News
Irish diver finds 3,500-year-old sword in river
A diver in Ireland recovered a Bronze Age sword from the Shannon River earlier this month, and it is believed to be approximately 3,500 years old.
Michael O’Ruiarc of Shannonside Sub Aqua Club, a native of Banagher, Co. Offaly where the 1050 BC sword was found, stumbled upon the precious artifact during a routine search and recovery exercise.
Dr. Andy Halpin, assistant keeper of Irish Antiquities at the National Museum, confirmed the sword’s age.
“We know that there is a lot of historical evidence of Viking activity on the Shannon in the 9th and 10th centuries, however from the 10th century onwards, there is also evidence that Irish kings especially Brian Boru had ships on the Shannon,” said Halpin.
Divers of the Shannonside Aqua Club have recovered Celt and Viking swords from the Shannon in the past, but it was O’Ruiarc’s first time recovering such a striking artifact that is such an important part of Irish history.
“Two of my diving buddies who are also members of Shannonside Sub Aqua Club have recovered period swords from the river Shannon over the last number of years, so I’m delighted to have eventually found one myself,” he said.
The National Museum of Ireland is currently exhibiting a 1,000 year old Viking sword which was found in the Shannon in 2012 as part of an exhibition commemorating the Battle of Clontarf, which is running through December at its Museum of Archaeology in Dublin.
“We struck lucky again!” the diving club posted to Facebook. “The National Museum should really consider giving our divers a full time position in their underwater unit.”
Source: www.irishcentral.com
Over the next 12 months, specialist scuba holiday company Dive Worldwide will be supporting Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation with donations collected from client bookings to any one of its stunning dive destinations around the world. The independently-owned operator expects to raise £3000 for the UK charity.
Manager at Dive Worldwide, Phil North, said: “We’re especially excited to work with Bite-Back and support its intelligent, creative and results-driven campaigns to end the UK trade in shark products and prompt a change in attitudes to the ocean’s most maligned inhabitant.”
Bite-Back is running campaigns to hold the media to account on the way it reports shark news along with a brand new nationwide education programme. Last year the charity was credited for spearheading a UK ban on the import and export of shark fins.
Campaign director at Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’re enormously grateful to Dive Worldwide for choosing to support Bite-Back. The company’s commitment to conservation helps set it apart from other tour operators and we’re certain its clients admire and respect that policy. For us, the affiliation is huge and helps us look to the future with confidence we can deliver against key conservation programmes.”
To launch the fundraising initiative, Phil North presented Graham Buckingham with a cheque for £1,000.
Visit Dive Worldwide to discover its diverse range of international scuba adventures and visit Bite-Back to learn more about the charity’s campaigns.
MORE INFORMATION
Call Graham Buckingham on 07810 454 266 or email graham@bite-back.com
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