Over twenty of the 32 counties of Ireland have place-names relating to the wolf; there are also several Irish '#wolf-surnames':

The 12th c. Cross of Cong - one of Ireland's greatest treasures. In #medieval times called 'the yellow cross' for its brilliant golden hue.

Detail, Irish Cross of Cong, showing Urnes/Viking-style interlace and a gleaming eyed beast gripping the base in its jaws.

Creations in metalwork such as the Cross of Cong marked the magnificent finale of the Irish Insular #art tradition of the Middle Ages:

Cross of Cong: Commissioned by King Turlough O'Connor in the 'High-Kings w/ opposition' period to gain a cultural edge over rival kingdoms.

The flowering of 11/12thC. Irish #art was partly due to its sponsorship by provincial kings, as they competed for regal & moral authority.

"By this cross is covered the cross on which the creator of the world suffered." - Inscription on the cross of Cong. #TrueCross #Shrine.

Cong Abbey, #Mayo - from where the cross of Cong takes its name. The last High King, Rory O'Connor, lived the last years of his life here.

Rory O'Connor: "King of Connacht & Ireland, both the Irish & English, died after exemplary penance, victorious over the world & the devil."

The ruins of Cong Abbey, Co #Mayo - The last High King once walked these #Gothic halls, and prayed for Éire, amid its holy walls.

The #Gallowglass were elite mercenary warriors descended from the Irish invaders of Scotland. Active in many European armies in the 13-17thC

One of the signature weapons of the Gallowglass was the Highland 'Claíomh Mór', or #Claymore; a heavy two handed great-sword.

Hardened by centuries of warfare in #Scotland, Gallowglass clans returned to Ireland 13thC, where they pushed back & stalemated the Normans.

Surnames of Gallowglass ancestry incl. McCabe, McDonald, Sweeney & McDowell. The McCabe family motto: 'Either to conquer or to die'.

The word 'Scot' originally refers to Irish people & Gaelic invaders of #Scotland. Boru was called 'Imperator Scottorum': Irish Emperor.

Tomb effigy of Cooey-na-Gall O'Cahan (†1385) surrounded by his loyal Gallowglass warriors, Co #Derry. His name means 'Terror of the Norman'.

The Gallowglass was an Irish equivalent of the Samurai warrior: His loyalties were hereditary in nature, his honour belonged to the clan.

The five-foot-long Sparth axe was the primary weapon used by the Gallowglass. Employed in axe-wall formation it stopped Norman cavalry cold.