bodies A bog body is a human cadaver that has been naturally mummified in a peat bog. Such bodies, sometimes known as bog people, are both geographically and chronologically widespread, having been dated to between and the Second World War. Fischer 199 ...

, Iron and

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

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 post-Roman era Irish medieval art (known as

Insular art Insular art, also known as Hiberno-Saxon art, was produced in the post-Roman era of Great Britain and Ireland. The term derives from ''insula'', the Latin term for "island"; in this period Britain and Ireland shared a largely common style dif ...

). In addition, it houses a substantial collection of medieval metalwork, Viking artefacts including swords and coins, and classical objects from Ancient Egypt, Cyprus and the

Roman world The culture of ancient Rome existed throughout the almost 1200-year history of the civilization of Ancient Rome. The term refers to the culture of the Roman Republic, later the Roman Empire, which at its peak covered an area from present-day L ...

History

The basis for the museum occurred when the collections of the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) and Royal Dublin Society (rds) were amalgamated under a new institution established in 1877 under the Dublin Science and Art Museum Act. The need arose when the RIA recogonised it needed government funding to continue its acquisition program, while being a state body allowed easier collaboration with the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It documen ...

and National Museum of Scotland.History of the Organisation
. National Museum of Ireland. Retrieved 7 January 2022 The project was overseen by the

palaeontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of foss ...

Alexander Carte. Other early sources include works held by Trinity College Dublin and the

Geological Survey of Ireland Geological Survey Ireland or Geological Survey of IrelandS.I. No. 300/2002 - Communications, Energy and Geological Survey of Ireland (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2002 ( ga, Suirbhéireacht Gheolaíochta ...

.Rudolph (2019), "National Museum of Ireland, Dublin" These included major pieces such as the

Cross of Cong The ''Cross of Cong'' ( ga, Cros Chonga, "the yellow baculum") is an early 12th-century Irish Christian ornamented cusped processional cross, which was, as an inscription says, made for Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair (d. 1156), King of Connacht and ...

acquired by the RIA from an Augustinian priory in

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the yew trees") is a county in Ireland. In the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Counci ...

, the

Domnach Airgid The Domnach Airgid (; also Domhnach Airgid, English: Silver Church or Shrine of Saint Patrick's Gospels)Henry Sirr and Petrie (who left some 1,500 artifacts, including 900 from pre-history, six crosiers, and a number of bells and bell-shrines) in the mid-19th century.Overbe (2012), p. 22 Many of these pieces were found in the 19th century by agricultural labourers, when population expansion and new machinery led to cultivation of land that had not been touched since the Middle Ages. Only the intervention of George Petrie of the RIA and other members from the

Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland The Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland is a learned society based in Ireland, whose aims are "to preserve, examine and illustrate all ancient monuments and memorials of the arts, manners and customs of the past, as connected with the antiquit ...

prevented the metalwork from being melted for its intrinsic value. This rediscovery continues to the present day, with recent major discoveries including 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 The museum was renamed the National Museum of Science and Art in 1908, and was again renamed as the National Museum of Ireland in 1921 following

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the st ...

Building and interior

The original museum was titled the Dublin Museum of Science and Art, and was located between Royal Dublin Society in

Leinster House Leinster House ( ga, Teach Laighean) is the seat of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Ireland. Originally, it was the ducal palace of the Dukes of Leinster. Since 1922, it is a complex of buildings, of which the former ducal palace is the core, ...

and the Natural History Museum in Merrion Street. 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

and his son, Thomas Manly Deane, in the Victorian Palladian 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 domed rotunda are made from Irish marble and bear influence from both 18th century neoclassical designKelly (2007), p. 4Ó Floinn; Wallace (2002), p. 14 and the

Pantheon Pantheon may refer to: * Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building Arts and entertainment Comics *Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization * ''Pantheon'' (Lone St ...

in Rome. The stone on the exterior is mostly Leinster granite, with the columns formed from sandstone excavated at

Mountcharles Mountcharles () is a village and townland (of 650 acres) in the south of County Donegal, Ireland. It lies 6 km from Donegal Town on the Killybegs road ( N56). It is situated in the civil parish of Inver and the historic barony of Banagh ...

