#Wolves lived in #Ireland long after extinction in Britain, earning the nickname 'Wolfland'. They were revered in myth until extinction 1786.

The grey #wolf stalked the ice sheets of prehistoric Ireland long before humans arrived: the earliest Irish remains date to 34,000BC.

In Irish folklore the wolf is associated with the wildness of nature & death. They feature in poems of the Fianna as mysterious hunters:

According to the Brehon Laws, some people in Ireland kept wolves as pets & landowners were obliged to keep wolfhounds for wolf-hunting:

Ringforts like Grianán Aileach were built primarily for the protection of animals at night, not just from raiders, but also from #wolves.

Over twenty of the 32 counties of Ireland have place-names relating to the wolf; there are also several Irish '#wolf-surnames':

The 12th c. Cross of Cong - one of Ireland's greatest treasures. In #medieval times called 'the yellow cross' for its brilliant golden hue.

Detail, Irish Cross of Cong, showing Urnes/Viking-style interlace and a gleaming eyed beast gripping the base in its jaws.

Creations in metalwork such as the Cross of Cong marked the magnificent finale of the Irish Insular #art tradition of the Middle Ages:

Cross of Cong: Commissioned by King Turlough O'Connor in the 'High-Kings w/ opposition' period to gain a cultural edge over rival kingdoms.

The flowering of 11/12thC. Irish #art was partly due to its sponsorship by provincial kings, as they competed for regal & moral authority.

"By this cross is covered the cross on which the creator of the world suffered." - Innoscription on the cross of Cong. #TrueCross #Shrine.

Cong Abbey, #Mayo - from where the cross of Cong takes its name. The last High King, Rory O'Connor, lived the last years of his life here.

Rory O'Connor: "King of Connacht & Ireland, both the Irish & English, died after exemplary penance, victorious over the world & the devil."

The ruins of Cong Abbey, Co #Mayo - The last High King once walked these #Gothic halls, and prayed for Éire, amid its holy walls.

The #Gallowglass were elite mercenary warriors descended from the Irish invaders of Scotland. Active in many European armies in the 13-17thC