A brooch pin dating back to the eighth century has been discovered by archaeologists carrying out excavation work along the route of the Adare bypass in Co Limerick.
The early medieval brooch pin, which is made of cast bronze, is just 12cm in length and features blue glass settings and cast animal and abstract ornament.
It was discovered by archaeologists working for Archaeological Management Solutions who are providing services for the pre-development excavation of the site on behalf of Limerick City and County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland.
The brooch pin is one of more than 100 objects that will go on display at the National Museum on Kildare Street in Dublin as part of an exhibition exploring the journeys of people, books and ideas between medieval Ireland and Europe.
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Lynn Scarff, director of the National Museum of Ireland, said: “We are grateful to Limerick City and County Council, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and their archaeologists, AMS Ltd, with whom we have worked closely to ensure that ancient objects such as this are rightfully conserved and preserved for future generations.
“The forthcoming exhibition of the Ardshanbally early medieval brooch pin is a perfect example of State agencies and commercial archaeologists working together to preserve and make accessible our wonderful portable heritage.
“The discovery of the brooch in a controlled excavation such as this, provides a good basis for us to nail down exact dates when fine metalworking was happening in Ireland and more specifically in the Limerick area.”
Minister for Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan described the brooch as a “remarkable find, beautifully detailed and dating from well over 1,000 years ago”.
“It shows what significant skill, talent and wealth there was even in early medieval period in and around Co Limerick,” he said.
“The National Museum is such an important institution for Ireland, housing artefacts of this nature and providing invaluable insights into early Irish culture.”
