"These chess pieces form a remarkable group of iconic objects within the world collection of the British Museum. They were probably made in Trondheim, Norway, about AD 1150-1200. At this period, the Western Isles, where the chess pieces were found, were part of the Kingdom of Norway, not Scotland. It seems likely they were buried for safe keeping on route to be traded in Ireland." - http://www.britishmuseum.org/about_us/news_and_press/statements/the_lewis_chessmen.aspx

View individual higher resolution versions of these models here:
https://sketchfab.com/britishmuseum/collections/lewis-chessmen

Lewis Chess Set

This bright blue glass boardgame piece is crowned with a ring of white bobbles. It is likely to be the King from a set used for playing a version of 'tafl' - a family of games played in Britain, Ireland, Iceland, Denmark and Sweden which are derived from the Roman wargame Ludus Latrunculorum. It was found during a community-led archaeological dig on Lindisfarne, organised by DigVentures and Durham University.

Read more here: https://digventures.com/2020/02/stunning-1200-year-old-glass-king-gaming-piece-found-on-lindisfarne/

1200 year old boardgame piece from Lindisfarne

3D scan of an original fossilized skeleton of a giant deer (*Megaloceros giganteus*) found in Ireland from the Late Pleistocene (ca. 12,000 years old). The males had a shoulder height of around 2.1 meters and their antlers are the largest known in any deer with a width up to 4 meters. The giant deer disappeared around 11,700 years ago in Europe, like many other animals from the Ice Age.

The skeleton of the giant deer can be found in Hall 16 at the NHM Vienna. 

**Specimen**: Giant deer or Irish elk, *Megaloceros giganteus* (Blumenbach, 1799) 

**Inventory number**: NHMW-GEO-1876/0030/0003

**Collection**: Natural History Museum Vienna, Geology & Paleontology Dept., Vertebrate Coll. (curator: Ursula Göhlich)

Find out more about the NHMW [here](http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/en).

Scanned and edited by Nikola Brodtmann, Anna Haider & Viola Winkler (NHMW)

Scanner: Artec Leo. Infrastructure funded by the FFG.

Giant Deer (NHMW-GEO-1876/0030/0003)

RMS Lusitania (named after the Roman province in Western Europe corresponding to modern Portugal) was a British ocean liner that was launched by the Cunard Line in 1906 and that held the Blue Riband appellation for the fastest Atlantic crossing in 1908. It was briefly the world's largest passenger ship until the completion of the Mauretania three months later. She was sunk on her 202nd trans-Atlantic crossing, on 7 May 1915, by a German U-boat 11 miles (18 km) off the southern coast of Ireland, killing 1,198 passengers and crew

RMS Lusitania 1907

Hore Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery near the Rock of Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland. It was founded by the Benedictine order in 1266. This model includes both the exterior and interior spaces, generated using a combination of aerial and ground photography (1500 images total). 

Most of the abbey was built in the thirteenth century, however many changes were made to the buildings in the fifteenth century including the addition of the tower in the centre of the transept. The cruciform church comprised, in addition to the chancel, a nave with aisles and two chapels to the east of each transept. The nave is exceptionally plain and the overall design is a perfect example of the conservative approach of the Cistercians. Hore was the only Cistercian monastery in Ireland where the cloister was positioned to the north of the abbey.  The ruins are now surrounded by fields of sheep and cattle and can be accessed by the public.

Ruins of Hore Abbey

*Ballycarbery Castle is a castle 3hm from Cahersiveen, County Kerry, Ireland. The castle is high on a grass hill facing the sea and is a short distance from Cahergall Fort and Leacanabuile Fort*.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballycarbery_Castle

Experimental, reconstructed from various 4K drone footage only

Ballycarbery castle ruin

An accessible segment of Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, which was either built by Benandonner & Finn McCool, or by an ancient cooling mechanism.

Giant's Causeway

"Molly Malone" (Roud 16932; also known as "Cockles and Mussels" or "In Dublin's Fair City") is a song set in Dublin, Ireland, which has become the city's unofficial anthem.

