St. Patrick's Day Countdown: Celtic Brooches 101
Written by Gemma on Mar 10, 2025 | 0 Comments
We’re counting down the days to March 17th with an offer and some fun facts for you every day until St. Patrick's Day. Check back in with us each day to see what’s up next!
Brooches: The Ultimate Accessory in Celtic Ireland
The word brooch might bring to mind your grandma's jewellery box. But these days, you are just as likely to see a brooch or three on the catwalk or the red carpet with both men and women in on this trend.
Brooches have held a special place in Ireland for over 1,000 years. Why were they the ultimate accessory in Ireland and why are they still stylish all these years later?
Brooches in Ireland
Brooches started out as functional items that were used to secure clothing in the Bronze Age, but our ancient ancestors were trendsetters! Worn as cloak fasteners, Celtic brooches needed to be sturdy and came with an impressively long pin to secure the thick fabric needed in the colder climate of northern Europe. These bigger, bolder brooches left plenty of space for decoration and with the elite of society took the opportunity to show off their wealth and power with serious bling!
A 6th century bronze penannular brooch, found in Co. Antrim at The Hunt Museum (Limerick, Ireland).
Photo Credit: Eamonn O'Mahony - (Public Domain)
With annular brooches, fabric was pushed up through the ring and the pin pushed through to fasten it. Penannular brooches, with their split ring design, allowed fabric to be threaded through without damage when fastened.
The spectacular Hunterson Brooch with its characteristic ring shape and wide "terminals" in the pseudo-penannular style. Found in Scotland with a Viking engraving on the back, it may have been horded treasure by raiders.
Photo Credit: National Museums Scotland (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Pseudo-penannular brooches were also common. They were made to look like they had a penannular gap, with two ends called "terminals," but in fact, the ring was intact all the way around.
From around AD 700, Celtic brooches became highly decorative and increasingly ornate. They were stylish status symbols for the elite of Celtic society, worn by men, women, and children. Less ornate pieces were for everyday wear, while highly decorative pieces made of precious metals and gems were for “special occasion” wear or for those of especially high status.
The Roscrea brooch, a 9th century pseudo-pennannanular brooch that has an interesting mix of Celtic and Viking design on display at the NMI.
Photo Credit: Ceoil (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Brooches were often given as gifts symbolising love or devotion - they became common gifts to a betrothed in Medieval times and were valued as objects with protective qualities.
Brooches and the Law
We know this because brooches are mentioned in medieval Irish law! There were tracts outlining how brooches must be worn — with the pin pointing upward to avoid inadvertently injuring another person! Remember, those pins were long!
There were also tracts relating to who could wear different types of brooches. Princes of minor kingdoms had to wear brooches of sterling silver, while those heralding from major kingdoms had brooches of gold adorned with crystal. Everyone else had to make do with brooches of brass or other metals!
Gold filigree detail on the Tara Brooch
Photo Credit: National Museum of Ireland
The most famous Celtic Brooch: The Tara Brooch
One of the most famous of these extraordinarily ornate medieval brooches is the Tara Brooch. Beautifully detailed, it is celebrated as one of the finest surviving pieces of medieval metalwork anywhere in the world. Dated to the 7th century, we don’t know who this brooch was made for. The name would suggest some sort of King or prince, given Tara was the seat of the High King of Ireland in ancient times.
The Hill of Tara from above
Photo Credit: Daniel Mennerich (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
But it seems the name was merely clever marketing from an enterprising Dublin jeweler, George Waterhouse. He obtained the brooch after it was supposedly discovered on Bettystown Beach on the Co. Meath coast in 1850 by two young brothers playing in the sand.
Photo Credit: Kieran Campbell (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Mr Waterhouse was an avid fan of Celtic metalwork and had built his reputation on crafting jewellery inspired by ancient designs. He gave this ancient treasure its name to capitalize on the “Celtic revival”, and for more than 20 years, it was the pride and joy of his Dublin shop, with his replica brooches selling like hotcakes. Queen Victoria famously purchased two!
Ultimate status symbols
So we know that brooches, were the ultimate status symbol with a practical purpose in ancient Ireland, and replicas of Celtic brooches like the Tara brooch, were wildly popular in the 19th Century. But what happened then? Did they fall out of fashion, and if so, why are they very much in fashion now?
Queen Elizabeth II was a great fan of the brooch - it became an iconic part of her style along with the fantastic hats.
Photo Credit: Oast House Archive (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The truth is, brooches never went out of style. Just as they were in medieval times, brooches were often worn as a display of wealth and power and have been enthusiastically adopted by generations of people. Queen Elizabeth II followed in Victorian footsteps, brooches were the height of style during the Art Deco period, and stars like Elizabeth Taylor were fans too!
A spectacular emerald necklace with a detachable emerald brooch that belonged to Elizabeth Taylor.
Photo Credit: Rob Corder (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Inspired by these earlier trends and the lux aesthetics of the 1980s, today's brooches embrace a return to big, bold, statement jewellery. With men leading the pack, Irish stars like Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, and Cillian Murphy have all recently sported stunning brooches on the red carpet.
If Google Trends are any indication, these accessories are growing in popularity, with searches for 'men's brooch' and 'brooch for men' showing increased interest. It seems there's a swing back to the ancient attitudes where brooches were seen as an invaluable accessory for everyone!
How to Wear a Brooch?
Although brooches never truly disappeared, many people are unsure how to wear them today. The quick answer is any way you like! Unlike our ancient ancestors, there are no rules or laws, and most won't need their brooch to fasten a heavy cloak! Today, we use them to add an instant touch of glamor to any outfit.
Our own pseudo-pennanular brooch inspired by the design of the Tara Brooch.
Worn on a sweater or scarf, the lapel of a jacket or coat, the band of a hat, the strap of a bag, the waist tie of a dress or shirt, or the collar of a shirt, a brooch adds style, however it is worn.
You can even wear multiples; three brooches worn on the lapel of a coat graced several catwalks in 2024-2025. If you are going for this look, brooches with a similar style, size, metal, or gemstone can work very well. They can be worn on a ribbon, tied at the neck as a decorative choker, or even clipped into hair. We have also seen a trend for adding them to bridal bouquets.
A sprig of lucky shamrock set with glittering marcasite is a talisman that would work equally well in a bridal bouquet, hat band, or lapel.
f you've never worn a brooch before but would like to, the best advice is simple—just try it out! It's an opportunity to play and have fun with your accessories, safe in the knowledge there are no rules.
Our Celtic Brooches
If you fancy adding a touch of Celtic flair to your look, our expertly crafted brooches are a great place to start. With a nod to their ancient origins, our brooches make a strong statement: bold pieces that draw the eye and spark conversations.
What's Next?
Check back in with us tomorrow for Day 11 of our St. Patrick's Day countdown, or open Door Number 10 of our 17 Days of celebratory offers!
Get In Touch
Have a question or something you're not entirely sure about when browsing our pieces? Please reach out. You can send us a note or give us a call—the Dublin workshop is here to make sure that you have a perfect experience from start to finish with My Irish Jeweler.
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Gemma
My Irish Jeweler
Gemma is our head jeweler. She is very passionate about jewelry and watches. Her favorite style is Tree of Life "because family and roots are so important to me".
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