Items from Galloway Viking treasure hoard to go on display in Edinburgh next month

A selection of artefacts from a Viking treasure hoard uncovered in Galloway is to go on display at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh next month. Around 70 items from the Galloway Hoard will be able to be seen for the first time in an exhibition from 16 June to 1 October. Metal detectorist Derek McLennan, from Ayrshire, discovered the haul of Viking treasure in Galloway in 2014, after it had been buried for safekeeping 1,000 years ago. The value of the treasure runs to hundreds of thousands of pounds. The aim of placing the array of gold, silver and jewelled treasures on show is to help publicise a campaign to raise nearly £2 million to secure the 10th century hoard for the Scottish nation.

There has been a heated discussion taking place about where to house the the Viking treasure hoard involving Dumfries and Galloway Council and National Museums Scotland (NMS). However, the decision went in favour of NMS who have said it would hold further talks with the council about displaying some items in Kirkcudbright. Kirkcudbright is traditionally the county town within Dumfries and Galloway. Its name derives from the Gaelic Cille Chuithbeirt meaning "chapel of Cuthbert". The treasure highlights the strong Norse-Gael traditions of this area of southwest Scotland, which at one time was known as the Kingdom of Galloway. The treasures found are an important part of Galloway history and it is also now seen as fair that they can display items from the hoard as well as benefit from its discovery.