Irish craftspeople began making objects out of gold during the third millennium BCE and continued producing gold artifacts through the Iron Age. By 2300 BCE they were producing distinctive artifacts which are usually described as earrings, although they were probably hair ornaments. During Ireland’s Late Bronze Age (1200 to 600 BCE) there was a rich and accomplished industry in gold and bronze. By the tenth century BCE, the scale of gold production had increased and so did the quantity of gold used in individual artifacts.
Irish goldwork is distinctive and is often associated with crannogs, ringforts, and hillforts. Much of the current collection of Irish gold has come from bogs. Stylistically, the gold artifacts produced in the northeast seem to be linked to Britain and the Nordic culture area. Those produced in the River Shannon area seem to have had links to Iberia (Spain and Portugal).
Shown above is one of the most characteristic types of Bronze Age gold ornaments: the lunula, a crescentic collar made from thin sheet gold. With regard to this type of gold artifact, the eminent Irish archaeologist M.J. O’Kelly writes:
“While a few are completely unornamented, normally there is a finely incised pattern of triangles, lozenges, and chevrons near the points of the crescent and along the edges of the broad part of the plate. This ornamentation is so fine that it is visible only on close examination. When being worn, the lunula evidently relied for effect on its sheer expanse of glittering metal.”
Since all of the lunula were chance finds—that is, they do not have an archaeological context—we don’t know if they were worn by men or by women or perhaps both. We don’t know if they were worn only for ceremonies, or if they were worn on other occasions.
The National Museum of Ireland-Archaeology opened in 1890 and currently features displays of the different kinds of gold artifacts from the different periods. The photographs below show some of the items which are on display.
A hoard of Iron Age gold objects from Broighter, County Derry, includes the miniature boat shown above. The model gold boat with its mast, rowing benches, oars, and other fittings was an appropriate offering to the sea god Manannán mac Lir who was associated with Lough Foyle where the hoard was recovered.
Silver:
During the 9th century CE, the trade routes established by the Vikings brought a new metal—silver—and new design elements to the Irish craftspeople. The Irish craftspeople adapted the foreign art styles and reproduced them in a distinctive way. Shown below is a silver crosier from the Viking Period.
Shown below are some silver brooches.