[ad_1]
A place of peace, contemplation, and incredible natural beauty, Glendalough is said to have been founded by Saint Kevin in the 6th century.
Now an exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland has brought together artifacts from the area that have never been on public display before.
‘Glendalough: Power, Prayer and Pilgrimage’ features 24 objects, spanning a period of 1,200 years.
Many of the objects on display were discovered as part of UCD-led research archaeological excavations conducted in Glendalough since the 1950s, and others through discoveries by members of the public, including a well-worn women’s shoe, which was found by a walker in a swampy area and is over 1,000 years old.
Meanwhile, a bronze-clad iron fist bell, dating from the 8th / 9th century AD, found at a site near Glendalough, was donated to the National Museum of Ireland by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland Diarmuid Martin.
Evidence from Glendalough’s ironwork suggests that this bell may well have been made in the monastery.
Ireland is home to the largest number of hand bells in the world, and although hand bells were used to mark regular hours for work and prayer, historical sources tell us that they were used to banish evil and curse the people.
The exhibition also features silver coins found as part of a treasure in the 1980s, decorated coat pins and pottery, as well as train travel posters and souvenir pottery from when it became a major tourist destination.
This is the first new exhibition to open at the National Museum since its reopening in July.
[ad_2]