, County Donegal.Kelly (2007), p. 5 The mosaic floors in the interior contain scenes from scenes from classical mythology. Although laid out in the 19th century by the Manchaster-based artist Ludwig Oppenheimer, they were covered over 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 ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...

, Italy, while the fireplaces contain majolica tiles by the UK-based

Burmantofts Pottery Burmantofts Pottery was the common trading name of a manufacturer of ceramic pipes and construction materials, named after the Burmantofts district of Leeds, England. Company history The business began in 1859 when fire clay was discovered in ...

.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 (; plural cherubim; he, כְּרוּב ''kərūḇ'', pl. ''kərūḇīm'', likely borrowed from a derived form of akk, 𒅗𒊏𒁍 ''karabu'' "to bless" such as ''karibu'', "one who blesses", a name for the lamassu) is one of the u ...

. 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 exhibit contains artefacts from the earliest period of human habitation in Ireland (just after the Last Glacial Period) up to the Celtic Iron Age. There are numerous stone implements created by the first hunter-gatherer colonists beginning around 7000 BC, then moving on to the tools, pottery and burial objects of the 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 ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has man ...

heads imported from the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

Neolithic Italy Neolithic Italy refer to the period that spanned from circa 6000 BCE, when neolithic influences from the east reached the Italian peninsula and the surrounding island bringing the so-called Neolithic revolution, to circa 3500-3000 BCE, when metall ...

, and the unique ceremonial macehead discovered at the tomb of Knowth. The exhibit then covers the introduction of metallurgy into Ireland around 2500 BC, with early copper implements. From the later Bronze Age period there is an impressive array of bronze 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 Reed or Reeds may refer to: Science, technology, biology, and medicine * Reed bird (disambiguation) * Reed pen, writing implement in use since ancient times * Reed (plant), one of several tall, grass-like wetland plants of the order Poales * R ...

fishing equipment. File:River Bann Axehead NMI.jpg, River Bann Axehead, Neolithic 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 ( ; gle, Contae an Chabháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the historic Gaelic territory of East Breffny (''Bréifne ...

, 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,

County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the so ...

, 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 River gravel is a name given to gravel composed of small pieces of rounded stone of various colors, usually no larger than a large coin. It is named for the effect of many years of rounding of the edges of the stones due to a flow of water over ...

, and hammered into thin sheets used to create objects such as crescent shaped collars ( Gold lunula), bracelets and dress-fastners. 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 had hook and ring closures and a few had ...

s were produced from twisting bars of gold. Items from the late Bronze Age, starting in 900 BC, include solid gold bracelets and dress-fasteners as well as 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 The Coggalbeg hoard is an Early Bronze Age hoard of three pieces of Irish gold jewellery dating to 2300–2000 BC. It is now in the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology in Dublin, where it is normally on display. It was found in a bo ...

, 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 (800-700 BC)

Bog bodies (Iron age)

The museum contains a number of well-preserved Irish

dating to the Iron Age, 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 educati ...

. 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 practice of strangulation, wounding and drowning. The bog bodies in the collection are

Cashel Man Cashel Man is a bog body from a bog near Cashel in County Laois, Ireland. He was found on 10 August 2011 by Bord na Móna employee Jason Phelan from Abbeyleix. The body was a young adult male, around 20–25,Hart, Edward, dir. "Ghosts of Murdered ...

(c. 2000 BC), believed to be the oldest fleshed bog body found in Europe, Gallagh Man (470-120 BC),

Clonycavan Man Clonycavan Man is the name given to a well-preserved Iron Age bog body found in Clonycavan, Ballivor, County Meath, Ireland in March 2003. The body shows signs of having been murdered. Theories around the meanings and manner of his death vary. ...

(392 to 201 BC),

Old Croghan Man Old Croghan Man (''Seanfhear Chruacháin'' in Irish) is a well-preserved Irish Iron Age bog body found in June 2003. The remains are named after Croghan Hill, north of Daingean, County Offaly, near where the body was found. The find is on d ...

(362 to 175 BC), and Baronstown West Man (242 to 388 BC). The bodies in the NMI's collection are males aged 25 to 40 years old who died in violent, and perhaps ritual circumstances. The withy hoop found around Gallagh Man's neck was probably used as a

garrotte A garrote or garrote vil (a Spanish word; alternative spellings include garotte and similar variants'' Oxford English Dictionary'', 11th Ed: garrotte is normal British English spelling, with single r alternate. Article title is US English spelli ...

strangle Strangling is compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain. Fatal strangling typically occurs in cases of violence, accidents, and is one of two main ways that hangin ...

