i*^ tr'$^' ,>n^ r J-: J ^: •" ^ V *5 ^,:i.^£>w^M-i-^--,': -. C>>/^' ( &:--^i^l A' ^r.t '^ ^» ■' ^j^' ' /'J-'H J 1 .A;^ A DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF THE ANTIQUITIES ANIMAL MATERIALS AND BEONZE JWuseum of t^e Eogal Msf) ^ratremp* BY W. R. WILDE, M. D., M. R. I. A. Illttslrakir feitlj %l^tt Pttnbwir anb ^ffatnfg-sckn WSiaoh ^ngrabings. DUBLIN: HODGES, SMITH, AND CO., GEAFTON-STREET. LONDON : WILLIAMS & NORGATE, HENRIETTA-STREET, COVENT GARDEN. 1861. DUBLIN: ^rinteK at tlje ^anlbersit^ ^prcss, BY M, H. GILL. 3^^3 TABLE OF CONTENTS. • Page. Animal BIaterials, 247 Horn Celt-liandles, 250 Weapons and Tools, ' . . 257 Drinking Vessels, 264 Spoons, 267 Bog-butter, 267 Combs, 269 Skin and Leather Dresses, 275 Shoes and Boots, , 280 Textile Fabrics, 294 Costume, 298 Bone Pins, ,...." 331 Bone-carvings, 845 Metallic Materials :— Introduction, 350 Copper 355 Bronze, 359 Weapons and Weapon-Tools, 360 Celts: — Copper, i 362 Bronze, 364 Mode of Fastening, 367 Simple Flat, 364 Winged, 372 Socketed, 384 Ornamentation of, 388 Moulds for, 392 Swords, 439 Leaf-shaped, 443 Broad-triangular, 447 Eapier, 448 Scythe-shaped, 449 Moulds, 452 Handles, 452 Scabbards, 460 Daggers, 462 Small, Leaf, and Eapier-shaped, 462 ■ Broad-triangular, 463 — Socketed, 465 — Metal-handled, 466 493 IV CONTENTS. Page. Battle-axes, 489 Battle-maces, 492 Spear and Javelia-heads, 493 Simple Leaf-shaped, 496 Looped, 499 Decoration of, 501 Arrows, 503 Ferules, 504 Moulds, 605 Shields, 518 Tools :— Chisels, 520 Gouges and Punches, 522 Anvils, Adzes, 523 Food Implements, 526 Sickles, 627 Cauldrons, 628 Pots, 635 Stills, " 536 Spoons, 638 Household Articles, • 646 Needles, Tobacco-pipes, &c., 547 Keys, 548 Razors and Tweezers, 649 Personal Decoration, 553 Breast-pins and Brooches, 554 Decoration of, 556 Ring-pins and Brooches, 660 Spectacle-Brooches, " 566 Spring-Brooches, 667 Bracelets and Armlets, 569 Rings, 571 Ornaments, 572 Armour, 575 Horse-Trappings, 599 Spurs, 600 Saddle Pommels, 602 Stirrups, . . . . • 603 Bridle-bits, 605 Bridle-pendants, 608 Harness-studs and Chariot Furniture, 611 . Crotals, 612 Musical Instruments, , 623 Trumpets 623 Ring-money, 635 Miscellaneous Articles, 636 Trumpet-pattern Disks, 637 Ornamental Figures, 639 CLASS IV.— ANIMAL MATERIALS. Eastern Gallery, Case III., and Western Gallery, Compart- ment I. THE foregoing sections we described the composition and localities of the diiferent rocks out of which man fashioned his earliest tools and weapons ; the earthen materials wherewith he i<^= decorated his person, formed culinary imple- ments, or preserved the remains of the dead; and also §--y<^' enumerated the different trees and vegetable substances from which our early people formed their boats, paddles, mills, kneading-troughs, and drinking vessels, &c. This division of the Catalogue commences with a short notice of the native animals which ministered to man's necessities, or contributed to his amusements, in early times. Man in his primitive state, depending almost solely on flint, stone, and wood, for his tools and weapons — the remains of which abound in Ireland, and are typified in the first and third sections ofthis Collection, — must havebeenoriginally,ina great measure, a flesh and fish-consuming animal. And it may na- turally be inferred that he employed the hard bones as well as the softer hoi'ns and the flexible skins and Avarm furs of the creatures he slew, in the formation of weapons, tools, cloth- ing, household utensils, and personal ornaments, as his wants required, or his ingenuity suggested. In the process of civi- lization he either tamed some of the Avild animals, or introduced domesticated specimens from other countries. With those animals that may be considered pre-Adamite, we do not pro- s 248 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. fessto deal, — tliey belong rather to the province of the geolo- gist and palaeontologist than to that of the antiquary; still the line of demarcation has not yet been accurately defined. Recent investigations tend to prolong chronology, — to extend farther back, towards the dawn of time, man's existence on the earth, — or to advance into coeval occupation Avith him many animals heretofore believed to have preceded him by centuries. Having described the different Irish animals associated with man, in the Proceedings of the Academy, vol. vii., p. 64 and p. 181, it is here unnecessary to do more than enumerate them.* Of the ancient Fauna of Ireland, we as yet possess but imperfect knowledge. Among the larger carnivora was the bear, in Irish 7nathf/hamhain, probably the brown bear of northern Europe, and which existed in Scotland until the year 1057. Although said to be remembered traditionally, we have no historic reference made to it in any of our records. The majority of the bears' skulls discovered in Ireland show that the animal was of rather a small size, although the great cave bear coexisted here with the mammoth. The wolf, called in Irish cu allaidh, or the wild hound, and occasionally styled in the manuscripts mac tire, the son of the soil { films terrce), remained among our highland woods and caverns until the beginning of the last century. The ancient dog, or cu, usually called the Irish greyhound, and believed to have been em- ployed in chasing the deer, or exterminating the wolf, may be said to have passed from amongst us. The fox, sinnach, or madradh ruadh, the red dog; the badger, hroc ; the otter, dohhar-chu, or water hound ; the martin, or tree dog, madradh crainn ; the stoat and weasel, hlanait, or eaaog ; and the Avild and domestic cat, or cat garman, include nearly all the carni- vora of Ireland in early times. To this list may be added the seal, or ran, which abounds upon our coasts. • See also the Author's Papers upon "The Food of the Irish" in the Dublin Uni- versity Magazine for 1854. CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS! INTRODUCTION. 249 Of the deer tribe, our gigantic Irish Elk, the Cervus mega- ceros was the noblest animal of its class of which we have any remains, but whether it coexisted with man is a mooted question. We have no Irish name for this extinct animal. That a small and probably degenerated variety existed with the human race in Ireland, may be assumed from the circum- stance of the remains of one being found in peat overlying the clay ; and others possibly may have been discovered in si- milar situations. (See Proceedings, vol. vii. p. 198) The red deer, Jiadh ruadh, was evidently the animal of this class that bounded most in Ireland, and was the chief object of the chase Other varieties of the deer kind were, no doubt, to be found in great quantities during the middle ages ; but it may be questioned whether they had not been Introduced about that time. We had the sheep, caura, and the goat, gahhar, at a very remote period, the former being many-horned. Oxen, daimh, were undoubtedly to be found in the greatest abundance, and of the finest breed in Ireland, from the earliest period to which our histories refer, and Avere probably long an- tecedent to man's occupation of the Island.* The horse, ca- pall, or each, was coexistent with the elephant ; and the wild boar, tore Jiadhain, abounded in our woods up to a compara- tively recent period. The hare, called In Irish gearr-Jiadh, "the short deer," and occasionally miohmuighe, or " the animal of the plain," and the rabbit, coinin, were also co-occupiers of Ireland with man at a very early period.f Numbers of localities in Ireland, as well as persons, de- rived their names from animals, or from historic circumstances connected with them. The chief wealth of this island has ever * One of the oldest lists of the Animals of the British Isles is to be found in an Irish Poem in the Academy's Collection of MSS (S. 149) ; and a prose description thereof is related in the Book of Lecan. Mr. Curry thinks the original poem was written in the ninth century. See the transcript and translation of it in the Pro- ceedings, vol. vii. p. 184. t See the Author's Paper on the " Ancient and Modern Races of Oxen in Ireland," in the Proceedings, vol. vii., p. G4, also p. 209. s 2 250 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. lain in its cattle, and our annals abound in notices of epizootics that from time to time raged among the lower animals. Barter was chiefly carried on by means of sheep and oxen. The tri- butes paid by chieftainries or kingdoms were, for the most part, in cattle ; and several of the feuds that prevailed in early times originated in cattle raids, and usually ended in the stronger party abducting the flocks and herds of the weaker. The next question for consideration is, how far the ancient animals of Ireland contributed materials for those manufac- tured articles, which, under the head of " Animal Materials," our Museum presents. It is the largest collection of its kind in any country in north-western Europe, and contains spe- cimens of bone, horn, skin, hair, fur, wool, gut, and even wax, as well as of food, such as butter, cheese, &c. One of the earliest uses of horn among the primitive inha- bitants of Europe appears to have been contemporaneous Avith, and subsidiary to, the use of flint and stone. And, although we do not as yet possess any specimens of horn to illustrate this assertion, our Museum contains fragments of flint (see Eail-case a), and also small stone celts, Avhich, judging by analogy with their ascertained uses in other parts of the world, must have been fixed in portions of stag-horn, most probably those of the red deer, in the following manner: — A piece of the hornbeam, from 5 to 8 inches in length, cut or broken off, generally where a tine sprung, so as to give it greater breadth, was hollowed artificially for the insertion of a fragment of flint or small sharp stone celt, which was then driven into the broad part and fixed there either with wedges or cement, or fastened with thongs. Sometimes the horn A\as perforated across the centre for the passage of a handle formed of some tough, hard wood, such as oak, yew, ash, or blackthorn. It thus formed an axe, pick, or adze, according to the shape and direction given to its cutting edge. The majority of these small tools were, however, held in the hand, and had not flexible handles. Occasionally the horn tine had the celt inserted at right angles to it, and thus formed both handle and socket. CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS: CELT HANDLES. 251 This was, perhaps, one of man's earliest manufactures: a weapon-tool equally formidable in the former, or serviceable in the latter capacity. Several such pieces of horn are to be found in the native collections of north-western Europe, ex- tending from the Danube to the highest inhabited limits of Sweden and Norway ; and their use has been for a long time more than a matter of conjecture, but until lately very few spe- cimens with the attached flint or stone blades have been dis- covered. The Swiss crannoges, especially those in the Bo- densee, have, however, afforded so many examples of such within the last few years, as completely to clear up the mys- tery ; and two of these are here figured, one-fourth the natural size, from unpublished en- 3^ gravings of the work of Professor Lindenschmit, of Mayence.* As yet none of these horn implements have come to light in Ire- land, although we possess the stone blades in large quantities. In Mr. Murray's Museum at Edenderry there are some bone implements of a different descrip- tion, through which handles were evidently passed, and which served as picks or axes like Fig. 160. those found in Jutland, and preserved in the Copenhagen Museum of Antiquities.! By permission of Mr. Murray, the following illustration. Fig. 162, is drawn from the most remarkable of these Irish bone axes. It is 8 inches long, and was found 7 feet deep on an ancient wooden togher or road in Ballykillen bog, barony * See '■'■Die Alterthilmer uriserer heidnisehen Vorzeit.'" t See the last edition of Worsaae's " Nordiske Oldsager" 1859, pi. 14. Since the publication of Part I. of this Catalogue, a stone celt in a wooden han- dle was discovered in the Solway Moss, and is now in the British Museum. See " Pro- ceedings of the Royal Society of Antiquaries," vol. iv. p. 112. Fig. 101. 252 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. of Cootestown, King's County, along with the flint arrow- head figured at p. 254.* The sharp cutting edge at the small extremity was formed by breaking or cutting off the bone obliquely, like the end of the horn tine, Fig. 168, at page 260. The foregoing illustrations Rg. ie2. explain articles in the Academy's Museum, the uses of which could not, without them, be properly understood. The more we study man in his primitive simplicity, and collect examples of his arts, as still existing among savage people, the more we are driven to the conclusion that in cer- tain phases of life and states of progress, he acts as if by a common instinct or impulse to fulfil the like purposes, pro- vide for the same necessities, and prompted by similar desires, to follow the same stages of development, merely modified by climate, the natural productions of the country he inhabits — and by race ; the latter influence coming into play as he rises from the self-supporting nomad to that condition where men live in community, and depend upon each other, not merely for the luxuries, but the necessaries of life. The deciduous solid horns of the deer tribe formed tools and weapons, and handles for all manner of implements, and were also employed in the manufacture of personal decorations ; while the cuticular horns of the hollow-horned ruminants were applicable to many purposes, but were especially used for drinking vessels. It is strange that, compared Avith other countries somewhat similarly circumstanced — as, for instance, Scandinavia and northern Germany — so few of these vessels have come to light in Ireland. The great Kavanagh Horn in * Geo. V. Du Noyer, M. R. I. A., presented to the Academy a valuable portfolio of drawings of objects in the Edenderry Museum, containing those of Figs. 162 and 164. (See Proceedings, vol. vii. for January, 1860.) The Author is much indebted to Mr. Murray for having forwarded, for his inspection and description, the bone-pick figured above, and the arrow-head given at page 254. CLASS IV. ANIMAL materials: SKINS. 253 the Museum of Trinity College, although in the shape of the horn of an ox, is made of an elephant's tusk; and the Dunvegan cup (a work of Irish art already alluded to at page 1 14) is shaped like a mether, which was probably always the fashion of the Irish drinking vessel, as well as at the time when that particu- lar article was made. INIoreover, our oxen were nearly all short-horned, and did not afford materials out of which large drinking-horns could be manufactured similar to those found in the countries alluded to. From the very earliest period down to the present day, man has availed himself of the skins of animals for various use- ful purposes, and soft, warm furs were used, as now, either for covering or decoration. Such peltry was procui-able from several of the animals enumerated. The skin of the deer formed, perhaps, one of the earliest garments used by the na- tives of this country, and cow-hide, in either a raw or manu- factured state, appears to have been very early employed for all purposes of household economy, Avearing apparel, and horse-trappings. When letters were introduced, our nume- rous goats afforded the parchment that has embalmed the annals of Irish history, and the emblazonment of Irish art. Horse-hide and calf-skin covered our books, and leather formed satchels for our MSS.* The hair both of horses and goats was matted or woven into textures, either employed as coverings, or used as fringe for various decorative purposes : of which we possess an example in the Collection (see Fig. 188, page 295). Finally, wool became the chief material for man's clothing, long prior to the introduction of flax. From the hard, long bones of quadrupeds were formed wea- pons, tools, and handles for both classes of implements ; also fibulte, pins, needles, piercers, bodkins, spindle-knobs, combs, draught and chess-men, musical instruments, and surfaces upon which was exei'cised the engraver's art. Besides the various * See in particular the beautiful embossed leather satchel or case of the Book of Armagh, now in the Library of Trinity College, and figured in Petrie's "Round Towers," p. 329. 254 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. purposes to which bone was applied, and of which we possess illustrative specimens in the Museum, was that of the dart or arrow-head, shown in the accompanying illustration (Fig. 163), taken from a very perfect specimen in the Museum of Professor Nilsson at Lund,* and which is here introduced in order to Fig. 163. explain the uses of that large collection of small, thin, narrow flint-flakes, now preserved in Bail-case A (see also page 10), and the uses of which could not otherwise be understood. A smooth, sharp-pointed piece of bone, about 6 inches in length, was grooved on each side to about a quarter of an inch in depth. Into each of these grooves was inserted a row of fine, sharp-edged, and slightly-curved bits of flint, and fixed there by means of cement. The instrument thus armed was fastened to the end of a shaft of wood, which could either be thrown by the hand or projected by the bow-string. Possibly some of the sinews, but certainly the intestines of animals, cleaned, twisted, dried, and oiled, were extensively employed in sewing, as well as for various other purposes to which twine and thread are applied in the present day. Both thong and gut probably assisted our primitive people in the construction of the sling. In the Edenderry Museum there is a flint arrow-head, remaining in a part of its briar- Avood shaft, with a portion of the gut-tying still attached — as shown in the annexed engraving', reduced one-half the natural size, and here figured by permission of its owner, Mr. Murray. It was Fig. ig4. found, with the bone pick (Fig. 162), in Ballykillen bog, King's County.! * See " Skandinaviska Nordens Ur-Itivanare,^^ 1843. A new edition of this work is in tlie press. t This rare specimen, as also the bone pick figured at page 252, were exhibited at a meeting of the Academy on the 27th of February, 1860. See Proceedings, vol. viii. See also Mr. Du Noyer's portfolio, already referred to. CLASS IV. ANIMAL MATEKIALS: FOOD. 255 While the muscular flesh and cellular tissues aiForded food, no doubt the fats Avere melted down, and served for the lamp that hung in the rude dAvelling of the peasant, or the banquet- hall of the noble. At the banquets of the ancient Irish, special parts of the slaughtered animals were apportioned to particular classes ; of which fact we have a notable example in the de- scription of the feast in the Teach Midhchuarta, or great ban- queting-hall of Tara, given by Dr. Petrie in vol. xviii. of our Transactions. Of the remains of such cetaceous animals as frequent our coasts, we possess only one specimen — an engraved book-cover formed out of the blade-bone of a whale, deposited in the Museum by Joseph Huband Smith, A. M. The mildness of our climate, and the great fertility of our soil, as well as the fact of our woods affording such abundance of game, and the rivers and inland lakes abounding in fish, may account for the circumstance that no antique implements of the harpoon class have yet been found in Ireland. The incinerated bones of birds have been found in urns and tumuli ; and recent manu- factured specimens may be seen in the Museum. Of fish, as an article of food, we have frequent mention, especially salmon {eo, bradcm, or maighre), Avhich, according to the earliest annals, abounded in our rivers, particularly the Boyne ; but fish-bone does not seem to have been employed in the arts by our ancestors. Bees, beachttf were cultivated in Ireland so extensively, and at so early a period, that a large portion of our ancient Brehon laws is devoted to providing for their care and preservation ; and their waxen products, found in square masses, and in the form of candles, have been discovered under circumstances which leave no doubt as to the great antiquity of such articles.* The nature of the materials presents some difficulty in grouping all these articles, composed of animal substances, ac- * Giraldus Cambrensis states that the abundance of the yew, and the winds and rains in Ireland, injured the bees. — Book i., chap. v. 256 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. cording to the secondary division of this Catalogue, for the uses of some are still undetermined, yet, with a few exceptions, they can all be brought within the limits of the classification which has been adopted. All the manufactured articles of bone and horn, except a few in Rail-case H, have been attached to two large Trays, A and B, at the extremity of the Eastern Gallery ; to Tray c, in the first Compartment of the Southern Gallery ; and to the " Find Trays," A, B, c, in the Southern Compart- ment of the ground floor of the Museum. The great object and value of an antiquarian collection is to fill up that blank in history, which, while telling of cosmi- cal phenomena, political events, religious procedures, invasions or expeditions, wars, battles, and famines, the feuds of tribes, or the personal revenge of chieftains, has left the social history of primitive man a still unwritten page. These substantial memorials of the past illustrate, with unerring certainty, that history, by revealing man in his domestic life, his manufac- tures, dress, decorative arts, and household economy, from the earliest times. As sucli, they cannot fail to assist the future Irish historian to draw pictures of society at those epochs to which they are referable. It must be borne in mind that there is a long period in Irish history undescribed by any annalist, in which the rath, the cromlech, and the stone sculptured mo- numents, the terra-cotta urn, the golden ornament, the flint, stone, and bone weapons and tools, and the early copper and bronze articles of the same class, were common — but of which no historian has made mention. Of this Pagan period there is no written history, and it is only by a careful study of the still existing monuments throughout the land, and of the articles in a collection such as that of the Academy, and by comparing them with kindred objects in other countries, that we can form any conjecture as to the social state of Ireland during the Druidic or pre-Christian peiuod. It is not too great a stretch of imagination to suppose that, as our early annalists were Chris- tians and ecclesiastics, they left unrecorded all notice of the CLASS IV. ANIMAL materials: WEAPONS. 257 religion that it was their object to obliterate, and all records of the habits of a people among whom they were missionaries ; merely preserving the genealogies of kings, with notices of the battles, eclipses, plagues, &c., derived from the bards that supplied them with their only means of information. ORDER I.— BONE, HORN, &c. SPECIES I. WEAPONS. All flesh-eating people, in the rudest states of society, and before they arrive at a knowledge of metal, have at hand ample materials for forming weapons either for war or the chase in the long bones of animals, which, by being broken obliquely, scraped by a sharp flint, or rubbed down on a hard, rough-grained stone, could be easily fashioned into daggers, and, by means of their central cavity or narrow hole, fastened on sticks or poles, so as to form darts or spears formidable to either man or beast. But the great length of time which has elapsed since such objects were used precludes the possibility of many of much antiquity remaining to the present day. Still, one of the oldest specimens of Irish handicraft in the Museum is the bone fibula figured and described at page 183, and which was undoubtedly an object of much value either anterior to, or at a time when the people of Ireland practised cremation and urn- burial, and were apparently unacquainted with metal. The few bone weapons which we possess were probably made and used by a people who lived when and where metal was known, but to whom such was not always accessible ; in the same way as pins and fasteners of bone were employed by the poorer classes contemporaneously with the use of the same description of articles of bronze or silver by the wealthier and higher ranks. Subsequent to the introduction of metal, bone and horn were employed, as occasionally in the present day, in forming handles and ferules for swords and daggers, &c. Next to 258 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. wood and sharp-edged stones, the bones of animals presented to man, in his half-civilized state, the most suitable material for such weapons as daggers and the heads of spears, darts, and arrows, &c. Daggers and Spears. — The top row of Tray A, in the End-case of the Eastern Gallery, consists of forty articles of bone or horn, the majority of which are evidently weapons or tools. One of the most remarkable specimens is the central Fig. 165. No. 20. Fig. 1G6. No. 21. Fig. 167. No. 30. Fig. 168. No. 31. object, a bone dagger, No. 20, shown in the foregoing cut (Fig. 1 65) , and formed out of the leg-bone of one of the large ruminants. It is lOyg^ inches long, of which the rough handle is only 2^; thus confirming the opinion (deduced from the size of the hafts of our bronze swords) that the hands of the race who used them were very small. The blade Is smooth, and brought to a very fine point. This unique specimen was found in the bed of the River Boyne, a short distance below Clonard, in the townland of Ballyronan, county of Kildare, " on hard blue clay, four feet under sand, along with some stone spear-heads of about 9 inches in length, and half an inch in thickness." It and No. 21 (Fig. 166) were — Presented by the Board of Works. See Proceedings, vol. v., Appendix, pp. 35 and 54. No. 21, in the same row, on Tray A, is a bone spear-head CLASS IV. —ANIMAL MATERIALS: TOOLS. 259 of a dark-brown colour, 9 1 inches long, and about 1^ in diameter (see Fig. 166). It also was found 4 feet below the bottom of the river at Ballyloughlan, barony of Kilcoursey, King's County. It appears to have been formed by cutting off obliquely a por- tion of one side, and is traversed by rivet-holes for securing it to the handle. Nos. 30 and 31, Figs. 167 and 168, shown by the accompanying illustrations, are circular conical spear or arrow-points, and belong to the same class of weapon, but are smaller than No. 21. The latter (No. 31) is decorated with a chevron pattern like that on some of our oldest cinerary urns and gold ornaments, &c. They were manifestly fastened to handles of some description, as the sockets and rivet-holes still remain. The first is '2j, and the last 3 inches long. The handles of metal daggers and swords were partially formed of bone and horn, as shall be explained under the head of " Bronze Swords." The antique shields of all early nations are, OAving to the perishable materials of which they Avere composed, of great scarcity. Those belonging to the early Irish, and to which re- ference is made in our histories, Avere circular, and probably constructed partially of leather and Avicker Avork, but as yet no vestiges of any such have been discovered. SPECIES II. — TOOLS. Picks and hammers composed of bone and horn, like that figured at page 252, have been discovered in Scandinavia; but one of the most primitive implements of this description Avhich has yet come to light in Ireland is a hornbeam of an immense red deer, not shed, but apparently artificially Avorked off below the croAvn, see Fig. 169 on the next page. Its small extremity has been sharpened by some clean-cutting instrument, probably metallic. It is twelve inches long, is of great density, Aveighing as much as nineteen ounces, is of almost stony hardness, and the cancellated structure is filled Avith carbonate of lime to a arreater extent than ever occurs in the living bone. It has, in fact, 260 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. undergone, to a considerable extent, the process of mineraliza- tion, — certainly far more so than we find in many specimens of the great Irish fossil deer ; and as it was evidently worked by the hand of man prior to the commencement of its chemical alte- ration, it shows us to what a very remote period we may with safety refer it, and some of the tools and weapons which modern investigations have brought to light in other coun- tries. This very rare specimen of a wrought mine- ralized bone, was found deep in the excavations made in the River Shannon, on the north side of Banagher Bridge in 1843, and was — Presented by the Shannon Commissioners. See No. 1, in Bail- case H. The numerous fragments of bone and horn foundjn crannoges and street cuttings, show how much these materials were used in the arts. Many tips of deers' horn in the collection are evidently the sawn-ofF ends of portions used, in all probabi- lity, in forming handles to swords, knives, daggers, and tools of various sorts; but others are decorated, , P 1 • 1 IT Fig. 169. No. 1. and some periorated either at the end or at one side, so that they were evidently employed for some distinct purpose. Besides the Avell-determined weapons described and figured at page 258, we find in this Collection a number of handles of bone and horn, and a few of ivory, for affixing to tools and food-implements. Some of these hafts are not Inele- gantly decorated, particularly Nos. 2, 10, and 14, on Tray A. Knives (in Irish, sceand), being employed for a greater variety of purposes than any other implement in either ancient or modern times, and being used indifferently as weapons, tools, and food implements, might with propriety be placed in any of the three first species in the Classification adopted in this Catalogue ; still, they find a more appropriate place among the Tools. We find tAvo kinds of knives here : in one the animal material is employed in the construction of the han- CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS: TOOLS. 261 dies only ; and in six of these articles on Tray A, from Nos. 11 to 16, small iron knife-blades, evidently of a very rude construction, and ancient fashion, are still fixed. The second variety is formed altogether out of bone, such as Nos. 8, 9, and 10, on Tray A, and No. 319, on Tray B; No. 10, which is 8 inches long, and highly decorated on the handle, and a portion of the blade, is represented by the accompanying wood- cut, Fig. 170. It Avas found with a great many other specimens of manu- factured bone in the Ballinderry '^' crannoge, county of Westmeath. Crannoges have, indeed, been the chief source from Avhich have been collected most of those small implements connected with ancient household economy, domestic use, or personal decoration, contained in the Aca- demy's Collection, and preserved either under the head of " Animal Materials," or kept together as types, among the " Finds" hereafter to be described. The soft substance which formed the substratum of these lake-fortresses, as well as the circumstance of many of them having been rifled of their more precious contents, or remaining uninhabited for years, until the waters rose above their surface levels, may account for the preservation of such a number of these small articles. Cran- noges were also small towns or villages, in which, no doubt, the artisan plied his trade with greater security than he could upon the mainland. From street-cuttings, or excavations made for sewage, &c., in the city of Dublin, numbers of small bone and horn articles have been obtained. To the top row of Tray A have been affixed several curved tines of stags' horns, some hollowed at the base, and all bear- ing the marks of having been artificially pointed. Similar ob- jects, — tools, or weapons in either a rude, partially worked, or finished state, — are of frequent oocurrence in crannoges and street-cuttings. In length they vary from 2 to 8 inches. Nos. 36, 37, and 38, are skewer-like pieces of bone, rasped 262 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. sharp at both ends, and somewhat resembling the Collection of wooden pins described at page 200. Upon Tray B has been arranged another collection of these bone-tips (see Nos. 1 to 32). Nos. 22 to 26, inclusive, are flattened and notched on the concave surfaces, of Avhich No. 24, here figured one-half the natural size, affords a good example. As to what their use may have been — Avhether as guards to the finger in straining the bow-string, or like those employed in the present day by hatters for chucking the sheep-gut string of the bow in felt- ins: wool — it is difficult to determine.* There are other objects in this Collection formed of boue and horn, with the precise uses of which we are at present unacquainted. When, however, the turner's art was introduced, numberless were the forms given to bone and horn, as may be observed rig.171.N0.24. in the present day. Under the head of Tools may be classed spikes and piercers, available for a great variety of purposes. The following Catalogue gives a detailed account of the ar- ticles belonging to the foregoing species, and displayed upon the top rows of Trays A and B. Shelf I., Tray A Miscellaneous bone and horn articles, Wea- pons, Tools, &c., from No. 1 to 40. No. 1 is a hollow, dark-coloured bone haft, 5| inches in length. No. 2, ditto, with a double aperture at top, stained black, 5^ inches long, ornamented by spiral and inter- rupted grooves. No. 3, a bone handle, 4 inches long, much worn at one end. No. 4, ditto, 3f inches in length. All these, together ■with Nos. 18 and 40, were found in Lough Gurr, county of Limerick. Nos. 2, 18, and 40 were — Presented by the Hon. Sophia 0' Grady. No. 5, a plain bone handle, 3g- inches long. No. 6, ditto, orna- mented, 2| inches long. No. 7, another bone handle, 2| inches * One of the most ancient remains of animal material referred to the " Stone Period," and preserved among the flint collection of the Copenhagen Museum, is a horn tine, notched on the concave edge, precisely similar to those in the possession of the Royal Irish Academy, but somewhat larger. CLASS IV ANIMAL MATERIALS! WEAPONS AND TOOLS. 263 long, from Ballinderry crannoge. No. 8, a single piece bone-knife, 6f inches long, ornamented. No. 9, a similar instrument, 5f inches long, slight, and with a pointed handle. No. 10 (Fig. 170, page 261) is an ornamented bone-knife, which came into the collection along with — Nos, 110 and 114, among the pins on this Tray, and those stone specimens in Rail-case B, described at page 120. All these, together Avith No. 11, an ornamented handle 4f inches long — were found in the Ballinderry crannoge; No. 11 was — Presented hy Doctor Leniaigne. Nos. 12, 13, and 14 are bone knife- handles, averaging 3| inches long, and having short iron blades still attached. No. 15, a bone knife-handle, highly ornamented, 4 J inches long, with an iron blade 5 inches in length, sharp at the point, and thick in the back. No. 1 6 is of the same character, but is of ivory. No. 17, a short ivory handle, with a narrow knife-blade, 4 inches in length. No. 18, an ornamented handle, 4| inches long. No. 19, a large black bone pin, 9 inches long (see Fig. 224), found in the bed of the Shannon at Grosses Island, near Carrick-on-Shannon, in July, 1847, and — Presented hy the Shannon Commissioners. No. 20, a bone dagger, described at p. 258 (see Fig. 165). No. 21, a bone spear- head, ditto (Fig. 166). No. 22, a similar small bone spear-head, 4 inches long, found in the crannoge near Cloonfree, county of Kos- common — Presented hy Alonzo Lawder, Esq. (see Proceedings, vol. v., p. 219). No. 23, ditto, 5-^ inches long, was procured with the Daw- son Collection, and said to have beeu found at Garristown, county Dublin. No. 24 is 5§ inches long. No. 25, a bone dart, 6| inches long. No. 26, a bone spear, similar to the foregoing, 5\ inches long. No. 27, ditto, 5 J inches in length. No. 28, ditto, 4| inches long. No. 29, ditto, 5 inches long. No. 30, a conical bone point (see Fig. 167, p. 258). No. 31, ditto, ornamented (Fig. 168). No. 32, a solid and apparently unfinished horn tip, similar to the foregoing, 2| inches long. No. 33, a curved piece of deer's horn^ 5|- inches in length, hollowed in the base. No. 34, ditto, 5| inches long. No. 35, a tine of deer's horn, 6g- inches long, hollowed at the base. Nos. 36, 37, and 38, three skewer-shaped pieces of bone, pointed at both extremities, and varying in length from 3j to 7| inches; found at The Cutts, near Coleraine, county ofDerry — Presented hy the Board of Works (see Proceedings, vol. v., p. 417). No. 39, a metacarpal bone (Fig. 225, p. 344). It appears to have been part of a musical in- T 264 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. strument. No. 40, the shank-bone of a sheep or goat, 8^ inches long, stained black, highly polished, and perforated at one end. Of the foregoing articles, Nos. 24 to 29, also 33, 34, and 35, were discovered in the crannoges of the lakes in the vicinity of Strokestown, county of Roscommon, and, except 25, 28, and 29, were — Presented hy the Board of Works. For the remainder of Tray A, see pp. 273, 335. Shelf II., Tray B — Contains 303 miscellaneous Bone and Horn Articles, — Tips, Burrs, Pins, Plates, and "Whorls, &c. No. 1 is a tine of deer's horn, 3| inches in length. No. 2, a horn tine, Sc- inches long, from Lough Gurr. No. 3, ditto, artificially shaped, 2| inches in length. No. 4, ditto, ditto, 3f inches in length; found with No. 7 in Christ Church-place, Dublin. No. 5, ditto, 3 J inches long ; from a rath at Ennisnag, county of Kilkenny. No. 6, a goat's horn, 2| inches, hollowed artificially at the base. No. 7, a horn tine, 3|- inches. No. 8, ditto, 2| inches, slightly ornamented. No. 9, ditto, Sy'g- inches. No. 10, ditto, 3f inches. No. 11, ditto, 3| inches, polished at top; from Dunshaughlin. No. 12, a portion of bone, 4| inches in length, found as No. 5. No. 13, a knife-handle, 3y^ inches. No. 14, a bone piercer, ditto. No. 15, ditto, 3} inches. No. 16, ditto, 55 inches. No. 17, a small bone, 4|- inches long, from Lough Gurr. No. 18, a bone spike, 4| inches long. No. 19, a tine of deer's horn, slightly ornamented, 2| inches long. No. 20, ditto, 2| inches, plain. No. 21, ditto, 2f inches. No. 22, ditto, 2| inches, flat, with indented notches. No. 23, ditto, ditto, 2f inches. No. 24, ditto, 3 inches long, slit at the base (see Fig. 171, p. 262). Nos. 25 to 32 are horn tines, varying in length from 2^ to 4| inches long; some in process of manufacture. All these, from No. 19, ex- cept 24 and 25, were found in a deep cutting in the formation of a sewer in Christ Church-place, Dublin. On this Tray are three antler crowns or burrs (Nos. 186 to 188) which may have been either used as tools or as rings in horse fur- niture; also carved pieces of bone, resembling modelling tools, for the description of which see the continuation of Tray B on page 274. SPECIES IIL — FOOD IMPLEMENTS. Drinking-horns, — in Irish, cuirn, from the Latin cornu, and also cuachtty — cups or goblets, con^e in to this category ; but it is CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS: CUPS. 265 to be regretted that, although tliere is evidence to show that the Irish excelled in the formation and adornment of vessels of this description (examples of which have been already alluded to at page 114, and to which numerous references maybe found in early Irish writings), the only horn vessels at present possessed by the Academy are the small circular and square drinking- cups, Nos. 1 and 2, in the lower Compartment of the last Glass-case ; and No. 3, in Rail-case H. The accompanying illustration is drawn from No. 2, a mether-shaped drinking-vessel, 4| inches high, and 2^ wide at the top, orna- mented by dots, punched or burned into the horn. The pine bottom was inserted Avhen the horn was soft, into a groove similar to that in ° Fig. 172. No. 2. a mether. No. 1 is a circular horn goblet, with a bottom of the same material, let in like that in No. 2. It is 4| inches high, by 3 wide at top, and is ornamented with raised rims ; the handle was fastened to the vessel by iron rivets. It was found in the parish of Tamlaght O'Crilly, in the county of Derry. No. 3, in Eail-case H, is a very small four-sided drinking-vessel of horn, only 2| inches high, but similar in shape to No. 2; found at Dunshaughliu. Besides cattle, bondsmen and bondswomen, steeds, cloaks, hounds, shields, swords and armour; — drinking-horns, are enu- merated among the chief tributes paid to the Kings of Erin, as set forth in Leahhar na g-Ceart, or Book of Rights. The original of the poems in that work are said to be as old as Be- nignus, the immediate successor of St. Patrick in the See of Armagh, and, in their present state, may be fairly considered as ancient as the ninth century. Mention is there made of the following forms: — "Drinking-horns, with handsome handles, curved drinking-horns, inclining drinking-horns, horns for ca- rousing, drinking-horns for the banquet, drinking-horns for distribution fully prepared, drinking-horns for quaffing mead, variegated drinking-horns, with their peaks ; drinking-horns t2 266 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. of various colour;" and also, "drinking-horns, on which is gold," which the King of Gaela, in Ui-Maine, brought with him to the banquet of Cruacliain. In the Annals of the Four Masters, and also in those of Clonmacnoise, it is stated that King Tighearnmas, to whom the art of smelting gold and dyeing colours is attributed, was the first "who caused stand- ing cups to be made" — probably drinking-horns with feet, like that figured below. In one of the sculptures upon the short cross at Monasterboice there is a representation of a sitting figure, holding a long curved drinking-horn to the mouth.