A statue representing Molly Malone, designed by Dublin artist Jeanne Rynhart, was unveiled on Grafton Street during the 1988 Dublin Millennium celebrations by then Lord Mayor of Dublin, Ben Briscoe. In July 2014, the statue was relocated to Suffolk Street, in front of the Tourist Information Office, to make way for Luas track-laying work at the old location.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/mpe4XGZEtVCwqwnw5

Molly Malone Statue 贾乃亮

Strade Dominican Friary, National Monument No. 172.  The abbey at Strade dates to the mid-13th century, when it first started as a Franciscan Friary, established by the Lord of Athlethan (Ballylahan), Jordan de Exeter. The Dominican friars moved into Strade in 1253. The priory was dedicated to the Holy Cross & was a daughter house of Sligo Dominican priory (SL014-068008-).  A papal indulgence granted in 1434  may have resulted in a rebuilding phase of the church.  The carving of the vulning pelican (from the Latin vulnerō, “to wound”) on the north wall of the crossing tower of the friary church dates from the 15th-century.  In Medieval Christianity, the pelican feeding its young with its own blood was a symbol for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross & the Eucharist.  Also known as the Pelican in Her Piety, the bird piercing it's breast to shed blood is an allegory of Christ on the Cross, a symbol of the Passion of Christ. Archaeological Survey of Ireland description at: https://tinyurl.com/mumyk56y

Strade Abbey -The Vulning Pelican

This design is inspired by the Giant's Causeway in Ireland. This will be used as a mold for grass to grow in, whose roots will eventually take to the design.

3D mold for casting

Located in Strade Dominican friary (MA070-067001-), one of a group of five floriated graveslabs standing upright attached to the internal face of the south wall of the friary chancel. Tapered graveslab with floriated cross measuring 1.19m long by 0.39m wide that served as the lid of a medieval stone coffin/sarcophagus.  The surface of the slab is worn, but the outline of a long cross fleury carved in low relief extending almost the full length of the slab is visible.   Greek crosses rise from the terminals of the diagonal arms which represent the Crucifix and may represent a version of the Lily Crucifix.  Wavy diagional line near cross base has flowering terminals topped with a Greek cross.  Carving is best viewed in Matcap render. Flowering cross based on the Tree of Life.  In Christian theology, the crucifixion of Jesus transforms the cross from a "tree of death" into a new "Tree of Life," reversing the fall of humanity in Eden.  Archaeological Survey of Ireland description at; https://tinyurl.com/yyy65tpx

Strade Abbey Graveslab MA070-067009-

Located in the northern wall of the chancel of Strade Dominican Priory (MA070-067001-), Co. Mayo. This 15th-century wall monument is one of the finest surviving examples of its type in Ireland. At the base of the arch on the western side is a carving of a lion with tail between its legs,  rising above the body of the animal where it ends in a bushy tail.  In medieval Christianity, the lion was a complex, dual-natured symbol, primarily representing Christ’s power, resurrection, and royal authority but also, paradoxically, the danger of the devil or fierce, untamed power. Bestiaries popularized myths about lions resurrecting cubs, mirroring Christ's resurrection.  Lions were thought to sleep with eyes open, symbolizing Christ’s ever-watchful nature and divinity during his human death on the cross. Lions were frequently carved on church portals to represent protectors, guarding sacred spaces or representing Christ’s triumph over evil. Archaeological Survey of Ireland description at; https://tinyurl.com/y5m6n78k

Strade Friary Wall Tomb Lion (MA070-067003-)

Strade Dominican Friary is a National Monument in state ownership (No. 172). The abbey dates to the mid-13th century, when it first started as a Franciscan Friary, established by the Lord of Athlethan (Ballylahan), Jordan de Exeter. The Dominican friars moved into Strade in 1253. The priory was dedicated to the Holy Cross & was a daughter house of Sligo Dominican priory (SL014-068008-). One of a group of 5 graveslabs on display against the south wall of the chancel of the Dominican friary church. This tapered slab served as the lid of a stone coffin. It bears a floriated cross in low relief, the terminals of the cross appear to form trefoils/bud & leaf or flower & leaf motif, a fleur-de-lis/flower of the lily. Fleury Cross/Lily Cross, terminals representing the flowering head of the lily plant. Diagonal arms represent the Crucifixion. Carving is best viewed in matcap render.  Archaeological Survey of Ireland description at: https://tinyurl.com/yc44ez49

