Cormac Bourke examines the use, fabric and design of hand-bells in Ireland from the 5th century, when they regulated monastic life
Hand-bells are among the finest examples of ironsmithing and bronze-casting that survive from medieval Ireland and are the most abundant type of metalwork made in the service of the early church. In many cases they have been handed down from generation to generation since the 6th or 7th century and are thus the oldest continuously transmitted objects that we possess.
