Advertisement
Articles

Preliminary report on a Viking warrior grave at War Memorial Park, Islandbridge

Preliminary report on a Viking warrior grave at War Memorial Park, Islandbridge

Sikora, Maeve; Ó Donnabháin, Barra; Daly, Niamh

Medieval Dublin XI: Proceedings of the Friends of Medieval Dublin 12th Annual Symposium, Dublin, 22 May (2010)

Abstract

The discovery of a Viking sword and spearhead was reported to the National Museum of Ireland in 2007. The artefacts were found accidentally when a trench for electrical cables was being dug at the War Memorial Park in Islandbridge, Dublin. A rescue excavation was undertaken in order to recover any other artefacts that may have been damaged during the ground works. A disturbed inhumation and three copper-alloy objects were found in the course of the excavation. This report is a preliminary summary of the findings of the excavation. It is suggested that the finds together represent the grave of a Scandinavian warrior. The results of isotope analysis on teeth found during the excavation are also presented.

Advertisement

The discovery of an iron sword and spearhead was reported to the National Museum of Ireland in October 2007. The artefacts had been found in 2004, by Mr Liam Byrne, a contractor laying electrical cables in the War Memorial Park at Islandbridge, Dublin. The site of the discovery was in the garden of a lodge immediately inside the entrance to the War Memorial Park off South Circular Road. The park, which occupies an area approximately 1km from east to west, was laid out in the early 1930s as a memorial to those Irish who died fighting in the First World War. It is situated on the south side of the Liffey, west of South Circular Road and north of Con Colbert Road.

Click here to read this article from Medieval Dublin XI

Advertisement