Christmas morning swim at the Front Strand in Youghal, Co. Cork in aid of Vince de Paul. Hundreds of brave swimmers and thousands of even braver photographers! Nollaig Shona do chách.

Some photos from Newgrange Solstice 2025 yesterday.... 1/n #Solstice #Newgrange #BrunaBoinne

A brilliant solar image from an Early Bronze Age Encrusted Urn found at Comber, Co. Down, to greet the dawn #newgrangesolstice #WinterSolstice2025

Just out- the Winter 2025 edition of @archiremag.bsky.social with lots of interesting articles and my ‘Reading the urns’ on the idea of solar-powered pots and urns in need of understanding. Just in time for #wintersolstice2025

The amazing 'Words on the Wave' project from the National Museum of Ireland has been shortlisted for the Current Archaeology research project of the year. To read more about it and cast your vote, all the details are here! archaeology.co.uk/awards/resea...

Families Join us for an Open Day: Words on the Wave – Ireland & St. Gallen exhibition 🗓️ Sat 4 Oct | 11.00–16.00 📍 NMI, Kildare St Talks: Maeve Sikora (11:30), Dr Ó Riain (12:30), Prof Ó Cróinín (14:30) Take part in free Workshops & handle replica artefacts 🎟️ Free admission museum.ie/en-IE/Museum...

One of the highlights of Words on the Wave at @NMIreland is Cod. Sang. 51—an 8th-c. Irish Gospel book with rare depictions of the Crucifixion & Second Coming. On display until 24 Oct. 🕊️ More: www.museum.ie/en-IE/Collec...

Make Your Thursdays Count! Looking for something different after work? 🕔 The National Museum of Ireland – Kildare Street is open late on Thurs 11 & 18 Sept until 8 PM. ✨ Discover the stunning Words on the Wave exhibition 📍 Free entry, no booking needed. www.museum.ie/en-IE/News/L...

Drop-In Manuscript Makers! 📍 National Museum of Ireland – Kildare Street 📅 Wed 30 July| 13:30–15:30 🎟️ Free | No booking needed Step into the world of early medieval scribes! Try calligraphy, explore ancient pigments & learn how treasures like the Book of Kells were made www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museum...

Today we’ve turned a new illuminated page in the Irish Gospels of St Gall (Cod. Sang. 51). Explore the beauty of cross-carpets and Chi-Rhos in our latest blog, then see them in person at Words on the Wave 📍 National Museum of Ireland – Kildare Street 🔗 www.museum.ie/en-IE/Collec...

Such an important excavation, but undoubtedly a very difficult one for the archaeologists involved. I'm grateful to them for their work, and I'm thinking of them and the relatives of those buried there.

Such a pleasure to be at the opening of Martin Wright’s beautiful exhibition Sun Discs-an exhibition of works in turf and 23ct gold leaf at Marsh’Library in Dublin last night. The work is a response to Early Bronze Age gold discs in the exhibition Ór @NMIreland. Don’t miss it.

A Bronze Age hoard consisting of a gold bracelet, a gold dress fastener, two bronze rings, and a beautiful necklace of Baltic amber, found near Banagher, Offaly. The amber, in particular, demonstrates the extensive trade networks of Late Bronze Age Ireland. On display in @nmireland.bsky.social

At Loughcrew, Co. Meath last night hurling, observing, imbibing and witnessing a beautiful sunset with drumming and chanting adding to the intense atmosphere of celebration #summersolstice2025

The concentric circles may be shields but they are also solar images making Caergwrle a truly solar boat and you are so right it should be as well known as the Mold cape. Painting by Liam Holden part of the crew rowing from Kerry to Galicia in a currach. @drtobydriver.bsky.social

I can only add - see this exhibition - by far the most significant seen @nmireland.bsky.social for quite some time. It’s only there until 25th October so déin iarracht! The mss are brilliant and the metalwork is a revelation especially the Lough Kinale book shrine. Context is everything. Bí ann.

Yesterday, we welcomed Dr. Cornell Dora Stiftsbibliothek St. Gallen, Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter, and Minister @podonovan to launch Words on the Wave at @NMIreland. Explore Ireland’s Golden Age through manuscripts, metalwork & more. www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museum...

My good friend, Brian Clarke, the great Irish silversmith who worked on so many incredibly difficult projects such as replicating the Dunraven lunula, the Mold Cape, & the Shropshire bulla, has died. He also used anticlastic raising to make ribbon torcs. We will miss him so much.

Thinking of something suitably grand from Tipperary to equal Rachael Blackmore’s achievements-of course there is only one - the Derrynaflan paten - now there’s a Tipperary Plate worthy of Rachael and her early medieval relations. We could throw in an ould Cup as well…@NMIreland

The most beautiful Blackwater estuary at Youghal on a glorious May evening- now for a glass of 🍾

I’m still doodling, well more like colouring in like a 7 year old, but here are two shining solar images, one from Spain, one from Ireland. All goes to show the artistic instincts of the ceramicists is coming from the same place.

Frosty golden sunrise … but it’s refreshing and glorious! Golden Prince too … #Home #Ireland #SiberianForest #cat

Team Plurabelle Anna didn’t win on the Barrow today at Athy but they fought hard. Next time they are going for gold.