* In the central Glass-case of the Southern Gallery stands a very accurate model of the celebrated Charter-horn in the Museum of Trinity College, usually known as the "Kava- nagh Horn." The original, from which the accompanying il- lustration was taken, is carved out of ivory; it measures 22 inches along the convex edge, and is 4^ across the open of the mouth. It presents sixteen sides or faces, and stands upon a pair of brass legs, fastened above into a brass col- lar, and terminating in birds' webbed feet. Moveable hinged plates pass along the con- cave and convex margins, between the middle and the upper collar All these metal portions were originally gilt. The end ter- minates in a ferule ; a deco- rated brass plate surrounds the top, and bears the fol- lowing inscription : — Vallancey, who published a drawing of this in 1784, says: " It was the" property of Thomas Kavanagh, Esq., ofBallybor- ris, in the county of Carlo w, who has generously added it to the Fig. 173, * See the Author's "Beauties of the Boyno and Blackwater," second edition, p. 303. CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS: BUTTER, ETC. 267 College Collection." (See " Collectanea de Rebus Hihernicis" vol. iv. p. 25, pi. 4.) The model in the Academy's Museum was — Presented by the late Dr. R.Ball Wherever cuticular horns are accessible spoons have been formed out of them, and such are still in common use in many places ; but one of the rarest spoons, composed of animal ma- terial, which has come down to the present time, is that shown in the accompanying cut, drawn two-thirds the natural size, from one of two articles of this descrip- tion, formed out of the concave epi-j physes, or joint surfaces of the ver- tebrae of some large mammal. It ^'^ ^^■*- ^°- '^^• is almost of the natural shape, but has been slightly cut away on one of the edges, so as to form a short handle, which may have been inserted into a piece of bone, horn, or wood. This and its fellow, No. 22, in Kail-case H, were found in the cran- noge of Tonymore, between Crossdoney and Cavan, (See Proceedings for 23rd Jan., 1860.) A bone knife and fork, Nos. 358 and 359, are affixed to Tray c, see p. 338. Bog Butter, Cheese, and Wax — Under this species may also be classed food itself, the most remarkable examples of which in the Museum are the specimens of bog butter, the finest of which. No. 37, standing in the centre of the first compartment of the Southern Gallery, has been already de- scribed and figured at page 212. The substance called bog butter, or " mineral talloAv," has been found in the peat in various parts of Ireland, and is sup- posed to have been buried for safety, as well as to give it a pe- culiar taste and consistence, which it derived from being con- verted into a hard yellowish substance like adipocere, or old dry Stilton cheese. It is usually found in single-piece wooden vessels, somewhat like methers or long firkins, as in No. 37.* * See the author's notice of Bog Butter iu the Proceedings of the Academy, vol. vi. p. 369, where the various authorities bearing on the subject are referred to. 268 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. It was first noticed as a curiosity in Ireland in 1736, and has also been discovered in the Fasroe Isles, and in Scotland. It is usually found at a great depth, and in old solid bogs, in which it was originally placed, or through which it sank in lapse of years, after being deposited either for security, or to produce a certain chemical change, and consequent alteration in flavour, and, probably, in durability. Besides No. 37, the large specimen alluded to, there are several examples of this animal material in the lower compartment of the last glass-case in the Eastern Gallery.* No. 37 was found 9 feet below the surface in Grallagh-bog, near Abbeyleix, Queen's County, and was — Presented hy Lord De Vesci. No. 38, a hard, yellowish-white substance, like old Stilton cheese, and in taste resembling spermaceti, is contained in a large, square, thin mether, apparently intended originally for a butter or milk vessel ; it is 9 inches high, and 5 across, of willow, and double-handled. It Avas found in Ballyconnell bog, county of Donegal, 15 feet below the surface, and — Presented by Dr. Nolan. (See mether, No. 62 a, p. 216.) No. 39 is a small spe- cimen of bog butter, purchased with the Dawson collection. No. 40, another small specimen of the same material, but apparently more recent. No. 41, a large specimen of bog butter, found 18 feet tinder the surface, in the county of Kilkenny; presented by William "Walsh, Esq., to the Royal Dublin Society, and by that body deposited in our Museum. It was probably from this speci- men that Professor E. Davy made the analysis of this peculiar sub- stance, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Dublin Society for 1826. No. 42 is a fragment of the foregoing article. Cheese (cdise). — While bog butter is always found in wooden vessels, specimens of cheese of great antiquity have also been discovered in our bogs, unconnected with vessels of any * In the lower compartment of this case is a wooden model of a stone coffin, presented by Dr. Walsh, and referred to at p. 185. It is 2 feet long, 8 inches deep, and 10 wide, and contains a quantity of incinerated bone, chiefly human, found in tu- muli, and presented at different times to the Academy. CLASS IV. — ANIMAL materials: COMBS. 269 kind. Cheese differs in shape from the ancient butter, and bears upon its surface the impress of the cloth with which it Avas surrounded in the press. There are two ex- amples of ancient cheese in the collection — No. 43, a globu- lar, and No. 44, an oblong, brick-shaped specimen. No. 43, aglobularmassof cheese, very light, dry, and crumbly, and more like Stilton than the other specimen in the Collec- tion. The top surface bears the mark of the cloth with which it was pressed, and it has also some leaf-marks upon it. No. 44 is an ancient cheese of a brick colour, 7|- inches long, by 3|-deep, marked all over with the impression of the cloth, which appears to have been of a much finer texture than that employed with No. 43. It has a raised cross on one side, evidently derived from the press, and at the ends may be seen the marks of the folds of the cloth. Wax [ceir). — With the specimens of bog butter in the end of the Eastern Gallery is a cake of pale yellow bees' -wax, No. 45; it is 7 inches long, 2 thick, and is believed to be antique. It formed a portion of Mr. R. C. Walker's collection, and was — Presented by the Duke of Northumberland. SPECIES IV. — ARTICLES OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY, FURNITURE, DOMESTIC USE, AND THE TOILET, ETC. Under this head we find piercers, needles, bodkins, combs, spindle and distaff- whorls, of bone and horn, all of which are attached to the Trays placed in the End-case of the Eastern Gallery. The three first varieties of articles enumerated in this species find many representatives among the Collection on Trays A, B, and C, but are (except Nos. 79 and 8 1 to 84, on Tray a) with difficulty separated from the pins used as fas- teners or for personal ornament. Combs — in Irish ciora. — Below the pins on Tray A is ar- ranged a collection of forty-four combs, in either a perfect or fragmentary state, numbered from 116 to 172. From their shape it is evident they were used more for toilet purposes than as ornamental objects ; indeed, we have not as yet met 270 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. with any ancient combs in Ireland specially used for hold- ing up the female hair. If the hair was plaited, it was, in all probability, fastened as well as decorated with a bodkin of bone or metal. We have no warrant for supposing that the early Irish were acquainted with the manufacture of such horn combs, nor were they likely to have had much knowledge of ivory, or the use of tortoise-shell ; and there is no evidence to show that our females, in early times, retained the hair in po- sition by means of a comb of any kind, the introduction of which fashion is modern. The Irish, both males and females, were celebrated for the length to Avhich they wore their hair (hence called glibhs and cuil-Jion) ; and it is not unlikely that the latter sex adopted the fashion of plaiting it. (See Walker's " Essay on Irish Dress," and also Lady Moira's paper in the " Archjeologia," vol. vii., referred to at p. 326.) The combs in the Academy's collection may be divided into three varieties, — the long rack-comb, the single fine-tooth comb, and the double fine-tooth comb. The first vary in length, from No. 123, which is about 4 inches, to No. 120, Fig. 175, which, judging from the half that remains of it, must have been 10 inches : in breadth they range from half an inch to If inches. With the exception of Nos. 135, 136, and 137, which appear to be ornamented pocket-combs, there are no specimens in this collection formed out of a single piece. The sides of these rack-combs are generally hog-backed, and taper from the centre to the extremities, the great majority of them being highly decorated, many with pleasing patterns. Be- tween these sides are set the pectinated portions, varying in breadth from half an inch to an inch and a quarter, according to the size of the bone out of which they were cut, the whole being fastened together with metal pins, generally brass, ri- veted on each face of the side. The back of the pectinated portion generally rises above the handle in the centre and at each extremity, as may be seen in the following illustration, Fig. 175, restored from the remaininghalf of No. 120, which CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS: COMBS. 271 must have been 10 inches in length, and If wide. Thesetoothed portions are in separate pieces, on account of the grain of the bone, as well as the cavity in its centre : for it is manifest that a durable comb of this size could not have been cut out of a single bone without great liability to fracture. By this ingenious Fig. 175. No. 120. contrivance, also, the pectinated portion, if worn or broken, could easily be repaired by driving out a rivet in the side pieces, withdrawing the injured part, and inserting a new toothed portion. The accompanying illustrations, drawn two-thirds the natural size, present us Avith two beautiful specimens of the short one-sided or single fine-tooth comb, and both of which are highly decorated. No. 137, on Tray A, fig. 176, is 2^ inches long by If deep, and formed out of a single piece. Fig. 176, No. 137. Fig. 177, No. 159. Its decoration chiefly consists in its graceful outline, and the number of dotted lines and circles upon its sides. The three elevated rivets projecting above the toothed portion fastened metal plates, which, either in the original formation, or when the article had been accidentally broken, were at- tached to it. Figure 177, drawn from No. 159 in Kail-case 272 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. H, numbered in continuity with the combs on Tray A, is the finest specimen of its class in the Collection. It is 2^ inches long, and 1| deep, and the three pectinated portions are held together by flat sides, decorated with scrolls and cir- cles. The top or handle shows a triple open-work decoration, and the side pieces are grooved at one end for receiving the clasp of a metal tooth, which replaced one of the lost bone ones. It was procured from the Ballinderry crannoge (see Proceed- ings, vol. vii., p. 129). The third variety resembles very much the modern fine- tooth comb, and generally varies from 3 to 4^ inches in length, and from ^ to 2^ across, the teeth portions being double, and passing through and through the sides to which they were riveted. The specimen, here figured two-thirds the natural size, is a good example of this variety. The tooth part was originally in five pieces, and fastened between the sides with metal rivets. No. 140, which more resembles a modern comb than any of the others, has a copper ring inserted into one extremity, by which, in all probability, it was attached to the person. In some specimens may be seen brass teeth inserted where those of bone had given way, thus showing that at the time, or in the locality where such repair was made, brass was either easier worked or procured Avith greater facility than bone. The Academy's Museum is particularly rich in combs ; the crannoges of Dunshaughlin, Ardakillen, and Cloonfinlough, and the street cuttings in the city of Dublin, have afforded near- ly all the specimens of which the localities have been recorded. The total number of combs at present in the Collection, in- cluding those on the "Find Trays," is eighty. Many of these Fig. 178. No. 149. CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS: COMBS. 273 combs are but fragmentary ; yet, in each a sufficiency has been preserved to enable us to judge of the original size, and also of its style of ornamentation, which generally consists of trans- verse or oblique grooves, diced-work, interlacings, dotted lines, and circles surrounding a central indented spot. For particu- lars respecting these articles, see the following details : — Shelf I., Tray A. — The long rack-combs are placed above, the double close combs below, and the small pocket ones in the centre. No. 116 is a portion of a long rack-comb. No. 117, the complete back of a comb, 5| inches long. No. 118, ditto, nearly complete, 5^ inches long; the pectinated portion rising above the back at the ends. No. 119, ditto, was, with Nos. 121 and 126, found in excavations made in Christ Church-place, Dublin. No. 120, Fig. 175, page 271, now 5^ inches long, is little more than half the original size; it, as well as Nos. 140 and 142, were procured from the Strokestown Crannoges. No. 121 is complete in the back, and 6 J inches long. No. 122, a small, perfect specimen, 4 inches long, was, together with Nos. 118,' 135, 136, 137, and 149, procured from the Crannoge of La- gore, near Dunshaughlin. No. 123, a portion of rack-comb, 5f inches long. No. 124, the back portion of a rack-comb, much curved. No. 125, a perfect back, 4| inches long. No. 126, a fragment of a rack-comb. Nos. 127, 128, and 129, ditto. No. 130, one side of a back, complete. Nos. 131, 132, and 133, are fragments of single combs. No. 134 is the fragment of a long comb, with remarkably fine, narrow teeth, only ~ of an inch long. No. 135 is a por- tion of a pocket-comb, like No. 137- No. 136, a pocket-comb, If- of an inch long, by If high, with a semicircular and decorated top. No. 137 is from Lagore, figured at p. 271. No. 138, a portion of a rack-comb. No. 139, ditto, narrow, and repaired with brass teeth at one end. No. 140, a portion of a double comb (p. 272), found with No. 141, in the Ardakillen Crannoge. Nos. 141, 142, and 143, are portions of double combs; the last was found in the bed of the River Glyde, coun ty of Louth (see Proceedings, vol. vi. p. 179), and — Presented by the Board of Works. No. 1 44, a perfect double comb, 3 inches long, and 2| broad, with a brass ring attached to one ex- tremity ; it was found in the Crannoge of Loch-Laoghaire, near 274 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. Clogher, Co. Tyrone, in 1 845, and — Presented hy the Earl ofEnnis- Icillen. (See Proceedings, vol. v, p. 215 ; also a notice of that Cran- noge at p. 231 of this work.) No. 145, a double-comb, very rude, and having the side piece indented, either by long use, or from comb- ing very coarse hair. Nos. 146, 147, and 148, are imperfect or fragmentary portions of double combs. No. 1 49 is the best specimen of double ornamented comb in the collection, and presents an en- tirely diflferent pattern from any of the foregoing. (See Fig. 178, p. 272.) No. 150, a large, imperfect, hog-backed rack-comb, orna- mented on the sides, and found in a deep excavation in Fishamble-st, Dublin. Nos. 151, 152, and 153, are fragments of rack-combs -, the last, together with No. 156, was found in a street cutting in Castle-street, Dublin. Nos. 154, 155, 156, and 157, are fragments of rack-combs. No. 158, a portion of a double comb, ornamented, the teeth much worn ; found at Lackanash Hill, between Trim and Navan, county of Meath, and — Presented by The Very Rev. B. Butler, Dean of Clonmacnoise. (See Proceedings, vol. vi., p. 171). The other articles on this Tray are enumerated at pages 262 and 235. Spindle Whorls, cuigSala, — of bone, and numbered from 274 to 280, occupy a central position on the last line but one of Trai/ B, and resemble those of stone already figured and described at" page 115. In one of these, No. 274, here figured two-thirds the natural size, a portion of the lower end of the bone spindle still projects. Of the remaining six, Nos. 276 to 279 are notched, and worn round their cen- tral apertures, as if by the passing of threads. Fig. 179. no. 274. They are all more or less decorated, and average 1-| inches in diameter. For the particulars of other articles on this Tray, see the following description : — Tray B, already described at. page 264, contains articles of bone and horn, consisting for the most part of stag-horn tips, mantle pins, decorated bone plates, spindle whorls, draftsmen, counters, and a number of miscellaneous articles, the precise uses of which have not yet been determined. The top row consists of tines or ejj- CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS: DRESS. 275 treme points of deers' horns, some in the rude state, and others de- corated at top and bottom. A few, particularly Nos. 22 to 26, are flattened on the sides, and notched on the concave surface. These were probably tools. (See p. 262.) From No. 33 to 1 85 are bone- pins, described under the head of ''Personal Decoration" at p. 331. In the centre are four circular disks (Nos. 186 to 189), the three first being burrs of stags' horns, smoothed and polished upon the inner surface of the rings, the largest measuring 3 inches in diame- ter. The last is a circular piece of a scapula ; the perforation in the centre is smaller than in the three first; it and No. 186 were found at Lagore, county of Meath, and No. 187 was dug up at Christ Church-place, Dublin. (See p. 264.) Beneath these rings are three long bone articles (Nos. 190, 191, and 192), apparently tools, possibly for netting or modelling, the longest being about 9 inches. Each is perforated in several places, the holes being surrounded by rings, as in the bone plates and other small articles alluded to at page 342. No. 193 is a bone spoon, 5 inches long. The other articles on this Trajj are enumerated at pages 264 and 336. SPECIES V DEESS AND PERSONAL DECOEATION ; HOKSE TRAPPINGS, ETC. Having at the commencement of this section glanced at the various animals by which the primitive Irishman was sur- rounded, and which either ministered to his wants in food, gratified his vanity in the decoration of his person, or con- tributed to his amusements; and reviewed the various ani- mal products employed in the early state of the arts, as ex- hibited by this Collection, we now proceed to the considera- tion of animal substances — in clothing and decoration. Un- der this head come skin and leather coverings of all descrip- tions, and for every part of the body, Avith their necessary fasteners, such as straps, pins, and buttons, also hair and wool- len fabrics, together with pendants, necklaces, and other de- corative objects. NotAvithstanding the perishable nature of 276 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. such materials, undoubtedly the tAvo oldest specimens of per- sonal decoration (except those of amber), in the Collection, are the bone fibula and shell necklace, found, with cinerary- urns and human skeletons in the tumulus, in the Phoenix Park, already described and figured at p. 183. The fibula is en- larged at both ends, and was probably employed in fastening the hair. It, and the necklace, undoubtedly coexisted with flint weapons, the practice of cremation, and interment within cromlechs and tumuli, long anterior to the metal age. Skin and Leather Dress. — Before the art of weaving was known, probably before wool was introduced, we can pic- ture to ourselves man clad in garments of the skins of large ruminants, such as deer or oxen, but particularly the former, which, from their fineness, flexibility, and strength, as well as the character of the hair, would be the most suitable as articles of dress. Ledwich truly observes : " It may fairly be affirmed, the most ancient Irish dress of which we have any certain ac- count Avas barely a skin mantle, which the Welsh also used ; this was afterwards changed for a Avoollen one" {Antiqui- ties of Ireland^ p. 260) ; but the author does not give any re- ference to that " account." We are not, hoAvever, left here altogether to conjecture, or forced to draw analogies from the habits of half-civilized man in other countries at the present day, for a human body, completely clad in a deerskin gar ment, Avas found in a peat-bog, on the lands of Gallagh, near Castleblakeney, county of Gahvay, in the year 1821, and Avas for many years exhibited in the Museum of the Koyal Dublin Society. Unhappily, only a few fragments of this most in- teresting dress now exist, and they form a portion of the valu- able Collection lately deposited by that Society in our Museum. Rail-case H, No. 5. Portions of the seams still remain, and are creditable specimens of early needlcAvork. The mate- rial employed in seAving was fine gut, of three strands, and the regularity and closeness of the stitches are most remarka- CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS: SKIN DRESS. 277 ble, as shown by the accompanying cut, in which a bit of one of the joinings is represented double the natural size. This closure was effected by what is termed the looped stitch, similar to that used in work- ing a button-hole, so that, by hav- ing each stitch knotted, the chance . . Fig. 180. No. 5. of ripping was lessened. Examined under the microscope by Mr. Queckett, this skin and hair, some of which latter still remains, is found to be that of the deer, but of what species could not be determined. The body, as well as the dress, was, when first discovered, quite perfect, but, having been disinterred at different times for the inspection of the curious, the clothing was very much in- jured before it was deposited, eight years afterwards, in the Dublin Society's collection. It was found ten feet below the surface, in a small dry bog, surrounded by pasture land. The head, legs, and feet were uncovered, but the body was enve- loped in the skin tunic, which reached to the knees and elbows, and was laced in front by thongs of the same mate- rial.* The body was immediately replaced by those who first found it, but exhumed a few years afterwards, and finally taken up in 1829, and deposited in the Dublin Society. It was said to have been six feet high, apparently of a per- son of about thirty years of age, and, when discovered, had the teeth, long dark hair, and even the partially grown beard, perfect. Had it and its skin dress, in Irish cocliall croichinn, been preserved in its original state, no museum in the British Isles could boast of a more valuable specimen, nor one more conducive to the advancement of ethnological science. The foregoing circumstance is illustrative of the neglect of our na- * See Dr. Petrie's paper in the Dublin Philosophical Journal, vol. i., p. 433, 1825 ; and the letter of Mr. A. O'Kelly, of Tycooly House, to the Koyal Dublin So- ciety in 1829, — in the Proceedings of that Institution, vol. xlv., Appendix to Report of Feb. 12, 1829. 278 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. tional antiquities, or of investigations into the true history of the Irish race, until a very recent period.* Even in the rudest states of society, sharp flint knives, such as those described in Section I., could skin the animal and fashion the garment, while a fine bone piercer or needle, and a leather thong, or the twisted intestines of the same creature, would form sewing materials, long before the use of vegetable fibre, or even wool, was known in Ireland. From the same untanned material, defences for the feet were formed. It is stated in the old bardic tale of the Tain bo Cuailgne that Loegh, the araov charioteer of the hero Cuchulainn, was clothed in a tunic of deer-skin. Giraldus Cambrensis, writ- ing in the twelfth century, relates a story, on the au- thority of some sailors who were driven on the Connaught coast, that they met two men in a long, narrow, oblong boat, covered with hide, stitched together on the outside. They were, he says, "naked, except that they were girded with loose belts of untanned hides of animals," and they stated that they used no clothes except those of skins, and that they lived altogether on flesh, fish, and milk. — Topographia HibernicB, p. iii., c. 26. This statement has, however, been questioned by Father Stephen White, in his " Apologia pro Hibernia." The earliest head-dress was also, in all probability, of skin, but of what shape we have now no knowledge ; it is, how- ever, probable that the peltry of hares, rabbits, dogs, and other small animals, being highly decorative as Avell as useful, was employed not only for head-gear, but other ornamental purposes. A skin skull-cap, covered with dark fur, and per- forated round the edge by a double row of holes, may be seen in the fii'st Compartment of the Southern Gallery (see No. 4). It formed a portion of the valuable collection of the late Mr. R. C. Walker, when purchased by the Duke of Northumber- land, and — was presented by his Grace. * For a description of the body which this dress surrounded, and which is now preserved in the Academy's Museum, see the Section on Human Remains. CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS: LEATHER CLOAKS. 279 Altliough a complete skin costume, such as that now used by Esquimaux, must have given place, at least in several articles, to textile fabrics, at the commencement of the Chris- tian era, yet skin or leather garments, chiefly cloaks, are al- luded to in our early histories. They must have been in common use during the great frost of A. D. 942, when Muir- cheartack Mac Neill, Prince of Aileach^ surnamed "Mur- tagh of the Leather Cloaks," in making his celebrated circuit of Ireland, by that great forced march in which his army never slept twice in the same place, clad his warriors in long leather cloaks, or outer garments, which not only protected them from the severity of winter during the day, but were also employed as tents at night. It is said that there was not a man lost in that campaign.* Upon the coast where seals abound, their skins were pro- bably used by the natives for clothing. When the country was more than half covered with wood, and the mountain passes and rocky fastnesses afforded secure retreats to the wolf, the fox, the badger, the martin, and probably the squirrel, and the river's banks swarmed with otters, — their warm furs afforded the natives, in great plenty, a means of clothing and decora- tion, not now procurable except by importation. Even long after the great bulk of our forests had been submerged in bog, or were cut down, peltry formed a considerable article of traffic, and also a portion of our exports ;f and all the Irish chieftains, down to the seventeenth century, of whom we have any picture or accurate description, appear to have been de- corated with fur. "We can imagine the transition fi-om the complete cover- ing of the figure with untanned skin in the earliest state of * Leather cloaks, in Irish Cochall Croicoinn. See O'Donovan's translation of " The Circuit of Ireland, by Muirchearteach Mac Neill," published by the Irish Ar- chaeologieal Society. t As many as 169 otter-skins were claimed by the English Exchequer at Dublin in 1408, from the representative of the family of Gillamochalmog, as arrears of his rent for Radon. See Gilljert's " History of Dublin," vol. i., p. 233. U 280 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. society, to the time when buff coats, with or without mail, leather caps or helmets, belts, and military accoutrements, buckskin breeches, ornamented leggings, together with san- dals, shoes, and every variety of boot, gaiter, gauntlet, and glove, again clad the figure with its primitive materials, — but in a manufactured state. As, however, we have had no Froissart in Ireland, and as yet possess but little accurate know- ledge on the subject of our early national costumes, we have no means of tracing the steps by which this process took place. Skin and leather, in the Academy's Museum, are, for the most part, represented by sandals, shoes, and buskins, of which we now possess one of the most extensive collections of its kind extant. They are attached to Trays D, E, F, and G, in the End-case of the Southern Gallery. Shoes and Boots, of what may be termed antiquity, pre- sent, upon a close examination, several curious artistic details and ino;enious devices. When the Irish first learned the art of tanning, is at present unknown ; but as this branch of ma- nufacture is of great antiquity in most countries possessing any degree of civilization, it is not likely that we were un- acquainted with it during historic times.* Most of the spe- cimens in the collection are evidently made of tanned leather, and are also considerably worn; but a few are ofuntanned hide. As nearly all the antique objects of skin were disco- vered in peat-bogs, to the tanning properties of which they were subjected for so many years, it is now difficult to state with precision whether each article was originally tanned or not. For the sake of arrangement, these articles of dress may be divided into the single-piece shoe or buskin, and that in which two or more pieces were employed in its fabrication. To understand the antique single-piece shoe, it is well to in- * See an extract from one of the Brehon Laws relating to the penalties for strip- ping bark for tanning purposes, given as a specimen of the Irish language in the fourteenth century- in 0' Donovan's "Irish Grammar," p. 448. CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS : SHOES. 281 quire whether anything approaching thereto is worn in the present day. In the western islands of Aran, the majority of the people wear a sort of mocassin or slipper of untanned hide, which envelopes the foot for about an inch and a half all round, and is tightened by means of two pieces of cord, the one lacing up the toe-part, and the other the seam at the heel. The string from the latter passes through loops along the inside, and that in front by the outside, to the instep, round which they are then fastened like a lady's sandal. These flexible coverings to the sole and edge of the foot formed out of the fresh hide, with the hair externally, after a short time assume a certain degree of firmness, while they adapt themselves to the form of the wearer's foot. They are admirably suited for climbing the precipices, and progressing upon the great stone fields of these islands, and are, perhaps, the most ancient remnant of the aboriginal Irish dress which has come down to modern times. The name given to these feet- covers by the islanders is Pampoota, which is not Irish, nor, as might be expected, Spanish, but resembles the German word " Pampoosheen," a galosh or warm shoe-cover. It is, in fact, the pantoiifle, a low shoe or slipper laced to the foot, analogous to the Latin solea, " a sandal or slipper covering only the sole of the foot, and fastened with laces." There are two pairs of modern pampootas in the collection, one purchased many years ago with the Dawson collection, and which have been placed for exemplification as Nos. 1 and 2 on Tray D. The second pair, Nos. 24 and 25, on Tray F, were purchased by the Author of this Catalogue from one of the islanders, during the recent ethnological excursion of the British Asso- ciation to Aran in 1857. They are made of untanned calf- skin, the strings or latchets being formed of fishing-line.* * " Froissart, in his account of EdwardlTI.'s expedition in 1326, tells us that ten thousand pairs of old worn-out shoes, made of undressed leather, with the hair on, were left behind by the Scotch on that midnight retreat which baffled the English, and ter- minated the inglorious campaign." — Planche's " History of British Costume." It does u 2 282 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. Although vegetable material, flax, hemp, or pegs, are now used in the manui'acture of boots and shoes of the strongest description, the oldest coverings for the feet which antiquity has brought to light were sewn together, and also laced to the foot with thongs or straps of leather. Sewing with a thong, however, has been in use in the manufacture of the hrog^ or rude unbound shoe of strong cowhide, commonly called " kip," up to recent years, as for such purposes it was much more durable than the waxed-endof hemp or flax; and, swelling or collapsing according to the state of dryness or moisture of the material it united, it formed a much more du- rable fastening than either of the latter. Both brogues and pumpsj the latter made without a welt, and turned after the sole was attached, were usually sewn with a thong. In the accompanying illustrations are shown two forms of thong-closed, single-piece shoes. Fig. 181, No. 6, on Tray D, is a large shoe of strong, tanned leather, 10 inches long, gathered round the toe in full plaits by means of a flat thong, Fig. 181. No. 6. on the principle of the pampoota ; but the fulness of the gathers in front resembles the cloth or velvet round-toed shoe worn in the time of Henry VIII. The back seam is closed by a broad thong, ingeniously fastened, as shown in the accom- panying cut. This very ancient shoe was found in a bog near not appear that Froissart was ever in Ireland— whatever his' Chronicles contain re- specting this country, was derived second hand from Henry Castide, whom he met in France. CLASS IV. — ANIMAL materials: SHOES. 283 Roscrea, county of Tipperary, and was presented by the Hon. A. Prittie to Dean Dawson, Avith whose collection it came into the Academy's Museum. Of the same variety, but smaller, and evidently belonging to a different class of society, is the single-piece, thong-laced shoe, No. 23 on Tray F, figured below, and found on the foot of a female discovered in a dry bog at Castlewilder, county of Roscommon. It is now 7^ inches long, and was laced with thong in front and behind. The front seam is ele- gantly plaited, and must origi- rig. i82. No. 23. nally have come high up on the instep. This specimen is of much thinner material than that employed in any other ancient shoe or buskin in the collection, and it appears to have been bound round the ankle with the leather thongs, which closed the seams, after the fashion of the pampoota sandal. It is said that the body from Avhich this curious relic Avas removed was clothed in a woollen garment, had an abundance of long, black hair on the head, and was decorated Avith golden ornaments. From the mystery attending this discovery, and the endeavour to conceal the body, the latter statement is not improbable. Still forming the shoe out of a single piece of leather, and without any attached or additional sole-piece, a double step in advance seems to have been made contemporaneously : that of closing the seams by their flat edges instead of overlapping or intermixing them, and also of carving and decorating the surface of the leather, as shown in the annexed representation drawn from No. 11, on Tray D. To effect the former object, gut* {ionnathar) was introduced, and with this substance all the other single-piece shoes in the Collection, except those * This has been proved by macerating portions of the sewing of every shoe in the Museum, in which it was employed. 284 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. already shown to have been kept together with thongs, have been sewn. Moreover, this description of shoe was evidently closed upon a last, stitched by what is termed grafting, and then turned. The front seam is now so very close as to form a regular zigzag pattern, produced, no doubt, when the leather was wet, and each side drawn so tightly as to indent the op- Fig. 183. No. 11. posite edge. This shoe is pointed in the toe, and has a tri- angular piece of the sole-portion turned up to form a round heel, which, as well as the quarter, is also decorated with a regular pattern. There are oblong holes cut out of the sides, for attaching sandals to. Nos. 10 and 13 are decorated shoes of this description, although presenting great variety in ornamentation. Of the double, or many-piece shoes or buskins, the two following examples will suffice. Figure 184, from No. 22, on Tray E, is the upper of a curiously formed and decorated Fig. 184. No. 22. shoe, 10 inches long, of dark, well-tanned leather, and differ- ing in shape from any of the foregoing, being cut down as CLASS IV. ANIMAL MATERIALS: SHOES. 285 low as possible in front, and rising about 4 inches over the heel. It is formed of one piece, sewn on the inside Avith gut, and has the longest quarter of any shoe in the Collection. The square apertures at the back were intended for laces, and the upper edge of the part above the heel is decorated with an angular form of ornamentation, which is shown to advantage in the separate drawing on the foregoing woodcut. The front of the upper is cut out very low down, but has an ornamented flap 2i inches long, and an inch wide, decorated with a twisted device, carved out of the substance of the leather. A com- parison of this beautiful interlacement (which partakes of the character of that form of ornamentation displayed in some of our early manuscripts, crosses, and shrines, and which may be styled the Opus Hibernicum) with the rude, irregular decora- tion represented by figure 183, shows the great advance in art which had taken place between the periods when these two specimens of leather work were made. The toe-piece presents a semicircular cut carried round in a heart-shape, where, pro- bably, a portion was taken out, and the edges sewn together with fine gut, so as to turn up the extremity like an oriental slipper. It was found in a bog at Carrigallen, county of Leitrim, and presented to the late Dean Dawson by the Hon. and Rev. J. Agar. In No. 1 3 the toe-piece of the upper is decorated with an open-work pattern, which passes through the leather. In No. 8 we find the transition from the leather-sewing to that effected with gut, with which the hind seam is closed, while the front lacing is accomplished with a thong. So far as the means of closure is concerned, a third stage came into fashion, apparently long prior to the use of flax or hemp, and was that in which the seams were closed by woollen threads, of which we have examples in Nos. 16 and 17, on Tray E. Whether shoemakers' wax, or any such adhesive material, was employed in sewing leather with a wool! en thread, cannot now be determined. 