The group visited Dáil Eireann and met local TD’s Minister of State Patrick O’Donovan, Tom Neville and Niall Collins.
The group visited Dáil Eireann and met local TD’s Minister of State Patrick O’Donovan, Tom Neville and Niall Collins.
On Tuesday January 23rd a bus full of people from Ardagh and the surrounding areas paid a visit to Dublin to view the Ardagh Chalice hoard in the National Museum of Ireland. The trip was organised by members of the Saint Kieran’s Heritage Society. A total of 51 people were on board and they were joined by chairman John P. O’Sullivan, and Gerard Greaney in Dublin. Photographer George Daly took a group photo outside the museum gate on arrival, dodging the traffic to get a good image.
This is a special year in the history of Ardagh as it marks the 150th anniversary of the finding of one of Ireland’s foremost treasuries that holds pride of place in the exhibition galleries. The association has big plans for this year, which will culminate in a festival during the month of September. An event will be held each month in the run up and this was January’s.
On entering at 11.15am we met Siobhan (museum organiser) and we received courtesy tea and biscuits, and our guide Maeve gave a very interesting talk on the finding of the hoard. The slide show showed off each piece to great effect as she described the very detailed features, on the chalice and brooches. They looked very impressive and the group members felt proud to be representing the area they were found in. The chalice is one of the finest liturgical vessels of the early Christian world. Its beauty lies in the contrast between the plain sheen of the polished silver and the finesse and complexity of the ornamentation.
The Ardagh hoard is part of the Treasury Exhibition which is one of ten on display and this exhibition traces the development of Irish art from the arrival of Celtic peoples to Ireland in the last centuries of the Prehistoric era to the beginning of the medieval period C.1200 AD. The second section of the exhibition illustrates the art of the early middle ages, the golden age of Irish art. Masterpieces on display include the Ardagh Chalice, the Tara Brooch, and the Clonmacnoise Crozier.
For many of the group it was their first time seeing the chalice and hoard in all its glory in the special glass cases. Photographs were taken and lots of discussions as comparisons were made with the Derrynaflan Chalice which was found later in a bog in Tipperary. Members visited the other exhibitions throughout the very well laid out floors, and availed of the cafe. TV 3 called by and took some footage and did some interviews, and souvenirs were purchased.
We moved next door and entered Dáil Eireann for a 2pm visit, and tour of the Dáil and Senate. We met up with the three West Limerick TD’s Patrick O’Donovan, Tom Neville and Niall Collins. We got to hear the party leaders, and a few deputies, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Michael Martin, Gerry Adams, Brendan Howlin, Eamon Ryan, Michael and Danny Healy Rae speak during Leader’s Question Time from the visitor’s balcony. It is a very imposing and detailed building and the house was originally known as Kildare House after James Fitzgerald, the Earl of Kildare, who commissioned it to be built between 1745-47. Fitzgerald set out to create the stateliest of Dublin Georgian mansions to reflect his eminent position in Irish society. On becoming the Duke of Leinster in 1776 (Dublin and Kildare are in the province of Leinster) the house was renamed Leinster House.
The designer of Leinster House was the architect Richard Cassels (or Castle), who was born in Hesse-Cassel in Germany about 1690. The design is characteristic of buildings of the period in Ireland and England. It has been claimed that it formed a model for the design of the White House, the residence of the President of the United States. This claim may have its origins in the career of James Hoban, who in 1792 won the competition for the design of the White House. After the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922, the Government secured a part of Leinster House for parliamentary use. The entire building was acquired by the State in 1924.
Today, Leinster House is the seat of the two Houses of the Oireachtas (National Parliament), comprising Dáil Eireann (the House of Representatives) and Seanad Eireann (the Senate). We viewed painted portraits of past Taoisigh which were on display on the walls and the decor and furnishings were impressive. A final group photo was taken on the steps outside Dáil Eireann, which included the TDs, and signs showing off the new series of stamps, which includes the Ardagh Chalice. This series was issued to the general public on Thursday January 25th.
The happy and tired group arrived back in Ardagh after their marathon 14 hour adventure at 8.40pm. It was very rewarding trip to view the contents in the museum and to promote Ardagh in West Limerick as the rightful home of the Ardagh chalice hoard. We extend our thanks to Secretary Mary Kury and all who helped to organise the very informative and enjoyable trip.