Members of Plurabelle Paddlers dragon boat crew (including my own sister Katherine on lhs) at today’s regatta in Athy, Co. Kildare. A great club dedicated to supporting breast cancer achievers (my preferred term)

A fantastic opportunity today in @nmireland.bsky.social to meet Prof Jorge Soler Diaz, Alicante, renowned specialist in the Neolithic; curator and author of Ídolo Miranda’s Milenarias; to introduce him to a fascinating object with Iberian connections all the way from Co. Kilkenny. More anon #único

A very sad and devastating statement from the internationally known silversmith, Séamus Gill, whose studio was broken into at Easter. His entire collection & work in progress were stolen. Séamus worked with Brian Clarke and Michael Good on applying anti-clastic raising to Iron Age ribbon torcs.

Felices Pascuas desde el Palacio Real, Madrid

Imposible! Impossible to pick a few highlights from the Museo Arqueológico Nacional in Madrid so here are a few favourites from the Iron Age. Personal ornaments in baked clay, bronze and gold plus terracotta figurines with several piercings from Ibiza.

Easter ceremonies underway at Madrid’s Catedral de la Almudena for Good Friday.

Madrid anoche

Interested in archaeoastronomy or skyscape archaeology? Up for doing a future course? Fill out this survey to help develop ideas! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

What a fantastic launch at Claregalway Castle last night. A huge turn out to congratulate Prof John Waddell on the publication of a wonderful festschrift.

Nothing like a little colouring in on a sunny day - EBA bowl from a cist burial with a splendid solar image. Like being back in high infants…

How lovely ! www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...

"Social and Genetic Relations in Neolithic Ireland: Re-evaluating Kinship" A major contribution to debates on Neolithic kinship, genetic relatedness & monuments like Newgrange. Led by Dr Neil Carlin & Dr Jessica Smyth at UCD Archaeology & international team Cambridge Arch J doi.org/10.1017/S095...

The number of surviving containers for gold ornaments is v few. This little ceramic vessel was made specially for these LBA gold foil-covered base metal rings. The foil is pressed into the decorated surface of the ring. Mostly from the north and west of Ireland I call them Lough Gara type rings.

Lunulae come in all sorts of different widths - just saying. These two represent the very narrow and the very wide. Both from Ireland. 📸 moi #solareclipse2025

Such an interesting article. Well worth taking the time to read no matter where your interests lie.

@manchanmagan.bsky.social re your piece on s-na-gs on RTÉ playback. The no. in NMI is v small by comparison with those on display in situ. There is one on exhibition in the medieval Ireland exhibition and others are on loan to Co. museums. Time to give up this long outdated stuff about censorship.

The excitement at opening this parcel today. It looks absolutely splendid! Míle buíochas do @michellecomber.bsky.social , Kieran O’Conor eds, and of course Four Courts Press for a fantastic festschrift in honour of Prof John Waddell.

Waiting at the dentist reminds me of the Clonmel jeweller, watchmaker and dentist Mr Wallace who in the 1860s was responsible for flattening and rolling one of the biggest gold dress-fasteners ever recorded. From a field called Páirc anÓir, Cloghernagh, Co. Tipperary, just a small fragment remains.

The moon tonight in D6W - amazingly bright

Can you imagine how many fine gold wires had to be fused together to make these amazing bi-conical objects we call lock-rings. This is strip twisted wire - no draw plates required or even known in Ireland during the Late Bronze Age. Beannachtaí na Féile roimh cách ☘️

Ceann eile do #SnaG2025 Fuarthas an taisce seo ar an dtrá i nDumha Dhearc, in aice le Gaoth Sáile, Co. Mhaigheo timpeall 25 bliain ó shin. Ceithre toirc óir ribíneacha atá ann le trí bráisléid cré-umha agus seacht coiríní ómra. Mé fhéin a fuair an blúire beag óir san ghaineamh. From Dooyork Co. Mayo

📰 Radiocarbon dating finds the prehistoric burial site of Flagstones, Dorset 🇬🇧 is two centuries older than previously thought, indicating it is the oldest-known large circular enclosure in Britain! #AntiquityResearch in the news via @theguardian.com

Ó Thulaigh Uí Dhónaill, Co. Dhún na nGall, fuarthas an taisce seo i 2018. Ceithre fáinní óir le meáchan ceithre cilegram (4kgs) atá ann. Nách iontach an rud é? Is ón Chré-umhaois Dhéanach é. #SnaG2025

It’s official. Really looking forward to the publication of this festschrift for Prof John Waddell and delighted to be part of the lineup. Out in next couple of weeks from Four Courts Press.

Totally wired (again) by Snettisham at BM. Two new vols at £40 amazing value. Full of insights on technology and society.

This Late Bronze Age gold disc has to be part of something else but what I wonder? It looks like a gorget terminal or part of an ear spool but it has pierced holes in very odd places. Something to muse on. Thanks to colleagues at BM for arranging my v fruitful visit last week.

Great to hear more about this important bog body discovery especially that tge remains are female which is very unusual in this context. www.rte.ie/news/ulster/...