286 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. Among the many-pieced, gut-sewn coverings for the feet' besides those already described, we possess two strong leather buskins, or half boots {coisbheirt), Nos. 19 and 20 on Tray F, the former of which forms the subject of the ac- companying il- lustration. It is of thick, coarse leather, of a tan or dirty -yellow colour, similar to Fig.iss. no.i9. that of the boots worn in Madeira and the islands of the Canary Archipelago. It is now 1 1 inches long, and was formed on the plan of a turned pump, with a double sole : both, however, together with the upper and welt, being included in the same stitch. A long triangular heel-piece, carried up from the sole, is ingeniously inserted between a slit in the upper, as in some of the very rudest single-piece shoes, so as to give a comforta- ble rotundity to that part. A large flap overlaps the instep, the loops for fastening which still remain, and a stout piece of thong is stretched across the angle between the vamp and upper to prevent breakage or straining. It was found in 1790 in a bog in the townland of Belladrihid, parish of Bal- lisadare, county of Sligo, and — Presented hxj the Duke of Nor- thumberland, who purchased it Avith the collection made by Mr. K. C. Walker. A fourth period in the progress of leather-working dates from the introduction of vegetable material, such as flax or hemp, for closing the seams, and consequently, so far as such an artificial arrangement is concerned, brings down the art to the present time. As an exemplification thereof, the accompa- nying illustrations of a very curious pair of double shoes are presented, drawn from Nos. 24 and 25 on Tray F, and here CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS : SHOES. 287 shown, both in profile (Fig. 187), and upon the sole aspect (Fig. 186). These re- present a pair of right and left shoes, very curi- ously made, and unit- ed by a double strap of the common sole, each about 2 inches long, and 1 wide. This sole consists of a single piece, and is attached to the uppers without the intervention of a welt, after the manner of a turned pump. The heel, which is the first ^'s- ise. nos. 24 and 25. instance of such that occurs in the Collection, is composed of several plies of leather, fastened on with pegs. The upper in each shoe is formed out of a single piece of thin leather, grooved, tooled, and embossed like cordovan ; the quarters are double, the inside leathers being open behind, and the only seam in the upper is a delicate grafting with thread along the front of the toe-piece. This continuity of upper is well seen in the right shoe, but there are three seams in the left, apparently from a defect in the leather. In each quarter it slopes from the point above the heel, where it is 3 inches high, to its junction with the front, about rig. is?. No. 24. the middle of the foot; and the entire border is mitred or pinked. A toe-piece, or ornamented vamp, passes all round the edge of the upper, which it overlaps, and interlaces with the back portion at its free scolloped edge. Not the least curious part 288 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM, of these shoes is the ingenious mode by which the uppers are attached to the soles by a double thong, showing wonderful perfection in the art of stitching. These shoes were probably turned after one half of the soles were attached. Where the fronts and quarters join, atthe point where the double back runs into the ornamental over-lapping of the upper, there is an open- worked or interlaced strapping, about 2 inches long, and 1 broad. They are said to have been found, wrapped in a piece of leather, in the rampart of a fort in the parish of Kill, near Cootehill, county of Cavan, about forty years before they were purchased by the Academy, in 1843. During the interval they remained in the roof of a peasant's cabin, near the place where they were discovered. They are evidently much more modern than any of the foregoing, except the pampootas. Conjecture as to the use of these marvellous specimens of the Crispinian art might suggest the possibility of their having been used as inauguration shoes by the chieftains. Certain stones used at that ceremony in ancient times still exhibit the inden- tations in which the feet were placed on such occasions. These shoes are worthy of examination as a curious instance of the ingenuity of the maker, like shirts woven Avithout a seam, and many other similar examples of handicraft. Besides the specimens of leather- work referred to in the foregoing description, there is a collection of ladies' old- fashioned slippers and high-heeled shoes of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, worthy the attention of the curious, as illustrative of the strange extravagancies in costume, from the length and narrowness of the heel, Avhich in some of these articles excites our wonder as to the possibility of progression on such slender and unnatural points of support. The fol- lowing is a detailed list of all the shoes and buskins composed of animal materials in the Collection : — Shelf I., TrayTi^ Single-piece Leather Shoes and Sandals, Nos. 1 to 9. — Nos. 1 and 2 are modern pampootas, described at p. 281. No. .'3 is a single-piece buskin, 9 inches long, imperfect, laced much higher CLASS IV. ANIMAL MATERIALS : SHOES. 289 up than the modern pampoota, and fastened by leather thongs before and behind, but which did not encircle the instep. Like most of the other ancient single-piece shoes in this Collection, this seems to have shrivelled considerably, yet never could have belonged to a large foot. There are still some traces of hair upon the outside of the skin. No. 4 is a single-piece shoe, 9 inches long, of thick leather, •with the side on which the hair was, placed externally. Thick, firm, and in good preservation, it is laced before and behind with a round thong; the latter took a purchase for an inch along the edge of the upper before it closed the seam ; the front lacing continued high up upon the instep. No. 5 is similar to No. 4, but smaller, being only 8 inches long, and it is not laced quite so high up in front. The hind thong is ingeniously knotted at both extremities by being passed through holes in itself. Both these shoes were found " seve- ral spits deep in Drummacon Bog," county of Cavan, and were — Pre- sented by Lord Farnham. Like all the other specimens on this Tray, the external face of the hide is placed outwards. No. 6, Fig. 181, is described at p. 282, No. 7, a left single-piece shoe, 9 inches long, laced with a thong at both heel and toe; the front seam collects the upper into gathers; and there is no apparent means of fastening the thong. There are two lateral holes in the quarters, apparently for attaching laces to. The heel is ingeniously protected at the lower edge of the seam by a heart-shaped piece, which is made to overlap the end of the joining. No. 8, a small single-piece shoe of strong leather, much corrugated, 7 inches long, laced up the front with thongs, which also passed round the edge of the upper, and gathered it round the instep. These strong flat thongs remain attached, and that in front has a loop at one end for fastening the knotted tying to. The back seam is closed with gut, this being the first shoe in this arrangement in which that material was employed. No. 9, a single- piece left buskin, 9 inches long, having but one seam,, that in front, which was laced over the instep with a thong. The thick, soft leather is deeply indented by the seam which puckered it when the skin was fresh. It was found in Cartronawar Bog, county of Longford ; and was — Presented hy the Rev. Dr. Martin. Tray E, Decorated and sewn Leather Shoes and Boots, Nos. 10 to 18. — No. 10, a single-piece left shoe, 9 inches long, much worn in the sole, and closed behind and in front with gut, so very tightly that 290 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. the seam presents an indented or zigzag appearance, produced when the leather was wet and soft. The upper overlaps the instep by an ornamental flap, like a modern slipper, and a triangular piece of the sole, carried up round the heel, is attached with great accuracy to the upper, and gave a roundness to that part; the toe is rather pointed. It is highly decorated all over the upper and a portion of the quarter. Although formed altogether of one piece, both this and the following were evidently lasted and grafted. They are right and left shoes, but not fellows. It was found in a turf bog, 7 feet beneath the surface, between the trunk and branch of a tree at Bal- lymacomb, near Bellaghy, county of Derry, and was — Presented ly Miss Alexander. (See Proceedings, vol. iii., p. 541.) No. 1 1, a sin- gle-piece shoe, similar to the foregoing, and highly decorated (see Fig. 183, p. 283). It is 9^ inches long, and 5\ from flap to point of toe. No. 12, a single-piece right shoe, 10 inches long, with pro- jecting flap. It is sewn in front and at the heel with gut; an oval piece overlaps the heel at its junction with the sole. The front seam presents a number of gathers, by which the leather was dra^vn into its present shape when soft; the edge of the upper is notched all round. It is made of soft, tanned leather, and was found in the Castle of Tullamore, Queen's County. No. 13, a single-piece left shoe, of the pampoota shape, round-toed, with an open-worked front, so that it was evidently not intended to keep out the wet ; it is closed with a thong both in the back seam and along the open-work, and was laced to the foot with a leather sandal, a portion of which still remains; in the upper edge of the quarters, near the heel, are longi- tudinal slits, through which these tyings were passed. It is now 9 inches long ; appears to have been much worn ; was found deep in the Bog of Buggaun, parish of Ballymore, near Moate, county of Westmeath, and — Presented by Mr. Hayes. (See Proceedings, vol. vii., p. 160). No. 14, a right single-piece shoe of thick, tanned leather, with a pointed toe, sewn with gut, both along the triangular flap over the heel, and in the overlapping in front, which is gathered in by a seam of beautiful workmanship, in which there is an inter- lacement of the material itself, like No. 12. It is now 9f inches long, is in good preservation, and was also found in the Bog of Buggaun, and — Presented by Mr. Hayes. No. 15, a remarkable two-piece right shoe, 1 1 inches long, of thick leather, the anterior CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS : SHOES. 291 and posterior portions being joined across the middle of the sole, by- grafting with gut from the inside. It is also sewn with gut up the front, and at the heel, where the lower edge of the seam is over- lapped by a portion cut from behind, and fixed to the quarter by a leather thong. K^os. 16 and 17, a pair of shoes, right and left, each 9 inches long, of thin, well-tanned, and apparently glazed or var- nished leather, of a yellowish colour. The upper of each is of one piece, joined on the inside of the quarter; the sole is composed of many pieces, and attached to the welt by woollen threads. The stitching at the edge of the sole includes four plies, — the sole, insole, welt, and upper; and in some parts the welt is double. The right and left shoes in this instance are well marked, and evidently be- longed to a person with small feet; they appear to have been in- tended more as a protection in walking and for ornament than to keep out the wet. The upper edges of the back and vamp bear marks of sewing, and are said to have been attached to the trews or pantaloons, in connexion with which they were found. Where the quarter and upper meet, a leather loop has been ingeniously fastened through the angle, so as to strengthen the junction, and prevent its tearing. To the outside loop upon the left shoe is fixed a trian- gular piece of leather, which, at first sight, appears to be ornamental, but on closer examination its edge is found pierced with holes, so that in all probability it was attached to another piece of the same material which passed from behind forwards, and protected the tendo Achillis. These shoes or buskins were found upon the body of a man in full woollen costume, discovered in the year 1824, six feet under the surface of a bog in Killery parish, county of Sligo. They were, together with the dress — Presented hy the Duke of Nor- thumberland. No. 18, a single-piece right side upper, 11 inches long, of the same description as the foregoing, of fine, well-tanned leather, apparently the natural colour, with the smooth side out; joined on the inside, but no fragment of the sewing material remains. The tongue rises into a high flap; the angle between the quarter and upper is cut down to within 1| inch of the sole, is protected by a stout leather loop on the left side. This shoe was found in a bog in the county of Tyrone. Shelf II., Tray F, Shoes, Buskins, and Pampootas, Nos. 19 to 28. — No. 19, a strong, leather buskin, figured and described at page 286. 292 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. No. 20, a lacedleftboot, of stout, tanned leather, uncoloured, 9 inches in the sole, and 8| high in the leg, laced half way up in front. It has a single sole, which was turned without a welt, being attached to the upper with gut. An ornamental seam runs up the front, which rises into a peak. The angle between the vamp and quarter is protected by a strong leather thong, and a small piece has been inserted into the upper at the turn of the heel> in order to remove the angularity at that point; ingeniously contrived thongs fastened this boot in front. It was found in the Queen's County, and — Pre- sented by Mr. M. Gill. No. 21, the right sole of a turned pump, 10 inches long, " found, in taking up part of the old city of Dublin wall adjoining the old tower in the Castle-yard, by Mr. Johnson, and said to have lain there since the year 1202." — Presented by W. Far- ran, M. D., 21st July, 1842. No. 22, the decorated upper, Fig. 184, described at page 284. No. 23, the lady's single-piece shoe or buskin, described and figured at page 283. Nos. 24 and 25 are the pair of double shoes described and figured at pages 287 and 288. Nos. 26 and 27, a pair of modern pampootas from the island of Inisheer, inGalway Bay. — Presented by W. R. Wilde, Esq. No. 28 is a right, thong-sewn, turned shoe of several pieces, and differs in many respects from every other specimen in the Collection. It has been apparently much worn, especially in the sole, and is now 9J inches long, and composed of thick, well-tanned leather, with the cuticular side externally. The upper is composed of six pieces, viz. : the toe-piece, the two quarters, which are cut down to an angle, a little in front of the arch of the foot; and the spaces between the front and back portions are filled up with latchets on each side, which strapped over the instep; be- hind there was a flap, which fell over the heel portion, and appears to have been more for ornament than use. The sole is double, so that the thong-stitching embraced three folds of leather. This shoe forms a portion of the deposit of Irish antiquities lately made by the Royal Dublin Society, in the Museum of which body it had remained since 1808. From a letter of that date, found in the shoe, it ap- pears to have been presented to General Vallancey by General Free- man, who procured it from the then Dowager Lady Monck. The letter states that it was discovered twenty feet deep in a turf-bog near Templemore, county of Tipperary. Tray G, Ladies' Slippers and high-heeled Shoes, Nos. 29 to 34.-^ CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS : SHOES. 293 Nos. 29 and 30, a pair of ladies' slippers, each 9| inches long, very much pointed at the toes; the uppers formed of puce-coloured satin, bound with yellow, and having silk tassels in front, the soles formed of matted cord- work ; heels made of cork; and insoles of several plies of linen and paper. Nos. 31, 32, and 33, are three high-heeled shoes? showing the increase in the extravagance of that fashion. The first is beautifully made, of leather; the quarter, black; the vamp, red; the heel is carried down like the head of a hammer, and covered with fine, red leather to near the end, where it is about an inch broad. No. 32 is a left high-heeled shoe, 1 1 inches long, with a particularly low upper, formed of leather, yellow behind, blue and pink in front. The heel slopes forward 4 J inches, so as to touch the ground under- neath the central point of the arch of the foot, where it narrows to I of an inch, and then spreads out to about an inch in width. The back of the heel is covered with yellow leather. No. 33 is the most extraordinary specimen of this curious fashion, and that in which it was carried to the greatest pitch of absurdity, the heel being formed of an iron spike, extending 4| inches from the sole, and ending with a surface only ^ an inch square. It is fastened to the leather heel by brass studs, and takes an oblique direction forwards, inwards, and downwards, as it is a left-foot shoe. The upper is formed of jean, and stuff bound and foxed with red and pink leather, and embossed with white silk. It is difficult to conceive how females managed to progress, or even to preserve an upright position upon such shoes as this, in which the feet must have been as much distorted in one direction as they are by the Chinese in another. The pictures of Hogarth and his contemporaries show that such extravagances in dress were common in his time, and they existed to even a later pe- riod in this country. No. 34 is a white satin slipper, with pointed toes, high heels like No. 30, but somewhat lower, being but 2 inches below the sole. — Presented hy Aquilla Smith, M. D. The only other articles of hide or leather in the Collection are some small portions of " buff" attached to bridle-bits and harness ornaments among the Bronze Collection; a dagger sheath, No. 1 in Rail-case H, which is 5 inches long, sewn upon one edge, with a loop at the top for attaching it to the 294 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. person; the portion of hide, No. 22 " Find" Tray 1, Dublin, on the ground floor ; and the saddle or horse-cover, No. 7 in the first Compartment of the Southern Gallery. This saddle {diallaii) is of untanned cow-hide, with the red hair on the upper side, and is shaped like the large saddle-cloth or lower pad of the Spanish or oriental saddle. It is 38 inches wide, is much worn in front, and on each side it is perforated by three sets of apertures, through which were passed the thongs which attached the pad or stuffing to it, and which appear to have been fastened like those used in some of the shoes and buskins. It was found in the Bog of Springfield, near Dungannon, and — Presented by Robert Foster^ Esq. In the original drawing of the taking of the Earl of Ormond by O'More, in 1600, may be seen such a saddle. Most of the antique trappings must have been of leather ; but, with the exception of the specimens already alluded to, no other horse-furniture belonging to early times has been preserved. ORDER II.— TEXTILE FABRICS. Woven and Knotted Fabrics. — With the distaff and spin- dle (the knobs or Avhorls of which latter have several represen- tatives, both in bone and horn, on Tray A, already described at p. 274) must be associated the art of spinning and weaving, and for this purpose the wool of the sheep and the hair of the goat afforded effective materials. The latter substance is not now used in this country, but was employed in making coarse carpets, particularly in the county of Clare, and in several of the western districts, within the last thirty years. In Rail-case H, No. 6, may be seen a very remarkable specimen of manufactured hair-work, which Avas probably used as a fringe to some garment, one of the cloaks, for in- stance, so often referred to in Irish writings. It is composed of goat's hair, not woven, but tied or knotted together like a mat, in small bundles, with transverse bars of the same material^ CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS: TEXTILE FABRICS. 295 each thread of the warp being subdivided between the cross- ings of the woof, so as to leave a clean interspace, as shown in the accompanying cut (Fig. 188) which repre- sents, of the natural size, a small portion of this very curious ancient fa- bric. This fragment is about 7 inches wide, measured on the length of the hair, and, as shown Kig. iss. No. u. in the illustration, is crossed In the middle by a broad band, the very beautiful plait of which is not seen on the wrong or reverse side. It was found 14 feet deep in Carrick bog, on the bank of Lough Sheelan, in the county of Cavan, in 1853, to- gether with a fine woollen band, of a bright brown colour. Fig. 189, apparently woven, and to which it was probably attached : see No, 8 in Rail-case H. The foregoing cut is a faithful repre- sentation of a portion of this band, drawn the natural size. It and the hair-cloth were — Presented by Br. Fleming. (See Proceedings, vol. vi., p. 19) Woollen Garments. — Having thus disposed of the skin, leather, and hair coverings, formerly employed by the people of this kingdom, we approach the period when the domestica- tion of animals, or the introduction of such breeds from other countries, together Avith the art of weaving, were known to the Irish. Our histories are silent with respect to the manufac- ture of animal material in veiy early times, and the precise costume of any class prior to the English invasion has not yet been decided on. From the learned Essay of the Earl of Charlemont, first President of the Academy, we learn that the woollen manufacture of Ireland Avas celebrated in the beginning of the thirteenth century, when it appears to have been an article of commerce; but, long prior to that pe- riod, woollen fabrics must have been in general use for na- X 296 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. tive dress.* Eventually, we know it attained such celebrity as to excite the jealousy of neighbouring nations. With the question of the employment of woollen material might be cou.sidered the whole subject of costume ; but how- ever inviting the topic, it would be out of place to enter at any length upon such a dissertation in a descriptive Catalogue, ex- cept so far as such inquiry may be necessary for the explana- tion of existing antiquities or of articles in our Museum. A few references are, however, necessary. Light may be thrown on this obscure subject by referring to the following sources of information : — The annals, and other ancient records, in either manuscript or print ; compa- rative philology, or an examination of the roots, precise mean- ing, derivations, and affinities with other languages, of the Irish terras employed to express different articles of dress ; the illuminations in ancient books ; the figure carvings on our stone crosses and shrines ; a few drawings, maps, frescoes, and engravings ; — and some sepulchral monuments. We possess unmistakable evidence of our native popula- tion having adopted particular colours, of which deep yellow (crock), styled by English writers "saffron," was the most pro- minent; and so national, that enactments were made to limit the extent of some garments, and to prohibit altogether the adoption of others dyed this colour. The Four Masters, and also the Clonmacnoise Annalists, attribute the art of dyeing party-coloured clothes (the latter say purple, blue, and green) to King Tighearnmas, whose reign extended from A. M. 3580 to 3656. And in the first of these authorities it is stated, under the year of the world 3664, that his immediate successor, King Eochaidh, was surnamed Eadghadhach, "because it Avas by him the variety of colour was first put on clothes [no doubt woollen] in Ireland, to distinguish the honour of each by his garment, from the lowest to the highest. Thus was the dis- * Transactions, vol. i., Antiquities, p. 17. See also Hutchinson's "Commercial Restraints of Ireland." CLASS IV ANIMAL MATERIALS: COSTUME. 297 tinction made between them : one colour in the clothes of slaves ; two in the clothes of soldiers ; three in the clothes of goodly heroes, or young lords of territories ; six in the clothes of ollavs [professors] ; seven in the clothes of kings or queens." (See O'Donovan's translation.) In a MS. H. 2, 18, in Tri- nity College, it is added to the foregoing, that all colours Avere used in the dress of a bishop. That there was a tartan, or plaid, like that used by the Highlanders of Scotland, there is undoubted proof in the re- mains of costume preserved in this Collection. It appears to have been black and yellow or "saffron colour;" and probably each clan possessed a characteristic colour, and a plaid, as well as a special dress. All these have now, however, merged into the colour of the frieze worn in particular districts, such as the dark brown of Galway and Mayo ; the light blue of Sligo; the silver-grey of Longford; the light drab of Meath, Dublin, and Louth ; and the blue-grey, or powder blue, of Kerry, &c. The female costume has undergone a very rapid change within the present century ; for the scarlet or madder-coloured cloaks, blue mantles and crimson bodices and petticoats, which, like the friezes, were all of household manufacture, and for the most part coloured with native dyes, have given place to im- ported cotton and woollen fabrics. Within the memory of the present generation, in Connaught in particular, some boys wore yellow sheepskin knee-breeches, probably the last remnant of the ancient leathern costume. Long trousers are still considered by many old people there as an unwearable in- novation. The large-caped frieze cota-mor, or " riding-coat," is daily falling into disuse ; and the strong, heavy, felt hats, formerly worn as well for protection in the fray as against the weather, are giving place to caps and soft light hats. Our only authentic histories afford but meagre references to dress or personal decoration ; and the Fenian tales and bar- dic romances, in the garb in which they now appear, present X 2 298 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. too many anachronisms and incongruities to be worthy of quo- tation until they have been carefully edited and annotated. With the first Avoollen garments may be associated n)etal weapons and ornaments, as the art of spinning and weaving may fairly be assumed to have been contemporaneous with the period when smelting and casting were brought to much perfection. Our magnificent illuminated manuscripts, such as the Books of Kells and Durrow, in the Library of Trinity College, and the Irish works of the same class in the Monastery of St. Gall,* and other continental libraries, except in very few in- stances, only show the costume of the ecclesiastics of the periods when they were Avritten ; and such dresses were common to all the clerics of Europe at that time. The figures in the Books of Durrow and Armagh are al- together ecclesiastical. In the Book of Kells, a Latin velliun MS. of the Gospels, said to be as old as the sixth century,-)- and undoubtedly one of the most beautifully written and most ela- borately illuminated works of its period in Europe, there are a few lay figures introduced by the artist, for the mere pm-pose of decoration, or to fill up space. As the work is thoroughly Irish in every respect, these figures may fairly be presumed to represent the costume of the country at the time they were painted. In some instances the illuminated initial letters are composed of human figures ; and although the attitudes are of necessity grotesque, the costume appears to be, in most respects identical with that of the figures alluded to. The following facsimiles (traced and cut by Mr. G. Hanlon), give perhaps the oldest representations of Irish costume now extant. Fig. 190, from folio 200, is evidently that of a soldier, armed with a spear and round target, and placed either in the act of receiv- * See Dr. Ferdinand Keller's Essay, referred to at page 346. f See the Kev. Dr. Todd's paper on "The Biblical Manuscripts of the Ancient Irish Church," in the Irish Ecclesiastical Journal for 20th Sept., 184G, No. 75. . CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS: COSTUME. 299 ing an enemy, or compressed by tlie artist to suit the space on the page unoccupied with Avriting. The head-dress is yellow, with a mitred edge along the brow, as occurs on many other Fig. 190. Fig. 191. human heads in that work. The coat is green ; the breeches, which come down below the knee, are light blue, picked out with red ; and the beard and moustache brown. The legs and feet are naked. The shield is yellow ; and the spear-head blue, exactly resembling some of those of iron in the Academy's Col- lection, in which the cross rivets project considerably beyond the socket. A line of red dots surrounds the outline of the figure — as is usual in the Book of Kells, and as may be seen in many of the initial letters, especially those used in this Catalogue, which are all copied from that work. At folio 201 there is a sitting figure, in the act of drinking from a circular goblet (Fig. 191), wearing a sort of turban, principally yellow, with a flesh-coloured border ; the cloak is dark red, bound with yellow ; the tunic blue, with a yellow border and green sleeve; the feet are naked, and partially concealed by the letters, which shows that the illumination was made after the text had been completed. In the two small equestrian figures on page 300, we have another phase of costume. Figure 192, fi'om folio 89, shows the ancient short cloak remarkably well, and, from a careful exa- mination of both figures, it would appear that the horses were also clothed or caparisoned. The cap is yellow, fitting tightly 300 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. to the head, and hanging doAvn behind — or this head-dress may represent the natural hair. The cloak is green, with a broad Fig. 192. Fig. 19a. band of bright red, and a yellow border ; the breeches green ; the leg covered, but the foot naked. The cover of the horse is yellow, but the head, tail, and such portions of the right legs as appear, are green. The Avord over Avhich it is placed is engraved, to show the position of the illumination. Fig. 193 occurs on folio 255 ; the parchment has been injured under- neath the cloak, but a sufficiency of the colour remains to show that it was green ; the cap is yellow. The initial N, at folio 253, represents two human figures, with beards, yellow fringed caps, and tight fitting green dresses, similar to those in the foregoing illuminations. In almost all instances throughout the Book of Kells, the cap is yellow, but in none is it conical. At folio 202, a number of heads are crowded into a large illumination, in which the head-dresses are principally of the turban shape, of a yellow colour, picked out with red, gold, or black. The cloaks on these figures are red, blue, green, and striped, but in no instance cross-barred, or plaided, like the modern tartan ; and it remains for the ar- chasolosist to determine whether their costume is intended to be native or oriental. At folio 99 there is an unfinished figure of a spear-man (like Fig. 190), in a recumbent attitude, holding a small, round shield in the left hand, and grasping a spear with the right. The outline was sketched in red, and a blue wash filled up all the parts intended for clothing. The figure is curious, as showing the process of illumination. CLASS IV. ANIMAL MATERIALS : COSTUME. 301 From these figures we see that, the lower limbs were clad in tight-fitting garments, generally blue, that reached a little below the knee, like the modern breeches ; the legs and feet were naked, — the braccte or chequered pantaloons not being then the fashion, — and the body was covered with a light tunic, with sleeves reaching as far as the wrist. The cloak, how- ever, was the chief and most highly decorated garment. It is also manifest that the costume of the Irish was, at that period, both picturesque in shape and highly coloured. Upon the fly-leaf of the Book of Bally mote, an Irish vellum manuscript, written in the year 1396, now in the Library of the Academy, there is a rude pen-and-ink sketch of a ship, supposed to represent the Ark, with eight figures in it. The costume of these is a simple, unornamented, close-fitting tunic, with sleeves, fastened round the neck and down the front, like the primitive leather garment already described at page 276, — possibly the artist wished to portray the oldest garments known, even by tradition. The figure of Noah is encircled with a broad belt, decorated with a buckle and tassel, and wears a crown like that of the English monarchs of the twelfth or thirteenth centuries, and resembling one of those repre- sented in the Knockmoy fresco, described at page 317. The figures on our Irish metal shrines and stone fonts are generally draped in ecclesiastical costume, and do not therefore assist in the present inquiry. Our early sculptured monuments are chiefly of the same class, for although there are a few representations of Irish dress, the great majority of the figures thereon are clad in the eccle- siastical costume of Christendom, and not of Ireland alone, at the periods they represent. The number, beauty, and antiquity of the sculptured crosses in Ireland would afford ample mate- rials for a large volume, descriptive of their respective styles of art, and character of ornament; the associations and his- torical recollections of the localities where they are placed ; in many instances, of the biographies of the persons by whom they 302 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. were erected; the tlien prevailing ideas respecting the various scriptural scenes they represent ; the legends or incidents which many of their sculptures commemorate, and the costumes of the figures in the various processions, religious services, and battles, &c.* Those crosses which contain figures are much more injured by time, weather, or the hand of man, than those on which the sculpture is principally ornamental. On that at Tuam, one of the very earliest in Ireland, there are some figures of men and animals, and the representation of a chariot ; and the effigy in the Crucifixion wears a hilt. There are also figures of men, horses, and chariots, sculptured upon the base of the street cross at Kells. The cross at Kilclispeen, county of Kil- kenny, is decorated with many human figures. On the base is a group of seven, each clothed in a tunic and cloak, with u hat like that of the ancient palmer, falling down behind upon the neck ; six of these — shepherds or ecclesiastics — bear curved implements in their hands, more like handled celts than cro- ziers. In the Clonmacnoise crosses, the figures are chiefly those of ecclesiastics, but in two, apparently military, the beards are very long, and in one it is plaited ; their cloaks are fastened with brooches on the right breast. In one of the Kells crosses there are some military figures, armed with cir- cular shields, spears, and swords ; a group of horsemen, with round targets and conical caps ; and on the west side of the base of the street cross, there is a remarkable group of five fighting figures, two armed with spears, and holding shields of a peculiar lunette shape ; the three others having SAvords and round targets. * Dr. Petiie alone could write such a work as that sketched in the text. Mr. G. V. Du Noyer lately presented to the Academy a most valuable collection of draw- ings of sculptured crosses, and other incised stones. (See page 252.) It is to be hoped that some day they may be published. Mr. O'Neill has recently published folio lithographs of several of our Irish crosses ; and it is to be regretted that so picturesque and expensive a work should not have attached to it some letter- p;ess descriptions of antiquarian value, instead of unworthy personalities and unseemly criticisms upon established facts, respecting the origin and uses of the Kound Towers. CLASS IV. — ANIMAL materials: COSTUME. 303 Where the military figures are in tolerable preservation, and when viewed in a particular light, we can always trace the shield, with its central umbo^ or boss ; and on many, the broad spear, the curved-handled celt, and the long iron sword, with the straight cross-guard, resembling the Danish pattern ; but we do not find the very ancient leaf-shaped bronze sword any- where represented. The magnificent crosses of Monasterboiceare covered with human figures, chiefly, however, connected with scriptural subjects. An examination of some in the compartments upon the short cross erected by IMuiredach, the Tanist Abbot of Armagh, about the middle of the ninth century, will assist the present inquiry. In each of the three compartments on the west side there is a group of three figures, evidently the same personages repeated. The history Avhich these sculptures are intended to commemorate evidently commences in the loAvest entablature, where an ecclesiastic in a long cloak, fastened with a brooch, and holding a staff in his hand, stands between two figures, either soldiers or robbers, each armed with a long Danish sword, and dressed in a tight jerkin and trunk hose, plaited round the thigh, and ending above the knee. Both have long moustaches', and their head-dresses consist of close caps falling behind, not unlike the present Neapolitan cap. Some of these resemble, in a remarkable manner, the illumi- nations figured in the Book of Kells, previously described. In the compartment over this, the same personages are repre- sented as students, each with a book, but the soldiers have assumed the ecclesiastical garb, although they retain the moustache. In the top compartment, the figures are again re- peated, all in long flowing dresses, the central one — then, per- haps, aged, or at the point of death — is represented giving his staff to one, and his book to the other of his former assailants.* * See the Author's* work upon " The Beauties of the Boyne, and its Tributaiy the Blackwater," Second Edition, p. 302, containing the woodcut illustrating th legend mentioned in the text, and also the cut (Fig. 194) on the next page. 304 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. In the accompanying illustration, drawn by Mr. Wakeman, in 1846, from another compartment of this cross, is shown a scene, which probably represents an execution. In the left- hand corner is seated a figure, perhaps a judge or Brehon, wearing a long gown or tunic, which reaches nearly to the feet, and a head-dress which falls over the shoulders. The right hand holds a curved drinking-horn, possibly figurative of some judi- cial ceremony, and on the lap rest a long, straight sword, and round buck- ^^s- ^^■^• ler. These may, however, belong to the next figure, who is armed with a celt or curved implement, held in the left hand, which is upraised, as if in the act of striking the third figure, which kneels before it. This second figure has a shorter tunic than the first, and a small hood or cape hanging from the head and shoulders. The right hand holds either some article at- tached to the captive's feet, or a sort of paddle ; but which, owing to the great age and weather exposure of this cross, it is now difficult to determine. The captive has a conical cap, and is armed with a circular shield, and a long Danish sword. The left hand is raised to the head, and the figure seems to shrink from the impending blow of its adversary. The fourth resem- bles the second in costume, and merely carries a shield. The effigies on our later sepulchral monuments are, with few exceptions, to be described hereafter, those of Anglo-Nor- mans or Anglo-Irish ; and they do not differ much from the same class of representations in Great Britain. If we seek for documentary evidence before the period of the Anglo-Norman invasion, the earliest accessible authority upon the subject of costume is the " Book of Rights," already CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS: COSTUME. 305 quoted in this work. There, among the tributes paid by the different states or kingdoms of the Irish Pentarchy, we read of the cloak or brat, the outer garment, — of which the fol- lowing varieties are specified : — "A thousand cloaks notAvhite, — speckled cloaks, — cloaks with Avhite borders, — red cloaks, — red cloaks not black, — blue cloaks, — royal cloaks, — green cloaks," — and "green cloaks of even colour, — cloaks of strength, — coloured cloaks, — chequered cloaks of lasting colours, — napped cloaks, with the first sewing, which are trimmed with purple, — purple cloaks of fine brilliance, — purple cloaks of fine texture, — pm'ple cloaks of four points, — and cloaks with golden borders." The cochall, hooded cloak or cowl, is seldom men- tioned among these tributes. The matal (which word is not translated by O'Donovan), was probably smaller than the cloak, and may have been worn beneath it, or as an ordinary coat, and it is remarkable that on only one occasion, where we read of its having a " golden border," is it mentioned that that article of dress was deco- rated; but we read of "fair beautiful matals, — royal matals," and also of "matals soft in texture."* The tunic, inar, formed a considerable portion of the an- cient tributes, and is described as " brown red, — deep red, — with golden borders, — with gold ornaments, — with golden hems," — and also " with red gold." The leann, translated by O'Donovan " mantle," would appear to have been a white woollen garment, probably a sort of loose shirt, but, from its being almost invariably mentioned along with "coats of mail," it lends probability to the conjec- ture that it was only used in connexion with armour. Thus, the chief of Cinel Eanna was entitled, among other tributes, to receive "five mantles, five coats of mail;" and the king * " Matal was probably another name for the Fallaing, which in latter ages was ap- plied to the outer covering or cloak ; but this is far from certain. Matal is applied in Leabhar Breac to the outer garment worn by the Redeemer." — See note to Lcabhar na g-Ceart, p. 38. 