No period in the history of Art is more remarkable than the Celtic. The carved stone architecture and crosses, the bronzes, enamels and silversmith’s work, the splendid illuminated books and manuscripts with capitals and borders, full of imagery and intricacy of detail, and the clear and accurate writing of the text, are all indications of the culture and love of ornament of the early Irish people. The incised ornament upon the stone tumuli of the 3rd and 4th centuries B.C. show simple forms such as chequers, chevrons, circles and spirals which are used by almost all primitive people, yet even at this early stage the Celts show a remarkable preference for the spiral and interlacing forms. The bronze shield (fig. 6), with its spirals and bosses of enamel enriched with the northern “Fylfot” is a typical example of the 2nd or 3rd century, A.D. Then comes the trumpet pattern or divergent spiral, which, seen in its infancy on the bronze shield, reached a great degree of elaboration in the 8th and 9th centuries (figs. 2 to 7), being typical of Celtic work up to the middle of the 11th century when all trace of this spiral is lost. The interlacing bird and animal forms used from the 8th to the 14th centuries are doubtless derived from Byzantine and Lombardic sources. The serpent or dragon, which is such a marked feature from the 7th to the 15th century must have been borrowed from the north, as Ireland had no traditions of dragons, and it is to Scandinavia, with its legend of Fafni, that we must look for the origin of the dracontine treatment. It is this Zormorpic character that distinguishes the Celtic from all other styles of ornament except Scandinavian.

The illustrations given here from the Lismore crosier are typical examples of this Celtic dracontine treatment. The early or Pagan period is noted for its bronze work, cast and wrought, and enriched with ChamplevÉ enamels. The fine chalice of Ardagh (plate 34) and the Tara Brooch (7th century) are splendid examples of the Christian period dating from St. Patrick, A.D. 440-460. The beautiful Book of Kells, A.D. 650-690, the Book of Armagh, A.D. 807, the Book of Durrow, A.D. 750 (Trinity College, Dublin), and the Book of Durham, A.D. 689-721, written by Eadfrith and illuminated by Ethelwald, are a tribute to the vitality, assimilation of ideas, and the culture and wonderful craftsmanship of the early Irish people.