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 period, including metal weapons, horse trappings and wooden and leather pieces, including Ralaghan Man, a carved wooden figure believed to be an ancient boundary marker. File:Galagh Man body.jpg, Gallagh Man, 470-120 BC, found in

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

, 1821 File:Bog-body Clonycavan-Man.jpg,

, 392 to 201 BC, found in

, 2003 File:Old Croghan Man.jpg,

, 362 to 175 BC, found in

County Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in ho ...

, 2003 File:Baronstown West Man4.jpg, Baronstown West Man, 242 to 388 BC, found in

County Kildare County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the 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 authority for the county, ...

, 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 Viking settlements further afield—particularly in the British Isles and Iceland—during the Viking Age of the 8th-11th centuries ...

.Kelly (2011), p. 110

Chalices, crosses, reliquaries, crucifixion plaques

The displays in the Treasury room are arranged chronologically, and begin with pieces such as the Rinnegan Crucifixion Plaque, one of the earliest extant representations of

the crucifixion The crucifixion and death of Jesus occurred in 1st-century Judea, most likely in AD 30 or AD 33. It is described in the four canonical gospels, referred to in the New Testament epistles, attested to by other ancient sources, and consider ...

in Irish art, and outside of illuminated manuscripts a rare example of both representation and a narrative scene in early Irish 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 Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to 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 se ...

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 that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In Ma ...

, 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 The Tully Lough Cross is an 8th- or 9th-century Irish altar or processional cross, discovered by divers in 1986 at the bottom of Tully Lough, County Roscommon. Although its origin is unknown, it may be associated with a church in Kilmore, Coun ...

, 8th or 9th century. Bronze, gilt and tin mounted on wood File:Derrynaflan chalice.jpg,

Derrynaflan Chalice The Derrynaflan Chalice is an 8th- or 9th-century chalice that was found as part of the Derrynaflan Hoard of five liturgical vessels. The discovery was made on 17 February 1980 near Killenaule, County Tipperary in Ireland. According to art ...

, 8th- or 9th-century. Part of the Derrynaflan Hoard found in 1980 near

Killenaule Killenaule () is a small town and civil parish in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is part of the ecclesiastical parish of Killenaule and Moyglass, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, and the barony of Slievardagh. It is east o ...

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after t ...

. 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

, 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 The Shrine of Saint Lachtin's Arm (known in Irish as Lámh Lachtaín) is an early 10th century Irish arm-shrine type reliquary made of wood and metal shaped as an outstretched forearm and clenched fist.Moss (2014), p. 291 St. Lachtin's dates to ...

, c. 1118–1121. A reliquary 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 plays a key role in dating, restoring and preserving newly found objects. Major recent finds include the Tully Lough Cross, found in

County Roscommon "Steadfast Irish heart" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Roscommon.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Connacht , subdi ...

in 1986. The Faddan More Psalter (c. 800 AD), discovered in a bog in July 2006 in the townland of Faddan More in north County Tipperary, is held in an adjacent gallery to the Treasury.

Brooches

The museum holds a substantial number of ornate penannular Celtic brooches. 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 The cope (known in Latin as ''pluviale'' 'rain coat' or ''cappa'' 'cape') is a liturgical vestment, more precisely a long mantle or cloak, open in front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. It may be of any liturgical colour. A co ...

s and other vestments rather than as everyday wear.Laing (1975), p. 304 The Vikings 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,

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 Nat ...

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

and

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

, 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, of the pseudo-penannular type (i.e., with a fully closed head or hoop). It is made from bronze, silver and gold, with a head formed from a circular ornate ri ...

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 ( ga, Reachlainn, ; 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. ...

. File:Spilla celtica penanulare in bronzo, da arthustown, co. di kildare, vii-vii secolo.jpg, 7th century penannular brooch, bronze, Arthurstown,

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,

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population of ...