306 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. of Tulach Og, to "fifty mantles, fifty coats of mail,"* — but "mantles [leanna'] of deep purple" are also enumerated. When flax and hemp were first introduced, has not been recorded. Linen shirts were in use at the time of the English invasion, and are said to have been of immense size, and dyed a saffron colour. Notwithstanding the suitability of our soil to the growth of flax, it was only on the suppression of our woollen manufacture and the introduction of the Huguenot and Dutch settlers into Ulster, that this article of native produce attained celebrity. f We do not possess any specimen of ancient linen in the Academy's Collection ; and the only articles con- taining flax or hempen fibre of any great age are the sewings of some vellum manuscripts, in particular the Leabhar na h-Uidhre ; but several of our old works of that class are sewn to horse-skin bands, with strong twisted silk. The variegated and glowing colours, as well as the gorgeous decorations of the difierent articles of dress enumerated in the Book of Rights, added to the brilliancy of the arms, must have rendered the Irish costume of the eighth and ninth centuries very attractive. It Is remarkable that, except helmets, Be- nean, In his relation of the Tributes and Taxes, does not enu- merate any form of head-dress. Most of the Irish appear to have used their luxuriant hair as a natural covering for the head, even in the time of Elizabeth, and the only term em- ployed by authors for our ancient head-dress is that of bar- read (from the mediaeval Latin word, birretum), a high co- nical cap, somewhat between that known as the Phiygian, * The subject of mail and armour will be considered under the head of Bronze and Iron Weapons. Dr. 0' Donovan has afforded the writer the following note : — " The word lean (which has nothing to do with leine, a linen shirt) is explained in a MS. in Trinity College Library, H. 3, 18, p. 75, and in Cormac's Glossary, sub voce lenn, as a white brat of wool ; and the word is understood in this sense by Colgan and the writers of the seventeenth century. The word is simply rendered brat by O'Clery." The Gaulish term lenna occurs in Isidore. t See an Essay on " The French Settlers," in the Ulster Journal of Archajolugy, vol. i., page 209. CLASS IV. — ANIMAL materials: COSTUME. 307 which was common in England in Saxon times, and the pointed grenadier's cap of the last century, or the present Persian, with which all oriental travellers are acquainted ;* but the material of which it was composed has not been determined ; perhaps it was formed of different textures or skins. The Irish helmet, of which we possess a specimen, was of this shape. In the plan or perspective view of the taking of the Earl of Ormond in 1600, preserved in the Libraxy of Trinity Col- lege, the figure of O'More is represented in a short, red cloak, fringed round the neck, a high conical cap or barread of alight colour, and tight-fitting pantaloons. Cloaks — the cochall, and ihefallaing — were, however, the chief articles of dress in early times, but were probably different either in shape or material. In Cormac's Glossary, the former term is derived from the Latin cucuUus; and, says Ledwich, "if any reliance is to be placed on the legendary life of St. Cadoc, cited by Ware, the Irish cocula, in the middle of the sixth century, was a cloak, with a fringe [such perhaps as that figured at p. 295] or shaggy border at the neck, with a hood to cover the head."t — Antiquities of Ireland, p. 359. Scarlet cloaks were commonly worn by the Irish chieftains in the fourteenth century, and, as already stated at page 297, dark crimson-red was the prevailing colour of those used by * Th3 cap of rushes made by children gives a good idea of the ancient barread^ of which it is possibly an imitation. The old leprechaun, or fairy shoe-maker, was always described as wearing knee breeches and a conical cap ; although the modems usually represent him in a three- cocked hat. f Mr. Whitley Stokes' " Irish Glosses," published by the Archasological and Celtic Society, contains much valuable information on the true etymology of these Irish words ; and will be a lasting monument of the deep learning and vast research of the author. CooaZZ glosses Cassulla, and is, he says, one of those Celtic words which, by the influence of the Church, has become universal. " The Cvculla, some- times called casula and capa, consisted of the body and the hood, the latter of which was sometimes specially termed the casula.'''' In the Breton it is koitgoul^ in Cornish cugol, and in English cowl. Sltstan, according to the same writer, was "probably a cloak covering the thighs and hams," — anAfallaing, a mantle, may, he says, be connected with pallium ; and he quotes the AVelsh expression in which the same word 308 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. the female peasantry until the last few years. In early times the cloak was furnished with a hood, which could be drawn over the head like the Suliote capote ; but it does not seem to have been worn much longer than the time of Spenser, when enactments were made forbidding its use.* It was fastened either in front or on the right breast with a pin or brooch ; and the very general use of this and other cloak or scarf-like gar- ments may account for the circumstance of so many fibulae of different kinds being found in this country. Walker, in his " Historical Essay on the Dress of the Irish," gives the figure of a king draped Avith a long flowing cloak, fastened with a brooch across the breast, and reacliing to the ground (see Plate V. Fig. I). This he calls the " canahhas!' It was a long, grace- ful robe or cloak used by kings, brehons, and priests, and of Avhich we have a vestige in the heavy-caped frieze cota-mor of the modern Irish, often worn hanging from the shoulders. The ancient cloak, no doubt, varied in shape, size, and probably co- lour, at different times and in different localities ; but it was evidently the analogue of the sagum of the Celtic Gauls, de- scribed by Plutarch as " parti-coloured ;" the thick, woollen Isena of the Belgae ; the reno of the early Germans ; the chlamys of the Greeks ; the pallium or toga of the Romans ; the bornous of the Arab ; the plaid of the Highlander ; the capote of the Al- is used, mal y Gwyddyl am y ffaling, "like the Irishman for the cloak." In a MS., quoted in the same work, we find broit buit used in a passage thus translated, " an old man in a yellow cloak, in a blue tunic of full size," which, while it explains the meaning of the word brat, is also illustrative of the colours used in Irish costume. * In Dineley's Account of his Visit to Ireland in the reign of Charles II., pub- lished by Mr. E. P. Shirley in the Kilkenny Archieological Journal, it is stated — " The common people of both sexes weare no shoos, after the English fashion, but a sort of pumps called brogues. The vulgar Irish women's garments are loose-body'd without any manner of stiffening." And again, of these common Irish, he states — " Never at any time using hats, after y« manner of the vulgar English, but covering and defending their heads from rain with a mantle, as also from the heat of the sunne to which Spanish lazy use the Irish men apply their cloaks." — Vol. i., N. S., p. 186. CLASS IV. — ANIMAL materials: COSTUME. 309 banian ; and the abbas of the Turk and most oriental people, including the Hebrews. In the twelfth century, Giraldus Cambrensis thus briefly describes the costume of the Irish: they "wear thin, woollen clothes, mostly black, because the sheep of Ireland are in gene- ral of that colour; the dress itself is of a barbarous fashion; they wear cappuces, which spread over their shoulders, and reach down to the elbow. These upper coverings are made of fabrics of different textures, Avith others of divers colours stitched on them in stripes. Under these they wear woollen fallings {plia- Z/w^ffi) instead of the pallium, and large loose breeches and stock- ings in one piece, and generally dyed of some colour." — Topo- graphia HibernicB, Book iii., chap. ix. This description of the braccfe or trowsers accords perfectly with a specimen of this portion of dress in the Academy's Collection. The same author tells us that the native Irish went "naked and unarmed to battle;" by which latter assertion he must have meant, unprovided with defensive armour, in contradistinction to the Anglo-Norman soldiery, who, at that period, wore metal breast-plates and helmets. That armour had, however, been used by some classes of the Irish, is proved by the fact, that "coats of mail" (in Irish luireachn, from the Latin lorica) are enumerated among the Irish tributes, at least two centuries prior to the visit of the Welsh historian. (See Book of Rights.) The former statement is possibly founded on fact ; for we know that another Celtic race, the Highlanders of Scot- land, stripped off the greater portion of their clothes at the battle of Killiecrankie, several hundred years later. From an illuminated copy of Giraldus, in the possession of Sir Thomas Phillipps, Bart., some small sketclies have been given by Mr. Blanche, in his History of Costume, in which the cloak and trews, as well as a short jacket, like the bau- neen, or flannel vest of the modern Connemara peasant, are represented. Diarmaid Macmurrough is figured in a short tunic and tight trews ; with a long beard, and uncovered 310 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. head, as shown in the accompanying figure, given the na- tural size, from the drawing in the original manuscript, and for which we are indebted to that distinguished antiquary, Mr. Albert Way. The ex-king of Leinster being at that time an ally of the English, this portrait may very probably have been taken from life. He is armed with a long-handled hatchet or battle- axe, the blade of which is shaped like some specimens in the Museum (see the Iron Collection in the Southern Com- partment on the ground-floor, Trays I and k). It does not resemble the galloAvglass axe of later times ; but is that known by the name of the Sparthe — a ^'■sparthe de Hibernia" such as " Gentle Mortimer" had in his ar- moury at Wigmore Castle, in 1322. The hair is sandy; the tunic or short coat (inar) is of a brown colour, fastened round the waist with a belt, and bound tightly to the wrists with bands, that were probably ornamented. The tight- fitting trews are green. Of tliis memorable Irish character, Giraldus elsewhere says : "Dermon Mac Morogh was a tall man of stature, and of a large and great bodie, a valiant and a bold warrior in his nation ; and by reason of his continuall lialowing and crieng, his voice Avas hoarse : he rather choce and decided to be feared than to be loved : a great oppressor of his nobilitie, but a great advancer of the poore and weake. To his owne people he was rough and greevous, and hatefuU to strangers ; he would be against all men, and all men against him."* Fig. 195. * " Sylvester Giraldus Cambrensis, liis vaticinall Historie of the Conquest of Ire- land," book I., chap. vi. Hooker's Translation, 1587. CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS: COSTUME. 311 Mr. Way has also furnlslied us with the two following illustrations from the same source. That given below (Fig. 196) shows the short cloak or fallaing of olive green, like those in the Book of Kells, already described at page 300.* The trews are, in the original, of a light brown; this figure also wields the sparthe or bat- tle-axe, but with a shorter handle than in the fore- going. The third figure, also procured from the same rare manuscript, is one of great interest. It represents a scribe seated in a bird-cage chair (such as existed in many * In that truly national work, " The Sculptured Stones of Scotland," published by the Spalding Club, we find many examples of costume that serve to illustrate, in a remarkable manner, the dress of the ancient Irish, or the Celtic race generally. The hooded cloak or cochall, in particular, is so well represented as to leave no doubt respecting its shape, and the way in which it was worn. See, in particular, the plate of the incised pillar-stone at St. Madoe's, near Perth. On that monument there are three equestrian figures, not unlike those from the Book of Kells, repre- sented at page 300 of this work ; each is in the same attitude, with the legs projected forwards, and the body covered with a short triangular cloak, the hood of which is carried up over the head. Every day's observation and research bring to light new affinities with early Irish costume, and it is only by a careful study and comparison of the primitive pictorial representations of other countries with the memorials still existing in our own, that we can form a fair idea of the early costume of the Irish. In the great French work, " Herculaneum et Pompeii,''^ torn, v., pi. 20, there is a battle scene copied from a mosaic at Pompeii, in which the arms and dress of the combatants are almost identical with those of ancient Ireland. It is supposed to represent the battle of Arbela, between Darius and Alexander; but it is just as likely to illustrate an en- gagement with the Gauls. The vanquished are clothed with tight-fitting trowsers, close tunics, several of which are plaided, and cloaks with the hood coming over the head, precisely like the Irish cochall. The chief figures wear torques round the neck, and bracelets on the wri.sts. Some fight in chariots, and are armed with bows and Y 312 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. Fig. 197. parts of the country until very lately) ; before him is a desk, which supports the work he is engaged on, and underneath is the inscription, " The Scribe Avriting the marvellous Kildare Gospels." The person is probably an ecclesiastic, as the top of the head is shaved. He wears a short jacket of greenish-brown, fringed round the lower edge ; the trowsers are light brown ; and from beneath the desk hangs a short drapery of a green hue, probably a fold of his cloak. The right hand holds a pen, and in the left is what appears to represent a knife, and with which he keeps the page in its place. In each of the figures the braccaj fit tight to the ankles ; and the shoes or buskins, which are long and pointed, rise high over the instep, like those seen in the Knockmoy fresco, described at page 318.* " The arrows, long spears, and leaf-shaped swords. Besides the torques round the neck, slender, twisted bars, apparently of metal, encircle the arms, a short distance below the shoulder. In some of the figures the hood is retained in its place by a narrow frontlet, apparently of gold. The colour of the garments in the figures on the mosaic are also peculiarly Irish. In some, the cloak is yellow; the mantle, dark red; and the tunic, purple, edged with white. This latter is, moreover, sprinkled with triple stars of gold, arranged after precisely the same fashion as those figured in the Book of KeUs (see Figs. 191, 192, and 193). The chariot in which the principal figure stands, resembles some of those figured on our sculptured crosses. The charioteer wears a pointed cap, a green tunic, and a tartan vest. The head-dress of others is yellow. All the vanquished wear beards, and their hoods or head-dresses envelop their chins. My attention was called to this remarkable plate by Mr. C. M. O'Keeffe, a writer who has devoted much attention to the subject of Irish costume. Virgil's de- scription of the dress of the Gauls accords, in almost every particular, with the foregoing : jEn. viii. For other illustrations of costume, see Dr. Petrie's essay on the " Seals of Irish Chiefs," in the Irish Penny Journal, page 35 G. * Among the references to early Irish costume given in our Irish MSS., we read of the Tuighean, or the chief poet's cloak, composed of the skins of birds, evidently those of water-fowl. See Cormac's Glossary, also the " Dialogues ofthe Two Sages" in the Library of Trinity College. " Tuigen, quasi toigen, from toga, for the toga is vestis pretiosissima, a kind of most precious garment. Aliter tuigen, i. e tiiig-efi, for CLASS IV. —ANIMAL materials: COSTUME. 313 Irish, like the Gauls," says Lynch, " wore shoes with long, slender, conical tops, and only one sole, for the greater celerity in running." — Cambrensis E versus, chap. xiii. Sir James Ware says — " A frieze cloak, with a fringed or shagged border, was the outward garment of the Irish, and this they wore almost down to the ankles." And his com- mentator, Harris, adds — "The Irish mantle, Avith the fringed or shagged border sowed down the edges of it, was not always made of frize or such coarse materials, which was the dress of the lower sort of people ; but, according to the rank or quality of the wearer, was sometimes made of the finest cloth, bordered with a silken or fine woollen fringe, and of scarlet and other various colours. Many rowes of this shaggor fringe were sowed on the upper part of the mantle, partly for ornament, and partly to defend the neck the better from the cold, and along the edges run a narrow fringe of the same sort of texture."* Although the word ^//a^«^ or Jilleadh is not met with in Irish works older than the twelfth century, both the article and the name have come down to modern times, for fifty years have not elapsed since it was worn in parts of the west of Ireland. This garment consisted of a triangular piece of home-made, wool-dyed, blue cloth, with the corners rounded off, and about two yards wide. It was carried up over the head, and fastened on the breast by an iron pin or dealg^ and, being of a trian- gular shape, and worn somewhat like a scarf, shawl, or shep- herd's plaid, a fresh portion could be brought up on the shoulders from day to day. It Avas popularly called ixfaullen.\ the tuigen of the poets is made of the skins of white and variously-coloured birds ; up to the girdle it is of the necks of drakes, and from the girdle to the neck, of their tufts." — Cor. Gloss., in voce Tuigen. * The Antiquities of Ireland. Dubhn, 1762. Fol., vol. ii., p. 17.5. t The triangular shape and rounded corners of this /aZ/ai'n^ contrasts with that form of cloak described at page 305, as having "four corners." No doubt this was the Irishman's plaid, which, when the Scot economized, he called it a fil- leadh-beg {fillibeg), the Httle fiUaing or kilt. Another outer garment worn in Y 2 314 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. Even yet many of the female peasantry, and all the beggars in the south and west, use, out of doors, a sheet, quilt, or blanket, as a mantle or outer covering, generally draAvn up over the head, and {listened on the breast, as described above. The ancient Celtic hraccce^ the bracked, speckled, striped, chequered, or many-coloured leg coverings, called in the na- tive tongue truis or frmbhais, do not require any general de- scription here, as this garment is figured at page 327 (see Fig. 207). In the illuminated metrical French history of the Irish campaign of Richard II., published in the Archasologia, vol. XX., we find many curious references to the state of the country, the mode of warfare, and the costume of that period. One of the illustrations represents Art Mac Murroughon horseback, riding fiercely down a mountain pass, bare-footed, without a saddle, and in the act of casting a long spear. His costume consists of a conical cap of the Persian shape, a Avide cloak flowing loosely on the shoulders, and an inner spotted gar- ment with sleeves, descending like a gown or skirt to the ankles. He also wears a long and rather pointed beard, ac- cording to the ancient custom of the Irish.* The whole figure resembles some of those represented in the Nineveh sculptures. Strutt asserts, but does not state on what authority, that the chieftain's robe was "light pink." Behind their chief ride two mounted warriors, also armed with spears, and with the Ireland some years ago was the " Jock-coat" often of frieze, a long great-coat, with sleeves, a hood or cape, and a broad belt which fastened it round the waist. It was worn by both sexes, and, for a time, became fashionable in the upper ranks, even as now the ancient Irish brooch is admitted to polite society, and the crimson cloak of the Claddagh is esteemed becoming. In addition to the various references already given, the reader is referred to articles on " The Ancient Dress of the Irish," in "The Celt" for 1858, pp. 46 and G5 ; and in the Ulster Journal of Archisology, vol. v., p. 93, and vol. vi., p. 316. * Wearing the beard long, as we know the ancient Irish did, serves to account for the circumstance of no ancient bronze razors having been discovered in this country, while such articles, as well as tweezers, are found in Denmark in the great- est abundance. Tiiey decrease in frequency as they approach the north. CLASS IV. — ANIMAL materials: COSTUME. 315 hoods of their cloaks drawn over their heads, they present all the characters of the fiercest Bedouin tribes.* One ancient specimen of native art still remains in the country ; the curious fresco painted on the wall of the Abbey of Knockmoy, near Tuam, county of Galvvay ; a full-sized copy of which, made by Mr. Macmanus for the Dublin Ex- hibition in 1853, now hangs in the tea-room of the Academy. It consists of two portions : the lower represents the oft-re- peated scene of the martyrdom of St. Sebastian, naked, bound to a tree, and pierced with arrows ; with two archers in the act of drawing their bows. To the right of the centre there is a very fine sitting figure, representing the Almighty, having onthehead anitnbiis, resembling one of our golden semilunar or- naments ; the right hand is raised in the act of benediction, and in the left is some square object, believed to be part of across. Beyond this figure is an imperfect one of a recording angel, holding a balance, but its outlines are much effaced. An opinion, first promulgated by Ledwich, has long existed, that this scene represents the execution of young Diarmaid, the son of Mac Murrough, King of Leinster, when he was a hos- tage with Roderic O'Conor, King of Connaught, at the time * It is more than probable that all the inhabitants of the British isles wore a cos- tume common to the Gauls and Germans at th^same period ; for Tacitus, writing in the first century, says of the Germans, they wear " a loose mantle (sagum), made fast with a clasp, or, when that cannot be had, with a thorn. The rich wear a garment, not, indeed, displayed and flowing, like the Parthians or the people of Sarmatia, but drawn so tight that the form of the limbs is palpably expressed." — De Mor. Ger., sec. xvii.— Here we have a perfect description of tlie brat or mantle, and the braccse or trews ; and the former, moreover, fastened, like the Irish, with a thorn or dealg. Again, the same author, in his History, describing Cajcina, the ViteUian general, says, he wore a party-coloured mantle, and breeches, used only by savage na- tions, and not by the Romans. In the twelfth century, we read in Johnstone's edition of the '■'■ Antiquitates Celto-Scmidicai," that Harold Gillius wore an Irish cloak: ^^ Hihernico fire vtehatur amictu veste nimirum ciirta cuique." — p. 246. This chieftain, it is said, generally wore the Irish dress, viz., "a shirt, and braccae extending to the ankles, bound by latchets beneath the soles of the feet ; an Irish cap on his head ; besides, he carried a spear in his hand." — p. 248. See also Laing's translation of " T/ie Heimskringla" vol. iii., p. 194. 316 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. of the Anglo-Norman invasion in 1172. When, however, the question was brought under the notice of the Academy in 1853, Dr. Todd showed clearly that the subject of the painting was the martyrdom of St. Sebastian,* and not the exe- cution of one of the hostages at Athlone, 230 years before the picture was painted. See " Proceedings," vol. vi., p. 3. In the upper compartment there are six crowned figures, — three skeletons, and three draped kings, — the popular medie- val Moralite, entitled " Le dit des trois morts et des trois vifsf' but believed by Irish antiquaries to represent living and extinct members of the O'Conor line.t It has been proved that this work was executed about the year 1400, by Connor O'Eddichan, a native artist, for Malachy O'Kelly, chieftain of Hy-Many, who also caused a monument to be erected in that abbey, to the memory of himself and his wife, Finola. If the original interpretation of Ledwich and others were correct, we should here have undisputed evidence of the costume of the Irish in three grades of society, — king, brehon, and soldier, — either of the period which the drawing Avas in- tended to illustrate, or the day of the artist who designed it ; but that has not been proved. With, however, the exception of the piincipal figure in the lower compartment, which is undoubtedly that of the Deity, the garb of all the others ap- pears to be Irish. The archers are clad in tight yellow hose or braccje, and short, greenish jackets, fastened round the waist with a belt, * In the famous fresco painting by Pietro Perugino, in the church of Panicali, in Italy, representing the martyrdom of St. Sebastian, there is a figure of the Deity in precisely the same attitude as that in the Knockmoy fresco ; and even the colouring of the robe is the same : yet Pietro did not flourish till the end of the fifteenth century. See the Chromo-Lithograph, published by the Arundel Society in 1856. f See Mr. Curry's letter to Dr. Todd, printed in the Proceedings, vol. v., p. 3. See, also, Dr. Petrie's description of the fresco, in the Dublin Penny Journal, vol. i., p. 2. The public are indebted for the preservation and exhibition of this ancient monument of Irish art to the zeal of Dr. Lentaigne. A somewhat similar mural painting, and of about the same age, exists in the church of Ditchingham, Norfolk. — See the Archaeological Journal, vol. v., p. 69. CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS: COSTUME. 317 wliich also holds the quiver. One is bare-headed, and the other wears a small conical head-dress, known as the Phrygian cap, in which the Anglo-Saxon peasantry are occasionally re- presented (see Fig. 198). Their bows resemble those used in England in the eighth century, in which the strings are " not made fast to the extremities, but permitted to play at some distance from them."* This figure measures 5 feet 3 inches ; the left arm and part of the bow have been eiFaced. Fig. 198. Fig. 199. The royal personages, of whom the central figure, 5 feet 1 1 inches high, including the crown, is represented above, are also partially obliterated. They are dressed mostly alike ; each^wears a loose green tunic, with a white border, gathered roundthe waist by a belt, and also a short, green cloak, to- gether with a thick roll of stuff round the neck. The artist evidently intended to represent a hawking scene. In this figure there are indistinct indications of the bird which was held on the left wrist ; while the right hand appears to have been raised, as if in the act of caressing it. The dress of the third * Strutt's " Sports aud Pastimes of the People of England," London, 1845, p. 49. 318 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. king, who is armed Avith a sword, differs slightly from that of his companions ; he appears to have just flown his hawk, a fragment of the painting of which still remains, as shown in the foregoing cut, Fig. 199. Each of the figures in this painting, kings and archers, wears precisely the same descrip- tion of buskin or half boot, slit at the side. As regards costume, the most remarkable features con- nected with these figures are the crowns. They appear to be merely emblematical, in accordance with the conventional mode of representing a king at that period. Those on the heads of the kings are evidently the same as the contempora- neous English crowns of the time of Edward III., when, indeed, the current coin of this country bore that image. Those on the skeletons are of an earlier date. Moreover, no proof has yet been adduced to show that the Irish kings or chieftains ever wore crowns of this description, or that corona3, or any such insignia of royalty, were used at their inaugura- tion.* The magnificent golden diadems, which we still pos- sess, are of a totally different description from those of British crowns. For the further consideration of this subject, see the section on Gold.t * The crowns of gold and silver, with precious stones, used as decorations of our early shrines, or placed upon the heads of figures of the Virgin, &c., &c., or sus- pended in various parts of our early churches, afford no proof whatever of such articles having been used as emblems of royalty by any of the Irish kings. See Petrie's " Ecclesiastical Architecture of Ireland and Round Towers, &c.," in the Transactions, R. I. A., vol. XX., pp. 196, 204. f As a good example of the pleonastic, inflated style of historical romance-writers, as well as to afford an idea of the traditional Irish costume, the following description of the dress of Conn of the Hundred Battles, extracted from Mr. Curry's " 'I'ranslation of the Battle of Magh Leana," said to have been fought before our Christian era, will serve as an illustration of the foregoing text : — " Then Conn arose, and put upon his fair skin and beautiful body his battle-axe and combat suit, namely, his dark-gray, flowing, long, wide, skin shirt, with its three beautiful, varied, well-coloured wheels [brooches] of gold in it. He put on his well-fitting coat of distinction, made of wonderful cloth of the flock-abounding, beautiful land of promise, bound with girdles and buttons, and with embroidered borders of red gold, so that it fitted to every part CLASS IV. — ANIMAL materials: COSTUME. 319 Both sides of the large, bone book-cover, referred to at page 255, are elaborately carved with quaint devices ; and on the external surface is displayed a shield, bearing the heraldic device of the Fitzgeralds, beneath which is a group of figures, which, by permission of the owner of the article, we are here enabled to present, as another illustration of Irish costume, of about the same period as that of the Knockmoy fresco just described. It represents five figures engaged in some sort of game ; each is clothed with a short jerkin or tunic, made full, and plaited below the waist, with slashed sleeves, which are also striped and parti- coloured. They also Avear striped and plaited vests, and two of them have knee-breeches. All may have been intended to be so clad ; but there are three not so ■which could be touched by the sharp point of a hard needle, from the top of his head to the calves of his legs. Outside this, he put on a heavy, firm, strong-ringed coat of mail, with its firm head-piece of the same kind. He put his Ught, strong leg- armour, made of fine spun-thread of finndruine, upon his legs, giving a dignity to his noble carriage, and being a protection against cutting, and a support in resistance. He put his two lacerating gloves upon his hands, having the colour of snow freely to be seen upon them, and possessing the attribute of victory in the field of battle, and that no erring cast should be thrown from them, by day or by night. He put upon his neck his easy, thick, noble, Ught collar, and upon his head his diadem [wiiTire] of a chief king, in which were fifty carbuncle gems of the beautiful rare stones of eastern India, artistically set with beautiful, bright silver, and with well-coloured gold, and with other precious stones. He placed his blue, sharp-edged, rich-hilted sword at his convenience, and his strong, triumphant, wonderful, firm, embossed shield, of beautiful devices, upon the convex slope of his back. He grasped his two thick-headed, wide-socketed, battle spears, with their rings of gold upon their necks." — See " Cath Mhuighe Leana" published by the Celtic Society, p. 111. Of the same class, both in style and description, is the following account, written in 1459, of Donagh Mac Namara, chief of Claun Cuilen, in Tliomond, harnessing him- self for battle : — " His noble garment wag first brought to him, viz., a strong, well- formed, close-ridged, defensively-furrowed, terrific, neat-bordered, new-made, and scarlet-red cassock, of fidelity ; he expertly put on that gold-bordered garment [or cotun], which covered him as far from the lower part of his soft, fine, red-white neck, to the upper part of his expert, snow-white, round-knotted knee. Over that mantle he put on a full-strong, white-topped, wide-round, gold-bordered, straight, and parti- coloured coat of mail, well-fitting, and ornamented with many devices of exquisite workmanship. He put on a beautiful, narrow, thick, and saflion- coloured belt of 320 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. highly finished as the two others. They have all long, flow- ing hair ; two are bare-headed ; two wear round hats with up- Fig. 200. turned brims,* and the fifth is crowned with a peculiar head- dress, possibly belonging to the game, and decorated with war, embellished with clasps and buckles, set with precious stones, and hung with golden tassels ; to this belt was hung his active and trusty lance, regularly cased in a tubic sheath, but that it was somewhat greater in height than the height of the sheath ; he squeezed the brilliant, gilt, and starry belt about the coat of mail ; and a long, blue-edged, bright-steeled, sharp-pointed, broad-sided, active, white-backed, half-polished, monstrous, smooth-bladed, small-thick, and well-fashioned dagger was fixed in the tie of that embroidered and parti -coloured belt; a white-embroidered, full-wide, strong, and well-wove hood (p sabal) was put on him over his golden mail ; he himself laid on his head a etrong-cased, spherical-towering, polished- shining, branch-engraved, long-enduring helmet; he took his edged, smooth-bladed, letter-graved, destructive, sharp-pointed, fight-taming, sheathed, gold-guarded, and girded sword, which he tied fast in haste to his side ; he took his expert, keen-pointed* blue-coloured, and neat-engraved dart in his active right hand, in order to cast it at the valiant troops, his enemies ; and last, he took his vast-clubbed, strong- eyed, straight-lanced, fierce-smoking, and usual spear in his left, pushing and smiting therewith." — See O'Donovan's Introduction to the Archieological edition of the Battle ofMagh Rath, p. 13. Our Irish historians have not done much towards the elucidation of early national costume, and no native novelist has yet appeared with the Scott-like power of blend- ing fiction with fact, or fusing histoiy with romance. One of the few attempts at the introduction of Irish costume into such a work is that made by Maturin, in his ro- mance of "The Milesian Chief," — vol. i., p. 127. * In the sketch of the Irish Court of Exchequer, engraved from an original drawn in the reign of Henry IV"., which is in the Ked Book in the Chief Eemembrancer's CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATRIALS : COSTUME. 321 three feathers. The external figures are represented in the act of throwing rings or quoits, and the central one is armed with a short, straight sword, like No. 158, on Tray H, in the Collection of Iron Articles. Although but rudely sketched, this group possesses much character, and is, most likely, accu- rate in costume. Upon the reverse side, the ornamental engraving is pecu- liarly Irish. This bone, which is 19? inches long, 11^ wide, and ^ thick, Avas found in the neighbourhood of Swords, county of Dublin. The figures are drawn to scale, and in the original the tallest is 2| inches in height. On the old seal of the Corporation of Dublin there are se- veral figures, whose costume, possibly that of the fifteenth century, merits inspection. Enlarged drawings of three of these, figured below, from gutta percha impressions in the Academy's collection, afiford examples of the dress, arms, and musical instruments of that period. The first (Fig. 201) is that of the steersman seated in the stern of the ancient galley, Fig. 201. Fig. 202. which forms a portion of the City Arms ; and in which, figures representing the Mayor, the Recorder, and the Corporation cup-bearer, are seated. The head-dress is evidently the hood or cowl of the ancient cochall cloak. The second illustra- tion (Fig. 102) is that of a soldier firing a cross-bow from the office, two of the figures, apparently officers of the court, wear hats similarly shaped. See "Proceedings and Transactions of the Kilkenny and South-East of Ireland Ar- chaeological Society," vol. iii., p. 46. 322 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. top of one of the turrets over tlie city gate. His arm projects from the surcoat commonly worn at that period, and on his head is a conical cap or helmet, strengthened with radiating bars of iron, and in shape combining the form of the Phrygian cap, the high barread, and the pointed galloglass helmet.* The mode of pressing the spring trigger of the cross-bow is well shown in the old seal, which exhibits much greater accu- racy both in design and execution than the modern one now in use. The third figure (103), which wears a cap someAvhat similar to the foregoing, is that of a warder on the topmost tower, blowing a short, curved horn. Other figures, bare- headed, are represented on the lower towers, blowing long and nearly straight horns.f The caricatures attached to Derricke's doggrel " Image of Ireland," written in 1578, apparently to pander to the worst tastes of the times of Sydney, Fynes Morrison, and Spenser, are not of much value as specimens of the costume of the "Irish Wood-Kearne ;" they were drawn to ridicule.^ In these drawings, published in 1581, Ave find four varieties of costume. The English soldiers are depicted with breastplates and head-pieces of iron. The Irish peasantiy wear two dif- ferent kinds of dress : in one we have, in the words of the author, " the coate of strange device which fancie first did breade," — the jerkin with short skirts having *' pleates set thicke abot" the waist, and open-work sleeves after the Spanish fashion. Beneath the jacket depend the plaits of what appears to be the shirt, hanging like a kilt, "Avith pleates on pleates as thick as pleates may lye, Avliose sieves hang trailing doune almost unto the shoe." Other figures of the " meer Irish karne" * A precisely similar cap covers a figure in the "Norman dress of the twelfth century, from Harl. MS., 1526 or 1527." See Fosbrook's Encyclopedia of Antiqui- ties, vol. ii., p. 835. t This seal has been engraved in Malton's Views of Dublin, and there is also a rude representation of it in the Dublin Penny Journal, vol. ii., p. 4. J See the Somers Collection of Tracts edited by Sir Walter Scott in 1809, vol.' i. CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS: COSTUME. 323 given by Derricke, are only clad in the cloak or mantle, and some are armed with galloglass axes. The Irish chieftains are all in long loose cloaks, deeply fringed round the neck, and down the breast, Avear chequered vests, and have tall, coni- cal barread caps, also cross-barred, and covered Avith plumes of cocks' feathers. The Irish cavalry are clad in shirts of ring- mail, and are armed with long spears, broad-pointed falchion- shaped swords, and small round shields. Of about the same period is the unique print said to be "draAvn after the qvicke" now in the Douce collection of the Bodleian Library, for which painting a number of Irish chief- tains were, it would seem, good enough to stand in melodra- matic attitudes, Avith drawn swords and uplifted poniards, in the act of stabbing each other, to be sketched by the artist ! Although the legs and feet are bare, their jackets are beauti- fidly ornamented, and they are enveloped in long flowing robes and voluminous shirts. Their swords, however, are Grecian in the blade, and Roman in the handle. If such were used in the time of Elizabeth, no vestige of them has come down to the present day, and it is not likely that the Irish bronze, leaf-shaped sword, which some of these weapons resem- ble, was in use so late as three centuries ago. As stated at page 304, most of our sculptured sepulchral monuments of note, of a later date than the thirteenth century, are those of Anglo-Irish. Still, there are some others which illustrate native costume, and, of these, one of the most remark- able is the effigy of O'Cahan, styled " Cooe-na-ngall," in the old church of Dungiven, county of Derry, dressed in a tunic or surcoat, which covers his armour, and wearing a high barread- shaped steel cap or helmet. This chieftain died in 1385.