| The Corleck Head | |
|---|---|
 Two of the head's three faces | |
| Material | Limestone |
| Size |
|
| Created | 1st or 2nd century AD |
| Discovered | c. 1855 Corleck Hill, County Cavan, Ireland 53°58′21″N 6°59′53″W / 53.9725°N 6.9981°W |
| Present location | National Museum of Ireland, Dublin |
| Identification | IA:1998:72[1] |
The Corleck Head is an Irish three-faced stone idol usually dated to the 1st or 2nd century AD. Although its origin is not known for certain, its placing in the Late Iron Age is based on the iconography, which is similar to that of other northern European Celtic artefacts from that period. Archaeologists agree that it probably depicts a Celtic god and was intended to be placed on top of a larger shrine associated with a Celtic head cult. During the early Christian period, the hill became a major site for celebrating the Lughnasadh, a Gaelic pagan harvest festival that in Corleck continued into the modern period.[a]
Archaeologists assume that the Corleck Head was buried in the Early Middle Ages, perhaps c. 900–1200 AD, due to its obvious paganism and association with human sacrifice, traditions the medieval Christian church suppressed. It was rediscovered c. 1855 in Drumeague in County Cavan, during the excavation of a large passage grave dated to c. 2500 BC. The head was probably intended for ceremonial use at Corleck Hill, a major religious centre during the late Iron Age. As with many stone artefacts, its dating and cultural significance are difficult to establish. The three faces may depict an all-knowing, all-seeing god representing the unity of the past, present and future, or ancestral mother figures, such as Danu, symbolising strength and fertility. It was found alongside the Corraghy Heads, a two-headed sculpture with a ram's head at one side and a human head on the other. The Corleck and Corraghy idols are collectively known as the "Corleck Gods".
When rediscovered, the Corleck Head was treated as an insignificant local curiosity and for decades was placed on a farm gatepost. It only came to national attention in 1937 after its prehistoric date was realised by the historian Thomas J. Barron. It has been in the collection of the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin since 1937. It is included in the 2011 Irish Times anthology A History of Ireland in 100 Objects.[3]
- ^ Smyth (2012), p. 24
- ^ Waddell (2023), p. 247
- ^ O'Toole, Fintan. "A history of Ireland in 100 objects: Corleck Head". The Irish Times, 25 June 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2022
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