Strade Abbey Graveslab MA070-067007-

THIS LOVELY OLD CO-OP BUILDING WAS PART OF A COMPLEX FOR THE RAILINE TO ACHILL ISLAND ON IRELANDS WEST COAST FREOM THE LATE 1800s UNTIL CA 1940 WHEN IT WAS USED FOR SUPPLIES SHIPPING. IT LATER COVERETED TO AFISHERMASN COOPERATIVE BEFORE FALLING INTO DISUSE WITH THE DEMISE OF THE FISHING INDUSTRY IN THE LATE 1980S

FREE! Achill Co-op BUILDINNG CA 1880

15th-century stone corbel decorated with a vine-leaf motif in the south wall of the sacristy to the north of the chancel in Portumna Dominican Friary, Co. Galway. In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal keyed into and projecting from a wall to carry a bearing weight, a type of bracket.  The word "corbel" originates from the Old French corbel (a raven) and the Medieval Latin corbellus or corvellus, which is a diminutive of the Latin corvus (raven or crow). It refers to the beak-like or bird-like projection of these stone brackets from a wall, a term appearing in English around the mid-14th century.  The underside of this stone corbel is decorated with a three-leaf motif carved in relief. The friary, National Monument No. 461, was built in the 13th-century as a Cistercian chapel dedicated to Saints Peter & Paul. In 1414 the O’Madden family granted the church to the Dominican Order. Archaeological Survey of Ireland description of Friary at: https://tinyurl.com/42u7wrep

Portumna Abbey (GA127-019----) Corbel

The constance wilde lloyd statue at merrion square park in dublin, ireland

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Constance+Wilde+(Lloyd)+Memorial+Sculpture/@53.340944,-6.2503496,20.73z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x48670f002481307f:0xa3a34e0ea9da7270!8m2!3d53.3408594!4d-6.2504848!16s%2Fg%2F11xfrnng2_?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDIyNC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Constance Wilde lloyd statue model

One of five floriated tapered graveslabs set upright against the internal face of the south wall of the chancel of Strade Dominican Friary (MA070-067001-), Co. Mayo. Broken tapered cross-slab grave-cover which served as the lid of a stone coffin/sarcophagus.  Only the lower half of a cross-fleury carved in low relief with raised border running along edge of the stone.  The base of the cross has a fleur-de-lis or lily flower terminal consisting of acentral teardrop shaped projection flanked on either side by curling leaves. Vertical line in central teardrop may represent the stamen of the flower head.  Vertical groove running along centre of cross-shaft.  Floriated cross possibly symbolising the flowering lily known in French as the Fleur-de-Lys/Flower of the Lily.  The lily, is a  symbol of the Virgin Mary often appearing in art representing the Annunciation.  Associated with Resurrection & Easter & the triumph of Christ over death.  See Archaeological of Ireland Description at: https://tinyurl.com/3dpfb3sp

Strade Abbey Graveslab MA070-067008-

The partial shaft of an early 12th-century high cross (CL045-033010-) with rune & scholastic ogham inscription that was discovered in 1916, built into the graveyard wall of St. Flannan's Cathedral (CL045-033006-), Killaloe, Co. Clare, now erected inside the west end of the cathedral.  Runic inscription on the broad western face of the cross-shaft reads (TH) URGRIM RISTI (KR)US THINA which has been translated as 'Thorgrim raised this cross'.  A scholastic ogham inscription is visible on the narrow southern face which reads BENDACHT ... TOROQR ... that has been interpreted as BENDACHT FOR TOROQRIM or 'A Blessing on T(horgrim)'.   A naive Crucifixion figure is visible on the eastern face of the cross-shaft.  Dr Griffin Murray of University College Cork has identfied him as Thorgrim Furcap, a Norwegian baron, who overwintered in Killaloe in 1102 with the King of Norway, Magnús Barelegs, in his alliance with Muirchertach Ua Briain. Archaeological Survey of Ireland description at: https://tinyurl.com/ym8cxb3c

