Ancient Christian brooch uncovered in Kerry
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

A rare early Christian brooch, which was unearthed in County Kerry, is to go on display at the county’s museum in Tralee.

The bronze artefact, estimated to be 1,400 years old, and to date from earliest Christian era in Kerry been described as a national treasure.  It was found by the Edgeworth family from Ballylongford when it turned up in ashes in the grate of their range.

The brooch is embossed with a cross and is only the second of its kind to be discovered in Kerry.  It had been buried for the estimated 1,400 years in Tullahinell bog, only to be uncovered when the turf was harvested.

It had been drawn from the Edgeworths’ own plot at the bog and was cut out by machine last summer.  Pat Joe Edgeworth said his wife Sheila found it while cleaning out the grate.

“It looked like half a donkey's mouth-bit as they were always drawing turf out with donkeys," he said.  "It was blackened from the fire, but as we looked at it closer and cleaned it up I had a good idea it was a brooch, because it was similar to ones I had seen in books," Mr Edgeworth added.

The Tullahinell brooch was taken to the National Museum for dating and cleaning.

Experts have said the brooch is in very good condition and that the only damage it has suffered was the loss of red enamel in the fire.

by Fintan Deere

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