Welcome, let’s dig into Ireland’s Early Medieval Period

Welcome to our Early Medieval Ireland course with Dr Sharon Greene.

The early medieval period in Ireland emerged from the prehistoric iron age to become a golden age. Many are familiar with its famous monasteries from Clonmacnoise in the midlands to the off-shore islands, such as the dramatic Skellig Michael off the Kerry coast; with its beautiful works of art including the Book of Kells, the Tara brooch, the Ardagh chalice and the high crosses. From a young age, the Irish are still taught about our reputation as ‘the isle of saints and scholars’, the dramatic arrival of the marauding Vikings and then the arrival of the Anglo-Normans – literally the end of an era in Irish history.

That’s all very interesting, but there is so much more to the story of Ireland between around AD400 and 1169, the date of that fated invasion, and we now know more than ever about early medieval life. In this short video we’ll take a look at some of this evidence to show how we know, what we know!

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