Garryduff Wren the King of the Birds
A little wren made from solid gold and exquisite gold filigree was found during an excavation of two ring forts in Garryduff, Cork in the 1940s. The archaeologists at the time believed the settlement to be a royal site inhabited by a peaceful, well-off community of farmers hunters and artisans. Wren day “Lá an Dreoilín” is celebrated in Ireland and in Manx culture “Shelg yn Dreean” on St Stephen’s Day. In a challenge to see who could fly the highest and become king of the birds the clever little wren hid under the soaring eagle’s wing until the highest point then flew high in to the sky.