Glass beads are undoubtedly some of the most colourful and visually stunning archaeological objects surviving from the past. However, they are much more than just objects of display, and their enduring appeal is as much a reflection of their symbolic qualities as it is of their aesthetic charms. Glass is produced from quite ordinary ingredients (sand, lime, and soda), yet once combined and heated the mix transforms into a malleable substance which, when reheated, alters from a solid to a fluid state allowing it to be manipulated and worked into different shapes. By adding specific chemicals, the glass can be rendered translucent, opaque, or transparent, and produced in a range of colours. The inherent workability of glass permits a level of creativity that it would seem is checked only by the skill and imagination of the artisan. The result is a multitude of unique objects of exotic and ethereal colours combining decorative motifs of cables, trails, waves, dots, and ‘eyes’ interwoven into distinctive patterns and shapes. Furthermore, specific motifs unite to bring a dimension to beads far beyond their aesthetic appeal, and help underpin the widespread perception of specific bead types as talismans or amulets to ward off danger and offer protection.

As beads are highly visible and strikingly attractive, it is unsurprising that they were much prized as objects of adornment, and are included among the assemblages from a number of high-status settlements, such as the royal site of Lagore, Co. Meath. As part of funerary costumes they are found in burials of kings and nobles, as evidenced by the beaded collar found in the tomb of Tutankhamun. Items of personal attire can and do play an important part in the portrayal of individual identity, and can be a key factor in conveying the status, culture, and authority of the wearer. As portable objects, glass beads travel well. The evidence of imported glass beads in assemblages from broadly contemporary Irish sites suggests there was a positive appreciation of Anglo-Saxon and Continental beads among Ireland's native population. Over time, exposure to international beads influenced the types of beads worn in early medieval Ireland, as shown by the number and variety of imported beads that have been discovered, and beads fashionable in the neighbouring Anglo-Saxon world and on the Continent were incorporated into styles popular in Ireland at that time.