* * A drawing of the tomb of Cooe-na-ngall was engraved for the intended Ord- nance Memoir of the county of Derry, for a copy of which the author is indebted to General Larcora, R. E. The monument is also figured in the Dublin Penny Jour- nal, vol. i., p. 405. Neither of these, however, exhibits the costume of the chieftain so well as an original drawing kindly lent the author by Mr. G. V. Du Noyer. 324 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. Of the same class of tomb is that of Donough O'Brien, King of Thomond, in the Abbey of Corcomroe, in the county of Clare.* He was killed in 1267, and is represented in a loose chequered mantle, which reached below the knees. The tombs of the O'Conors, in the Abbeys of Sligo and Roscommon, and the monuments at Kilcullen, county of Kildare, also afford specimens of Irish costume. But as most of the effigies on Irish tombs of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries are those of mailed soldiers wearing the armour common to their rank, and are not peculiarly Irish, they do not serve to illustrate this part of the Catalogue. Of the same class of monuments as the foregoing is that of Richard de Burgo, " The Red Earl of Ulster," in the Abbey of Athassel, county of Tipperary, who died in 1326. Of this example of the civil costume of the nobility of Ireland during the early part of the fourteenth century, Mr. Du Noyer says : "The effigy represents the Earl without any cap or covering on the head ; the hair is divided on the forehead, and falls over the ears in short curls, whilst on the upper lip are seen moustaches. The dress consists of a loose robe girded around the waist, and falling to the ankles in straight folds. The shoulders are co- vered by a small cape or tippet, which is fastened to the breast by a circular brooch. This cape is apparently attached to a mantle which falls over the left shoulder."t This was probably his official, and not his domestic dress. Without a knowledge of our early costume, such as that sketched in the foregoing section, we could not well under- stand the uses and mode of wearing many of those ornaments and weapons described in the following pages. The dress of the galloglass, or Irish foot-soldier, of the * Seethe Dublin Penny .Journal, vol. ii., p. 341, and also Mr. Samuel Fergu- son's paper on " Clonmacnoise, Clare, and Aran," Part ii., in the Dublin University Magazine for April, 1853, vol. xli. t See Archa>oIogical Journal, vol. ii., p. 121. CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIAL : COSTUME. 325 fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, will be considered in the de- scription of the Iron Collection. We fortunately possess one full suit and several frag- ments of woollen clothing in the Academy's Collection. Figure 204, drawn the natural size, from a portion of thick, coarse, but soft woollen cloth, of a mottled brown colour. No. 7, in Rail-case H, in the southern gallery, presents us with an ex- ample of one of the most ancient specimens of native weaving which has come doAvn to modern times. It is woven with a twill, and, when carefully examined in a good light, the warp is found to be composed of Fig. 204. Fig. 205. three plies twisted together, while the weft consists of the un- twisted woollen staple. This remarkable peculiarity of the twill or diaper resembles so exactly that figured in the cloak of the "Wild Irishman," engraved in Speed's map of 1 6 1 0, that a fac- simile thereof is placed in juxtaposition with it (Fig. 205), which likewise shows the glibb-fashion of wearing the hair, and also the kind of leggings or long boots used by the peasantry at that time.* The piece of cloth figured above, and which appears * "The men wore linen shirts, exceedingly large, stained with saffron, the sleeves wide, and hanging to their knees, straight and short trusses, pleted thicke in the skirts, their breeches close to the thighs ; a short skeine hanging point downe before, and a mantle most times cast over their heads. The women wore their haire plated in cu- rious manner, hanging down their backs and shoulders, from under foulden wreathes of fine linnen, rolled about their lieads, rather loading the wearer than delighting the 326 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. to have been part of a cloak or coarse rug mantle, was disco- vered in 1848, in Carne bog, parish of Coolbanagher, Queen's County, and was — Presented hy the Rev. Sir Erasmus Bor- rowes, Bart. Although Spenser denounced the mode of wearing the hair in rather disparaging terms, and Speed represented it as above in Fig. 205, their exaggerations may be corrected by reference to the accompanying figure, drawn by a native ar- tist in 1400. It is an accurate representation of the unco- vered head and yellow flowing locks of the se- cond archer in the Knockmoy fresco, already described, and accords with the description of O'Neill's "galloglasses, who accompanied their Fig 206 chief to the court of Elizabeth. In the year 1 783 the Countess of Moira gave a descrip- tion of a female dress, of coarse woollen material, found in a boo- in the county of Down ; and Mr. R. Lovel Edgeworth also recorded the discovery of a woollen coat fifteen feet below the surface of a turf-bog in the county of Longford, along with some iron arrow-heads (see Archteologia, vol. vii., pp. 90, HI), but no vestiges of either are now known to exist. In 1824, a male body, completely clad in woollen gar- ments of antique fashion, was found in a bog, six feet beneath the surf^ice, in the parish of Killery, county of Sligo. In 1843 the dress of a female, also in the costume of some cen- turies back, was dug out of a bog in the county of Tipperary, and in 1847 a woollen cap was discovered in the county of Kerry, From these articles, all of Avhich are in an astonishingly beholder; for, as the one was most seemely, so the other M^as unsightly ; their necks were hung with chaines and carkaneths, their arms wreathed with many bracelets, and over their side, garments of shagge rug mantles, purfled with a deep fringe of divers colours ; both sexes accounting idleness their only liberty, and ease their greatest riches." See " The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain, presenting an exact Geography of the Kingdom of England, Scotland, Ireland, and the Isles ad- joining. By John Speed. London, 1 Gil." The Map bears this inscription, " Per- formed by John Speede, and are to be sold in Pope's-head-alley, by John SeedbUry and George Humble, and privileged A. D. IGIO." CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS : COSTUME. 327 perfect state of preservation, and placed in the first compart- ment of the southern gallery of the Museum, we can form a very- good idea of our ancient dress and manufactures of about the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. No weapon was discovered near the body found in the county of Sligo, but a long staff lay under it, and attached to the hand by a leather thong was said to have been a small bag of untanned leather, containing a ball of worsted thread, and also a small silver coin, which was unfortunately lost. The head-dress, which soon fell to pieces, is said to have been a conical cap of sheep-skin^ probably the ancient harread* So perfect was the body when first discovered, that a magistrate was called upon to hold an inquest on it. In the accompanying figure, drawn from a photograph of a person clad in this antique suit (except the shoes, which are too small for an adult of even medium size) we are enabled to present the reader with a fair representa- tion of the costume of the native Irish of about the fif- teenth century. The cloak or mantle, composed of brown soft cloth, closely woven with a twill (but not so fine as that in the coat), is straight on the upper edge, which is nine feet long, but cut into nearly a Fig. 207. segment of a circle on the * "But though the Irish," says Lynch, "wore their hair flowing down their shoulders, the head was not uncovered. They wore a cap, precisely the same head- dress as that of the Gauls, namely, an oblong cap, of somewhat conical form, which in Irish is called Barred, probably from the Latin word, Biretum, though its deriva- tion could also be Lish, from the Irish Barr, a cone, andErfa, a dress, which, in combi- nation, signify a conical covering or dress." — Cambrensis Evcrsiis, c&^. xiii., pp. 220. 328 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. lower. In the centre, where it is almost four feet across, it consists of two breadths, and a small lower fragment; the upper breadth is fifteen, and the lower twenty inches wide. It is a particularly graceful garment, and is in a wonderfully good state of preservation. In texture, the coat consists of a coarse brown woollen cloth or flannel, with a diagonal twill, or diaper. In make it is a sort of frock or tunic, and has been much worn in the sleeves. The back is formed out of one piece, extending into the skirt, which latter is two feet long, and made very full all round, by a number of gussets, like the slashed doublets of Spanish fashion. It measures 8 feet in circumference at the bottom. Gussets, broad at the top, are also inserted between the back and breast, below the armpits, and meet the gores of the skirt gussets at the waist. It is single-breasted, and has fourteen circular buttons ingeniously formed out of the same matei-ial as the coat itself, and worked with woollen thread. The breadth of the back is 18 inches, which was probably the width of the cloth. The collar is narrow, as in some of the most fashionable frock-coats of the present day. The sleeve consists of two portions joined at an angle across the elbow, below which it is open like that of the modern Greek or Albanian jacket, and has twelve small buttons extending along the outer flap. Where the sleeve joins the back, a full gusset is inserted, and the cuff consists of a slight turn-in, an inch and a half wide. The inside and lower portion of each sleeve has been much worn, and is patched with a coarse felt-like material of black and orange plaid, similar to that in the trowsers found on the same body. All the seams of this garment are sewn with a woollen thread of three plies. The trowsers or trews are of a coarser material than the coat, and consists of two distinct parts, of different colours and textures. The upper is a bag of thick, coarse, yellowish-brown cloth, 19 inches deep, doubled below, and passing for some way down on the thighs. It is sewn up at the sides, and made CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS : COSTUME. 329 full behind. The legs are composed of a brown and orange yellow (or saffron colour) plaid, in equal squares of about an inch wide, and woven straight across ; but each leg-piece has been cut bias, so as to bring the diagonal of the plaid along the length of the limb, and it is inserted into a slit in the front of the bag, extending inwards and upwards from the outer angle. The legs are as narrow as those of a pair of modern pantaloons, and must have fitted the limbs tightly ; they are sewn up behind, with the seam outside, while in the bag por- tion the seams are inside. Below, the legs are scolloped or cut out both over the instep and the heel, the extremities coming down to points at the sides. The angle in front is strengthened by an ingenious piece of needlework like that used in working button-holes. It is said that these ends were attached behind to the uppers of the shoes, Nos. 16 and 17, described at page 291. All the sewing in this garment was also effected with woollen thread, but of only two plies. These close-fitting trowsers are evidently the ancient Celtic hraccce or chequered many-coloured lower garment, the triub- hais or truis, now drawn from nature, and explaining by the way they were attached to the sacculated portion above, and the shoes below, many hitherto unaccountable expressions in Giraldus, especially when he says, "The Irish wear breeches ending in shoes, or shoes ending in breeches." Archdeacon Lynch, in his Cambrensis Eversus, writing in 1662, says on this subject, " The breeches used by the Irish was a long gar- ment, not cut at the knees, but comprising in itself the sandals, the stocking, and the drawers, and drawn by one i)ull over the feet and thighs. [They] cover the groin, but not sufficiently, if the long skirts of the tunic were not wrapped over them." — (Vol. II., chap, iii., p. 209, Rev. M. Kelly's Translation for the Celtic Society.) All the foregoing articles, numbered 1, 2, and 3, in the Sou- thern Gallery, together with the shoes found upon the body, were — Presented to the Academy by His Grace the Duke of z 2 330 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. Northumberland, who purchased them with the collection of the late K. C. Walker, Esq., Q.C. A woollen cap of a knitted or woven texture, circular in shape, like the Scotch bonnet, and of a lightish-brown or tan colour, was found ten spit deep under the surface, in 1847, at the butt of a large tree in a bog near Ballybunnion, county of Kerry, between Knockanforais mountain and the sea. It is marked No. 4 -in the same case as the other woollen garments, in the southern gallery, and was presented by William Smith O'Brien, Esq. When it was found, it is said to have had a gold band round it. On the chimney-piece of the old castle of Dunkerron, county of Cork, near Kenmare, there is a sculpture of the sixteenth century, representing, it is supposed, O' Sullivan More, whose dress is a " close-fitting tunic, belted round the waist, and ex- tending to half-way above the knees ; his cap very closely re- sembled a Glenagarry bonnet in the twisted band surrounding the lower part over the forehead ; what appears to be a small feather hangs gracefully drooping from the back of the cap."* The foregoing description of early Irish costume mostly refers to male dresses. We have no pictorial representations of women's costume earlier than the fourteenth or fifteenth centuries, from which period about to the middle of the last century a few sculptured figures on tombs afford examples of the Anglo- Irish female dress of the upper classes. Without entering minutely into the subject, the costume on these efifi- gies may be divided into the loose flowing robe, and the stiff- plaited skirt and tight-fitting boddice. Of the former class, examples may be seen in the tombs of females at Cashel, figured by Mr. Du Noyer, in vol. ii., p. 127, of the Ar- chseological Journal, and which present the remarkable pecu- liarity of being cross-legged. Of the latter we have examples • See Mr. Du Noyer's Paper in the Kilkenny Archseological Journal for March, 1859, p. 291. CLASS IV. ANIMAL MATERIALS: COSTUME. 331 in the St. Lawrence tomb, in the old Abbey of Howth ; the tomb of the Butlers at Clonmel ; in the Fitz Eustace monu- ment at Kilcullen; and in many other localities throughout the country. The greatest variety in female costume consisted in the head-dress, which from time to time partook, both in dimensions and design, of the ruling fashions of the day. Of the second form of dress, we possess a specimen of coarse woollen cloth, in a wonderful state of preservation — see No. 5, in the first compartment of the Southern Gallery. It consists of a boddice with a long waist, open in front, and at- tached to a full plaited skirt, not unlike that figured by Lady Moira, and already referred to at page 326. The skirt, which resembles the Albanian fustanell, consists of several narrow breadths, gathered into small plaits at top, and spreads into a broad quilling at the bottom, each plait being stitched on the inside to preserve the form, and continue the fulness from the waist throughout. The bottom of this skirt at present measures 22;| feet, and consists of ninety-two plaits, each about 3 inches wide at the bottom, and 2 at the top ; the quill- ing being so arranged as to bring the joining of each pair of breadths into a plait. In texture, the cloth of this curious piece of costume is somewhat coarser, thicker, and harder, and its colour a much darker brown than any of the other woollen garments in the collection. It was found, in the spring of 1843, in a bog near Shinrone, county of Tipperary, and was procured by Dr. Aquilla Smith, for the late Mr. R. C. Walker, from whose collection, when purchased by the Duke of Northumberland, it was presented to the Aca- demy. Bone Cloak or Mantle Pins {Bealga). — The Academy possesses one of the largest collection of cloak and mantle pins of animal material which has yet been made in any part of Europe. It is arranged upon Trays A and B, in the End- case of the Eastern Gallery ; on Trays C and D in the South- 332 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. em Gallery ; in Rail-case H ; and on the " Find" Trays A and B in tlie lower compartment of the Museum. It now amounts to no less than 280 specimens.* Taking bone and horn as preceding metal in the ordinary process of art consequent upon human culture and civilization, we may suppose that some of the original designs of breast- pins were fashioned in this material, although few of the spe- cimens in the Museum can be of as great antiquity as those of metal. Many of these bone pins would also appear to have been used as piercers, and some as needles and bodkins, but the great majority of them were evidently employed as fas- teners. As stated at page 312, a large iron pin or skewer, having a decorated or looped head, is used by the lower classes to fasten their cloaks, so that this kind of fibula may be said to have come down to the present time. These bone pins and bodkins vary in length from two to nine inches, and present divers patterns and forms of ornamen- tation, but were all evidently used as fasteners for the cloak or mantle, or for holding up the hair. Some of them are formed out of the bones of fowl; others, of the fibulae, or small leg-bones of quadrupeds ; many are perfectly plain ; and others decorated at the head, where the natural enlargement of the bone afforded surface for artistic display. About one-third of these varieties have been perforated at tlie top, and were pos- sibly attached to the person by a string, or had a ring or some form of ornament passed through the aperture. Some of these, as Nos. 41, 42, 108, and 114, on Tray A, have enlarge- ments about half- way down the shaft, as if for retaining them in position, after they had been passed through a loop or eyelet- hole in the soft woollen textures of the mantle or coarse outer * Dealg is also a thorn, as well as a skewer pin or bodkin. Some of these pins and other bone articles were procured by the Academy after the original arrangement and registration had been completed, and therefore do not follow in successive order on the different Trays. CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS: CLOAK PINS. 333 garments. Crannoges and street-cuttings have been the fruit- ful mines from which these small bone articles have been exca- vated. The simplest form of pin, as shown in the accom- panying cut, figured from No. 97, on Tray A, is drawn the natural size. The head is very rude, but perforated, and ornamented by diagonal lines. In the six following illustrations we have typical examples of the most curious bone pins in the Collection. Fig. 209, No. 19, on Tray A, is a large, dark-coloured bone pin, 9 inches long, and l^ thick at the head, found in the River Shannon, at Grosses Island, county of Leitrlm, and — Presented by the Shannon Commissioners. What its precise use may have been, has not yet been fully determined. Fig. 210, No. 110, on Tray A, is the most highly decorated pin in the Collection ; it is flat, 7^ inches in length, and figured all over the shank as well as the head, where it is perforated with five holes ; it af- fords a good example of the style of circular domino ornament common to nearly all the bone articles in the Collection. Fig. 211, No. 114, on the same Tray, is N0.97. 8| inches in length, and resembles, in the lower portion, a lono- Fig. 208. V Fig. 209. No. 19. Fig. 210. No. 110. Fig. 211. No. 114. Fig. 212. No. 304. narrow knife-blade; it is highly decorated all over the blade and top. Figs. 212 and 213, from Nos. 304 and 305, on Tray C, 334 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. are not only very curious specimens in themselves, but, having attached heads, afford a clue to the uses of some of the small decorated plates upon Tray B, which came from the Ballin- derry crannoge, the same locality where these were found. The first is 3|- inches long, and has an oblong bone head, Fig. 213. No. 305. Fig. 214. No. 13. Fig. 215. No. S48. ornamented with four indentations, as shown in the cut. The shank is provided with a shoulder, upon which the top plate rests. No. 305, in the accompanying cut (Fig. 213), is 4^ inches long, has a circular head one inch in diameter, and is fastened to the shank in the same manner as the foregoing. Several pins are curved in the blade or shank (see Nos. 56 and 102, on Tray A; 62, 63, 69, 70, and 72, on Tray B, and 311, on Tray c). One of the most remarkable specimens of this variety is No. 13, in Rail-case H, here figured the natural size (Fig. 214). The head is exceedingly well carved into the representation of a grotesque sitting figure, like some of those architectural embellishments seen in me- diajval buildings. It was found in a field near Newbridge, CLASS IV. ANIMAL MATERIALS : CLOAK PINS. 335 county of Kildare, and was — Presented by Frederick Groome^ Esq. (See Proceedings, vol. vii., p. 121.) Fig. 215, No. 348, on Tray C, is square in the shank, and has a looped head, through which is passed a ring, also of bone. This pin, which is 5^ inches long, is highly decorated all over, and so sharp both in the carvings and at the angles, as to lead to the belief that it had never been in use ; — it was found in the Ballinderry crannoge, county of Westmeath, together with Nos. 349 to 353, and 356 and 357, also arranged on Tray C. The similarity of design and execution, as well as the appa- rent freshness of these articles, lends probability to the sup- position that a manufacture of them existed in that locality. No other bone pins of this class have heretofore been re- corded. Varied as are the forms of these mantle and hair-pins, taken as a portion of the great collection of articles of all materials in the Museum, denominated brooches, they do not present more variety, nor a greater degree of inaptitude, than objects manufactured for a like purpose in the present day. The following is a catalogue of all the bone pins in the Collection, except those upon the " Find" Trays, already re- ferred to at page 332. Tray A., second row. — No. 41 is a bone pin, 9 inches long, much ornamented, with a flat head, and a protuberance on the centre of the shank. No. 42, ditto, is 7^ inches long, with a round, orna- mented head, and a square projection, perforated in the centre of the shank. Nos. 43 to 50 are bone pins, averaging 5g inches long. No. 51 is a rude bone pin, apparently one of the long bones of a fowl. It was found in Clonfree crannoge, and was — Presented by the Rev. Peter Brown. Nos. 52 to 59 are eight bone pins, averag- ing 5 inches in length. No. 56 is curved on the shank like No. 102, and Nos. 62, 69, 70, and 72, on Tray B. Nos. 57 and 58 are enlarged at the points. No. 60 is 3| inches long, and was found at Magherally, county of Donegal. Nos. 61 to 73 decrease gradually in length from 3| to 2| inches. No. 74 was found with No. 83, in 336 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. Clonfinlough crannoge, and — Presented hy the Board ofWorks. Nos. 75 to 82 are bone pins of the smallest size on the Tray. (All the other specimens, from 79 to 115, are perforated at the head.) No. 79 is a bone needle or bodkin, about 4 inches long. No. 80, a per- forated bone pin, found with No. 96 in Ardakillen crannoge, and — Presented hy the Board of WorJcs. Nos. 81, 82, and 83 are small per- forated pins. No. 84 is a small bone needle. No. 85 is a circular- headed pin, 3;j inches long. No. 88 is very broad at top, and 3| inches in length. Nos. 87 to 97 are bone pins, perforated at top. No. 98, which is 4 inches long, has a copper ring passed through the aperture in the head. Of the remaining seventeen pins, from 99 to 115, which vary from 4 to 9 inches in length, No. 102 is re- markable for its curvature and square head. No. 108 is also square- headed, and has a rise in the centre of the shank. No. 110 is shown in the woodcut. Fig. 210, p. 333. No. 113 swells at the point like 57. No. 114 has the shank formed like a knife -blade, with a rise near the top, (see Fig. 211, p. 333). The majority of these pins were found in the Strokestown and Ballinderry crannoges, already described at page 226, &c., and were purchased by the Academy from persons residing in their neighbourhoods. For the catalogue of other articles on Tray A, see pages 258, 262, and 273, &c. &c. Tray B, Second and third rows. — On this Tray have been ar- ranged two rows of pins, divided in the centre by a collection of miscellaneous articles. They amount to 153, and are numbered from 33 to 185. In length, they vary from little more than 1 to 5 inches, and are, for the most part, undecorated, and generally infe- rior in workmanship to those on Tray A. A few are curved, as stated at p. 334, and twenty-eight are perforated. No. 68 is worthy of observation, from its having a knotted fillet round the head. The majority of these pins came from the crannoges in the neighbour- hood of Strokestown. Nos. 33 and 34, from that locality, were — Presented hy Dr. R. R. Madden, and No. 37 by A. Lawder^ Esq. (See Proceedings, vol. v., p. 219.) Nos. 42, 57, 61, 62, 79, 97, 164, and 139, were found in the Ardkillen crannoge (see p. 226). Nos. 66 to 72, and 75, 78, 80, 81, 82, 83, and 87, were found in Christ- church-place, Dublin city. All the other pins on this Tray were CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS : CLOAK PINS. 337 obtained from some of the crannoges mentioned above, and described at page 225. For the catalogue of the other articles on Tray B, see pages 264 and 274, &c. Tray O, Miscellaneous Bone Articles, Pins, Knives, and Orna- mented Plates. — The top row consists of fifteen pins, numbered from 304 to 318, and varying in length from the first, which is a little more than 3 inches, to No. 311, which is above 9 inches long. Nos. 304 and 305 are small bone pins, having decorated and attached heads (see Figs. 212, on p. 333, and 213, at p. 334). Nos. 306 to 309 have oblong heads, perforated and ornamented. No, 310 is 8^ inches long, and has around, perforated head. No. 311 is 9| inches in length, and ornamented with small indentations all over the shank as well as the head. No. 312 has a plain, square, perforated head. No. 313, ditto, the shank ornamented. No. 314 is a plain bone pin, Q^ inches long, with a perforated head. No. 315, ditto, with oblong, ornamented head. No. 316 is a very rude bone pin, 4 J inches long, with a perforated head. No. 317, ditto. No. 318, ditto, and only 3f inches long. All these bone pins, together with the other articles on this Tray, to No. 345, were found in the Bal- linderry crannoges, described at p. 226, and were purchased by the Academy from a collector in the summer of 1858. No. 319 is a bone knife, 1^ inches long, decorated upon the blade and handle. Here the bone plates, numbered 320 to 345, described at page 342, intervene, and, with No. 319, occupy the second, third, and fourth lines on this Tray. Nos. 346 and 347 are two thin, bone pins, each about 8 inches long, formed out of mammal fibuliB, in which the natural enlargements of the bones at one extremity have been formed into oval heads. Their shanks have been scraped down to very thin, fine spikes. They are of the natural colour of the bone. No. 348, and the five following pins, procured, through a collector, from the Ballinderry crannoge, county of Westmeath, in March, I860, present an entirely new character of bone pin, and no other specimens, resembling them either in form or ornamen- tation, have come into the Museum. They are all stained of a dark colour, apparently by artificial means, and four of them have bone rings, thinned at one point for passing through a slit in the 338 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. looped head, thus showing that this loop is not a turn over of the bone when in a softened state, or owing to any chemical process. No. 348, figured on page 334, represents all the peculiarities of these pins so faithfully as not to require any further description. No. 349, a dark- coloured, round pin, 5^ inches long, decorated in the shank, and having a square-edged ring-head like the foregoing. No. 350, ditto, 4 inches long, with a four-sided, ornamented shank, and a ring passed through a loop in. the head. No. 351, ditto, 5 inches long, has a ring passed through the head. No. 352, a dark- coloured, circular, bone pin, 4J inches long, in which the hole for the head appears to have been cut through, without a slit for pass- ing in the ring. No. 353, a dark-coloured, bone pin, 5 inches in length, decorated, square in the shank, and having a double perfo- ration at the top, like some of the bronze pins on Tray XX. No. 354, a plain, bone pin, perforated, and 2^ inches long. No. 358 and 359, a dark-brown-coloured bone knife and fork, referred to at page 267; the former is 6|, and the latter 7^ inches long. They are in the most perfect state of preservation, and do not appear to have ever been used; they were found, along with the bone pins in the same row, in the Ballinderry crannoge, and, from the sharpness of the angles and the extreme similarity in the ornamentation, it would seem that there was a manufactory of such articles there. Their handles are square, and decorated with the domino-ornament. The fork has five prongs, and measures 1 j inches across the blade. The handle of the knife bears some resemblance to the large, hollow bone, No. 36 on Tray A, figured and described at page 343. The blades of both these articles are formed of separate pieces, fastened by tangs into the handles, and originally secured with cross-rivets. No. 360, a bone bead, ^ an inch wide. No. 361, ditto, |ths in dia- meter; both were found in the River Glyde, below Castle Belling- ham, county of Louth, and were — Presented by the Board of Works, (See Proceedings, vol. vii., p. 180.) Pendants of the teeth of animals, decorated bones, shells, coral, and glittering objects of all kinds, have been used by the human race, either singly, or attached to necklaces, in all countries from the earliest period. A few objects, apparently CLASS IV. ANIMAL MATERIALS: PENDANTS. 339 belonging to this variety of ornament, may be seen on the centre of Tray B, numbered from 194 to 198, both inclusive. That represented the full size in the accompanying illustration is of ivory, perforated at the small end, carved and pleasingly decorated on the sides, like some of our gold ornaments. The follow- ing is a of the other articles of this description on Tray B. Fig. 216. No. 197. Nos. 194 and 195 are curved walrus tooth pendants, each about 4i inches long, and perfoi'ated at top; they were found in Ballygoran Bog, parish of Laraghbry an, county of Kildare. No. 196 is a perforated bear's tusk. No. 197, the ivory pen- dant, 3 inches long, figured above (216). No. 198, a piece of highly polished bone, 4 inches long, and ^ inch thick, like a slender knife handle, but solid. It Avas found in one of the chambers of the great tumulus at Dowth, on the Boyne, county of Meath, opened in 1847. Beads and rings of bone and horn have been found in several of our crannoges, but have not been preserved by the collectors as well as the pins and combs. At the bottom of Tray C may be seen two small turned bone beads, Nos. 360 and 361 (see page 338). Such objects are generally barrel- shaped, and either formed parts of necklaces, or " beads" used for religious purposes. SPECIES VI. AMUSEMENTS. Chess, Fithcheall, was a game well known to the ancient Irish, and is frequently alluded to in our histories ; but there are not as yet in the Museum of the Academy any specimens of ancient chess-men sufficiently characterized by their carv- ings, to determine their precise use, although the bone junks forming the last row on Tray B, from No. 287 to 303, may have been used as pawns in that game. These seventeen 340 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. pieces of bone, which from their smoothness appear to have been much handled, average about an inch in height. In Dr. O'Donovan's introduction to the "Book of Rights"* may be found many curious references to tlie game of chess amongst the Irish, and also an engraving of an antique chess-king from the collection of Dr. Petrie. Chess furniture, such as the checkered board, and also the pieces, are firequently referred to in ancient Irish works ; and we read that when Muircher- tach of the Leather Cloaks carried off the body of Cerbhall, King of Leinster, he caused a chess-board to be formed out of his bones.f The flat decorated disks, in the penultimate row of Tray B, from No. 264 to 273, both inclusive, were either used as draughtsmen, or employed as marking counters. SPECIES VII. MUSIC. Although the hollow cutlcular horns of oxen must have been in common use as musical instruments among the early Irish, :j: the perishable nature of the material would preclude the possibility of those of any great antiquity coming down to the present day; so that the only articles of this species in the Museum of unquestionable use, are the harp-pins found in the Strokestown crannoge, and one of which is here figured the natural size (see No. 2, on «' Find" Tray c, ^'e- ''"• ^o- 2. on the ground-floor). * Chess-men were also enumerated amongst the articles presented by sovereigns to their chieftains in this most interesting historic document, — a work, beyond all others of its ela«!S, descriptive of the social condition of Ireland — its state policy — the manners and customs of its inhabitants — their dress and manufactures, — as well as the luxury and artistic tastes of the times to which it refers. See also page 265. f Annals of Clonmacnoise. See also Miscellany of the Celtic Society, page 161. X O'Sullivan M&r is represented on the sculptured stone at Dunkerron Castle, Co. Cork, blowing a horn of this description. (See "Kilkenny Archeeological So- ciety's Journal," referred to at p. 330.) ffM CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS : MISCELLANEOUS. 341 The perforated metacarpal bone, No. 39, on Tray A, figured and described among the miscellaneous articles at page 344, may have been part of a musical instrument; but its pre- cise use is as yet undetermined. SPECIES VIII. — MONEY, AND THE MEANS OF BARTEK ; and SPECIES IX. MEDICINE Have no representative articles among the antiquities com- posed of animal materials ; and those objects of that class de- voted to Religious purposes (Species x.), will be considered under the head of Ecclesiastical remains. SPECIES XI. — SEPULTURE. With most of the cinerary Urns, where any care has been taken in their removal, or with which we have received a faithful account, fragments of burned bones have been dis- covered, as already stated in the description of these articles at page 173. Where sufficient anatomical evidence remains, we find that the great bulk of these incinerated bones are human ; but in some instances, we have also been able to de- tect those of both mammals and birds. (See Proceedings, vol. iii., page 262.) In some cases, the bones, both of men and animals, in a partially terrified state, together with fragments of charcoal, have been found outside the urn in the stone chamber, and occasionally in the ground adjoining; and were evidently the remains of sacrificial ceremonial. A quantity of these incinerated bones, forwarded from time to time to the Academy, and chiefly along with urns, are placed in the wooden model of a tomb in the bottom of the end glass-case of the Eastern gallery (referred to at pages 85 and 268). SPECIES XII. — MISCELLANEOUS. Among the miscellaneous articles in the collection of manu- factured animal remains are eighty thin plates of bone of a great 342 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. variety of shapes, and possibly some diversity of purpose. They have been arranged on Tray B, from Nos. 199 to 252 inclusive, and on Tray C, from Nos. 320 to 345. In length they vary from one to five and a half inches ; some are trian- gular, others nearly square, and several very irregular ; but the majority are oblong, and all more or less decorated on the outer smooth, convex surface with a number of circular inden- tations and dotted lines. Each object has also several perfo- rations ; and the accompanying illustrations (drawn two-thirds the natural size) show the great variety which exists in the form of these plates. While in some respects they resemble in size, shape, and ornamentation the small stone articles de- Fig. 218. No. 223. Fig. 219. No. 32.3. Fig. 220. No. 215. Fig. 221. No. 199. Fig. 222. No. 311. scribed at p. 125, and which would appear to have been used, either as toys, amulets, or in some description of game, a more probable use may be assigned to these bone plates — that of the decoration of small boxes or caskets. The Abbe Cochet has described similar articles which were found at- tached to small boxes in excavations recently made in Nor- mandy.* * Sepultures Gauloises, Romaines, Franques, ct Normandes. Paris. 1857. P. 244. CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS : MISCELLANEOUS. 343 No. 22S. One of the rudest articles of this description in the Mu- seum is the spatula-shaped bone, here figured one-half the natural size, and perforated with four holes, as shown In the accompanying illustration, Figure 223. We do not possess any precise information as to the circumstances under which these bone objects were obtained, be- yond the fact that the majority of them were procured from the debris of the Ballinderry and Strokestown crannoges. Amongst the miscellaneous articles upon Tray B is a curious ovoid piece of hard, po- lished bone. No. 226, shown in the accompa- nying woodcut (Fig. 224). It is 2^ Inches in the longest diameter; is perforated with ten holes of different sizes, and may have been used for pass- ing threads or cords through, either In weaving, netting, or lace working. It was procured along with the bone plates enumerated above. Nos. 229, 230, and 231, on Tray B, are the epiphyses, or centres of ossification on the artlculatino; surfaces of the long bones of animals, and which are unconsolidated with the shaft during very early life. They are perforated, and may have been used either for ornamental or utile purposes, such as those suggested for No. 226. Nos. 232 to 252 are small de- corated bone plates of a dark-brown colour, ajiparently iden- tical in purpose with those already figured on page 342. Although the perforated bone. No. 36 on Tray A, already mentioned at pages 263 and 34 1 , was, In all probability, used as a musical instrument, still, as we want authority for this asser- tion, it Is safest to arrange and describe it among the articles of a miscellanous or as yet undetermined character. The accompanying figure of this bone is drawn one-third the na- tural size, the original being 8 inches long. It Is apparently 2 A Fig. 224. No. 226. 344 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. the shank of a deer, is hollowed artificially throughout, and perforated with nine holes, which pass from one side to the other, and are decorated with circular indentations ; the upper Fig. 22.5. No. 39. hole, which is larger than any of the others, is surrounded with a double ring. This bone is likewise decorated with dots and lines. If it was the top member of a lute, or small, rude harp, these holes might have been used for holding the pins to which the strings were fastened. In Rail-case H may be seen three decorated bones, the precise use or object of which being as yet conjectural, they have been placed in this species. Few objects in the Academy can compare with them in interest, and, so far as published records are available, they are unique. No. 28, Fig. 226, a leg bone, probably of a deer, 81 inches long, covered with carv- ing, and highly polished, was procured from one of the Strokes- town crannoges. No. 29, Fig. 227, is also a leg bone, but stained of a dark-brown colour, apparently from lying in peat, and is in the natural state in all respects, with the exception of the carvings on its side. It was found in the Lagore cran- noge, county of Meath, and was procured through Mr. Wake- man. Its polished surfjxce shows how much it had been han- dled. In addition to the well-cut illustrations represented the natural size by Figures 236, 237, and 238, on page 346, there are various devices traced upon the under concave surface of this bone with a graver or other sharp tool — the original sketches or unfinished drawings of the artist at the time this article was lost. No. 28 has also carvings on the convex side, similar to the foregoing; but the designs are somewhat different, although not inferior in workmanship ; the surface of the bone is not, however, in such a good state of preservation as in No. 29. No. 30, Fig. 228, is a fragment of CLASS IV. — ANIMAL materials: MISCELLANEOUS. 