Máel Sechnaill I

Máel Sechnaill I, High King of IRELAND from 846 to 862 AD. Also known as Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid, he is recognized as the first historical High King of all Ireland (contrary to earlier High Kings that are considered legendary or semi-legendary, or the historical kings that ruled a politically divided Ireland simultaneously). Like earlier and successive Irish kings, he spent his reign fighting the nemesis of the Early Medieval Irish: the Norse-Gaels, the Vikings that colonized the Irish coast since the early 9th century.

The clothing is mostly based on miniatures from Insular manuscripts, mainly the Book of Kells and the Southampton Psalter. Some figures in the Book of Kells are represented wearing what seems to be garments entirely made of imported Oriental silk with the “Cintamani” motif, a cluster of three roundels, a symbol of Hindu-Buddhist origin. Silk with the Cintamani motif was worn from western Europe to East Asia during the Middle Ages, as evidenced by many Medieval European manuscripts.

Early Medieval Irish art shows that buckler shields were used instead of the large round shields used in Early Medieval Europe. The painted decoration on this shield is based on an image of David and Goliath from the Southampton Psalter. The shield boss is based on finds from the Lagore crannog (7th-10th centuries). The silver brooch is based on the Ballyspellan brooch (9th-10th centuries). The sword is based on the Ballinderry sword (mid-9th century), a Carolingian import found in Ireland with an “Ulfberht” blade. These blades were the Ferrari of Early Medieval European swords, forged in the Frankish empire but mostly found in very high-status Viking burials. Ulfberht swords were made of crucible steel imported from India along the Silk Road. Imitations of genuine Ulfberht blades with the name misspelled in the inscription weren’t unusual either.

The red face paint is inspired by a miniature from the Book of Kells that depicts a naked man with the body entirely covered in red motifs typical of insular art. Could these be tattoos or body paint? If that was the case, it would support the hypothesis that body art was a widespread practice among insular Celts.

Replicas used:
- Ballinderry sword by Swordmakery ElGur.
- Ballyspellan brooch by Celtic Isles Silver.
- Lagore crannog shield boss by Davis Reproductions.
- Irish belt buckles by The Viking Dragon.