I did my research for this. What is a chalice? It can be a goblet, mug, cup… anything that holds something. In ‘Indiana Jones and the last Crusade’ is was wood (the gold and silver ones being the ‘bad’ chalices), and in the ‘Da Vinci Code’ it is was a woman (sorry if you haven’t read it and oops – spoiler).
But the chalices I am interested in are old – really old, archaeological old. I went to Ireland with my university when I was studying for my BA (in archaeology) and I got to see the ‘treasures of Ireland’. Amazing. I have never seen as much gold in one place – ever. So this is a story of a chalice:
Ardagh Chalice, c. 800-899 AD, silver, silver gilt, enamel..
Found in 1847 by a small boy digging for potatoes
Synopsis
In Ardagh, county Limerick two boys, Jim Quinn and Paddy Flanagan, find a stone while digging for potatoes. It is flat and looks like the kind that tops stone walls of the big estate. They lift it and underneath glints metal. Slowly they pull out a chalice and realise their dreams could come true. But as the word spreads about the discovery the boys see the gold getting further away from their hands and their families. Perhaps the treasure comes with a curse, one that Jim and Paddy think they might experience.
Logline
Jim and Paddy are digging in a field to find potatoes when they see a stone and when they lift it they see a flash of gold. They pull the treasure from the ground and believe their dreams are about to come true but there is a curse attached and that might lead to a nightmare.
Kate Murray - Cleaver 