The Umayyad dirham from Woodstown, Co.Waterford

List of Islamic Coin Finds in Medieval Ireland

Among the most remarkable coins found in Ireland are those with Kufic inscriptions. Although these are not evidence for a direct Irish-Arabic trade, they are indicators of the extent of the wider Viking trade networks – particularly the Baltic/Byzantine route. It is thought that they came to Ireland, via Scandinavia. العملات الإسلامية القديمة في أيرلندا aleumlat…

A coin minted in 921 or 922 for Nasr II ben Ahmad, an Arabic ruler (913-43), found in a hacksilver hoard buried at Storr Rock in Skye, Scotland

O’Brien Coin Guide: An Introduction to Medieval Islamic coins found in Ireland

Introduction Arabic, or Islamic, coins are frequently mentioned in the archaeological literature of the 19th and 20th centuries but there are few accounts that discuss these beautiful coins as a group – which probably reflects our preoccupation for coins with Latin inscriptions. They are found at many dig sites and their ‘deposition dates’ show a…