La Tene Art and Deposition in Ireland

Early Style/ Orientalising Style – La Tène A

Weisskirchen, Germany
Auvers-sur-Oise, France
Orientalising: Lyre or griffin?

La Tene in Ireland
Iron Age find contexts
Little contextual information about many Irish La Tene finds.

Typical single finds – Beehive Querns
Clonad bog-butter keg, Clonad Bog, Co. Offaly (NMI 2000:58)
Rosberry bog-butter keg, Co. Kildare (NMI 1970:32)
Wooden vessel from Pallasboy Townland, Toar Bog, Co. Westmeathc. 100BCTriple ply twisted wooden withyPegged in placeRepaired with wedges when being made and later with a wooden panel sewn to the side with a fine withy
Some major finds
Information is often poor!
Lisncrogher, Co. Antrim
Original contents of Lisnacrogher assemblage included wooden objects.

Broighter
Found in 1896 in boggy ground. Descriptions suggest that it was buried in some sort of container – possibly a bag – that had mostly rotted.
Its find circumstances have been described as curious due to a protacted court case over ownership of the find.
Broighter
Tom Nicholl, who discovered the Broighter hoard.
It was wrapped in a container sometimes described as like an umbrella.
This has led to confusion over the origin of the hoard and whether it was genuine.
The court case revolved around the possibility of whether the hoard was deposited on land which was inundated or had been hidden (i.e. was treasure trove).
Broighter
Seahorses?
Boats?
Sea-offering?
Loughnashade, Co. Armagh

Pooler horn (the surviving horn)
Browne horn – illustrated in 1802 then stolen.
No provenance (Ireland: NMI), possibly the horn owned by Hall and Corry.
Plunkett watercolours (donated to RIA in January 1847)
Ardbrin horn

Nice horn
Wooden horns:1. Killyfaddy (Tyrone)2. Killeshandra (Cavan)