Killaloe Cross Runic Inscription

15th-century quatrefoil window in the east wall of the sacristy to the north of the chancel in Portumna Dominican Friary (GA127-019----), Co. Galway. The term quatrefoile refers to an ornamental design of four lobes or leaves as used in architectural tracery, resembling a flower or clover leaf. Quatrefoil originates from the Old French word quatrefoil, meaning "four-leaf," which combines quatre ("four") and foil ("leaf"), derived from the Latin quattuor and folium.  The friary, National Monument No. 461, was built in the 13th-century as a Cistercian chapel dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. In 1414 the O’Madden family granted the church to the Dominican Order when the church was converted into a friary with the addition of a crossing tower and cloister with claustral buildings to the north of the church. Archaeological Survey of Ireland description of Friary at: https://tinyurl.com/42u7wrep

Portumna Abbey (GA127-019----) Quatrefoil Window

St. Tiarnach's sarcophagus, Clones. For info see:
https://clones-ireland.com/index.php/heritage-trail/166-st-tiarnachs-sarcophagus 
Photogrammetry by Barney Devine.

St. Tiarnach's Sarcophagus, Clones.

Male kneeling donor figure to left of Pieta on front or altar reredos dating from the second half of the 15th century, standing up against the internal face of the eastern wall of the chancel of Strade Dominican Friary (MA070-067001-), Co. Mayo.  Described by archaeologist John Hunt as; 'The man has a similar costume to that worn by the bearded man on the tomb-front of the wall monument in the northern wall of the chancel.  The gole, however, is cut square below though the method of fashioning the garment is similar with the seams of the four sections of the front carefully indicated. The buttons closing the side placket of the gown and the belt with its pendant end are similar, and here also the rosary and the shuttle-like object hang from it'. See Archaeological of Ireland Description at: https://tinyurl.com/2u942udw

Strade Abbey Male Figure

Strade Dominican Friary is a National Monument in state ownership (No. 172). The abbey dates to the mid-13th century, when it first started as a Franciscan Friary, established by the Lord of Athlethan (Ballylahan), Jordan de Exeter. The Dominican friars moved into Strade in 1253. The priory was dedicated to the Holy Cross & was a daughter house of Sligo Dominican priory (SL014-068008-). A papal indulgence granted in 1434 may have resulted in a rebuilding phase of the church. One of a group of 5 graveslabs on display against the south wall of the chancel of the Dominican friary church. This tapered graveslab served as the lid of a stone coffin.  It bears a floriated cross in low relief, the terminals of the cross appear to form trefoils/bud & leaf or flower & leaf motif, a fleur-de-lis/flower of the lily.  Fleury Cross/Lily Cross, terminals representing the flowering head of the lily plant. Diagonal arms represent the Crucifixion.  Archaeological Survey of Ireland description at: https://tinyurl.com/yneefntn

Strade Abbey Graveslab MA070-067010-

Located in Strade Dominican friary (MA070-067001-), one of a group of five (see also MA070-067007- to MA070-067010-) no upright where they are mounted up against the south wall of the chancel of the friary church. Tapered graveslab (L 1.9m) of 13th/14th-century date with chamfered sides, served as the lid of a stone coffin. Grave-cover decorated with a cross-fleury or floriated cross with stylised leaf-like terminals or bud-and-leaf terminals.  Possible foliage/leaf/fruit/disc motifs springing from the shaft of the cross symbolising the tree of life.  A cross fleury is a cross adorned at the ends with flowers in heraldry. It generally contains the fleur-de-lis, trefoils, etc.  The Tree of Life represents God's gift of eternal life appearing first in Genesis 2:9 as a source of immortality in Eden & in Revelation 22.2 as a part of the new garden of paradise. The Eucharist, the Body & Blood of Christ, is the Fruit of the Tree of Life Archaeological Survey of Ireland, description at: https://tinyurl.com/y258xyy4

Strade Abbey Graveslab MA070-067004-

The skillet pot is a feature of cooking culture the planet over and Ireland is no different - often made form a heavy iron base, they were typically three legged with a simple exterior decor sucha s relief rings that often helped to identify the Iron smith who made them.

And of course, they are synonymous with Leprechauns, rainbows, gold and good fortune!

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