Finders Seekers is a monthly puzzle subscription box for anyone who loves puzzles, escape rooms, Sherlock Holmes, mysteries, or anything requiring a little brainpower. Finders Seekers features a new destination each month, so in addition to the puzzle/escape room experience, you get a mini travel experience, too, exploring a new city and its culture every month.
DEAL: Save $5 on your first box! Use this link and coupon code BRAINQUEST.
FYI – there are SPOILERS in this post!
Everything that you’ll need to solve the case is inside the box, placed inside a large white envelope! We’re excited to solve this one!
As a subscriber (limited numbers can join each month), you are invited to join the Society of Seekers, a group of like-minded puzzle fiends who use their heads and a little bit of internet-search know-how to explore a city and solve a mystery each month. We’re going to IRELAND this month!
Everything in the box!
Also included in this month’s box is a welcome letter and checklist of every item that should be inside the package, with all the clues you’ll need to solve the mystery. Plus, we now know where to start the journey! In this case, we are invited to the emerald isle of Ireland to uncover the location of the Irish crown jewels that were stolen from Dublin castle over 100 years ago.
The website took us to the emerald isle of Ireland.
Welcome to the emerald isle of Ireland! This picturesque land with rugged sea cliffs, rolling rocky fields and ancient ruins, is home to a determined people who have overcome many hardships. Their determination and rebel spirit have rippled throughout the world, perhaps most significantly here in the US, where over 50 million Americans can claim Irish ancestry.
Today’s adventure takes us to Ireland on the hunt for the Irish Crown Jewels, which were stolen from Dublin Castle in 1907. The Jewels Belonging to the Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick consist of a diamond encrusted star and badge regalia along with the collars of five knights of the Order. For over 100 years, rumors have surrounded the whereabouts of the jewels, but they have never been retrieved.
New information has come forth and the Society of Seekers has been contacted to help with the hunt. Someone claiming to be in possession of the stolen jewels has left a trail of clues across the country detailing the hiding place. To complete the mission, you’ll need to visit 10 locations, solving puzzles to earn additional clues that will lead to the location of the Irish Crown Jewels.
At the bottom of the welcome page is another picturesque image of this month’s location! To finally start with the journey, I clicked the “Start the ‘Find’” button.
It took us the Hill of Tara, which is believed to be the soul of Ireland. The place consists of several monuments and earthworks dating back to the Neolithic Iron Ages.
In the first puzzle, we must decipher the meaning of the letters carved into the stones of Lia Fail, and provide a passcode.
Hill Of Tara Puzzle. For the first puzzle, we’ll make use of this image from the case.
As always, each puzzle that you will be able to solve will lead you to another until you solve everything. After solving the puzzle, we earned a clue to the location of the Irish Crown jewels.
And here are more clues to keep us going (along with the website!):
Gaol Prison Cells. The next puzzle involves the Kilmainham Gaol Prison, which has grown into the national symbol of struggle for Irish independence. The prison is built in 1796 and decommissioned in 1924. Nowadays, it serves as a Museum that tells the story of Ireland’s fight for separation from British rule.
Gaol Prison Keys. The keys will have some use for the puzzle.
For your next puzzle, you need to figure out which keys open which cells. To do this, the different keys are placed in the 4 corner cells of the prison grid and follow the arrows carved on the keys. You’ll need to determine which key starts in which corner (there is only one way in which the keys all work.) The cell that each key ends on is the cell that the identified key opens.
Rock Of Cashel Puzzle. The fortification of Rock of Cashel was home to the royal throne of the ancient kings of Munster from 300-1100 AD. The Rock was fought over for hundreds of years by local clans and it was here that St. Patrick visited and baptized King Aengus in 450 AD, converting the kingdom to Christianity.
For this puzzle, we need to decipher the password from an old manuscript.
Pub Coaster. The next puzzle brought us to an Irish pub. These pubs establish a sense of community across the country, as the neighbors gather together to enjoy food, drinks, music, and dancing.
The coaster serves as the next puzzle, and we need to reveal the secret on it.
Bru Na Boinne Puzzle. Brú na Bóinne was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993. It is considered one of the most important prehistoric sites from the Neolithic period. There is no written history of the structures built here.
For this puzzle, we’ll also make use of this image that features the popular Dumha na nGiall, which is an ancient passage tomb located in the Tara-Skryne Valley in County Meath, Leinster, Ireland. It also includes the Ogham letters, which is an early Medieval alphabet.
To move forward with this case, we need to decipher the ancient Orgham letters to solve this site’s puzzle.
Dunbrody Ship Manifest. The ship manifest from the Dunbrody is the item that we’ll need for the next puzzle.
The Dunbrody (2001) is a replica of the original Dunbrody (1845) that carried passengers to new hopes in the US and Canada. Conditions on other ships were gruesome and often led to up to 50% of passengers not surviving the voyage. However, the Dunbrody was captained by the gracious John Baldwin who made sure his pilgrims were comfortable, clean and fed, resulting in a very low death rate. Today, you can tour the replica as historical actors portray the lives of voyagers and what it was like for families fleeing Ireland.
For the next puzzle, we need to track down the missing name from the manifest.
Waterford Puzzle Transparency. The city of Waterford is known worldwide for its luxury cut crystal goods. It was established in 1783 by George Penrose and his nephew, William Penrose.
The next puzzle involves these design concepts for a new cut crystal vase. Within its contents are a hidden password that we need to decipher.
Trinity College Book Bag. The next puzzle involves the Trinity College and the Book of Kells. The Trinity College was established in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I in Dublin and is now Ireland’s most prestigious university. The Book of Kells, one of the artifacts and preserved artworks from the Dark Ages attracts more visitors than students to go to the College.
The book bag has different symbols on it as well.
Book of Kells Manuscript Pages. The box also included manuscript pages from the popular book.
It is a 1,200 year old manuscript of the four gospels that was elaborately and meticulously illustrated, combining pagan styles with Christian symbols. The 680 pages were made of thinly scraped calf-skin (vellum) and colorfully decorated with ink from exotic minerals. The illustrations are extremely detailed and painstakingly minute.
We’ll make use of the backpack and the manuscript pages to decipher the password for this puzzle.
Blarney Castle Puzzle. If you want to have the “gift of gab” you must go to the Blarney Castle and kiss the Stone of Eloquence.
For us to earn the next coordinates, we need to decipher the hidden message on the Celtic writings that may look nothing but “Blarney”.
Map of Ireland. This map, along with all the coordinates we got from solving all the puzzles, will lead us to the location of the jewels!
Also, search engines can help you a lot with unlocking some puzzles, and if you really had a hard time solving one puzzle, you can consult the Facebook fan page for hints. Don’t worry, there are just hints and there are almost no spoilers so you’ll still feel the thrill fully!
After completing all the coordinates and using the map to find the location, it leads us to this page. There’s one more thing to do, get the prize! By clicking “Enter To Win Prizes,” you can get your price by providing information on the form.
Ireland is really a nice place. It’s rich in culture and history, and there’s a lot of stunning views! We enjoyed learning about most of the places, especially the UNESCO Heritage site, Brú na Bóinne. It’s really fun to do some challenges and solve some puzzles while exploring different places and learning more about people, culture, and even practices. The puzzles in this box have varying difficulties, and if ever you find yourself stuck on one puzzle, you can always make use of the internet or even the Facebook Group! We’re ready for the next place that we’re going to explore and the challenges/puzzles that we’ll be facing!
Did you solve the mystery? How long did it take you? Let us know in the comments below!
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