345 the scapula of a sheep or deer, carved on the inferior surface ; it is 7 inches long, and marked " G. 316" in the old manu- script registry of the Museum. The engravings upon it, although well drawn, are not so carefully executed as on either of the foregoing, and, as may be seen by Figures 239 to 244, on page 347, they are of a totally diife- rent character. They are shallower, — the texture and thinness of the bone not per- Flg. 226. No. 28. Fig. 227. No. 29. Fig. 228. No. 30. mitting of deeper cutting. In addition to the carvings shown by Fig. 228, there are several others upon the lower side of the crest of this bone. To those engaged in the study of Irish decorative art these articles are of very great interest. From the carvings on No. 29 may be printed very clear, sharp, and accurate impressions, in the same way that proofs are taken from a woodcut. While the foregoing illustrations afford us good ideas of these bones themselves, and of the situation, relative position, and comparative size of the carvings, which are all deeply cut in with a graver, the following fac-similes present us with the details, as well as the differences in artistic style, in each va- 2 A 2 346 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. riety of ornament. These illustrations are fac-similes of those embossed patterns on No. 28, Fig. 226. They are included Fig. 229. Fig. 230, Fig. 2.31. within straight lines, forming portions of squares or triangles. A few of the engravings on the bone, marked No. 29 (Fig. 227) are somewhat of the same class of ornament, as shown in the four following cuts, which, with those already described, aiford the modern artist good specimens of that peculiar Fig. 232. Fig. 233. Fig. 2-34. Fig. 23-5. scroll-work and interlacement for which Ireland was distin- guished in the middle ages. But others, shown beloAV, are included within deeply indented curved lines, and represent Fig. 23(i. Fig. 237. Fig. 23S. animals, and that special form of spiral ornamentation and twisted strap- work, believed to be of Celtic origin, — examples of which are to be found in the initial letters and emblazonry of some of our illuminated manuscripts, and of Avhich the Books of Kells and Durrow, already referred to at page 298, as well as some of the Irish manuscripts on the Continent, afford many beautiful specimens.* * See Dr. Feixlinand Keller's '■'■ Bildernnd Schriftziige in den irischen Manvscrip- ten der Schweizerischen Bibliotkeken," in Ti aiisactions of Antiquarian Society of Zurich, 185;5. CLASS IV. — ANIMAL materials: MISCELLANEOUS. 347 Upon the blade bone (No. 30, Fig. 228) there are thirteen devices in a more or less finished state, but differing in cha- racter and style of engraving from any of the foregoing. The Fig. 239. Fig. 241. Fig. 242. natm'C of this bone would not permit of as deep cutting as that employed in the tAvo others already described. Three of these, figured above, are triangular, and two of them show that form of knotted interlacement seen in such variety and abundance, not only in our manuscripts, but upon several of our sculptured crosses and metal shrines, or worked into the tracery of early Irish ecclesiastical architecture. The other ^■s=^^W^ Fig. 243. Fig. 244. carvings on No. 30 chiefly represent animals, of which the two annexed cuts are highly characteristic. The artists do not appear to have followed any order or plan in the arrangement of these carvings, but simply chose the hardest and smoothest portions of the bone, and the thickest also when it was necessary to cut in deeply. Besides the foregoing bone articles, there is, in Rail-case H, the fragment of a scapula, No. 31, probably a portion of No. 30, and which is also rudely marked on the surface. In considering the object or uses of these decorated bones, 348 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. we must fall back on conjecture, that earliest resource in many antiquarian investigations ; and the most probable one is that they were intended merely as specimens of the designer's and engraver's art ; although it is possible that these patterns may have been transferred to parchment by some process with which we are not now acquainted. Impressions in reliefmay also have been taken from them by some plastic or soft putty- like substance, although melted metal could not have been used for that purpose without injury to the bone. Rail-case H — at the commencement of the Southern Gallery — contains a number of articles of a miscellaneous character, which could not well be displayed on Trays. No. 1 is the mineralized horn described and figured at p. 260. No. 2, a powder flask formed out of a flattened cow's horn, and marked with the date 1691. No. 3, a small bone drinking horn, 2f inches long, from Dunshaughlin: see p. 265. No. 4, a small scabbard, 5 inches long, referred to as No. 1, at p. 279. No. 5, several specimens of deerskin clothing, described and figured at p. 277. No. 6, portions of tied or woven goat's- hair fringe: see p. 295, Fig. 188. No. 7, a fine, woollen, plaited band: see Fig. 189, p. 295. No. 8, two specimens of coarse, woollen cloth, describ- ed and figured at p. 295. No. 9, an ornamented bone comb (marked No. 159 in continuation of the numbering of such articles on Tray A) described and figured at p. 271 . No. 10, a decorated bone comb, like the foregoing, from Ballinderry (No. 160). No. 11, fragment of a bone comb (No. 161). No. 12, fragment of a bone comb (No. 162). Besides the combs on Tray A, and these in this Eail-case, there are fragments of five others on " Find" Tray A, from Ballinderry, seven on "Find" Tray B, procured from Dunshaughlin, and twenty-two on " Find" Tray D, found in the Strokestown crannoges, now making the entire number of combs, either complete or fragmentary, in the IMuseum, at this date (June, I860), to be eighty-two. No. 13, a small decorated bone pin, described aad figured at p. 334. No. 14, a plain bone pin. No. 15, a small, circular, bone box, probably the end of a pepper-caster, 1| inch high, decoi-ated with domino orna- ment, bottom inserted like that of a mether. No. 16, a thin, flat, decorated bone plate, like those described at p. 342. No. 17, a large, CLASS IV. — ANIMAL MATERIALS : MISCELLANEOUS. 349 decorated bone whorl, like those on Tray B. No. 1 8, ditto, thick. No. 19, ditto, much ornamented. No. 20, a small bone whorl. Nos. 21 and 22, two bone spoons, described and figured at p. 267- No. 23, a bone whorl. No. 24, ditto, turned white by chemical change. No. 25, a decorated bone ring, 1 inch across, and nearly half an inch wide. No. 26, a small bone junk. Nos. 15 to 20, and 23 to 26, were found in the debris of Ballinderry crannoge. No. 27, an oval horn box, shaped like the bottom of a powder horn, 3f inches long, 2 high, and 1| broad, ingeniously carved all over with a variety of devices, inter- lacements, and figures of birds and quadrupeds. Some of the tracings are very intricate, and well-executed, although the drawing of the animals is very rude. On one side is the date 1583. The bottom is of timber, fastened in with wooden pegs, some of which have been replaced by iron rivets. It was evidently furnished with a lid, the rivet-holes of which remain round the top edge, and the notches in the margin of the rim show how a portion of the lid might have been opened. No. 28, a decorated shank bone, Fig. 226. No. 29, ditto, Fig. 227. No. 30, a decorated scapula, Fig. 228, p. 345. No. 31 is the fragment of a scapula, also decorated. No. 32, a much-worn, woollen-sewn shoe, 9 inches long. No. 33, ditto, sewn with a thong, 9 inches long. The former was found at Knock -na- common, county of Roscommon ; the latter in the bog of the Great Down, four miles east of MuUingar, county ofWestmeath, and both presented by Mr. Richard Murray. These increase the number of shoes in the Collection to thirty-six. The total number of articles composed of animal materials now in the Museum (June, 1860), is six hundred. CLASS v.— METALLIC MATEEIALS. '^:?•• REVIEW having been made of the different articles composed of stone, earthen, vegetable, and animal mate- rial in use amongst the primitive inhabitants of reland, we now pass to that more advanced rade of civilization when metal became known to the Irish, and was used for weapons, tools, and personal ornaments. The introduction of metal was an era in our history, yet no record exists of the manner or period when such knowledge was acquired- Its adoption, however, Avas neither sudden nor universal, for, so late as the ninth century, stone weapons were still used in Ireland, and stone implements were fabricated with metal, probably even with iron tools. (See p. 74.) The transition from the first rude Instruments of flint stone or bone to the rare and costly articles of metal, must have been very gradual, and possibly extended over many centuries. At first, perhaps, the use of metal was limited to the kings and chiefs, and may have served as an Indication of rank. Neither sacred nor classical writers afford any clue to the discoveries of the ancients In metallurgy, beyond the fact that Tubal-Cain was " an Instructor of all those that work In brass and Iron ;" that the Greeks preserved the tradition In the person and name of Vulcan the smith ; and that, when Homer wrote, gold, silver, and also copper and tin, with their com- pound, brass, were well known, and brought to a high degree of perfection In the arts. But such discoveries were pre- CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: INTRODUCTION. 351 historic in Greece, Asia Minor, and Egypt ; and it is remark- able that, while vague traditions respecting the inventors of other arts and sciences float through ancient history, there is not the slightest reference, of even a mythological nature, re- specting the discovery of metals, to be found throughout the writings of the ancients. When and how the Irish people discovered metals and their uses, together with the art of smelting and casting, has not been determined by archasologists. Whether the know- ledge spread from any particular country, by the distribution of mankind, and the intercourse of nations throughout the earth, or that the Irish made the discovery for themselves independently, are questions of great interest, but on which we possess very imperfect means of deciding. To attribute to a people so inquiring, energetic, and in- genious as the early Celtic inhabitants of Ireland, the dis- covery of some of our vast mineral resources, as well as the uses and properties of metals, — the mode of smelting, and afterwards the art of casting, — is allowable, when we possess no evidence to the contrary. Traditional notions respecting the aboriginal inhabitants of Ireland are to be found in early Irish history, but chiefly in the Leahhar Gahkala, or Book of Invasions. Numerous extravagant reports are there given ; but of the actual habits or arts of the primeval pjeople of Ireland, we really know nothing, except Avhat may be gleaned from their monuments, and those remains preserved in the Museum of our Academy, and other similar antiquarian collections. The first wave of population most probably reached these shores from the nearest land of Britain or Scotland in the pro- cess of the general diffusion of mankind, after the British Isles had passed through those geological, vegetable, and zoolo- gical transitions Avhich finally rendered them habitable to man. Whether that early race, starting from the cradle of man- kind, and wandering along the shores of the Mediterranean, 352 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. passed round the coasts of Spain, Portugal, and Gaul, till they arrived at the nearest point from which the cliffs of Albion might be discerned; or, following the course of the great rivers, such as the Danube, Rhine, Elbe, Seine, and Oder, &c., that traversed the primeval forests of Europe, came by a more direct, though less easy path ; or whether they reached these islands by a northern route, or crossed direct from Spain, — are mere conjectures. It would, however, appear that various colonists, or con- querors, such as Parthalon and Milesius, at different times pursuing the destiny of their race, sought the " Far West," and finally rested in Erinn, the extreme point of the old world in that direction ; but no historian has shown that even the earliest of those adventurers found the island uninhabited. The two earliest of these colonists were the Firbolgs and the Tuatha de Danann, to both of which a Grecian origin has been assigned by our bardic annalists. Shortly after the arrival of the latter, the tAvo first memorable battles recorded in Irish history were fought, — those of the northern and southern Moytura, in the counties of Sligo and Mayo, the memorials on the fields of which, to this day, attest the truth of the statements made by the historians. In these battles the su- perior skill and weapons of the Tuatha de Danann prevailed, and drove the Firbolgs to the southern isles of Aran, where those stupendous barbaric monuments of unhewn stone, erected without mortar, tend to prove that these people had then no knowledge of lime or of metal tools, although they, probably, had some copper or bronze weapons. At one of these engage- ments it is said that in the rear of the Tuatha de Danann army the smith was at work renewing and sharpening the weapons of the combatants. It is also related by the anti- quary, Duald Mac Firbis, in his history of that people, that they knew how to smelt metals ; but further, we may say with Tighernagh, the most faithful of the annalists, — " Omnia mo- numenta Scotorum ante Kimbceth incerta erantH' In an ancient CLASS V METALLIC MATERIALS : INTRODUCTION. 353 poem, quoted by Keating, it is said that the Tuatha de Danann brought with them to Ireland the Lia Fail, or Stone of Des- tiny (now supposed to be underneath the Coronation Chair in Westminster Abbey), the sword of Lughaidh Lamhfhada, a spear, and the cauldron called Coire-an-Dayhdha; so that it may safely be inferred they had a knowledge of metals, and hence were styled necromancers. (See Haliday's Trans- lation of Keating, p. 199.) There are also divers indica- tions in the oldest annals of the application of metals to the arts, where we read of Credne, the artificer, who constructed the silver hand for Nuada Airgeat-Lamh, the hero of the battle of Moytura ; of Goibhnen, the smith, over Avhose wife the great sepulchral monument at Drogheda was erected; of Diancecht, the Irish ^sculapius ; and, in somewhat later times, of the Gobban Saer, the great primeval Christian builder, to whom is tradidionally attributed the erection of several of our ancient stone structures. Unlike England, where the Roman, Saxon, Norse, and Norman invaders, each in succession, ruled for centuries, and left their remains in such abundance as nearly to obliterate all vestiges of its primeval inhabitants, — Ireland has remained, notwithstanding all her vicissitudes, in possession of her an- cient language, and a greater amount of the vestiges of her early people, than any other nation in north-western Europe. Whether gold, silver, copper, tin, lead, or iron, was first discovered by mankind in general, is questionable ; but it is usually conceded that iron was the latest. Presuming that the Irish made the discovery for themselves, and became edu- cated to a certain extent in the metallurgic art, a question arises, — which was their fii'st discovery, gold or copper ? for silver, not being found here in any considerable quantity in a pure or native state, is less likely to have attracted attention. Gold, — in Irish, Or, — which is usually found in the purest condition in grains or nodules, and frequently on the surface, often washed down the beds of streams, and by attrition kept 354 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. bright, would naturally, the soonest of "all the metals, attract attention. In such a state there is every reason to believe it ex- isted abundantly in Ireland in former times, and is even still found in small quantities in Wicklow. It is also quite possible that it existed in several rivers in Europe in very early times. Such is the condition in which it is at present obtained in many parts of Africa, where the inhabitants who gather it and bring it to the coast possess no knowledge of the manufacture of it or any other metal. The most uncultivated savage lighting on a glittering gold nugget would naturally add it to his string of decorations, and then, by simply hammering it be- tween two stones, could flatten and shape it into any form he pleased. Thence by accident or his own ingenuity, he might learn how to smelt so very fusible as well as ductile and mal- leable a metal, and thus the second stage would have been achieved. Therefore, where gold existed, it may fairly be presumed that it was the metal with which men first became acquainted ; and, once upon the high road to discovery, there was no limit (by means of the hammer and crucible) to the extent to which gold might be worked. Did manufactured gold and stoneweapons and tools coexist? Our history is silent on this point, and as yet, well authenti- cated notices of the discovery of any such combination have not been recorded. It is, hoAvever, remarkable that the first historic notice of any metal in Ireland refers to gold: for under A. M. 3656, we read in the Annals of Clonmacnois, and those of the Four Masters, that in the reign of Tigh- earnmas, " gold was first smelted in Ireland, in Fotharta- Airthir-Liffe," or the territory of Fotharta, a woody district in Cualann or Wicklow, to the east of the River Liflfey, and that the artificer's name was Ucadan. It is also stated that by him " goblets and brooches were first covered with [made of?] gold and silver in Ireland ;" but that would only prove the know- ledge of gilding, either in the liquid form, or, what is more probable, by plates of gold laid over the article, such as we CLASS v. — METALLIC MATERIALS: INTRODUCTION. 355 observe in counterfeit rings of great antiquity, and in some antique fibulas which have come down to the present time. A similar application of gold may be seen in some of the Scandinavian breast-pins. It is, moreover, remarkable that most of the early forms of ornamentation, consisting of lozenge- shaped, chevron, zig-zag, or straight-lined patterns, together with volutes, concentric circles, and spiral lines, found upon our earliest stone monuments, and clay urns, of undoubted heathen origin, are also the forms of decorations chiefly observ- ed in our earliest and simplest golden ornaments and bronze celts. Topographers have not yet determined the precise limits of the Fotharta Cualann, but it was undoubtedly near and probably to the east of the source of the Liffey. Upwards of three-and-thirty centuries elapsed without any further refe- rence to native gold occurring, in either our ancient Annals or modern histoiy ; not even the most extravagant of the Fenian romances alluding to the existence of the metal in Ireland, although the authors decorated the heroes of these tales with oriental splendour. In the year 1796, however, in the same part of WickloAv, perhaps on the very site of the furnace of Ucadan, upwards of £10,000 worth of unwrought native gold was obtained in about two months, and small quantities have, from time to time, been gathered there ever since. The subject of gold-working shall be considered in detail, when describing the collection of ornaments of that metal. Moreover, although gold was, for the reason assigned, in all probability, the metal first known to the Irish, the wrought specimens thereof which have come down to the present time do not exhibit the same simplicity of design and Avorkmanship as those of copper and bronze ; and, being all objects of personal decoration, the weapons formed out of other metals claim a prior attention in the order of this Col- lection. Copper, Umlia. — As yet scarcely any notice has been 356 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. taken of our Irish copper weapons, apparantly the forerunners of the mixed metal — bronze or brass. The only copper im- plements of very great antiquity in the Academy's collection are some celts, evidently of the very earliest pattern and greatest simplicity in construction, a couple of battle-axes, a sword-blade of the curved broad shape, usually denominated scythes, a trumpet, a few fibulse, and some rudely formed tools. There can be little doubt that these copper celts are the very oldest metal articles in the Collection, and were pro- bably the immediate successors of a similar class of implement of stone. They may, however, be considered along with those of bronze. We have no notice of the discovery or first working of copper in Ireland, although it is found here in small quanti- ties in a native state ; but there are traditions of copper mines having existed from a very early period, and traces thereof have been found in the counties of Kerry and Cork, to Avhich allusion has already been made at page 85, in describing the stone tools discovered therein. Both copper and cobalt are still found at Mucross. And among the wonders of Ireland related in the edition of the Irish Nennius, published by the Archseological Society, we read of Lough Lein, now the lake of Killarney, being surrounded by four circles, viz. : — one of copper, one of tin, one of lead, and one of iron. (See p. 220.) ' In the present day copper abounds in Ireland, and is chiefly obtained from the counties of WIcklow, Waterford, Cork, Kerry, Tipperary, and Gal way : and in the year 1855 as much as 1 157 tons of that metal, exported from Ireland, were sold at Swansea.* Although we do not possess sufficiently large quantities * Gray copper ore is chiefly found in Cork and Kerry, and the yellow ore, or copper pyrites, in Wicklow, Waterford, Kerry, Cork, and Tipperary; native copper is even still found in small quantity in the mines at Boumahon, county of Waterford. The art of smelting copper, though now more complete than that of any other metal, has been only very recently brought to perfection. CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: INTRODUCTION. 35T of pure native copper, such as the Greenlander, Esquimaux, and certain North American tribes cut and hammer, without smelting, into arrow-heads, nails, and other tools and weapons, still the copper ore, as it here exists. Is sufficiently attractive to call the attention of the inquiring eye of a half civilized man. It would, however, be mere speculation to consider now the question of breaking the ore and Its matrix Into small fragments, — roasting it, and then, by means of a flux, a powerful heat, and a peculiarly constructed furnace, smelting and casting It, as employed In the present day. We are quite in the dark as to the method employed by our ancestors. Upon the steppes of Tartary, and In some of the wildest parts of Russia, the remains of very ancient copper furnaces of small size, and of the most rude construction, have been discovered. It Is remarkable that so few antique copper Implements have been found, although a knowledge of that metal must have been the preliminary stage In the manufacture of bronze. The circumstance may be accounted for, either by supposing that but a short time elapsed between the knowledge of smelt- ing and casting copper ore, and the Introduction of tin, and subsequent manufacture and use of bronze ; or from the pro- bability of nearly all such articles having been recast and con- verted Into bronze, subsequent to the Introduction of tin, which renders them harder, sharper, and more valuable. The softness of unalloyed copper was thus, In process of time, corrected by the admixture of tin, of Avhich, together with minute quantities of lead, all our ancient bronze articles are composed. When this discovery was made, or this art first introduced, is unknown ; but the circumstance of our prox- imity and early Intercourse with Cornwall, the great empo- rium of that metal for the ancient world, as well as the fact of tin-stone being found In small quantities In Ireland, points to abundant sources from Avhence the hardening element of bronze could have been with facility obtained. The Irish name for copper ia. umha, a pure Celtic word. 358 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. and that for tin is stan, like the Latin stannum. Whether we had originally sufficient native tin, or imported it from Eng- land, is uncertain, but there was a period when, according to the comparative value of the two metals, the one must have been nearly as plentiful in the Irish market as the other. Thus in a very ancient manuscript in the library of Trinity College, we read that " a pinguinn is the value of an unga of ichite bronze [ban umha, probably tin] ; and half a pinguinn is the value of an unga of red bronze \derg umha or copper] ; and the unga of bronze \_umha'] is the same weight as the unga of silver \airgead^^, and the red bronze is the same value as the tin \_staii\ ; and eight grains of wheat is the weight of a pinguinn."* Dr. Charles Smith, in his "History of Kerry," page 125, says he collected tin in that locality. Sir Robert Kane has returned the following answer to a question respecting Irish tin : — "Tinstone is found in small quantities in the sand and gravel of the rivers in Wicklow, to the south and west of Avoca, principally those streams coming from Croghan Moira into it, as the Aughrim and its branches. The quantity is not large, and the supply uncertain, and hence, at the pre- sent prices of tin, quite useless. It appears in that place as in most other countries curiously associated with native gold. The tin-stone, or native peroxide of tin, or stannic acid, is the usual ore of tin, worked from similar sources in Cornwall." The earliest notice of silver related in our Annals is that given at page 354, where it is associated with gold. A bril- liant white metal much used in jewellery, and denominated Findridne, was known to the Irish in early times, the composi- tion of which will be considered in the description of articles composed of that substance. There are a few trivial articles of lead in the Museum, but not of any great age. Several chemical examinations of metal objects of anti- * Extract supplied by Mr. Curry from MS. 11, 4, 22, T. C. D. CLASS V. METALLIC MATERIALS : INTRODUCTION. 359 quity have been made at difFerent times during the past cen- tury, both in this country and in England, with the results of which the learned are acquainted ; but, for the purposes of this Catalogue, the very careful analysis made by Mr. J. W. Mallet, of articles in the museum of the Academy, published in vol. xxii. of the Transactions, will suffice. The papers of the late President Dr. Robinson, as also those of Mr. Donovan, Dr. Sullivan, and Mr. Cooke, in vol. iv. of the Proceedings, may be referred to with profit by those anxious to be more particularly informed upon this subject.* In sixteen specimens of antique bronze, consisting of celts, spear-heads, swords, daggers, chisels, rings and bells, examined, by Mr. Mallet, it Avould appear that the amount of tin varied from 1 to as much as 13*88 per cent., and there does not ap- pear to have been any fixed proportion maintained between it and the copper. Small quantities of lead were found in some. No. 16, on Tray A, is the celt referred to as No. 2 in Mr. Mallet's analysis, in which there was only 1*09 per cent, of tin: — " A proportion," says the author, "so small that it might be supposed to be derived from the addition of frag- ments of old bronze to the copper, or from imperfect reduction of the ore." Mr. Phillips obtained as much as 97-7 1 per cent, of copper, and 0-28 of sulphur, from an Irish spear-head ; there- fore, it must have been like our copper celts, almost entirely composed of that metal. Leaving the question as to how 1 or 2 per cent, of any foreign metal became mixed with the copper to chemists to decide, and taking the physical properties and ostensible colour of the metal as our guide, the copper celts have, with few exceptions, been separated and arranged on * See also Dr. George Pearson's careful analysis of " ancient metallic arms and utensils," some of which were Irish, published in the Philosophical Transactions for 1796 ; Mr. Alcliorn's Analysis, in 1774, printed in Lort's paper on Celts, in the Archseologia, vol. iii. ; see also vol. xviii. of that work ; likewise " The Pre- Historic Annals of Scotland," Edinburgh, Sutherland and Knox ; and Mr. Phillips' learned paper in the " Quarterly Journal of the Chemical Society," for October, 1851. 2b 360 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. Tray A, and thereon amount to 26. It is remarkable that almost all these copper celts appear to have been formed upon two types. There are 30 copper celts altogether. A special description of bronze, of a peculiar golden lustre, depending, it is supposed, on the admixture of a certain pro- portion of lead, having been observed in a collection of articles found at Dowris, in the King's County, it has since received the name of " Dowris Bronze." The Romans, we know, imported from Cyprus a copper called coronarium^ Avhich was given a golden colour by means of ox-gall. Zinc was mixed with copper for making some of the brazen articles in the Collection, especially the culinary utensils of later times. See also description of No. 9, Class II., page 158. The Metallic Collection commences with the copper and bronze specimens in the third Compartment of the Southern Gallery, occupies all the Western Gallery, and passes down from thence throughout the whole of the lower story — the bronzes ending at the northern door of the Library. ORDER I.— COPPER, BRONZE, AND BRASS. SPECIES I. WEAPONS, AND WEAPON TOOLS. — BRONZE I. Copper and bronze Celts, axes, and palstaves, occupy the en- tire of the third Compartment in the Southern Gallery, and also Rail-cases K and L. They form one of the most complete collections in the Museum, and are undoubtedly the most nu- merous assemblage of such implements known to the learned in Europe. When the stone-weaponed people acquired a knowledge of the metallurgic art, it would appear that they still retained the same principles of design, Avere influenced by similar habits of thought, and adopted the same mode of warfare, — the type of the old stone celt being preserved in the form of the newly introduced and gradually adopted metal Aveapon. Both stone and copper, or bronze, were, in all proba- bility, for a long time coexistent, the former slowly giving way to the latter, as the matchlock was replaced by the musket, and. CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: CELTS. 361 after many years, by the rifle. In no other class of imple- ment is the process of development more truly represented than in the gradual transition of the metal celt, and palstave, from the rudest and simplest to the most perfect form. The term Celt, from celtis, a chisel,* is quite conventional, but, having been adopted more than a century ago to designate those weapon-tools in the shape of axes, hatchets, adzes, and chisels (formerly called chip-axes), and preserved by authors since, it would be attended with much inconvenience to alter it now.f That they are the most ancient weapons, next to those of stone, may be gleaned from the fact of their being almost the only antique implements of any kind formed out of copper ; from their great similarity, both in shape, use, and mode of adjustment, to the stone celts; and from there being as yet no name discovered for them, and no reference to them to be found in Irish history, as there is to swords and spears. The entire Collection at present (July, I860) amounts to 688, of all forms and sizes, including deposits, but not the celt- shaped tools on Tray QQ. Upon careful examination, it has been found that thirty of the rudest, and apparently the very oldest celts, are of red, almost unalloyed copper. The term paalstab or palstave — applied to the long, narrow- winged celt — is of modern introduction, and still of very limited acceptation ; it is of Scandinavian origin, and said to have desig- nated the weapons employed by some northern tribes for bat- tering the shields of their enemies. (See Worsaae's " Primeval Antiquities.") Iron implements, like our loi/s, and called * See the Rev. Dr. Todd's notice of the word " Celt," in his translation of Baron Bonstettin's paper, in the " Proceedings," vol. vii. p. 42. I See Plot's Histoiy of Staffordshire; Neville's Paper in the Philosophical Trans- actions for 1732 ; Borlace's History of Cornwall; and Lort's Paper on Celts, A. D. 1779, puhlished in the fifth volume of the Archteologia. Vallancey, and some Irish writers of his school, called these Celts luagh Snaighte, but on what authority thiy do not say. See Collectanea, vol. iv., p. 55. 2 B 2 362 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. paalstahs, are still used in Iceland, either for digging the ground or breaking the ice. When, however, we stand — as in the Gallery of this Museum — before a collection of some hun- dreds of these implements, considered either as simple articles of war, or, like their predecessors in stone, as weapon-tools, and pass each series in review, we perceive that these so-called paalstabs are but a necessary and gradual link from the simple flat axe-blade, passed through a wooden handle, to the highly finished socketed celt, richly ornamented, and supplied with a loop for securing it to the shaft, which was inserted into it. The simplest form of celt is a cuneiform or wedge-shaped piece of metal, evidently formed on the type of the large stone celt; longer than it is broad; curved on its sharp-cutting, hatchet face, and square or rounded at the opposite, narrow, and blunted extremely. In length, this weapon varies from upwards of 12 inches, as in No. 27, Tray B, shown by Fig. 247, on page 364, which is the largest yet discovered in Ire- land, to No. 524 on Tray R, a small socketed celt, figured at page 386, which is scarcely one inch long. For the sake of arrangement, the celts in the Academy's Collection, although presenting more than a dozen varieties of form, may all be classed under three different heads : first, the plain hatchet-shaped piece of metal which passed into and probably through its wooden handle — this maybe denominated the Simple Jiat celt; secondly, the Winged celt^ or Palstave, which mutually received and was received into the handle; and thirdly, the Socketed celt, into which the handle was inserted, as shall be explained hereafter. These three varieties pass in- sensibly into each other. The following illustrations represent typical forms of the simple flat celt, of which there are now in the Collection about 60 well-marked specimens, chiefly ar- ranged on Trays A, B, and C, on the top shelf of the third Compartment of the Southern Gallery, and in Rail-case K. Copper Celts. — Figures 245 and 246, drawn from Nos. 1 and 10, on Tray A, present us with the two principal va- CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: CELTS. 363 rieties of the pure copper celt, and both of them bear a great similarity to their stone predecessors of the rudest description, like those found in the Shannon, and described at pages 49 and 69. No. 1, cleaned and drawn one-half the size of the Fig. 245. No. 1. Fig. 246. No. 10. original, is only j%ths of an inch across the thickest portion, and fines off to the edge all round. It was — Presented by Lord Farnham. No. 10, Fig. 246, which is in good preserva- tion, is 6 inches long, 3| wide across the broad and remarka- bly sharp-cutting edge, and 1| at the smaller end, which is about the sixteenth of an inch thick, Avhile in the central por- tion it is upwards of a quarter of an inch in thickness. One side is a little fuller than the other, but in all other re- spects it is marvellously symmetrical, a circumstance observa- ble, with few exceptions, throughout the entire Collection of metal celts. Like all the other copper celts, it is totally un- ornamented, but it has been cleaned for the purpose of show- ing the colour of the material, having had, when it came into the Collection, the usual brown crust or oxidation peculiar to these copper specimens, and, for the most part, distinguishing them from the greenish verdigris hue on many of the bronzes. It was found in the county of Waterford, and presented by the Mayor of Waterford in 1853. 364 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. Proportionate to its size, the copper celt is usually thicker and rougher on the surface than that made of bronze, and nearly all the former have one side smoother than the other, as if they had been cast in single-stone moulds. A few of these copper celts are lunette-edged, as Nos. 15 and 19, but others are only simple wedges of cast metal. The cleansed spe- cimens show that considerable variety of colour exists among them. For the details of these copper celts, see the descrip- tions of Tray A, at page 396. Bronze Celts, of the first variety, are well represented by the accompanying illustration. Fig. 247, from No. 27, on Fig. 247. No. 27. ■ Tray B, the largest specimen which has yet been recorded. It is 12i inches long, 8^ broad in the widest part, three-eighths of an inch thick, and weighs 4 lbs. 14 oz. ; it is a good type of a number of axe-shaped celts arranged beneath it on Tray B. It was ibund in the ruins of Kilcrea Castle, county of Cork, and — Presented by Sir Mattheto Barrington, Bart. The long, narrow celt, made by prolonging the hinder part which passed into the wood, is well shown by the accom- CLASS V METALLIC MATERIALS: CELTS. 365 panying illustration, drawn one-half the natural size, from No. 72, on Tray D, a beautiful cleaned specimen, composed Fig. 248. No. 72. of gold-coloured bronze, and ornamented both on its sides and edges ; 7^ inches long and 3| thick. Of the same variety of the long, narrow celt, are the three specimens shown below, two of which likewise present us with types of orna- 251. No. 145. Fig. 249. No. 608. Fig. 250. No. 135. mentation, to be referred to hereafter in the general description of the decoration of celts. Fig. 249, from No. 608, in Kail- 366 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. case K, represents a very perfect specimen, of a light green colour, 8|- inches long, 4 wide at the blade end, half an inch thick, and decorated on both sides and edges. The patina on its surface has preserved all the sharpness of the ornamen- tation. Fig. 250, from a specimen of the same class, No. 135, on Tray G-, is 7 inches long, 3 wide, and highly de- corated ; it was found at Glencullen, county of Dublin. But No. 145, Fig. 251, on Tray G, although it may be classed among the long, narrow celts, is very peculiar, and, until a portion of it was cleaned, presented all the external appearance of copper. The alloy of tin is, perhaps, very slight, and it would appear to belong to a rude and early type; like several of the copper celts, it fines down to a rounded edge along the entire margin. It is 7 inches long, and 3^ broad in the widest portion. We possess two others, No. 43 on Tray C, and No. 144 on Tray G, of pre- cisely the same form. The number of long, narrow celts in the Collection is 132 : of these, 126, from No. 57 to No. 173, are displayed on Trays D to H, and 8 are placed in Rail- case K. As this classification is founded on the mode of fixing these implements in their handles, it is necessaiy to digress, and explain that process, before we examine the two other va- rieties, — the winged and the socketed celts. Left Avithout historic reference, and with but few pictorial illustrations, we are thrown back upon conjecture as to the mode of hafting and using the metal celt. As already stated, this weapon-tool is but the stone implement reproduced in another form ; and, having once obtained a better material, the people who acquired this knowledge repeated the form they were best acquainted with ; but economized the metal, and lessened the bulk, by flattening the sides. In proof of this repetition in metal of the ancient form of the stone celt, may be adduced the fact of a copper celt of the precise outline, both in shape and thickness, of one of our ordinary stone im- CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: CELTS. 