Dublin’s Lord Mayor Performs ‘Casting of the Spear’ Tradition
July 26, 2017
Mícheál Mac Donncha, the new Lord Mayor of Dublin, took to Dublin Bay to take part in the annual “Casting of the Spear” ceremony. This tradition dates back to over 500 years ago years – to 1488 when Thomas Mayler, who was then Lord Mayor of Dublin, rode out on horseback and cast a spear as far as he could into the sea. This was to mark the city’s boundaries eastwards. Centuries later, the re-enactment ceremony reminds us of Dublin’s role as a port city in medieval times!