Bronze Age Treasures go on show in Dublin

Treasures from the early Bronze Age have been presented for the first time to the public at the National Museum. The 4,000 year old hoard consists of a gold necklace, known as a lunula, and two small gold discs dating from 2300-1800 BC. The discs are the first pair to have been found since the 19th century.

The items' route to the National Museum has been a circuitous one. Discovered by a man cutting turf in a remote bog in the west of Ireland in 1945, they were stored secretly in a local chemist's safe since 1947. Following a burglary at the pharmacy last year, panic broke out when authorities were informed of the safe's priceless contents. A police search immediately ensued, with the artefacts being traced to a skip on Rueben St in the heart of Dublin's Liberties district. Miraculously, the thieves hadn't realised the nature of their booty which was recovered undamaged and brought to the National Museum.

Museum director Dr Pat Wallace has hailed the find as one of the utmost significance, as it represents the first time that a lunula and gold discs have been found together in Ireland. He has described as 'extraordinary' the series of events which led to their discovery in Dublin.