I saw this on wuulfund and I had never seen one like it so I did some research and came up with nothing. Could someone help me out here with some info.[/img]

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Its a repro of the Monasterevin sword, found in County Kildare. Vince Evans did a truly outstanding reproduction of it several years ago.

The dating for the sword is a bit sketchy, placed roughly 1500 to 1560 and there are grave slabs depicting a similar elements (though not an exact match) from Argyle and the Hebrides. So, its possible it was taken to Ireland by a Scottish mercenary, or it was produced in Ireland, based upon a blending of Hiberno-Gaelic cultural influences. However, my impression is that the original sword would have been a somewhat higher class item than would probably have been carried by a commoner Scottish mercenary. Either way, its a unique sword and the only example of its type found.

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Thank you so much for clarifying that for me :)

Christopher,

That is a lovely sword! I really like the rest of the cross guard on the original. Shame the repro was not as close to the original.

Never seen anything like it before. Just looking at the repro I would have assumed it was just fantasy.... learned something interesting today.

RPM

Chapter 2 of Spirit of the Sword by Steve Shackleford follows Mr. Evans and his wife as they traveled northern Europe researching original specimens first hand. There are some excellent photographs of his Monasterevin reproduction on page 24. I was unfamiliar with this unique pommel prior to reading the book. It looks almost alien to me. ;)

I think the Vince Evans reproduction might be in the National Museum of Ireland.

Its a pretty unique arrangement of elements to find in one sword.