St Manchán's Shrine: Art and Devotion in Twelfth Century Ireland. Dr Griffin Murray & Kevin O'Dwyer

Saint Manchán’s shrine is one of the most remarkable survivals from Ireland’s medieval past and one of the major treasures of county Offaly. Dating from the early 12th century, it contains the relics of St Manchán, the 7th-century saint and founder of the ancient church-site of Lemanaghan. The shrine shares many details with the famous Cross of Cong and can be attributed to the same craftsman. Both reliquaries display similar animal ornament, a blending of Irish and late Viking art, as well as similar techniques, such as enamelling, openwork, extensive gilding, and glasswork. However, the figures on the shrine set it apart, with only eleven now remaining out of an impressive original total of fifty. While undoubtedly representing religious figures, their precise identifications are elusive. Although kept locally at Boher, the shrine is internationally known, having been the focus of detailed academic study, as well as featuring in several international publications on Viking art. In 1979 it was brought to Clonmacnoise for the visit of Pope John Paul II, and the following year it was exhibited as part of a major international exhibition on the Vikings at the British Museum. This lecture will reveal some of the stories of this masterpiece and detail some of the work that is currently being undertaken for a new book on the shrine.

The lecture will conclude with the launch of the speakers’ Fund It campaign for their forthcoming book, Saint Manchán’s Shrine: Art and Devotion in Twelfth-Century Ireland.

https://fundit.ie/project/saint-manch...

Dr Griffin Murray FSA is a lecturer in Archaeology at University College Cork where he teaches in the areas of Museum Studies and Medieval Archaeology

Kevin O’Dwyer is an internationally recognised metalsmith, sculptor, educator, and photographer. O’Dwyer circuitously began metalsmithing through his interest in early Irish metalwork.