5.
Archaeology
Objects can tell stories about Medieval Ireland.
Choose an object you like from the part of the exhibition you have
looked at with this Activity Sheet. Draw it in the space below, and
answer the questions.
Primary School Activity Sheet 5.
Remember to look closely at the object, and read the information in
the Display Case. Work with a friend, if you want to.
Medieval People
People in the Christian Church
Welcome to Medieval Ireland, an
exhibition that tells you what it was
like to live in Ireland during the Middle
Ages. The Middle Ages is the name
given to the years between AD500
and 1500, which are also called
Medieval times.
This Activity Sheet is one of a series
of six. Use it to help you find out more
about Medieval Ireland and meet
some of the people who lived there.
This is a
Where was it found?
When was it made?
What was it made from?
What was it used for?
Do people use anything like it today?
What do they use instead?
Congratulations! You have finished this Activity Sheet.
There are more Medieval People waiting to meet you on the other
Activity Sheets. If you have no time to meet them today, why not come
back for another visit?
Education and Outreach Department,
National Museum of Ireland. 2001.
Illustration credits: Front Cover © Dúchas, The Heritage Service. All other illustrations
© The National Museum of Ireland.
Most of the people who lived in Medieval Ireland were Christians.
Religion played an important in the lives of Medieval people from
birth to death. There was at least one church in each village and
town. Many towns had a monastery nearby, where monks lived
lives dedicated to serving God.
1.
To Start... Find the model showing what a monastery would have
looked like in Medieval times. This is near the entrance to the last
room of the exhibition.
Take a look... Find these places in the monastery, and tick the
boxes when you have done so.
3.
Holy Days were Holidays in Medieval Ireland.
Medieval people did not have holidays from work as we do, but they still
found time for entertainment. Church feasts and saints’ days were celebrated
with processions, fairs and plays. Some churches and monasteries kept
shrines, special caskets made to hold relics, such as part of a saint’s bones.
Medieval people often travelled great distances to see these shrines and pray
for a blessing.
There are a number of shrines from Medieval Ireland in the exhibition. Can
you find the shrines shown in the illustrations? What saint were they
dedicated to, and what did they contain?
The monastery church
- The monks gathered there at daybreak, mid-day and
sunset to pray.
The fields and orchards
- The monks kept silence as they worked in the fields.
The cloister
- This was a covered walkway around an open square.
Here the monks read or studied.
1.
Fact
2.
Your next stop is at the map of
Ireland in a display case on your
right, as you walk into the exhibition
room.
Look at the map, and find the part
of Ireland in which your school or
home is situated. What diocese is it
situated in?
Write the name here:
At the start of the Middle
Ages, the Christian
Church in Ireland was
organised around
monasteries. But, just
before the time when the
Anglo-Normans first
came to Ireland, the
Church was reorganised
into dioceses, each led by
a bishop. On the front
cover of this activity
sheet there is an
illustration of a Medieval
bishop. He is carrying a
crozier, which was the
symbol of his authority
as leader of the
Christians in his diocese.
2.
1. Saint:
Relic:
2. Saint:
Relic:
4.
Stories in Glass
The windows in Medieval
churches were filled with
coloured glass called
stained glass. These
windows were like
cartoon strips, because
pieces of glass of
different colours were
arranged so that they told
stories from the Bible or
the lives of the saints.
In the display case called
Church Buildings, you
can see pieces of
Medieval stained glass.
Use the space on the
right to design your own
stained glass window.