Abstract:
This paper presents the first modern detailed account of the Bearnán Chúláin bell-shrine, one of the most important pieces of medieval Church metalwork to survive from Ireland. Originally from Glenkeen, Co. Tipperary, the shrine may be dated to the period of the late-eleventh/early-twelfth century. The paper principally consists of descriptive and historical analyses of the bell- shrine, as well as contextual discussion around its dating and manufacture. The reliquary is compared to a sword handle from Lough Derg and a recent find from England, all of which are attributed to the same workshop that was conceivably under the royal patronage of Muirchertach Ua Briain.
