Garryduff Bird

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The Garryduff Bird was found in 1946 by MJ O'Kelly during the excavation of the ring fort at Garryduff ( Irish An Garraí Dubh ), 35 km northeast of the city of Cork in County Cork in Ireland .

According to the stratigraphic and art-historical characteristics, the only 16 mm tall, spiral-shaped decorated bird made of sheet gold dates from around AD 650 and was deposited at the site during or shortly after the completion of the earthworks. Its shape, with the twisted tail, leaves little doubt that it is a wren .

Spiral ornaments have been known in Ireland since the Neolithic and reappear in the Iron Age . The spirals on the Garryduff bird are reminiscent of La Tène- Zeitliche designs of the 9th century BC. Comparisons with the spirals on the chalice of Ardagh and the reliquary of Monymusk seem to show that the bird is a native work . But the bird also shows other influences that reached Ireland during the early Middle Ages. The filigree technique is Anglo-Saxon , while its form can be found in France or in birds from the Eastern Mediterranean.

The bird is on display in the Cork Museum.

literature

  • MJ O'Kelly: Excavation of a ring-fort at Garryduff, Co. Cork. In: Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society, Ser. 2, Vol. LI 1946, pp. 164-169.

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