File:Kilmainham brooche NMI.jpg, The

Kilmainham Brooch The Kilmainham Brooch is a late 8th- or early 9th-century Celtic brooch of the "penannular" type (i.e. its ring does not fully close or is incomplete). With a diameter of 9.67 cm, it is a relatively large example, and is made from silver, gold ...

, late 8th- or early 9th-century. Its design was influenced by both Pictish and Viking metalwork.Ó Floinn; Wallace (2002), p. 185 File:Spilla celtica penanulare, da ervey, contea di meath, ix secolo.jpg, Penanular Celtic brooch,

, 9th century File:Spilla celtica anulare, in arghento, da roscrea, co. di tipperary, ix secolo dc.jpg, The

, 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 at least one is a metal. Unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, an alloy will retain all the properties of a metal in the resulting material, such as electrical conductivity, ductility, ...

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 so as 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, c. 9th century File:Earliest Irish harp on the Breac Máedóc reliquary.png, Gable of the badly damaged but important Breac Maodhóg, showing the figure of a harpist. Late 11th centuryO'Toole (2013), p. 86 File:Saint Manchan's Shrine (S1).jpg,

Saint Manchan's Shrine Saint Manchan's Shrine is a large (60-cm wide) 12th-century Irish house-shaped shrine dedicated to Manchán of Lemanaghan (died 664), now in Boher Roman Catholic Church, outside Ballycumber, County Offaly. Built to hold human remains, still int ...

, 12th century

Cumdachs

Cumdachs (or book shrines) are 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 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. They are mostly of Irish origin, and consist of a protective enclosures intended to permanently seal off a manuscript or relic.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 for ...

or other semi-precious 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 lay keepers 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, 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 Openwork or open-work is a term in art history, architecture and related fields for any technique that produces decoration by creating holes, piercings, or gaps that go right through a solid material such as metal, wood, stone, pottery, cloth, l ...

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 The Shrine of Miosach (also known as The Misach, Irish: MíosachPetrie (1850–53), pp. 464–467) is an elaborately ornamented 11th-century Irish cumdach (book shrine). It originates from Clonmany, north County Donegal, and is first mentio ...

, 11th century. May have once contained a manuscript with psalms 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 The Domnach Airgid (; also Domhnach Airgid, English: Silver Church or Shrine of Saint Patrick's Gospels)Insular croziers. There are types of processional

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

's staff (

crozier A crosier or crozier (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 Cathol ...

) produced in Ireland and Scotland between and 1200. They can be distinguished from mainland European types by their curved crooks and drop (that is, 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 or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' 'herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, i ...

for their flocks. Although their production ends 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 their 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 artifacts, 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 (portraying humans as non-human animals) figures. The animal designs in the earliest example, including the 9th century

Prosperous Crozier The Prosperous Crozier is a late 9th-century or early 10-century Irish Insular crozier, Insular type crozier that would have been used as a ceremonial staff for bishops and high-status abbots.Bourke; Hook (2017), p. 136 Its origins and medieval ...

, 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. 151Ó 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,

, 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,

and

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 The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the C ...

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 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 extend from 1150 to 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 According to Kelly, 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, 12th century File:Figura di crocifisso in lega di rame dorata, 1360 ca., irlanda.jpg, Gilded copper-alloy crucifix, c. 1360 File:Figura di crocifisso in lega di rame dorata, 1470 ca., irlanda.jpg, Crucifix in gilded copper-alloy, c. 1470 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 parish in County Kilkenny in 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 the second largest town in the county, and had ...

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 ( ga, Contae Phort Láirge) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Waterford. Waterford City and County Council is the local authority for t ...

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 ceramics.

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, 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 The ''Limerick Leader'' is a weekly local newspaper in Limerick, Ireland. It was founded in 1889. The newspaper is headquartered on Glentworth Street in the City. The broadsheet paper currently is distributed in three editions, City, County and ...

'', 1939 * Mitchell, Frank (ed.). ''Treasures of Early Irish Art, 1500 B.C. to 1500 A.D.'' NY: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2013. * Moss, Rachel. ''Medieval c. 400—c. 1600: Art and Architecture of Ireland''. 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, 2013. * Rudolph, Conrad (ed.). "A Companion to Medieval Art: Romanesque and Gothic in Northern Europe". Hoboken (NJ): Wiley-Blackwell, 2019. * 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, 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:

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 *