Episode 3 Taisce Shean Uladh - Treasures of Ancient Ulster

SEAGULLS CRY

IRON HISSES

POL CHUCKLES

Lisnacrogher is situated on a very important boundary.

It's on the boundary between

the kingdom of Dal Riata and the territory of Dal nAraide,

two of the Ulster kingdoms.

The king in Irish tradition married the goddess,

and the goddess was the land.

And what of course gave form to the land

and form to the goddess therefore

was the boundary.

And the boundary between territories, especially if you had a lake or bog,

were also, er, they were portals to the otherworld.

So the deposition of objects on boundaries

was a really important ritual

and one that's related to kingship and sovereignty rituals.

And of all the sites that we know, I think Lisnacrogher

is the premier depositional site on an ancient boundary in Ireland.

Eamon, what can you tell us

about the construction of that wonderful trumpet behind us here?

Erm, the trumpet is made from sheet bronze,

but it appears that perhaps two trumpets, two different trumpets,

have been assembled together.

The workmanship on the lower part of the trumpet

is inferior to the upper part of the trumpet,

which is beautifully riveted.

It's really one of the masterpieces of Iron Age metalwork,

especially from a technical point of view.

The Celts on the Continent used trumpets before battles

to, basically, put the wind up the enemy. They made a lot of noise.

And we have references from Roman writers at how unnerving this was.

It's an artwork which is particularly associated

with the ruling classes in Ireland, with the aristocracy.

And of course, the lake is in immediate proximity to Emain Macha,

which is the seat of the kings of Ulster.

Eamon, this wonderful collection of gold objects here,

where did it come from?

These were found at Broighter, on the shore of Lough Foyle in County Derry,

just before the end of the 19th century.

They ended up in the possession of a dealer from Cork,

who then sold them to the British Museum.

This hoard became a cause celebre

and resulted in a famous court case, did it not?

The British Museum contended in their case that these items

were a ritual deposit to an ancient Irish god.

But as the court found otherwise,

the items were deemed to be treasure trove and returned to Ireland.

The deity that we think these objects were left for is Manannan mac Lir.

He had his underwater bhru in Lough Foyle,

his bhru, which is preserved in the name Broighter,

Bhru Iochtair, the lower bhru.

Bhru was the name given to a residence of the gods.

There are a number of neck ornaments, torques and collars,

of which of course the most famous and the best known

is the large tubular collar,

which is absolutely an exceptional piece of work.

There is very little in the goldwork of the period anywhere in Europe,

you know, that's up to this particular standard.

The decoration is raised on the surface of the metal

from hammering from below,

which is very difficult to achieve with a curved tube.

So these metalworkers knew exactly what they were at.

And then the raised decoration is highlighted

with inscribed decoration.

It's a masterful piece of work.