The National Museum:
Bronze/Iron Age Hoards, Viking Dublin and bog men in Dublin's National Museum

by Suzanne Barrett

The National Museum of Ireland houses the country's treasures and is one of the main visitor attractions of Dublin City. Founded under an Act of 1877 and completed in 1890, the museum houses the combined collections of the Royal Irish Academy and the Natural History collection of the Royal Dublin Society and is divided into three sections. The Irish Antiquities and Art and Industry divisions are housed in the Kildare Street building, and the Natural History Museum on Leinster Lawn.

My first visit to the museum occured in 1989 during a time when the Road to Independence collection (Ar Thóir na Saoirse) was closed for renovation. (Author's note: I visited the exhibit later but must report that it was closed in 2006 and a portion reopened in the Collins Barracks as part of their Easter Rising display.) Disappointed, I concentrated on the fascinating collection of Viking artifacts in the Dublin 1000 exhibit. Case upon case of items unearthed from Wood Quay (the area between Christchurch Cathedral and the River Liffey) tell the story of Dublin's Viking history. For a fuller appreciation of Dublin's Viking past, combine this with a visit to Dublinia, St. Michael's Hill, Christchurch.

By far the most popular attraction is the Treasury where Bronze and Iron Age Gold objects may be seen. The Royal Irish Academy started the collection in the late 1700s and finds continue to be discovered. As late as 1980, the Derrynaflan Hoard was discovered within the ancient Derrynaflan monastery near Killenaule in Co. Tipperary, and more recently, the Donore Hoard of Co. Meath, two bronze disks and a cast bronze handle in the form of an animal head with a ring grasped in its jaws.

Little is known about where Ireland's gold came from, but what is known that gold, bronze, and copper were all being worked in Ireland by 2000 BC. Early on, artisans worked sheet gold into thin disks or crescent shapes known as lunalae. For a five-hundred-year period, craftsmen decorated the disks with a raised pattern technique known as repoussé. By 1200 to 1000 BC, much larger quantities of gold were formed into bars or strips, then twisted into torcs, earrings, even armbands. Still later, gold foil, wire, and casting was used to produce dress fasteners and jewelry.

Relatively few finds were as a result of archaeological expeditions. Most were unearthed by ploughing fields, cutting turf, quarrying for building materials, or excavating for railroads. The earliest recorded finds occured in the seventeenth century when four hoards were found in the Co. Tipperary Bog of Cullen. Sadly, almost all of the gold from these discoveries was melted down.

Following are some of the Museum's finest displays:

The Broighter Hoard - discovered by a Co. Derry ploughman in 1896. The fine range of first century gold objects includes a large gold collar with a standard of workmanship unsurpassed anywhere in Europe.

The Gleninsheen Gorget - Co. Clare, workmen discovered this magnificent gold collar in 1932. It dates from 800 to 700 BC.

The Mooghaun Hoard - railway workers in Co. Clare discovered a large collection of objects in 1854. Much of it has probably been melted down as only 29 are known to have survived of the original 146 pieces displayed by the Royal Irish Academy in the year of the find. The hoard consists if numerous sheet gold collars, gold neck rings and bracelets.

The Ballineasker Hoard - a collection of cloak fasteners, boxes and disks found in Co. Wexford in 1890. The Dowris Hoard, a considerably larger finding, dates back to 1820.

Many medieval religious objects reflect the light that was Ireland's in the monastic age. In this collection are the museum's most famous treasures, ancient art as beautiful today as when it was first discovered.

The Ardagh Chalice - an eighth-century silver bowl found in 1868 in Co. Limerick and thought to have been hidden away in the tenth century. It would have been used to dispense wine during Masses.

The Cross of Cong - a twelfth-century cross of wood, bronze, and silver, designed to enshrine a relic said to be a fragment of the true cross presented by Pope Calixtus II to the King of Connaught in 1123. The relic has since disappeared.

St. Patrick's Bell and Shrine dates from the fifth century and is said to have belonged to Patrick himself. It comes from Co. Armagh. Carried off by a Norman baron long ago, the bell and shrine were kept in the Mulholland family for many years.

The Tara Brooch - perhaps the most famous object of all. Found in Co. Meath, the eighth-century pennanular brooch was used to fasten cloaks from the Iron Age into Medieval times. The Tara Brooch was made with gold wire and gold strips embellished with amber and enamel. Copies of this type of pennanular brooches abound in gift shops and are as popular as Celtic crosses and Claddagh rings for jewelry items.

Ar Thóir na Saoirse - The Road to Independence occuppied another section of the museum when I was there in 1995, however, as stated earlier, a portion of this display has been relocated to the Collins Barracks as part of their Easter Rising exhibit. Some of the items seen at the time included the death masks of Michael Collins and Terence MacSwiney, an early flag of the Republic, the Mauser pistol used by Countess Markievicz, Michael Collins' greatcoat. A cap, said to be his, also resided in the museum, however, there is some controversy over its authenticity. Papers and documents, uniforms, a selection of firearms used during the Rising and subsequent War of Independence, all in glass cases, added to the display. Combining this visit with a tour of Kilmainham Gaol and the Collins Barrachs, a part of the national Museum will enhance an understanding of this vital period in Irish history.

The National Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm and Sunday 2:00 pm until 5:00 pm. There is a gift shop selling books on the exhibits. Recommended is Michael Kenny's The Road to Freedom, a 48-page paperback with a history, photographs, and memorabilia of the 1916 Rising and afterwards. Admission is free, however, for £1 you may have a guided tour.

To reach the Museum, take buses 7, 7A, 8 (Eden Quay), 10, 11, 13 (O'Connell St.) The nearest DART Station is Pearse Station (Westland Row).

Until next time.