Moylough Belt Shrine
A Medieval Treasure from County
Sligo
THIS
POPULAR EXHIBITION HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO SPRING 2010
The closing date
for the Moylough Belt Shrine
exhibition has been extended.
Currently on display in the National Museum of Ireland – Country
Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, this unique and timeless treasure from County Sligo
can now be viewed until Spring 2010.
The Moylough
Belt Shrine dates from the eighth century and is one of the great treasures of
medieval Ireland. The Moylough Belt
Shrine was found in Moylough, Co. Sligo in the 1940s by local man John Towey
when he was cutting turf. It
consists of four hinged sections made of bronze. These contain fragments of a leather
belt that was encased in a bronze shrine.
The Shrine was decorated with silver, glass and enamel. Objects associated with saints in early
Ireland were often preserved after the saint's death and placed in shrines or
reliquaries. These containers were
often made of precious metals and richly decorated to reflect the importance of
their contents.
There are
records of belt shrines in medieval Ireland which were used for oath swearing
and curing illness. The Moylough Belt Shrine is the only known surviving example
of a belt shrine in Ireland.
Admission to
the exhibition is free. Opening times: Tues-Sat: 10am – 5pm; Sun: 2-5pm. Closed
Mondays (incl. Bank Holidays).
