Excavation work along the route of the Adare bypass unearthed a medieval treasure when a brooch pin dating back to the eighth century was discovered deep in the Co Limerick earth.
It was discovered at Ardshanbally last year by a team of archaeologists working for Archaeological Management Solutions, who are providing pre-development excavation work off the bypass site on behalf of Limerick City Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland.
The brooch pin, made of cast bronze, is 12cm in length and features blue glass settings and cast animal and abstract ornament.
It will now go on display as part of a larger exhibition of over 100 objects at the National Museum on 29 May.
The exhibition 'Words on the Wave: Ireland and St Gallen in Early Medieval Europe' will feature precious manuscripts from the Abbey of St Gall in Switzerland, some returning to Ireland for the first time in 1,000 years.
Lynn Scarff, Director of the National Museum of Ireland said they were grateful to the archaeologists who worked on the bypass to ensure that ancient objects such as the medieval brooch are "rightfully conserved and preserved for future generations".
"The forthcoming exhibition of the Ardshanbally early medieval brooch pin is a perfect example of State agencies and commercial archaeologists working together to preserve and make accessible our wonderful portable heritage," she said.
Minister for Arts, Media Communications, Culture and Sport Patrick O'Donovan, who examined the brooch at the museum, described it as a "remarkable find, beautifully detailed and dating from well over 1,000 years ago".
"It shows what significant skill, talent and wealth there was even in early medieval period in and around Co Limerick," he added.
"The National Museum housing artifacts of this nature is providing invaluable insights into early Irish culture."
