A team of environmental archaeologists in County Meath has recovered several exceptionally preserved birch-bark strainers and wooden pails from a peat bog, containing traces of lipid residues from cattle milk. Dating to the early Iron Age, these items are thought to be part of the ritual equipment used during Imbolc, the festival marking the beginning of spring and the lambing season.
Imbolc was traditionally associated with the goddess Brigid and the purification and celebration of the return of dairy production. The recovery of these everyday items in a ritual context suggests that the labor of the dairy was intrinsically linked to the sacred calendar, providing a tangible link to the agricultural and spiritual celebrations of ancient Celtic communities.