Irish Treasures
Irish and Celtic myths and legends, Irish folklore, Irish fairy tales and More Irish Tales and Legends
Ancient riches and mysterious wonders of Ireland
Among the legends and folklore of Ireland can be found other Irish treasures, artifacts and relics of gold and silver, ancient jewels, bones with secrets, and books of sacred wisdom. Whether preserved in cool boglands or passed down from generation to generation, the magic of Ireland can be seen most easily in these millennia-old wonders.
Ancient Irish Treasures and Wonders
Bronze Age Music in Ireland
The Irish love music, and it has long been said that the Irish race lived and breathed melodies, liable to burst into song at the drop of a hat. Few realise how far back the Irish musical tradition goes however - at least as far as we know! Some of the earliest musical instruments which have been uncovered date from the Irish Bronze Age, in thos ... [more]
The Irish love music, and it has long been said that the Irish race lived and breathed melodies, liable to burst into song at the drop of a hat. Few realise how far back the Irish musical tradition goes however - at least as far as we know! Some of the earliest musical instruments which have been uncovered date from the Irish Bronze Age, in thos ... [more]
The Corleck Head Stone Idol
The Corleck stone head is believed to be an ancient pagan idol, representing perhaps some ancestor or deity from the pre-Christian era in Ireland. The most striking aspect of the Corleck stone head is its three faces, set in strange, almost unsettling expressions, all the more remarkable for their simplicity of design, lacking ears or detailed feat ... [more]
The Corleck stone head is believed to be an ancient pagan idol, representing perhaps some ancestor or deity from the pre-Christian era in Ireland. The most striking aspect of the Corleck stone head is its three faces, set in strange, almost unsettling expressions, all the more remarkable for their simplicity of design, lacking ears or detailed feat ... [more]
The Borrisnoe Irish Bronze Age Collar
During the Irish bronze age, the working of gold reached heights never before seen or dreamed of. Goldsmiths fashioned the soft, luminous metal into intricate forms resembling cloth, cord, the rising and falling hills of Ireland, and many other striking designs. Among their most famous and beautiful creations were the astonishing gold collars, one ... [more]
During the Irish bronze age, the working of gold reached heights never before seen or dreamed of. Goldsmiths fashioned the soft, luminous metal into intricate forms resembling cloth, cord, the rising and falling hills of Ireland, and many other striking designs. Among their most famous and beautiful creations were the astonishing gold collars, one ... [more]
Amber Necklaces of ancient Ireland
The warm, glimmering golden glow of amber, or ómra in Irish, has held deep fascination for people since the Neolithic and probably long before that. Its rich, flowing contours capture and refract the sun and firelight with equal facility, and it may have been one of the first gems worked by human hands. Its beauty has inspired enterprise and ... [more]
The warm, glimmering golden glow of amber, or ómra in Irish, has held deep fascination for people since the Neolithic and probably long before that. Its rich, flowing contours capture and refract the sun and firelight with equal facility, and it may have been one of the first gems worked by human hands. Its beauty has inspired enterprise and ... [more]
Lough Gur Shield
This stunning battle-shield, cast from golden-hued shimmering bronze, was originally made during the bronze age. It is one of about two dozen similar shields of varying sizes found across the Irish Isles, and dates back to around 1000 BC. Measuring around 71cm across, it began life as a flat sheet of bronze, which was then hammered over rounded ... [more]
This stunning battle-shield, cast from golden-hued shimmering bronze, was originally made during the bronze age. It is one of about two dozen similar shields of varying sizes found across the Irish Isles, and dates back to around 1000 BC. Measuring around 71cm across, it began life as a flat sheet of bronze, which was then hammered over rounded ... [more]
The Brockagh Axe
The extraordinary bronze age Irish axehead is remarkable not only for the decorations adorning the axe itself, but also for the carry-pouch or sheath discovered along with it when it was found four meters deep in a peat bog in Brockagh, County Kildare. It is very unusual for any organic material to have survived thousands of years, but the unique c ... [more]
The extraordinary bronze age Irish axehead is remarkable not only for the decorations adorning the axe itself, but also for the carry-pouch or sheath discovered along with it when it was found four meters deep in a peat bog in Brockagh, County Kildare. It is very unusual for any organic material to have survived thousands of years, but the unique c ... [more]
Iron Age Bronze Armlet
This beautiful iron age armlet, usually worn on the upper arm around the bicep, dates from the end of the Irish iron age, a time of heroes and mystery. It is made of yellow bronze and was originally cast around the second century AD. It is about 10cm across, or three inches. It was discovered where the Deel and Boyne rivers meet in Balymahon, Co ... [more]
