The Ardagh Hoard

In 1868, two boys were digging in a potato field west of Ardagh in County Limerick when they struck something solid that was definitely not a potato. Clearing some earth and reaching his hand down, he discovered the long pin of a broach. Realizing that there might be more buried there, he dug down three feet and found a space shaped with round stones, inside of which was a large cup which contained a smaller cup and some brooches. A flat stone that had shifted sideways suggested that the items were deliberately buried in a stone-lined chamber with a flagstone on top.

The boys had unwittingly uncovered what became known as the Ardagh Hoard. It included four broaches, a plain chalice, and an elaborate chalice called the Ardagh Chalice. The Chalice is a two-handed size made of beaten silver and decorated with gold, bronze, brass, and pewter, with enamel designs. Around the bowl it is inscribed with the names of the apostles. It is clearly a Christian chalice, but the fine brooches suggest use by wealthy people, and are reminiscent of later Viking designs, suggesting that the hoard was not buried until about 900CE.

The land was rented by the mother of one of the boys, who sold the items to the Bishop of Limerick, George Butler. Butler had the items cleaned up by a jeweler. Because the objects seemed to have been hidden away carefully, as if the owner were protecting them and intended to retrieve them, they would qualify as a "treasure trove" and by law become the property of the Crown. Bishop Butler denied that they were a treasure trove, but did eventually hand them over to the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin.

The Ardagh Chalice is considered one of the finest examples of early Irish craftsmanship, rivaling the Book of Kells. Tomorrow we'll look at a couple of comparable examples of Early Irish art, the Tara Brooch and the Derrynaflan Chalice.