Cleggs Coins go on Display

Carrick Coins go on Display Today

The hoard of recently discovered 17^th Century gold coins from Carrick-on-Suir will go on display in the Decorative Arts and History Museum, Collins Barracks.

 Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan will open the display of the gold coins, found at Cleggs Bar, Main Street, Carrick-on-Suir on 14 January  2013.

Those who discovered the hoard - David Kiersey, Shane Comerford, Tom Kennedy, Shane Murray and Patrick Murray during renovations of the bar, will also be in attendence, The coins are reported to have been “in a line together” in the ground and may have been wrapped and held together by some material which has not survived. 

The find consists of 81 gold coins dating to the reigns of Charles II (1660-85), James II (1685-8), William and Mary (1688-94) and William III (1694-1702). There are 77 guinea and 4 half guinea coins present, with the earliest dating to 1664 and the latest to 1701. The Guinea was a British gold coin minted by the Royal Mint between 1663 and 1814. ‘Guineas’ were so-called because the gold used in making some of them came from Guinea, West Africa and they were minted in four denominations (a half, one, two and five).

When first introduced the value of the guinea was 1£ (20 shillings), however the value of the coin fluctuated with the value of gold. In 1717, the value of the guinea was set officially at 21 shillings.  At the time the hoard was buried an agricultural labourer could command a wage payment of 1s per day. The hoard therefore represented in excess of 6 years wages for an agricultural labourer.

The Carrick-on-Suir Hoard probably represents the accumulated wealth of a single family over a number of generations, and was collected in the period following the Cromwellian War down to the end of the decade following the Williamite War. It is not known why the hoard was hidden but it is possible that its wealthy Catholic owner may have considered it necessary to hide his portable assets in response to the imposition of the Penal Laws. Many other scenarios are possible and further research is being conducted to try to establish the historical background of the hoard.

No comparable 17^th century hoard of gold coins has been found in Ireland since the discovery in Portarlington, Co. Laois, around 1947.

The National Museum has offered the coins on temporary loan to South Tipperary Riding Museum, Clonmel for display there in the Autumn. The Museum is also having discussions with the OPW to have a display of the coins in Ormond Castle, Carrick on Suir for an open day in advance of the display in the County Museum.