This beautiful iron age armlet, usually worn on the upper arm around the bicep, dates from the end of the Irish iron age, a time of heroes and mystery. It is made of yellow bronze and was originally cast around the second century AD. It is about 10cm across, or three inches. It was discovered where the Deel and Boyne rivers meet in Balymahon, Co ... [more]
Clonoura shield
The Clonoura shield was discovered standing upright in a bog in Clonoura, county Tipperary and represents one of the very few fully intact Iron Age shields that have ever been found. It is marked with many slash and stab scars from knives, swords, spears and other sharp weapons, and dates from 30 to 60 AD, pre-Christian Iron Age Ireland. It is q ... [more]
The Clonoura shield was discovered standing upright in a bog in Clonoura, county Tipperary and represents one of the very few fully intact Iron Age shields that have ever been found. It is marked with many slash and stab scars from knives, swords, spears and other sharp weapons, and dates from 30 to 60 AD, pre-Christian Iron Age Ireland. It is q ... [more]
The Book of Kells
Many centuries ago, on a windswept and hostile rock in the North Sea, a place called Iona, the great monk, philosopher and evangelist Colmcille founded a monastery. Men devoted to the new faith worked with fervour, bending their backs to hew from the pitiless stone, amid bleak and harsh weather, a place for worship and meditation upon the saviour o ... [more]
Many centuries ago, on a windswept and hostile rock in the North Sea, a place called Iona, the great monk, philosopher and evangelist Colmcille founded a monastery. Men devoted to the new faith worked with fervour, bending their backs to hew from the pitiless stone, amid bleak and harsh weather, a place for worship and meditation upon the saviour o ... [more]
The Lurgan Canoe
The Lurgan Canoe is one of the earliest boats found in Ireland, dating back four and a half thousand years, made from a single mighty oak tree felled when the first metalworkers began to arrive. This was a time of upheaval, mystery, magic, and wonder, old orders tottering and collapsing, the end of the age of the God-Kings of Ireland with their pon ... [more]
The Lurgan Canoe is one of the earliest boats found in Ireland, dating back four and a half thousand years, made from a single mighty oak tree felled when the first metalworkers began to arrive. This was a time of upheaval, mystery, magic, and wonder, old orders tottering and collapsing, the end of the age of the God-Kings of Ireland with their pon ... [more]
Irish elk
The Irish elk, or more properly deer, was the single largest species of deer which has ever existed. They were slightly larger than the modern moose, but their spread of antlers was vast - up to four meters or thirteen feet across in some specimens! These magnificent creatures roamed the plains and forests of Ireland and Europe before, during and a ... [more]
The Irish elk, or more properly deer, was the single largest species of deer which has ever existed. They were slightly larger than the modern moose, but their spread of antlers was vast - up to four meters or thirteen feet across in some specimens! These magnificent creatures roamed the plains and forests of Ireland and Europe before, during and a ... [more]
Irish Bog Oak
One of the rarest and most beautiful woods in the world is Irish bog oak. This very ancient kind of wood can be found across Ireland, but is most often recovered from deep peat bogs in the midlands, and can be anywhere from three thousand to eight thousand years old or more. These trees grew, lived and fell in times of legend, witnessing the rise o ... [more]
One of the rarest and most beautiful woods in the world is Irish bog oak. This very ancient kind of wood can be found across Ireland, but is most often recovered from deep peat bogs in the midlands, and can be anywhere from three thousand to eight thousand years old or more. These trees grew, lived and fell in times of legend, witnessing the rise o ... [more]
Shields of Irish Legend
War and the arts of war much occupied the people of Ireland, who became renowned for their skill with weapons and in the ways of battle. They fought one another and the many invaders who came to this land, earning not only fame for their arms and the swords and spears they carried, but for their shields as well! Some of the most legended shields ... [more]
War and the arts of war much occupied the people of Ireland, who became renowned for their skill with weapons and in the ways of battle. They fought one another and the many invaders who came to this land, earning not only fame for their arms and the swords and spears they carried, but for their shields as well! Some of the most legended shields ... [more]
The Battle Book of Colmcille
One of the most legended and powerful relics of ancient Ireland was the Cathach, or battle-book of St Colmcille, who was also known as St Columba. A Cathach was really any sort of sacred or magical artifact, and great was the strife between the tribes and clans of Ireland to gain ownership of them! The psalter or prayer book of Saint Colmcille w ... [more]
One of the most legended and powerful relics of ancient Ireland was the Cathach, or battle-book of St Colmcille, who was also known as St Columba. A Cathach was really any sort of sacred or magical artifact, and great was the strife between the tribes and clans of Ireland to gain ownership of them! The psalter or prayer book of Saint Colmcille w ... [more]
