Can
one visit Dublin’s City Centre without noticing [gawking at] the Dubliners’
fashion? Each time I step off the bus, I halfheartedly wonder how uncouth my
own jeans, sneakers, and trusty raincoat must appear. Probably no one notices
me as I fumble my Leap Card back into its place in my wallet and look around
for familiar storefronts. Even so, I am
looking at everyone else, or at least noticing their fashion. A well-tailored
suit catches my eye as a businessman power-walks by, shouting about someone’s business on his cellphone. An
older woman with her cloud white hair swept into a knot steps daintily over the
cobblestone street in her bright floral skirt and jacket. Their clothes, their
fashion, captures my gaze and prompts me to ponder them, their lives, their personalities,
their stories.
My
interest was similarly piqued by an ancient fashion item. The object is a golden half-moon,
a thin almost-ring whose shiny ends bell out with carefully decorated edges.
Found in the National Museum of Ireland—Archeology’s gold collection, this
object represents a distinct mystery. Where were the specific sources of gold
found in ancient Ireland? What was its exact use? When did the people of
Ireland become familiar with metalworking? What is the significance of the so-called
“hoards” of gold at various sites?
This
mysterious object is a “Gold Dress Fastener.” Although there is only one fastener
shown in the photograph, the Museum showcases a plethora of gold dress and sleeve
Fasteners, all sizes, colored and decorated differently. Some are larger than
my hand, while others could fit nicely on my finger. Interestingly, the “Gold
Dress Fastener” is not an entirely set-in-stone name. The exhibit in the museum
explains that the exact method of fastening is unclear. Probably, the bell-shaped
ends fit through grommets to hold the material together, but there are no late
Neolithic Irish people around in Dublin to ask for confirmation.
It’s
captivating, this mysterious fashion. The fasteners are known to come from the
Late Bronze Age because of their solid nature, so people wore these around 900
BC. Massive amounts of gold items have been found in Ireland—these fasteners,
earrings, collars, and other jewelry and ornaments—and yet their origins are
hazy. Gold has been found in several locations in Ireland, including County
Wicklow and County Tyrone; however, experts are unsure of the exact ancient
sources.
We
“Moderners” may possess these personal items of the ancient Irish, yet we are
unclear on the details. Maybe archaeologists will find the answers to their questions
at a dig tomorrow. Maybe we will never know. Perhaps a bit of mystery is
better. Were these fasteners just as common, say, as our buttons or zippers or
raincoat toggles, maybe we wouldn’t find them so interesting. Just as I ponder
the details of passing Dubliners, I find that the the beauty and curiosity of
the fasteners are inherent in the mystery: Who was the woman who wore these
fasteners? Were they her own or did she borrow them from a relative? What did the
woman do with her life? Was this set of fasteners made to commemorate a special
day, such as a birth, wedding, or funeral? How did this woman and her personal
clothes-fasteners influence the vast history that is Pre-Celtic Ireland?
The
next time I catch the eye of a woman wearing a classic yellow raincoat and
matching bucket hat, I will notice that the sleeping baby worn on her front is
wearing red mary janes and pink and white striped leggings. The next time I see
children running down the sidewalk wearing their navy and white school uniforms,
I will look to see their delicate ruffled or sturdy athletic socks. I will look
past the fashion at each person and wonder what mark they will leave on Irish
history—and certainly, what mark they will leave on the world.
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| Gold Dress Fastener |
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