367 plements having been found in an Etruscan tomb, and now preserved in the Museum of Berlin. (See Etruscan Collec- tion there, No. 3244.) It is 6 inches long, and 2^ wide in the thickest portion. (See Fig. 310, p. 395.) The three following illustrations. A, B, and C, serve as types of the different forms of celts, and the mode in which they were hafted. A, Fig. 252, represents a simple, flat, wedge- shaped celt, passed through a wooden handle, and secured by a ligature, possibly of hide or gut. This implement is evi- dently the type of our modern axe. By use, however, as a A. Fig. 252. B.« Fig 253. C* Fig. 254. tool or weapon, it must, in process of time, have either split the handle or passed through it. To remedy this defect, a stop or slight ridge was raised upon the flat surface of the metal, generally at the junction of the posterior and middle thirds, as in Nos. 64, 72, 134, 137, &c. Still, this must have been a very imperfect barrier to the passage of the implement through the handle, and, therefore, a new plan was adopted, that of making the metal and wood pass one into the other, and thus arose what is termed the winged celt, or palstave, of which there are 211 specimens in our Collection, from No. 174, on * Figures B aud C, drawn by Mr. Du Noyer, after the pattern of those published by him in the Archasological Journal, vol. iv. pp. 5 and 6, have the curved portions of their handles rather too angular for the ordinaiy natural growth of the wood. 368 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. Tray I, to No. 356, on Tray N, and from No. 632 to No. 659, in Rail-cases K and L. Here a curved piece of wood, like a hurl or an ordinary crooked walking-stick,* was split or cut, so as to receive the metal Aveapon, which had a slight wing or flange raised upon the upper and lower edges of the narrow portion, to prevent its joggling or slipping up and down; and the parts, thus adjusted, must have been bound round after the fashion shown byB, Fig. 253. That the winged celt had, how- ever, originally no stop, is shown by Fig. 258, on page 373. Still, a hard blow with this implement was apt to split the wooden handle, and so man's ingenuity devised a larger stop or elevated ridge near the middle, at the junction between the axe-blade, or cutting portion, and the parts which passed into and received the sides of the handle, against which they abutted. Nevertheless, the implement was imper- fect, and still liable to split ; and so, in process of time, the third great step in celt manufacture was achieved, — that of making the metal the sole recipient of the wooden handle, by developing the wings, enlarging and bringing up the stop, and gradually removing the septum that divided the blades of the handle, until the implement became what is called a socketed celt, of which an example is given in the illustration, C, Fig. 254. This was a great step in advance ; yet the implement was imperfect, because, as every person acquainted with the work- ing of such like tools is aware, it was apt to kick, the blade or cutting edge turning upwards at each repeated blow, until it finally flew off the handle, as any badly fitted hammer, hatchet, or adze would do. To obviate this defect, a loop was added to the lower edge, on both winged and socketed varieties, and to this was attached a stay either of metal or cordage, which occupied the angle between the celt. and its handle where it * See also Mr. J. M. Kemble's Address, ia the Proceedings, R. I. A., vol. vi. p. 472. CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS : CELTS. 369 was fastened ; but by what means, whether by a ring, staple, or tying, we at present know not. However, this additional security against the flying off of the metal head was not the discovery alone of the age when the socketed celt was in- vented, for it is very common amongst the palstaves. It is remarkable that we find no rivet holes in any of these hollow celts ; but in some rare specimens, in other countries, a notch, and sometimes a hole at the end of the septum of the palstave has been observed, to prevent its passing back too far, and splitting the handle, whether curved or straight. It is not certain that the palstave was always attached to a curved handle, although, from the existence of the loop or ring un- derneath, most of the Irish ones would appear to have been so; some were probably attached to straight handles, like chisels, or the modern small instrument usually employed for cleaning the plough; and, in the Scandinavian collections may be seen several long slender paalstabs, some with frag- ments of wood remaining, which proves the truth of this con- jecture.* Such implements, many of which are highly de- corated, may have been employed as spears in combat ; at the same time it is not improbable that some of our large, rude, winged celts, or palstaves, may have been employed for agri- cultural purposes, in turning up the surface of the soil, like the mattock or hoe still in use amongst the Egyptians and other half civilized people. Our own iron lay, or narrow, one- sided spade, is but a development of the ancient celt. In this inquiry as to the mode of fixing the celt in its handle, we are not left altogether to conjecture, or forced to draw upon our imagination, for, as instances of handles of wood, bone, and horn, used with stone celts, have come to light within the last few years (see Figs. 53, 160, and 161, pages 46 and 251), so have some examples of the handles of metal celts turned up, as the following notices and illustrations *See Worsaae's " Nordishe Oldsager," 1859, PL 37, Nos. 181, 182, and 183, drawn one-half the natural size. 370 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. attest. Figure 255 is reduced from the representation of a handled celt, 4 ft. 9 in. long, carved on one of the roofing stones Fig, 255. Fig. 256. Fig. 257. of a very ancient sepulchral monument at Lok-maria-ker, near Vannes in Brittany, for which the author is indebted to M. de Keranflech. This carving may, however, represent a stone celt, but the principle is the same. Here the ancient Breton endeavoured to prevent the head splitting or passing through the wood by inserting the celt across the convex part of a curved stick, so that its small end rested against the concave portion of the crook. The guard, which was, probably, a flexible piece of wood fixed on the handle, evidently points to the warlike use of this implement. In the same locality was discovered another similarly sculp- tured stone, but without a guard. Figure 256 represents the model of a small celt attached to its handle, brought from " Little Fish River," in Africa, and exhibited to the Academy by the late Dr. Ball, in 1844. (See Proceedings, vol. ii. p. 511.) Figure 257 possesses great interest, as it is native, and is the only instance of the original handle of an ancient metallic celt CLASS V. METALLIC materials: CELTS. 371 which has yet come to light. It is 13| inches long, and was found in the bed of the River Boyne, near Edenderry. The head metal is provided with a loop, which is worn through at one point. This curious relic is the property of Mr. Murray, of Edenderry, who has for the present deposited it in our Museum.* Besides the foregoing, we have pictorial evidence of the celt and its curved handle in the figures carved in relief on the crosses at Monasterboice, Avhere, from the style of draw- ing, they resemble the war clubs of the New Zealanders. (See Fig. 194, on page 304. f) Among the many uses to which the sharp-edged metallic celt could be applied was like that of the carpenter's mortice-chisel, as shown by the number of speci- mens hammered at the small end. Some northern archteologists hold that metal implements were introduced by a new and totally different race from those that worked onlj?^ in stone. This may be true in Scandinavia, where there are no copper articles, and all the bronzes are well formed, highly finished, and many of them elaborately deco- rated ; but it certainly is not applicable to the metallurgic art in Ireland, where the earliest implements of both these metals are of the rudest forms, and evidently copies of the stone articles of the same class ; and the transition is so gradual that we can easily trace the process of development, of which no bet- ter example can be afforded than that of our grand collection of celts. Moreover, the composition of the alloy is said to be fixed and regular in Scandinavia, the metal being nine-tenths copper, and one-tenth tin, whereas in all those articles which have been analyzed in Ireland, the proportion varies exceed- * See Rail-case L. The Academy is much indebted to Mr. Murray for the libe- rality with which he has allowed this and other articles from his collection to be drawn, for the purpose of illustrating our great national Museum. (See also p. 252.) f Mr. G. V. Du Noyer has published two most ingenious papers in the Archaeo- logical Journal, vol. iv., upon the adaptation of the handles to both stone and metal celts, to which the reader is referred. 372 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. ingly, either because the early metallurgists had not hit off the right proportions, or had used different quantities to pro- duce different effects in hardness, sharpness, colour, &c. Fur- thermore, as we pass northward, from Denmark to Norway and the top of Sweden, the amount of bronze gradually les- sens, and in the former country is replaced by iron. Neither copper, tin, nor gold are found in Denmark, and no moulds of any kind for casting have been discovered there, although the spuds or stoheknold are common. It would appear that the stone period was longer, and the metal one shorter and later in all these countries than in the British Isles, and Ire- land In particular. In the Copenhagen Museum may be seen celts and paalstabs of iron, and of comparatively modern date; and in the central parts of Sweden the short Iron hoe or pick, ^ used by the peasantry in grubbing up roots of trees, Is not much larger than, and greatly resembles some varieties of the ancient bronze celt. With respect to the Pha3nician origin of our warlike and decorative metal articles, assumed by some writers, until some proof either from authority, by argument, or by analogy, is pro- duced in support of it, we need not discuss the question here. The Winged Celt, or palstave, presents the greatest variety of all, as may be seen from the cuts on the adjoining page. Fig. 258 is from a simple, narrow, chisel-edged celt, No. 175, on Tray I, in which the side edges project into flanges, so as to form grooves for the reception of the cleft handle. It is 4 ^ inches long, is perfectly plain, and not provided with a stop ; the breadth of the wing is seven-eighths of an inch. Fig. 259, drawn from No. 234, on Tray J, 5g inches in length, shows both wings and stop very perfectly, the former being elliptical, and the latter rising nearly to the level of the wing. The cutting edge looks as if it had been frequently ground, and on the flat surface there is a raised cast ornament. It was Presented by the executors of Leslie Ogilby, Esq. Fig. 260, from No. 248, on Tray K, is the broadest specimen in the Col- CLASS V -METALLIC materials: CELTS. 373 lection, and measures, across the centre of the straight-edged, lozenge-shaped wing, 1 1 of an inch. The stops are but slightly developed, and must have been bedded into the sides of the Fig. 258. No. 175. Fig. 259. No 23-1. Fig. 2G0 No. 248. handle, which appear to have passed below them ; and, where the wings merge into the edges of the blade, a deep, well- defined groove spreads down on its surface. Upon the external face of each wing is an oblique elevated ridge, intended, pro- bably, to keep the tying in its place. Among this very extensive class of celts we find many re- markable varieties, two of which are well represented by the subjoined illustrations. Fig. 261, from No. 167, on Tray H, 4^ inches long by 2| across the broad semilunar blade, is Fig. 201 . N0.1C7. Fig. 262. No. 632. typical of one of these subdivisions. The rounded side edges, which are beautifully ornamented in the casting Avith a raised hexagon pattern, project somewhat above the level of 374 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. the flat surface of the Implement; and the curved stops (which, with the wings, are but rudimentary) have, like all such parts, their concavities facing the handle. There are about fifty specimens of this kind of celt in the Museum, and which are for the most part attached to Trays G- and H. One of the most graceful in form, and the most perfect celt of its kind in this or any other Collection, is that represented by Fig. 262, from No. 632, in Rail-case K : it is 6| inches long, by 4^ wide in the blade, and has been cleaned* to exhibit the beau- tiful golden colour of the bronze, and the fineness of its deco- rations. The shank portion is very narrow; the wing or flange is well developed, but the oblique stop is only rudimentary, and not likely to serve the usual purpose of that addition to the winged celt. The blade is semicircular on the cutting edge, which is beautifully sharp, and does not appear to have ever been ground or hammered ; the decoration consists of mi- nute dotts, apparently formed in the mould ; and nothing can exceed the fineness of the casting. It was found in the county Westmeath, and presented by Dr. Dillon Kelly, of Mullingar. This is the special form of Irish celt that was, in all probability, attached to a straight handle. It may originally have been a badge of office. There are several specimens of the same type on Tray 1 (see in particular Nos. 181, 187, 198, and 203 to 215), but they are not so large, or in such perfect preservation. * The cleansing process employed in this and other bright bronze articles in the Museum is by carefully dipping them in a weak acid, in the same manner as a modern brass casting is cleaned after it comes from the mould. When the article has been much encrusted, it is necessary to hold it over the fire for a few minutes. The Academy is much indebted to Mr. Mooney, the brass-founder, of Ormond-quay, for much civi- lity in this matter. Some antiquaries may think it a desecration to clean an antique metal article, as well as to remove a small fragment, for the purpose of analysis. Without, however, resorting, in some instances, to such processes, we should remain ignorant on two most interesting subjects, — the composition of the metal, and the peculiar colour and general appearance of the weapon or ornament when it came from the hands of the maker. Moreover, it is probable that all these articles were originally varnished or lacquered, like modern brasses, and that for many years such varnish preserved the golden lustre of the bronze. CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS : CELTS. 375 Following out the theory of development in these articles, it is necessary at this stage of the inquiry to examine into the six following points separately : — The cutting edge, the stop, the wing, the side or profile view, the loop, and the socket. The Cutting Edge presents great diversity, from a very slightly curved line to that of the segment of a circle, the centre of which would be about the junction of the lower and middle thirds of the length of the instrument. In the simple axe-shaped celts, and also in the socketed variety, it is seldom much curved, and in some of the latter is almost straight, or resembles that of the furmer used in turning. But in the palstave or flanged celt, we find three well-marked varieties : the saddler's knife-shape, in Avhich the blade spreads out, sometimes to three times the width of the shaft, from which it occasionally springs at an angle (see Fig. 261, on p. 373) ; the lunette or semilunar form, as in Figs. 259 and 260 on that page, the former of which shows the recurved peculiarity, in which the extremities form hooked terminations, and many illustrative examples of which may be seen on Trays G, I, and J ; and the fan-shaped, as in Fig. 262, and many specimens on Tray I. As in every other peculiar feature of the celt, these diversified forms of the cutting edge shade one into the other imperceptibly. Hammering would increase the hardness of this description of metal, but we do not observe any marks of such upon the cutting edges of those celts which are in a good state of preservation. They all appear to have come, like the swords, perfectly sharp from the mould. Some few, however, bear the marks of grinding and sharpening, perhaps with a whetstone, like those to be seen on Tray MM, in the Stone Collection, with holes at the extremities for attaching them to the person, but particularly by means of those shuttle- shaped stones, so numerous in Scandinavian collections, and which are now generally believed to have been used as rub- stones.* Some of the celts are notched, worn, or broken on * See Nos. 58 and 59 in Scandinavian Collection, p. 133. Since that portion of 2 c 376 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. the cutting edge, but they are usually such as had remained some time in the hands of the finders, or of dealers. See re- marks on No. 149, Tray H, p. 406. The Siop commences in a rudimentary form even on plain, narrow, triangular celts, and where it could not have been of much use, as on No. 35, and as shown in No. 72, Fig. 248 ; but it is not seen on any of the copper specimens. It seems to have proceeded pari passu with the development of the wing, and is particularly manifest in the specimens on Trays F, G, and H. It also seems to have been coeval with the ornamenta- tion, which in most instances it separated from the upper por- tion of the weapon ; there are, however, exceptions to this in Nos. 72 and 136, &c. Even when the wing was fully deve- loped, the stop still remained rudimentary, as in Nos. 187, 198, and 204, on Tray I; but on Tray J we perceive the di- rect olvject of this improvement, particularly in Nos. 212, 225, and 230. It was not of necessity associated in all instances with the wing, as Nos. 179, 196, 197, also 175, Fig. 257, page 373, have well-formed wings and no stops. At first it was a slightly raised bar, almost straight, and placed much nearer the point or small end than the hatchet face of the in- strument, as in Nos. 124 and 125, on Tray G- ; it then became curved, as in Nos. 132 and 133, the concavity being always towards the handle ; and in some cases it is nearer the cutting edge than the small end, as in Nos. 181, 202, and 233, on Trays I and J ; also in many specimens on Tray M, as Nos. 300, 309, &c. ; but these are rather the exceptions. As the flange or wing became fully developed, the stop was gene- rally attached to it at the junction between its anterior and middle third. In a long series of specimens it does not rise the Catalogue descriptive of the Stone Articles was printed, I have seen some of these shuttle-shaped stones in Scandinavian collections, encircled round the narrow edge with a band of metal, having a ring at one extremity ; they were evidently used for the purpose described in the text ; such an article, probably, hung at the side of every soldier, for sharpening his sword or balUe-axe. CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: CELTS. 377 as high as the level of the flange (see all the specimens on Tray I), but subsequently it rises to its full height, and in some instances a little above it (see particularly Nos. 225 and 254 on Trays J and K, together with several specimens on Tray m). Finally, the stop assumed the character of a pocket or small side socket, into which the wood passed, the first ex- amples of which are Nos. 249 and 252, on Tray K. On Tray I« there are many specimens showing this peculiarity, as Nos. 274, 275, 276, and 284, and also some on Trays M and N, to those on the latter of which the loop had been added (see Nos. 344, 347, 349, and 351); so that, by bringing up the stop a little more between the wings, in order to close the open of thelatter, and at the same time removing the septum, the socketed or recipient celt was at once formed. Of this we have a very good example in No. 27 fi, on Tray L, here fi- gured one-third the natural size. The wings and stop form a pouch, with a semicircular Fig. 263. No. 270. margin on each side, into Avhich the blades of the handle fitted. Either the stop itself or the part immediately in front of it to- wards the blade, became ornamented in a very rudimentary state, as in Nos. 186 and 189, on Tray I, Nos. 212 and 230 on Tray J, Nos. 235 and 250 on Tray K, and No. 317 on Tray M. As the stop rose into the socket, the projection caused thereby produced a form of ornament, as may be seen in Nos. 275, 276, and 284, on Tray L, and No. 314 on Tray M. Even after the loop was added to the long-winged celt, the stop was occasionally omitted, as in No. 34 1 on Tray N. In some instances the stop is oblique, as in No. 60 on Tray D, and No. 632 in Rail-case K. TheFlaiige or Win^ — By raising the side edge of the sim- ple celt over the level of the flat surface, either in casting or by hammering it into an ornament, we perceive some rudi- 2 c 2 378 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. nient of what afterwards formed the flange or wing, as in Nos. 29, 32, and 34, on Tray C, and Nos. 57, 69, and 72, on Tray D, but it does not take a decided shape until we come to ex- amine the specimens on Tray Cr, when the celt itself had al- tered its outline from the simple, triangular, hatchet form, to the long, narrow sub-variety, with the semilunar, lunette, fan-shaped, or saddler's knife blade : — see for example, Nos. 123, 125, 128, and 133, on Tray G, where we find it con- nected with the rudimental stop, and an advanced style of ornamentation. In most cases it occupies the greater length of the shaft, and, although found among the lunette-edged celts, it more truly belongs to the long palstave variety, as shown on all the specimens between Nos. 206 and 356 on Trays J to N. In the accompanying cut, Fig. 264, drawn one third the natural size, from No. 128, on Tray G, the shortest celt of its kind in the Collection, the flanges, or rudimental wings, slightly overlap the central grooved portion above, and run down into the broad, lunette, cutting edge below. It f^264. No.m. has no stop. See also No. 197, Tray J. When fully developed, the wing presents a lozenge shape on its lateral aspect, and is sometimes an inch and a half broad, as in several specimens on Tray K; in No. 248, of which it is If inches across, see Fig. 260, p. 373. Its edge is generally thin, so as slightly to overlap or sink into the handle, and in most instances it passes a short way below the stop, except in some of the rude specimens on Tray J, viz., No. 220. The most elevated portion of the winvith the pat- tern shown above. Fig. 391 is from a smaller and diffe- rently-decorated specimen, with the seam joined by a num- ber of oblique rivets, the holes for which are shown in the cut. Both the bulbous head and small extremity are cast; and the former has four counter-sunk indentations, probably for holding stones, enamel, or glass ; there are two in the latter. It measures 1 4i inches ; and was found in the river, at the site of the old bridge of Banagher, and — Presented hy the Shannon Commissioners. It rather strengthens the opi- nion as to the use of these articles, that the majority of them were found upon the fords of the Shannon, along with several spear-heads and sword-blades, &c. A third form, of which there are four specimens at the bottom of Tray PP, is shorter, and more conical. See details of all these at p. 517- Moulds, for spear and arrow-heads, are of rare occurrence ; but there is one stone mould of this description in the Aca- demy's Collection, with three separate indentations upon it ; figured at page 91. See description of first Cross-case in the Northern Gallery, page 92. The following is a detailed catalogue of the spears, jave- lins, and arrow-heads : — "Western Gallery Bronze IV. Shelf I., Tray II, contains thirty-six bronze spear-heads of dif- ferent shapes and sizes, typical of the several varieties of this vreapon ; and consisting of simple leaf-shaped, both long and short; broad bolt- heads, with and without loops; those with apertures in the blades, and the long, narrow variety with straight side edges. Those of the simple leaf-shape pattern, Nos. 1 to 8, are arranged on the upper and lower rows of the left-hand corner of the Tray. The specimens chiefly of the long, narrow variety, with loops either on the sides of the sockets, or at their angles with the blades, occupy the middle 2 l 2 506 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. space in both rows, from Nos. 9 to 26; and those of the variety with lateral apertures are placed in the right-hand corner, from No, 27 to No. 36. No. 1, a broad, leaf-shaped spear-head, remarkable for the great length of the socket, and its angularity in the blade por- tion, as also for not having a rivet-hole; lOf inches long by 2j across the widest part of the blade. Found in 1847, with bronze sword, No. 35, and also an iron sword, three feet under a gravel de- posit, in the River Glyde, to the south-east of Derrycrammagh Ford, parish of Mansfieldstown, county of Louth. No. 2, a beautifully perfect, long, leaf-shaped spear-head of Dowris-coloured bronze; grooved feather-edge round blade; cross rivet-holes, as in all the other specimens of this form; 10 by If. Both this and the forego- ing have been rubbed down in the point, evidently in modern times. No. 3, a beautiful specimen, of rare form, and in high preservation, having a raised line within the grooved feather-edge ; very sharp point; 10| by 1|. Found in deepening bed of Yellow River, below Ballinamore, toAvnland ofArdrum, parish of Oughteragh, county of Leitrim. No, 4, a remarkably short specimen, with angular soc- ket, which is not quite one inch long, below plain flat blade; 7f by 1|. No. 5, in fine preservation, broad in blade, edges sharp; 12| by 2|. Found in old bed of River Brusna, opposite ruins of Wheery Abbey, near Gallen, barony of Garrycastle, King's County. No, 6, a fine specimen of long leaf-shaped spear ; figured and described at p. 496. No. 7, leaf-shaped, long, fractured near top, corroded ; \6^ by 2j. No. 8, very perfect and remarkably large, slight feather edge, socket four-sided; 17^ by 2^ near base of blade. No. 9, long and narrow, has remains of brown patina, looped at junction of blade and circular socket, one loop defective, no rivet- holes in this or any other of the same variety ; chamfered edge ex- quisitely sharp; 12| by If. Found at Cutts, near Coleraine, on the River Bann. See sword, No. 23, p. 470, No, 10, broad, short blade, long socket, with side loops not touching blade; 7| by 1|. No. 11, small, of the long straight-edged variety, bronze gold-co- loured; loops flat, leaving triangular apertures between junction of blade and socket; 6| by 1 j. No. 12, ditto, but more leaf-shaped in blade, loop apertures less angular, slightly defective; 6f by Ij. No. 13, a very perfect small bolt or javelin-head, broad, leaf-shaped CLASS V. — METALLIC materials: SPEARS. 507 in blade, with ridge running along the most prominent portion of two upper-thirds of socket, feather-edge, broad loops in angles of blade and socket; covered with a smooth patina; the only specimen of its kind in the Collection; 4iby l^. No. 14, slightly imperfect in casting, edge of broad blade bevelled, lower portion of socket long, loops below angles of blade, but touching them; 10^ by 2|. No. 15, of bright-yellow metal, leaf-shaped, flat loops at angles of socket with broad bevel of blade; 13^ by 2|; said to have been found at Cootehall shoal, on the Boyle Water, county of Roscommon. No. 16, a perfect specimen of the long narrow spear, with straight edges ; loops at angle of slender socket with broad bevelled blade ; 1 6 j by 2 at base of blade. Found with sword No. 1, and other articles, at Toome Bar, River Bann. See p. 468. No, 17, one of the finest specimens of long, narrow spear-heads in the Collection, and in ex- cellent preservation, socket circular, but having a ridge along its blade portion ; broad feather edge, running into flat compressed loops at junction of blade and socket ; nearly 23 inches long, and 2g broad at base of blade. Found at Lough Gurr, county of Li- merick. See p. 223. No. 18, the largest specimen in the Collec- tion, and the second longest known to have been found in Ireland; figured and described at p. 496. No. 19, a good example of the tri- angular leaf-shaped spear, with concave lower edges; 7f by 2|. No. 20, a short-bladed specimen of the straight-edged spear or javelin point, slightly decorated on blade, like the foregoing and following, by raised lines running downwards and outwai'ds, so as to form a tri- angle with base of blade; loops on side of socket, which latter forms an angular projection in its blade portion; 8j by If. No. 21, ano- ther specimen, identical in character, although not cast in the same mould; 8j by 1|. No. 22, fractured in blade, and defective in soc- ket, the remains of a very beautiful and rare form of long, rather leaf-shaped spear-head, Avith a raised cast ornament in blade, run- ning along edge of four-sided socket, and prolonged below into long narrow loops, meeting the socket by a sharp bend, slight feather edge; 12 by 2^ at base of blade. No. 23, a fine specimen of the long narrow spear, with concave side edges, welded near the top, point slightly defective, very large lozenge-shaped loops on sides of socket, where the circular form of that portion of the weapon becomes an- gular ; lateral ridges between loops and blade; broad, hollowed bevel 508 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. edges, socket margin decorated with a circular cast moulding, and angular engraved or punched line ornament; now 19| inches long — but was originally probably 23 — and 2^ across widest part of blade. " Found 10 feet deep, near the remains of an ancient fortifica- tion." No. 24, another specimen of somewhat the same variety, fractured in blade, and much battered on bevelled edge, socket cir- cular, with very small loops below blade; 17^ by 2^. No. 25, a very beautiful specimen of the same variety as No. 23, but wanting about three inches of point, broad, lozenge-shaped loops, with late- ral projections between them and the indented edges of the blade; a cast fillet surrounds socket margin ; and a dotted line, apparently punched like celt No. 32, extends along the line of junction be- tween the blade and socket, and on each face of the angular pro- jection of that part; now IGf by 2;^. No. 26, a very perfect spe- cimen of the same variety, and in fine preservation; figured and de- scribed at p. 496. No. 27, and all the remaining specimens on this Tray, have the loops brought into the blade, where, in some cases, they form large apertures on each side of the socket. In this spe- cimen the blade is leaf-shaped, with small side apertures, the soc- ket large and conical; 7f by 2. No. 28, a short, very broad, leaf- shaped spear-head, with small lateral apertures, having raised flanges on their outer edges; socket circular and conical, with rivet- holes not opposite each other, and appearing to have been drilled after casting — the maker probably finding the lateral apertures in- sufficient for retaining the weapon in its shaft; 5| by 2^; found in gravel, in bed of Kiver Clare, one foot under surface, in 1S51, in townland of Pollacorragune, parish of Kilbennan, barony of Dun- more, county Galway. No. 29, another of the same variety, not so broad in bevel-edged blade; lateral apertures plain, wider, and lower down ; socket large, trumpet-mouthed, and angular in blade portion ; 6^ by If. No. 30, long and conical in socket; semicircular lateral apertures, with raised cast outer margins; bevelled blade edge, slightly concave; 7 by 1|. No. 31, long, leaf-shaped in blade, with slightly indented margin; very large lateral apertures, with raised edges, meeting elevated lines running on each side of large conical socket; 10| by 2f. No, 32, a very broad, leaf-shaped spear-bead; small lateral apertures, with outside flanges; II, of which the blade is 7 by 3j in its widest part. No. 33, a long, nar- CLASS V. METALLIC MATERIALS: SPEARS. 509 row blade, in bad preservation ; lateral apertures near junction with circular socket; 13| by 2|. No. 34, a long, leaf-shaped spear-head; figured and described at p. 499- No. 35, a rare specimen, wanting about three and a half inches of top; lateral apertures like forego- ing; the bevelled edge of blade extends down on each side of circu- lar socket to rivet-holes; now 10^ by 1|. No. 36, the lower frag- ment of a spear-head; figured and described at p. 499. Of the foregoing articles, Nos. 1, 3, 5, 9, 16, and 28, were — Presented hy the Board of Works. Nos. 33 and 34 — by the Shannon Commissioners. No. 15 — by R. A. Gray, Esq., C. E. No. 27, by the executors of Leslie Ogilby, Esq. Nos. 7, 21, and 32, were procured with the Dawson collection ; and Nos. 4 and 12, from that of Mr. Murray, of Mullingar. Shelf II. — Tray JJ, contains fifty-five spear-heads, arranged in three rows; the first, from Nos. 37 to 51, consists of small spear or javelin-heads, chiefly of the short leaf-shaped variety: and, with two exceptions, Nos. 40 and 44, without loops. The sockets in this variety are proportionably larger and more conical than those of the long leaf-shaped specimens on Tray II ; and also extend almost to the very point, so that the leaf or blade portion is secon- dary to the socket, and forms, in many specimens, but a slight wing ; for example, in No. 43. In size, the specimens in this row vary from No. 37, — which is little more than 4 inches in length, and If broad, — to 4 1 , which is 5 in length, and 1 ^ broad in the blade. Ex- cept the two with loops, and No. 47, they have all rivet-holes placed laterally, and larger in proportion to the size of the article than in any of the foregoing. See especially Nos. 41, 46, and 48 : they are all perfect specimens. In No. 40 the loop is at the junction of blade and socket, and in No. 44 there are small lateral apertures in the blade. In No. 45 the rivet remains, and the socket is filled with a portion of the handle. No. 43 was found at Keelogue Ford ; No. 45, in the channel of the Eiver Boyne, above Stoneyford Bridge, county Meath. No. 50 was discovered four feet under alluvial de- posit resting on limestone gravel, in the drainage cut through Brooklodge demesne, near Knockmoy, parish of Killereran, county Gal way ; it has been much hacked on the edges. No. 51 was found in the same locality, but only three feet under the surface. The second row, extending from No. 52 to 72, contains a great 510 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. variety of spear-heads, bolts, and javelins. The first six, from No. 52 to 57, are of the leaf-shape variety, and vary in length from 8 to 9 inches. Nos. 54 and 57 have loops between the blade and socket. No. 52, which was found at Cutts, on the River Bann, has a por- tion of the oak shaft still remaining in the socket. No. 55 was found resting on gravel below bog, five feet under the surface, in side cutting of the River Deel, in the neighbourhood of a crannoge, described, upon the label attached to this article, as " a little mound, formerly an island, which contained a quantity of human bones, and some iron spears," in the townland of Joristown, parish of Killucan, county of Westmeath. See '"Proceedings," vol. v., App., p. 55. The six next specimens in this row are small, broad spear- heads, numbered from 58 to 63; those which are perfect, vary in length from 4^ to 4f inches. Nos. 62 and 63 are imperfect in the shafts. No. 58, short and thick, has lateral apertures in blade. No. 59, a miniature of No. 19, is figured and described at p. 498. Nos. 60 and 61 are looped on the sockets. No. 62 has a decora- tive line on the flat of the blade, like No. 59; and No. 63 is deeply grooved in the blade on each side of socket, like Fig. 385. The re- maining nine spear-heads on this row, numbered from 64 to 72, are, except 69, of the plain leaf-shaped pattern, and vary in length from 7^ to 9^ inches. No. 64, is 8| inches long, and measures only I in the length of the socket; it was found in the River Boyne, along •with sword No. 104: see page 477. No. 65 was found near Head- ford, county of Galway. The antiquity of No. 69 has been questioned ; the blade edges are very thick and blunt, and the casting ruder than the veritable antique specimens. No. 70 is remarkable for the length of the socket, compared with the blade. No. 72 was found at Ath- lone. The bottom row of this Tray consists of nineteen spear -heads, chiefly leaf-shaped, and varying in length from 17| to 8f inches. Nos. 73, 75, 80, 81, 82, and 90, are looped in the angles between the blade and socket, and 88 has large lateral apertures, like No. 251. No. 73, a perfect, narrow, leaf-shaped spear-head; lOg-; was found 5 feet deep in Logstown bog, near Blessington, county Wicklow. No, 75 was found in the Shannon, near Banagher. No. 76, slightly defective in socket, but very perfect in blade; has a portion of the charred handle remaining; was procured from Lough Gurr, county CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: SPEARS. 511 Limerick. No. 77, of a bright yellow metal, was found at Corryo- lus, parish of Kiltoghert, county of Leitrim. No. 78, a very fine, perfect spear -head -, 12f long ; was found at Ardee. No. 79 is a spear- head, figured and described at p. 496. No. 80 is 16^ inches long, slightly ornamented round socket margin; was found near Athlone. No. 81, defective in point, and injured where very thin blade meets socket; it is now 16g- inches long. No. 82, of the same variety; 17^; was found at Athlone. No. 83, a very fine spear-head of the narrow variety, like Nos. 53 to 56; is only f across middle of socket; decorated margin, I74 long. No. 84, a fine specimen of the broad leaf-shaped spear-head, of reddish-yellow metal, with very large rivet- holes; 13; was found at Keelogue ford. No. 85, resembling in its short socket Nos. 71 and 77, is defective near the base; 12|-; found at Cornacarrow, on the Shannon, near Jamestown, county Roscom- mon. No. 86 has been mended with modern solder; figured by Beranger. — See p. 439- No. 87, a very beautiful spear-head of the narrow leaf-shape, and in fine preservation ; 11 f long; was found, with No. 256, two sword-blades, Nos. 22 and 83, and a great num- ber of other antique articles of a like nature, on the lands of Knocka- doo, not far from the banks of Lough Gara, the property of Vis- count Lorton, by whose permission they were deposited in the Mu- seum, on l6thMay, 1840, by W. R. Wilde, Esq., and thus served as the nucleus of that great collection of the ancient bronze arms of Ireland which has since accumulated in the Academy. No. 88, de- fective on one side; remarkable for large size of blade-portion of socket. Nos. 89 was found in Athlone; it and 91 are leaf-shaped ; No. 91 is looped between blade and socket. Of the foregoing, Nos. 38, 39, 41, 42, 46, 47, 48, 61, 63, 66, 67, 71, and 90, were procured with the Dawson Collection. Nos. 43, 58, 72, 75, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 89, and 91, were— Presented by the Shannon Comrnissioners ; and Nos. 45, 50, 51, 52, 55, 64, 77 — by the Board of Works ; No. 65 was — Presented by G. J. St. George, Esq. ; No. 73 — by the Rev. R. Galvin, C. C. ; and No. 69 — by Execu- tors of Leslie Ogilby, Esq. Ground-floor, First Compartment, End Case. — Bronze V. Shelf I., Tray KK, contains twenty-five incomplete or fragment- ary narrow spear-heads, numbered from 92 to 116. The only 512 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. nearly complete specimen is the arrow-head, No. 95, found at Kil- bride shoal, on the Shannon ; but which is deficient in a portion of the socket; 3f inches long. No. 92 is covered with an eruginous incrustation. No. 93, part of a socket, shows by what very thin edges the blades were attached to this portion, how fine the casting, and how accurate must have been the adjustment of the moulds; some of its wooden shaft still remains. No. 96, the lower fragment of a long, very narrow leaf-shaped spear, looped and decorated round socket margin, of very fine yellow bronze; analyzed by Mallet. See No. 5, Trans, vol. xxii., p. 323. " The bronze was," he says, "hard and uniform, and had received and retained a very good edge. Spe- cific gravity, 8'581 ;" composition — copper, 86'28; tin, r2'74 ; lead, •07; iron, -31; cobalt, -09. No. 99 was found at Athlone. No. 100, the lower fragment of an unique spear-head; figured and de- scribed at p. 499- No. 101, a very rude piece of metal, in the shape of a broad arrow ; 4 by 3 ; procured from Mr. Wakeman, and believed to have been discovered at Dunshaughlin ; 4 by 2^. No. 1 02, a very rude, flat spear-head, without a socket, and which was probably fixed in a shaft by means of a tang; procured as the foregoing. No. 106 was found at Athlone. No. 112, the remains of a very beautiful, and remarkably long, spear-head, with thin, narrow wings, and side apertures. No. 115 was found at Keelogue Ford. No. 116, the fragments of a long, looped spear-head; 15| long, with the top of the original shaft in situ, and showing that it passed up the socket to within about 4^ inches of the top. Found at Cutts, on the Lower Bann, Of the foregoing, Nos. 92, 94, 97, and 112, were procured with the Dawson collection. Nos. 95, 99, 106, 110, 113, and 115, were — Presented by the Shannon Commissioners ; and Nos. 103 and 116 — by the Board of Works. Shelf I, T7-ay LL, contains thirty-six small spear, javelin, and arrow-heads, chiefly of the narrow, leaf-shape variety, arranged la- terally in two rows, the largest specimens occupying the centre; numbered from 117 to 152. In length they vary from Ig to 7f inches. Nos. 117 and 136 are small arrow-heads, consisting almost entirely of the large conical sockets, and with scarcely any wing or blade portion. They are the smallest specimens of this descripti(Jn of weapon in the Collection. Many of the others may have been CLASS V. —METALLIC materials: SPEARS. 