Saint Manchan's Shrine

​Art and Devotion in Twelfth-century Ireland

Publication available for purchase ​ online​​

Saint Manchan's Shrine

A masterpiece of medieval art, St Manchan’s Shrine stands as the largest surviving reliquary in Ireland, and a stunning example of early Irish monastic metalwork. This exceptional artifact blends Irish, late Viking/Urnes, and Romanesque Christian art styles, making it a unique study in archaeology, art history, and metalsmithing.
This richly produced full-colour coffee table book is the result of a collaboration between archaeologist Dr. Griffin Murray and metalsmith/photographer Kevin O’Dwyer. Together, they bring the story of the shrine to life through atmospheric photographs and detailed scholarly essays.

The publication features:

High-resolution photography, including full and double-page image spreads

Antiquarian illustrations and descriptive close-ups of the shrine’s intricate metalwork

In-depth essays on:

Saint Manchan and the monastic site of Lemanaghan

The artistic craftsmanship of the shrine

Cultural cross-fertilization in medieval Irish art

The shrine’s connections to the makers of the Cross of Cong

Combining visual storytelling with academic insight, this book is essential for anyone interested in Irish medieval art, Viking influence in Ireland, or religious artifacts.​

In this monograph. mysteries have been solved; lacunas infilled. However, various contradictions and surprises are also revealed, through the unfolding story of several cultures merging to make something new, fresh, and dynamic, such as is found in this compact reliquary of the Hiberno-Norse style embedded in the Romanesque of the late medieval Christian empire, in Ireland.

For those of us who might never be able to visit the shrine in person, this splendid book is the next best thing, and we are delighted and grateful.

​​ Jules McCue  - Tinteán Magazine

The largest reliquary surviving from medieval Ireland, one of the most remarkable features of St Manchan's Shrine, is the variety of techniques used in creating its ornamentation, including lost wax, fire-gilding, enameling, die forming and chasing, all of which are clearly explained by Kevin O'Dwyer, while Uto Hogerzeil contributes some lively visual reconstructions of the productions progress.

Kevin O'Dwyer is also a superb photographer. His images of the whole shrine and, more particularly, its detail, make this book stand out, causing the eye to notice things that it would not normally. O'Dwyer choses subjects that bring home the richness of the decoration, which stands out vividly against a black background. ..........

Irish Arts Review by Peter Harbison