The list of hoards in Ireland comprises the significant archaeological hoards of coins, jewellery, metal objects, scrap metal and other valuable items that have been discovered on the island of Ireland (Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland). It includes both hoards that were buried with the intention of retrieval at a later date (personal hoards, founder's hoards, merchant's hoards, and hoards of loot), and also hoards of votive offerings which were not intended to be recovered at a later date, but excludes grave goods and single items found in isolation. The list is subdivided into sections according to archaeological and historical periods.
The table below lists hoards that are dated to the Neolithic period, approximately 4500 to 2500 BC.
The table below list hoards that are associated with the Irish Copper and Bronze Ages, approximately 2500 BC to 700 BC.
| Hoard | Image | Date | Place of discovery | Year of discovery | Current Location | Contents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballinesker Hoard | County Wexford 52.396°N -6.359°W | 1990 | National Museum of Ireland, Dublin | 2 gold dress fasteners 1 gold bracelet 2 gold disks 3 gold boxes[2] | ||
| Ballytegan Hoard | County Laois 53.056°N -7.307°W | 1967 | National Museum of Ireland, Dublin | 2 bronze axeheads, 1 bronze bracelet, and a number of bronze rings and pins[3] | ||
| Coggalbeg Hoard | County Roscommon 53.726°N -8.152°W | 1945 | National Museum of Ireland, Dublin | 1 gold lunula 2 gold discs[4] | ||
| Derrinboy Hoard | County Offaly 53.155°N -7.718°W | 1957 or 1958 | National Museum of Ireland, Dublin | 1 gold necklet 2 gold armlets 2 gold rings[5] | ||
| Dowris Hoard | County Offaly 53.167°N -7.869°W | 1825 or 1833 | National Museum of Ireland, Dublin British Museum, London | 5 swords 44 spearheads 43 axes 26 horns 44 crotals 3 bronze buckets 1 cauldron[6] | ||
| Kilmoyly Hoard | County Kerry 52.37°N -9.771°W | 1940 | National Museum of Ireland, Dublin | 3 gold bracelets 1 gold dress-fastener[7] | ||
| Mooghaun North Hoard | Late Bronze Age | near Mooghaun Fort, County Clare | 1854 | Mostly lost; 29 pieces in National Museum of Ireland and British Museum | Probably over 200 gold objects, mostly plain bar bracelets, with torcs, collars and ingots[8] | |
The table below list hoards that are associated with the Irish Iron Age, approximately 700 BC to 400 AD.
| Hoard | Image | Date | Place of discovery | Year of discovery | Current Location | Contents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broighter Hoard | County Londonderry 55.073°N -6.984°W | 1896 | National Museum of Ireland, Dublin | 1 gold model ship 1 gold model cauldron 2 gold neck chains 2 twisted gold torc necklets 1 hollow gold torc or collar[9] | ||
| Dooyork Hoard | County Mayo 54.106°N -9.933°W | 2001 | National Museum of Ireland, Dublin | 4 gold torcs 3 bronze bracelets 7 amber beads[10] | ||
The table below list hoards of Roman coins and silverware found in Ireland. There are very few Roman hoards in Ireland as it was never part of the Roman Empire, and those hoards that have been found are thought to have been looted from Britain by Irish raiders.
| Hoard | Image | Date | Place of discovery | Year of discovery | Current Location | Contents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balline Hoard | County Limerick 52.399°N -8.455°W | 1940 | National Museum of Ireland, Dublin | 4 silver ingots and 3 pieces of silver plate | ||
| Coleraine Hoard | County Londonderry 55.108°N -6.762°W | 1854 | British Museum, London Ulster Museum, Belfast | 1,701 silver Roman coins, a silver bowl, and 6 kg of silver ingots and hacksilver[11] | ||
The table below lists hoards that are associated with the early medieval period, from the introduction of Christianity until the start of Anglo-Norman settlement, approximately 400 AD to 1100 AD.
| Hoard | Image | Date | Place of discovery | Year of discovery | Current Location | Contents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ardagh Hoard | County Limerick 52.495°N -9.062°W | 1868 | National Museum of Ireland, Dublin | 1 silver chalice 1 bronze chalice 4 silver-gilt brooches.[12] | ||
| Derrynaflan Hoard | County Tipperary 52.567°N -7.669°W | 1980 | National Museum of Ireland, Dublin | A set of liturgical vessels, comprising a silver chalice, a silver paten, a stand for the paten, a liturgical strainer, and a bronze basin.[13] | ||
The table below lists hoards that are associated with the Viking culture in Ireland.
The table below lists hoards that date to the late medieval period, from 1066 to about 1500.
The table below lists hoards that date to 1536 or later, following the reconquest of Ireland by Henry VIII of England. Most of these hoards date to the Elizabethan era (1558–1603), during which time the Nine Years' War (1594–1603) caused considerable instability throughout Ireland, but especially in Ulster.
| Hoard | Image | Date | Place of discovery | Year of discovery | Current Location | Contents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armagh Castle Street Hoard | County Armagh 54.347°N -6.656°W | 1976 | Ulster Museum, Belfast | 135 Irish groats[15] | ||
| Carrick-on-Suir Hoard | County Tipperary 52.3458°N -7.4125°W | 2013 | 81 gold guineas and half guineas dating from the reigns of Charles II, James II, William and Mary, and William III[16] | |||