Lough Erne Shrines
| The Lough Erne Shrines | |
|---|---|
| Material | wood, tinned bronze |
| Size | Larger shrine: height 16 cm (6.3 in), width 17.7 cm (7.0 in), 7.8 cm (3.1 in) Smaller shrine: height 6.8 cm (2.7 in), width 10.6 cm (4.2 in), 3.2 cm (1.3 in) |
| Created | 8th or 9th-century |
| Discovered | 1891 Lough Erne, County Fermanagh, Ireland |
| Present location | National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin |
The Lough Erne Shrines are two small 8th or 9th-century reliquaries produced in the House-shaped shrine format. They were discovered in 1891 by fishermen on Lower Lough Erne near the townland of Tully in County Fermanagh, Ireland. It is assumed that the shrines are roughly contemporaneous but were produced separately. The plain, smaller shrine is just over a third of the size of the larger, decorated reliquary.
The shrines were in poor condition on discovery and were restored shortly after. They were in the possession of the Royal Irish Academy soon after their find, and shortly thereafter transferred to the then newly formed National Museum of Ireland on Kildare Street, where they are on permanent display.