Kilmainham Brooch

Kilmainham Brooch
Material	Silver, gold, enamel, glass
Size	Diameter 9.67 cm (3.81 in)
Created	Late 8th or early 9th century[1]
Period/culture	Celtic, Insular
Place	Kilmainham, Dublin, Ireland
Present location	National Museum of Ireland
Identification	NMI, W45

The Kilmainham Brooch is a late 8th- or early 9th-century Celtic brooch of the "penannular" type (i.e. its ring does not fully close or is incomplete). With a diameter of 9.67 cm, it is a relatively large example, and is made from silver, gold and glass, with filigree and interlace decorations. Like other high-quality brooches of its class, it was probably intended to fasten copes and other vestments rather than for everyday wear, as its precious metal content would have made it a status symbol for its owner;^[2] less expensive Viking-style brooches were typically worn in pairs on women's clothing.^[3][4]

The brooch is dated to the late 8th or early 9th century based on its 8th-century design patterns, along with the fact that silver was not easily available in Ireland until the first Viking invasion in AD 795. It was found in the 18th century during an excavation of a Viking burial place in Kilmainham, on the fringe of the city of Dublin in Ireland. Although established as being of Irish origin, its form and decorations seem heavily influenced by both Viking art (in material) and earlier Pictish metalwork (in design and technique). It is held at the Kildare Street, Dublin, branch of the National Museum of Ireland, where it is on permanent display in the "Treasury room".