Treasure Of The Bogs

Treasure of the bogs is documentary about a unique archaeological find in County Tipperary which revealed potential links between Irish Christianity and the Coptic Church of the Middle East.

On July 20th 2006, a remarkable archaeological find was uncovered in a remote bog at Faddan More in north Tipperary, close to the town of Birr. Local man Eddie Fogarty was cutting peat with a mechanical digger when he spotted something unusual that looked "like some sort of book".

The find - which has become known as the Faddan More Psalter - was a fragmented illuminated vellum manuscript encased in an unusual leather binding, a book of psalms dating back to the late eighth century. This unprecedented find, the first manuscript to be found in a water-logged state in a bog, posed unique and profound difficulties for the Conservation Department at the National Museum.

This documentary offers exclusive access to the National Museum's team as they embarked upon this dramatic and pain-staking journey of recovery and discovery. It follows leading Irish book conservator John Gillis as he set about preserving and conserving this unique find.

As the process reached its conclusion, fragments of papyrus were dramatically discovered in the lining of the Egyptian-style leather binding. This potentially represents the first tangible connection between early Irish Christianity and the Middle Eastern Coptic Church. It is a finding that asks many questions and has confounded some of the accepted theories about the history of early Christianity in Ireland.

The documentary also travels across Europe and to the deserts of Egypt in an effort to uncover the story behind this perplexing and mysterious discovery.