📖 Ancient Restoration

Cross of Cong: Commissioned by King Turlough O'Connor in the 'High-Kings w/ opposition' period to gain a cultural edge over rival kingdoms.

Creations in metalwork such as the Cross of Cong marked the magnificent finale of the Irish Insular #art tradition of the Middle Ages:

Detail, Irish Cross of Cong, showing Urnes/Viking-style interlace and a gleaming eyed beast gripping the base in its jaws.

The 12th c. Cross of Cong - one of Ireland's greatest treasures. In #medieval times called 'the yellow cross' for its brilliant golden hue.

The 12th c. Cross of Cong - one of Ireland's greatest treasures. In #medieval times called 'the yellow cross' for its brilliant golden hue.

Over twenty of the 32 counties of Ireland have place-names relating to the wolf; there are also several Irish '#wolf-surnames':

Ringforts like Grianán Aileach were built primarily for the protection of animals at night, not just from raiders, but also from #wolves.

According to the Brehon Laws, some people in Ireland kept wolves as pets & landowners were obliged to keep wolfhounds for wolf-hunting:

In Irish folklore the wolf is associated with the wildness of nature & death. They feature in poems of the Fianna as mysterious hunters:

The grey #wolf stalked the ice sheets of prehistoric Ireland long before humans arrived: the earliest Irish remains date to 34,000BC.

#Wolves lived in #Ireland long after extinction in Britain, earning the nickname 'Wolfland'. They were revered in myth until extinction 1786.

#Wolves lived in #Ireland long after extinction in Britain, earning the nickname 'Wolfland'. They were revered in myth until extinction 1786.