Museum of Archaeology

On Sunday I visited the Museum of Archaeology which has a grand collection of objects from the Middle Ages.  One of my favorite portions of the exhibit was the collection of shrines. Shrines were an important part of Middle Ages life and people were encouraged to make pilgrimages to the shrines as a way to make atonement for their earthly sins and as a means to earn their way into an eternal life in the next world.  People also visited shrines in hopes of being healed from various ailments.  Many times shrines, like the one photographed below, contained idols, relics, or other objects that were associated with specific saints.  In addition to the collection of Middle Ages artifacts the museum also houses an excellent exhibit on the Vikings; many of the objects were excavated here in Dublin.

 This decorative shrine was constructed to contain an 8th-century Mass book.  It was considered a relic of St. Maelruain, the patron saint of Lorrha in County Tipperary.  In 1370 Philip O'Kennedy, King of Ormond and Giolla Ruadhan Ua Maccain, the head of the Augustinian prioy at Lorrha.