513 used as hunting spears. No. 125 is figured and described at p. 498. No. 129 is of precisely the same form, but somewhat larger, ruder, and in bad preservation. No. 131 is believed to be modern. No. 132 has been figured and described at p. 498. No. 133, remarkable for the extreme narrowness of the blade, is 3^ long, and scarcely 5 across the widest part ; it contains a portion of the ancient handle. No. 135 is an exceedingly elegant arrow-point, in form like the long, leaf-shaped spears. No. 136, the smallest arrow-head in the Collection (see Fig. 381, p. 501), was found in the River Black- water. No. 137 was found at Dowris. No. 140, a very beautiful and most perfect spear -head, in the highest state of preservation; 65 long ; was found in gravel, five feet below the surface, near In- chamore Bridge, on the River Boyne. No. 141 is very narrow in the blade compared with its length. No. 146, a very perfect and rare form of leaf-shaped spear; 6^ by Ij across middle of blade; found in the Shannon, at Carrick, county Leitrim. No. 148 is re- markable for the large size of its conical socket, which extends to within ~ of an inch of the extremity of the blade. Of the foregoing, Nos. 120, 123, 129, 133, 134, 145, 151, and 152, formed part of the Dawson collection. Nos. 125, 139, and 140, were — Pi-esented by the Board of Works; No. 127 — hy the Shan- non Commissioners J No. 13! — hij executors of Leslie Ogilby, Etq^.; No. 141 — hy Lord Farnham ; and 146 — by R. A. Gray, C. E. Shelf II., TrayHJlM., contains forty-nine small spear and arrow- heads of the looped variety arranged in three rows, and numbered from 153 to 201. The first row consists of eighteen bolt or arrow- heads, in which the length of the socket is as much as that of the blade. With one exception, No. 166 — which is provided with lateral apertures — the loops are placed on the sides of the socket; in length these specimens vary from 2^ to 3| inches. No. 153, a small bolt-head, figured and described at p. 500. No. 154 is 2| inches long, but the blade portion is only \^. No. 160, figured and described at p. 500, is a small specimen with indented blade, re- sembling No. 192. The second row, from No. 171 to 187, is made up of larger specimens than the foregoing, varying in length from 3| to 4|, and generally broader in the blade than the former. Nos. 171 and 172 resemble the broad, triangular spear-head. Fig. 369, p. 498. No. 179, is a miniature example of No. 32, on Tray 514 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. II. No, 180 and 181 have depressions in the blade on each side of the socket, like No. 192. No. 186 was found two feet deep in a gravel shoal, between Lough Rynn and Lough Sallagh, close to Rynn Castle, near Mohill, county Leitrim. See description of the crannoge adjoining that river, in Pi'oceedings, vol. vii., p. 147. The third row consists of fourteen specimens, all, except No. 192, of the broad, triangular-bladed variety, with elevated angular decorations on the flat of the blade. No. 188 was found in the county West- meath. No. 190 is figured and described at page 500. No. 191 is figured and described in p. 501. No. 192, one of the most beauti- fully decorated spear-heads in the Collection, is figured and de- scribed at p. 502. In No. 193, with narrow, leaf-blade, the loops are placed in the angles between the socket and blade, which latter is prolonged into them. No. 197 was drawn by Beranger. See p. 439- Nos. 153, 156, 157, 166, and 198, formed part of the Dawson collection; Nos. 158 and 189, of that belonging to the late Major Sirr. Nos. 59, 175, 177, 180, 183, 184, and 196, were purchased from Mr. Murray, of Mullingar, county Westmeath ; and were pro- bably collected around that locality. Nos. 169 and 191 Avere — Pre- sented hj the Shannon Commissioners ; No. 186 — hy Board of Works ; No. 188 — hy Rev. Mr. Fitz Gerald; and No. 190 — hy Lord Farnham. Shelf III., Tray NN, contains forty-five small spear and arrow- heads, numbered from 202 to 246, and arranged in two rows. They are chiefly of the long, narrow variety; and, with five excep- tions, have the loops placed on the sides of the sockets. The speci- mens on the top row vary in length, from 3f to 6 inches. No. 202 is of bright-yellow bronze, scarcely affected by time. Nos. 206, 212, and 214 have the loops placed in the angles between blades and sockets. No. 207 is remarkable for the position of the loops, im- mediately below the short socket. No. 213 is figured at page 500. No. 214 has a remarkably narrow, straight-edged blade. No. 213, ditto; figured and described at p. 500. No. 221 is remarkable for the shape of the indented blade. The second row contains twenty-two specimens, varying in length, from 5f to 8^. No. 230 has a peculiar ridge on the flat of the blade on each side of the socket. No. 228 was found at Athlone. No. 234, in very perfect preservation, is a fine specimen of spear^ head, with indented blade, like No. 192, but differing from it in CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS : SPEARS. 515 the angularity of the blade portion of the socket. It is highly de- corated, both in casting and by hand, all over the surface of the soc- ket, and along the sulci in the blade; 7| by If. Figured and de- scribed at p. 502. Of the foregoing, Nos. 204, 205, 207 formed part of the Dawson collection; No. 228 was — Presented hy the Shannon Commissioners ; No. 235, lythe Board of Works ; and No. 242, hy Executors of Leslie Ogilby, Esq. Central Case, Shelf I., Tray OO, contains twenty-three spear, javelin, and arrow-heads (chiefly procured since the Collection was arranged in 1857); numbered from 247 to 273. Some of them are the finest specimens in the Collection; but others are merely fragment- ary. The three first have been cleaned, to exhibit the colour and texture of the metal. No. 247, a very perfect and gracefully-shaped spear-head, in fine preservation, with conical socket, and slight fea- ther-edges to blade ; is of reddish-yellow bronze, slightly corroded on surface, large lateral rivet-holes; lOf. — Presented hy Dr. Kelly, of Mullingar. No. 248, a very perfect specimen of the narrow re- curve-bladed spear-head, with large lozenge- shaped loops on soc- ket; remarkable for the beautiful golden colour of the bronze, and the extreme smoothness of the casting — a smoothness which, in the present day, could only be produced by burnishing ; 9^ ; found in Killyon Demesne, under eighteen inches of hard gravel in bed of River Deel, a tributary of the Boyne, barony of Upper Moyfen- rath, county of Meath. No. 249, a very perfect and most beautiful specimen of the broad leaf-shaped spear-head; figured and described at p. 496. No. 250, one of the finest spear-heads in the Collection, and in the highest preservation; in colour it resembles the Dowris bronze; mottled with a brown and yellow varnish, but of what date is unknown; leaf-shaped, with side rivet-holes in large conical soc- ket ; slightly recurved feather-edge; 13f by 3. This specimen forms a portion of the deposit made hy the Royal Dublin Society in 1860. In the socket was found the following label: — "A copper spear, found near the old castle of Streamstown, near Banagher, 14th of January, 1829." No. 25 1, a very beautiful and highly decorated leaf- shaped spear-head, but wanting point, and fractured below the centre, where it has been both brazed and soldered; socket deco- rated; and figured at p. 501 ; cross rivet-holes. — Deposited hy Sir B. 516 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. Chapman, Bart. No. 252, a most perfect spear-head, in the highest state of preservation, with wide lateral apertures, and four circular perforations; socket angular externally, with three elevations on each side, and only an inch of it below blade ; 1 1 ^ by 2|-. — E. D. S. Ho. 253, a very remarkable unique form of narrow leaf- shaped spear-head, with narrow lateral apertures high up in blade, the lower edges of which pass down imperceptibly on long conical socket to rivet-holes ; decorated on surface by a number of raised cast lines; 12 by If. No. 254, a broad, leaf-shaped spear-head, with wide lozenge-shaped loops; much battered, and slightly cor- roded; 9| by 2f. No. 255, perfect, narrow, leaf-shaped socket, coni- cal, large rivet-holes ; slightly corroded; irregular on surface; 9g by 1|. — Presented hy T. B. Huthwaite, Jtsq. See Proceedings, vol. vii., p. 279. No. 256, ditto, perfect, and in fine preservation; be- vel-edged blade prolonged to rivet-holes; 8| by Ij; found with No. 87, and — Presented hy Lord Lorton, No. 257, ditto, but somewhat smaller and plainer; 8 inches long by 1 across blade. No, 258, short, broad, leaf-shaped, perfect, but much corroded, and in bad preservation; 8| by 2. Found in the bed of the River Glyde. No. 259, a small, perfect arrow-head ; 2f . Described as No. 249, in Proceedings, vol. vii., p. 1 30. No. 260, a much-battered and de- fective portion of spear-head of the broad angular variety; 3g (Sirr). No. 261, upper fragment of spear-head ; 3f. No. 262, portion of bronze blade, with thick circular solid midrib and bevel edges; S^-. Analyzed by Mr. Mallet, who says it is " tarnished, of a deep brown colour, resembling, I believe, the appearance of the bronze called ' cinque cento;' when filed, the metal was found to be exceedingly hard, and of a yellow colour; specific gravity, 7-728." Its composi- tion was found to be — copper, 84'64; tin, 14'01 ; with a trace of iron and sulphur. No. 263, fragment of spear-blade; 2|. No. 264, a very perfect, short-bladed bolt -head, with narrow loops; 3^ by If in width: from Ballindery. No. 265, a narrow, straight- edged javelin, wanting point and side loops; 6f ; found at Bally- more, county of Westmeath; described as No. 87 in Proceedings, vol. vii., p. 130. No. 266, a very perfect, narrow javelin-head, straight-edged, lozenge-looped; 6| by \~. No, 267, a small-jave- lin-head, narrow in the blade ; 4|. No. 268, ditto, smaller, curved in point; 4^; looped. No. 269, a small, leaf-shaped javelin-point, CLASS V. — METALLIC materials: SPEARS. 517 notched in the edge; 4^; described as No. 248 in Proceedings, vol. vii., p. 130. No. 270, a very perfect bolt or javelin-head, the only one of its class or size in the Collection, in which the side loops run into the blade; described as No. 247 at p. 130, vol. vii. of Proc. ; 3|. JfTo. 271, a small narrow javelin-point, in bad preservation ; 4~. 'No. 272, a short, broad-leaf, triangular, spear-head, with broad, lozenge-shaped loops; 6 by 2^, — Deposited by Sir B. Chapman, Bart. No. 273, the broken-off point of a large, long spear-head; 6|. Besides the foregoing presentations, Nos. 248 and 258 were the gift of the Board of WorJcs. Tray PP contains eighteen bronze tubes, which probably formed the ferule-ends of spears, numbered from 274 to 291. No. 274, a plain bronze tube, closed at the small extremity, and imper- fect at the other ; now 8^ inches long. Found at Curries, near Corna- carrow, on the Shannon, between the counties of Leitrim and Ros- common. No. 275, another of the same description, but more per- fect, and having a rivet hole; 14^ long; found in Lough Gurr, county of Limerick. Both of the foregoing have been brazed at the junction of the tube. No. 276, the largest and most perfect speci- men of its kind in the Collection ; in the highest state of preserva- tion; of fine, light-yellow metal, with an ornamented projecting col- lar at top, and also at the small extremity; perforate throughout, soldered by a delicate line of junction; found in the river, at Car- rick-on-Shannon. No. 277, another of the same variety, but ra- ther shorter. Figured and described at p. 504. No. 278, ditto, but still shorter, and imperfect at joining; 12 inches long ; found in the Shannon, locality unspecified. No. 279, a different variety from the foregoing. Figured and described at p. 504. No. 280, a cast, slender tube, with double ring head ornament; contains a por- tion of the ancient wood; 11^ ; found in the Shannon, near James- town, county Roscommon. No. 281, ditto, also cast; shorter, and in better preservation; contains portion of ancient wooden shaft; 9^. Found at Carrick-on-Shannon. No. 282, cast; thick, short, with bulbous extremities; 6f ; found at Toome Bar, on the River Bann, three feet under surface; contains a piece of the ancient shaft. No. 283, ditto, somewhat longer, with double bulbous ornaments at each extremity; 7f. No. 284, a different variety of spear-ferule, cast; short, conical, with chisel-edge, resembling similar objects 518 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. found in Scandinavia; 3|. No. 285, also cast, resembles 283, and is 7f . No. 286, plain, somewhat corroded; with slight bulbous ex- tremities; 5f. No. 287, ditto, shorter; 5j. The four next speci- mens are larger at the upper extremity, and more conical. No. 288 is cast; 5| in length by If across upper end; found in the Shannon, at Banagher. No. 289, ditto, longer; contains a portion of the ancient wooden shaft; 6|; found on site of old bridge at Banagher. No. 290, short, thick, conical, and imperfect; 3. No. 291, ditto; 3| in length (Dawson). Of the foregoing, Nos. 274, 278, 279, 280, 288, and 289, were— Presented hy the Shannon Commissioners ; Nos. 276 and 281 — hy R. A. Gray, C. E. ; and No. 282—% the Board of Works. There are only eighty-nine spear-heads, chiefly of the plain leaf- shape variety, in the Copenhagen Museum. Rail-case P, part of — contains ten articles connected with the subject of spear and arrow-heads, described in the foregoing details of Trays. No. 292, a metal model of the longest spear-head which has yet been discovered in Ireland, and of the same variety as No. 18, on Tray II, figured and described at p. 496. It is 32 inches long, and was — Presented hy Mr. Carruthers. The original is now in the Bri- tish Museum. Nos. 293 to 297, are metal models of spear-heads. Found in the county of Northumberland. — Presented by Lord Talbot de Malahide. No. 293 is plain leaf-sheaped, and 12| inches long. No 294, ditto; a good specimen, like No. 6, figured at p. 496; it is 14| inches long. No. 295, with side apertures, is 16^. No. 296, leaf-shaped, with flat socket; llf. No. 297, ditto, small; 7|. Nos. 298, 299, and 300, small flat arrow-heads, figured and described at p. 503. No. 301, a spear or halbert-end, of bronze, with a short screw passing through one side; counter-sunk at top, as if to receive another piece of metal. For the remainder of Rail-case P, see conclusion of Tray GGG-. The Shield, — in Irish Sciath, — and which was used In lieu of the sword-guard, should here follo'w in the enumeration of antique arms ; but as yet we do not possess any well-marked vestiges of such articles appertaining to the bronze period. The principal materials of which such ancient articles were composed CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: MOULDS, 519 — beingprobably of wicker-work and leather — were of too pe- rishable a nature to have lasted for any length of time. All the shields figured either in our ancient manuscripts, or sculptured on early Irish monuments, are circular (see p. 299.) With the gift of shields from the Irish kings to their inferior chieftains were also invariably combined " war swords," or " swords for wounding." We read of " shields with the brightness of tlie sun ;" also "fair shields from beyond the seas," — showing that such articles were imported ; likewise " golden shields : red shields," and " shields for deeds of valour." — See Book of Rights. The only bronze articles in the Academy's Collec- tion likely to have served the purpose of shields are those em- bossed plates of bronze on Tray UITIT, decorated with what has been denominated the trumpet-pattern, from its resembling an arrangement of curved horns, and regarded as a peculiarly Celtic form of ornamentation. As, however, their use has not been determined, they have been classed under the head of " miscellaneous articles." In the ancient historical tale of the Battle of Magh Rath, we read of an Irish hero having " a pro- tecting shield with a golden border upon him ; two battle- lances in his hand; a sword, with knobs of ivory [teeth], and ornamented with gold, at his side : he had no other accoutre- ments of a hero, besides these." This shield is said to have been of such a size as to act as a protection against the weather, as well as a defence in battle.* Walker, in his Memoir on the Arms and Weapons of the Irish, relates the discovery of a gold-adorned shield, found near Lismore.f The same author mentions the fact of a golden helmet, found in the county Tipperary, having been oifered for sale in Dublin — see page 137- For further particulars relating to shields, see the notice of them under the head of Iron weapons, • See O'Donovan's translation for the Irish Archa;ological Society, p. 65. t At p. 177 of that work, the antique alluded to above is conjectured to have been a corslet. It was sold for £600 to a goldsmith in Cork. 2 M 520 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. SPECIES II. — TOOLS. With the exception of tlie celts, which, as already stated, served the double purpose of tools and weapons, like the axe and tomahawk, there are but few implements in antiquarian collections that appear to have been used in the domestic arts of the bronze period. Those articles that may be considered the representatives of the iron tools of the present day have been arranged on Trays QQ and RR in the first compartment of the northern ground-floor of the Museum, and consist for the most part of small celts, chisels, and gouges, some of the first of which are copper. The two latter varieties were evi- dently furnished with handles, like modern implements for a like use ; some have stops or collars to prevent them passing in too far, and splitting their wooden handles ; while all the gouges have hollow sockets. The eleven plain, chisel-shaped tool-celts, arranged on the top row of Tray QQ, are smaller and slighter than any of those in the Collection of such articles already described under the head of Weapon-Tools. Of these, Nos. 1, 6, 7, 9, and 10, are of copper. Chisels.* — Of these there are four varieties : — 1, long and narrow, with cross studs or guards projecting from the sides, like those represented by the three first figures in the follow- ing series of illustrations, drawn from Nos. 16, 25, and 36. There are nine such articles in the Collection, varying in length from 3f to 5| inches. No. 16, Fig. 392, is 5| inches long. No. 36, Fig. 393, is a very remarkably shaped and deco- rated tool, with shoulder studs, grooves, and loops; 4| inches long. No. 25, Fig. 394, the largest specimen of its kind in the Collection, is 7J inches in length, and 2 wide across the stop. — Presented by R, Mallet, C. E. See Proceedings, vol. v., p. 323. 2. With broad axe-shaped blades, long, slender * In the Annals of the Four Masters, the term Fonsiira is used for chisel. It is still a living word in the berlagair na Saer, or secret craft-langiiage of masons and carpenters. We do not yet know any ancient Celtic name for gouge. CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS : TOOLS. 521 spikes or tangs, and raised collars, against which the straight wooden handles abutted, are represented by thirteen specimens, 0^ ^ Fig. 392, No. 16. Fig. 393, No. 36. Fig. 394, No. 25. Fig. 395, No. 75. Fig. 396, No. 78. varying in length from 2^ to 6^ inches ; and of which No. 75, Fig. 395, which is 6^ inches long, is a characteristic spe- cimen. 3. Figm-e 396 is drawn from No. 79, a long, slen- der, thin, axe-edged palstave, with shallow grooves, and measuring 5f Fig. 397, No. 35. Fig. 398, No. 21. Fig. 399, No. 61. Fig. 400, No. I inches in length by 2| across the widest part of the blade. There are three specimens of this variety, arranged in the bottom row of Tray RR, all of about the same size. Under 2 M 2 522 CATALOGUE OF THa MUSEUM. the head of this variety may be classed several small, narrow, chisel-edged palstave celts, varying in length from 2% to 5^ inches ; narrower in the blade than any of the true celts, and of which No. 35, Fig. 397, which is 4f inches long by 1 wide in the blade, is the type. 4. Of the socketed variety of chisels, represented by Fig. 398, drawn from No. 21, which is 3| inches long, there is only one specimen in the Collec- tion. Gouges are by no means uncommon among bronze anti- quities; the Academy possesses twenty-one specimens, all, except that described at page 158, arranged on Tray RR, and of which No. 61, Fig. 399, drawn one-half the size of the original, is the type. In length they vary from 1^ to 4^ inches ; and are numbered from 44 to 62 ; with one exception, they are all socketed, and most of them are sharp on the cutting edge. Among the articles which were, to all appearance, used as tools, but of which the precise use is as yet conjectural, may be specified No. 80, on Tray RR, a thin, flat bronze instru- ment ; 3;! inches long by about 2 wide in the blade, and re- presented by Fig. 400, page 521. Supplied Avith a handle, it would make a good leather-cutter. It was — Presented hy the Shannon Commissioners. Punches The top row of Tray RR contains four round-faced socketed punches, varying in length from 2 to 4 inches. A small bronze Anvil, — in Irish, Inneoin^ — No. 38, on Tray RR, is figured the natural size on the opposite page. It appears to have been nmch worn, and was probably used as a jeweller's " stake." Kound the edge are a series of riveting holes of different sizes. Adzes. — By Fig. 402 is represented one of three curious bronze curved adzes, now in the Academy's Collection, Nos. 81, 82, and 83, on the top shelf of the Cross-case between the first and second compartments on the ground-floor of the nor- thern side of the Museum. They arc nearly all alike, resembling CLASS V. METALLIC MATERIALS : TOOLS. 523 a cooper's hand-adze, but blunt, heavy, and about five inches along t)ie fixce. Two are altogether solid. No. 82 was found in a rath at Moneygall, county of Tipperary ; and No. 83, figured below, has an aperture three-quarters of an inch in dia- meter in the head, evidently for passing a handle through. It measures 4| along level face, and weighs 55 oz. In the Brehon Laws we find the following curious reference to Fig. 4(IL'. No, b3. a bronze adze, evidently referring to pagan times: — When a fe- male desired to clear her cha- racter by a certain ordeal, she Fig. 401. No. 38. '^^'^'S required to rub her tongue to an adze, not of iron, but of brass ( Tal Umhadli) ; and it should be heated or reddened in a fire made either of the rowan tree or the blackthorn ; and, adds the writer, "it is a druidical ordeal."* That these ar- ticles could not, in their present state, have been used as edged tools is manifest from their bluntness ; but one in Mr. Mur- ray's collection has been filed or rubbed down on its edge, al- though cast blunt. Among the few implements mentioned in our early Irish writings was the dirna, a weight used by the " miner who digs * I am indebted to Mr. Curry for the foregoing curious notice of the ordeal by licking heated metal. When a boy, I have frequently seen this custom of licking a red-hot piece of iron used in the county Eoscommon as a test of truth, and giving origin to the expression, " I dare you to the tongs." The fiery ordeal was not un- common in England. 524 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. tlie copper ;" but we have no specimen of any such article in the Collection. In the same case with the adzes specified above, may be seen the few other bronze articles coming un- der the head of Tools in the Collection : viz., moulds — but they are not of any great antiquity. One of these, No. 85, a brass mould for casting coats of arms and heraldic devices, has al- ready been described as No. 97 in the Proceedings, vol. vii., page 130. Ouncels are of the same species, see page 552. The following list comprises all the antique tools in the Collection : — Bronze V. — Ground-floor, North Side, First Compartment. Shelf L, Tray QQ, contains thirty-seven bronze tools, princi- pally of the celt and chisel-shape; numbered from 1 to 37. The top row mostly consists of small narrow celts, of which Nos. 1, 6, 7, 9, and 10, are copper, No. 8 was found in excavating the bed of the River Scarriff, county Clare. Nos. 12 to 20, in the second row, are chisel-shaped implements, with cross guards, and of which variety Nos. 16 and 25, figured at p. 521, are the types. No. 21 is a soc- keted chisel, figured and described at p. 521. No. 22, a solid celt- shaped chisel ; 3|. No. 23, the narrowest chisel-edged implement in the Collection, with raised shoulders between tang and blade; 4§ long, and not quite | across chisel-edge; it resembles a modern carpenter's sash-tool. No. 24, imperfect, a curious chisel-edged tool, ■with a crutch-like loop at upper end; 4|. No. 25, the large chisel- edged tool, figured and described at p. 521. No. 2G, a long chisel- edged, four-sided piece of bronze; 9| by \ in the widest part. The two last rows consist of eleven palstave-shaped chisel-edged tools, varying in length from 2§ to 5|, and of which Nos. 35 and 36, figured on p. 521, are the types. Of the foregoing, Nos. 6, 18, 19, and 33, were procured with the Dawson Collection; Nos. 8 and 17 were — P resented hy the Shannon Commisioners ; No. 11 — by the Exemtors of Leslie Ogilhy, Esq. ; and No. 25— by R. Mallet, C. E. No. 32 was procured from Mr. Mur- ray, of Mullingar. Tray RR contains forty-three tools, chiefly of the chisel, or celt-shape, numbered from 38 to 80. No. 38, a miniature anvil, CLASS V. METALLIC MATERIALS: TOOLS. 525 figured and described at p. 523, No. 39, the imperfect socketed portion of a narrow four-sided tool, now 3g-. No. 40, a socketed hammer-edge tool, possibly used as a punch; 3 inches long by 1^ broad on the blunt face; found at Abbeyshrule, county of Long- ford. No. 41, a socketed punch, decorated on the surface, like some of the celts on Tray S. No. 42, a narrow socketed punch; 4| by ^ across the solid extremity. No. 43, a short socketed punch, broader than the foregoing. The twenty articles following are gouges, numbered from 44 to 63 ; and the type of which is represented by Fig. 399, from No. 61, on p. 521. With one exception, they are socketed. In No. 48, the gouge-groove ends abruptly at top. No. 49 was found at Moate, in the county Westmeath. No. 52 is a portion of the Dowris find, and was "presented to Dean Dawson by Lord Oxmantown." No. 54, the largest in the Collection. No. 55, with very narrow groove, was found at Monasterboice, county of Louth, No. 59 was procured from the county of Monaghan. No. 60 is not socketed, and resembles a scrape more than a gouge. No. 61, see Fig. 399- No. 62, short, plain. No. 63, a fragment of soc- keted gouge, or chisel, found near Newry, county of Down, and analyzed by Mr. J. R. Mallet, who described it as made of very in- ferior bronze, copper-coloured, soft, and " not uniform in texture. It contained cavities produced by air-bubbles in the casting, and was very much corroded ; oxide of tin, carbonate of copper, and the red dinoxide of copper, were observable on the surface. Its specific gra- vity, 7'896." Its composition was — copper, 91 "03; tin, 8'39; with traces of cobalt and antimony. See Trans, vol. xxii., p. 324. All the remaining articles, except four on this Tray, are of the broad- axed variety of chisel, furnished with long spikes and collars, and il- lustrated by Fig. 395, on p. 521. No. 64 is 4^- inches long by 1| wide in the blade, and has been described as No. 98 in Proc, vol. vii., p. 130. No. 65, and all the others in that row to No. 73 are of the same variety, and vary in length from 3f to 2^ inches; and many of them closely resemble some of the weapon- tool-celts, both in ge- neral outline, and in their recurved points: see, in particular, Nos. 66 and 70, the blade of the former, thin and flat, a miniature of Fig. 281, p. 385. No. 65 is decorated round the collar. The last row contains three long articles of the same variety, of which No. 75 has been figured at p. 521. Nos. 74, 76, and 78 are palstave- 526 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. chisel tools, with long, narrow, shallow side-grooves, and broad axe- forraed blade, of which J^To. 79, figured on p. 521, is a tj'pical ex- ample. No. 77 was found at Keelogue Ford. To this Tray is also attached No. 80, the thin, flat tool, Fig. 400, described on p. 521. Of the foregoing, No. 41 was — Presented by W. R. Wilde, Esq.; Nos. 44 and 62 formed a part of the deposit made by the Royal Dublin Society ; Nos. 45, 47, 67, and 77, were — Presented by the Shannon Commissioners ; Nos. 50, 59, and 68 were procured with the Dawson Collection; Nos. 56 and 72, Avith that of Major Sirr; and Nos. 57, 74, and 76, with that of Mr. Murray, of Mullingar. For the remaining bronze articles of the tool species, see description of the Cross-case at p. 552. SPECIES III. FOOD IMPLEMENTS. When a people have not only acquired a knowledge of metal, but have become acquainted Avith the manufacture of articles of that material, they cease to be nomadic, and become agricultural, — tilling, soAving, and reaping, — and do not altogether depend on the produce of the chase, or fishing, for their subsistence ; although both pursuits continue to aiford food, as Avell as amusement. The accompanying illustration, drawn the natural size, is from a bronze Fish-hook, — in Irish, duban, — „ No. 106, in Rail-case P, the only article of the kind I ig. 403, ' ' ./ ^°"'' in the Collection. The great antiquity of corn in Ireland has been generally acknowledged by archseologists, and references relating to both Avheat and mills are to be found in Irish writings so early as the middle of the seventh century.* Sickles — Corran — of bronze have been frequently ob- tained in Ireland, and eleven such articles are displayed on Tray * See Dr. O'Donovan's papers in the Dublin Penny Jowrnal, vol. i. p. 108 and 282 ; also the author's Essay on the Food of the Irish in the Dublin University Magazine for 1856; likewise an article on a bronze /a?a;, or curved pruning-knife, by Mr. C. C. Babington, in the Report of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society, No. ix. ; see also the Archceological Journal, vol. ii., p. 186 ; and vol. vii., p. 302. CLASS V. METALLIC MATERIALS: SICKLES. 527 Fill. 4fU, No. 9. SS, on the second shelf of the first compartment of the ground- floor, on the north side of the Museum. In shape they vary from a short angular implement, with a slightly curved blade, 6f inches long, and a through socket an inch and a-half high, of which Fig. 404, from No. 9, is a good example; to a curved diminutive bronze representation of the modern iron reaping-hook, shown by No. 10, Fig. 406, which is slightly imperfect at top, and measures 7 inches round the convex edge, from the margin of the oval socket to the end of the blade. Of these varieties, there are but two of each in the Collection. Tlie second illustration, Fig. 405, No. 6, is the most beautiful spe- cimen in the Museum, measuring 65 inches from the point of the blade to tlie angle which it makes with the oval socket, which latter is 3 inches high. In shape it is the type of the majority of bronze sickles found in this country, but is more higlily decorated than any other yet discovered. It was found in the county of Westmeath. These ancient sickles have all rivet-holes, and were probably at- tached to much longer handles than those used with kindred articles in the present day ; several are sharp on both edges. Writers have been in the habit of describing such articles as the sacred sickles, with which the Druiils of old cut the mistletoe ; but we have no authorities bearing on this subject of sufficient weight to Avarrant us in assigning any other use than that of corn-sickles to the articles figured and described above. Vallancey has figured an implement like No. 10, and described it as " a small secu- ris, called by the Irish a Searr^ to cut herbs, acorns, mistle- toe, &c. ; it has a double edge, very sharp." Fiff. 405. No. 6. 528 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. The Academy's Collection is particularly rich in culinary articles of bronze and brass, including no less than 60 speci- mens of ancient cauldrons, coolers, pots, skillets, buckets, pans, dishes, ewers, jars, bowls, cups, and other drinking-vessels. They may be arranged into those which were hammered out of single pieces, those formed of several plates riveted toge- ther ; and the cast-metal vessels, most of which are in high pre- servation. Nearly all these articles connected Avith the prepara- tion of food have, for convenience sake, been arranged in the lower glass-case of the Western Gallery, and in the bottom of the first and second compartments on the northern ground- floor. They have been placed according to their several va- rieties, and are numbered consecutively. Cauldrons, &c., — in Irish Co^V^,* — are of great antiquity, and from the date of the introduction of the first by the Tuatha De Danaan, as related at page 353, to a comparatively recent period ; very frequent mention is made of such articles in our Irish annals and Bardic histories. Vessels of this description were heir-looms in certain families, and formed part of the royal property of our early kings ; and some were even made of the precious metals. We read of celebrated cauldrons, with mystical properties, such as Ovid described ; or like that which Shakespeare has introduced into the scene of tlie witches' incantation in Macbeth. A magical cauldron is referred to in the description of the destruction of the Palace of Conaire Mor, atBruighin daBerga, A.C. 25. Another was the cauldron called the " Caire Ainsicen" belonging to Eoghan Buihe, one of the Dalriadic or Iberno-Scotic kings, who held his court at Dunstaffnage, in Lome, " which was used to return its own proper share to each, and no i)arty ever went away from it un- satisfied ; for, whatever quantity was put into it, there was never boiled of it, but wliat was sufficient for the company, according to their grade and rank."-j- In the ancient account of the ori- * Coire in the singular glosses Cullendarium. — See Stokes' Irish Glosses, p. 90. I See Battle of Magh Rath, 0' Donovan's translation for Irish Archjeological Society, p. 51. CLASS V METALLIC MATERIALS: CAULDRONS. 529 gin of the Boromean Tribute, preserved in the Book of Lein- ster, we read of bronze cauldrons for brewing the ale of Magh Moain and others, so large that two sheep could be boiled in them together ; another, at Tara, it is said could con- tain twelve hogs, &c. In A. D. 599, the monarch Aed, son of Ainmire, marched into Leinster with an invading army, and encamped near Baltinglass in the county Wicklow, and in the immediate vicinity of the residence of Bran Dubh, the Lein- ster King. The latter was visited by his relative, St. Moe- doc, of Cluainmor, in Carlow, who presented him with a sword, a shield, a cauldron, and a flesh-fork. Conlaedh, the artificer of St. Bridget, made the fork ; and Gressach made the cauldron for the son of Niall Laeghaire, by Avhora it was given to Dubthach of Dublin, the chief poet of Erin, who gave it to his relative. Bishop Fiacc, fi-om whom it came in succession to Dunlang, after whom it was inherited by Aihill, who bequeathed it to Moedoc, the person that gave it to Bran Dubh.* The history of other vessels, of a like na- ture, has been preserved. Cauldrons and vats are mentioned in the Book of Rights, as part of the tribute paid by one king to another; and in the will ofCatharMor, now preserved in the Book of Lecan, reference is made to a certain cauldron possessing wonderful mystical properties. When Philip of Worcester, then Lord Deputy in Ireland, pillaged Armagh, in 1184, he carried off the friar's cauldron. The following illustrations represent typical specimens of ancient culinary vessels found in Ireland. Figure 407 is drawn from No. 12, the largest many-pieced cauldron in the Collection, measuring 19 inches across the mouth, 12 in depth, and 67 in girth. It is composed of a number of pieces of thin bronze, each averaging 3j inches broad, and decreasing in length near the bottom. These plates bear the marks of ham- mering; and are joined at the seams with rivets, averaging about half an inch asunder ; these rivets have sharp conical * Extract from the Book of Leinster, supplied \>y Mr. Cuny. 530 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. heads externally, and some were evidently ornamental, as they exist in places where there are no joinings ; and in the circu- lar bottom portion, they are large and plain. The upper mar- gin of this vessel is 2| inches broad, and decorated with a punched or ham- mered ornament, like that seen in some of the gold tiaras, and resemb- ling the modern pro- cess of corrugating. Its outside edge, next to the solid Via. 407. Ko. 12. hoop, has a double line of perforations in it. This vessel has large solid bronze handles, attached by ornamental staples to its rim. Such bronze rings, if found by themselves, might readily be mistaken for armillse. It was — Deposited by the Royal Dublin Society. Many such vessels have been found in Ireland at different times, and several were exhibited at Belfiist, in 1852. It was in a vessel of this description that a part of the great collec- tion of articles of a peculiar kind of bronze was discovered at Dowris.* See Proceedings, vol. iv., p. 360. One of the most perfect cauldrons found in Ireland is that described by Mr. M'Adam, in his learned and ingenious paper on "brazen cauldrons," published in the Ulster Journal of Ar- chfeology, vol. v., p. 82; the following extract from which applies with equal force to similar vessels in the Academy's Collection: — "The thinness and evenness of the plates, the manner in which these are strengthened by the corrugated rim, and the ingenious mode of fixing the handles so as to * See Mr. Cooke's description, in the Proceedings, vol. iv., p. 425. See also a drawing of the vessel he described in the Academy's scrap-liooli, p. 46. See likewise the cauldron, figured in Shirley's " History ofthe Territory of Farney." A very fine cauldniii, the property of Lord Bandon, is preserved at Castle Bernard. Similar ves- sels have been found in Wales, :indal.->o in Scotland — see Prehistoric Annals, p. 274. CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: CAULDRONS. 531 equalize the strain when lifting the cauldron full of liquid — are proofs of very considerable mechanical skill. The extreme thinness of the metal, which exceeds anything of the kind used in our modern cooking vessels, may be taken, perhaps, as a proof of the costly nature of the material; but it is also a proof of the skill and judgment of the workman. The labour and dexterity required for hammering out the bronze into such thin and regular sheets must have been very consider- able. Their surfaces are almost as even and level as that of modern sheet brass, produced with all the advantage of ma- chinery; and there is no doubt that the metal thus hammered has more tenacity than any rolling process would have given to it." The two next engravings, drawn from Nos. 13 and 14, also in the lower case of the Western Gallery, represent ar- ticles of the same variety as the foregoing, but somewhat dif- ferent in size and shape. No. 13 is a conical vessel, formed of eight sheets of thin bronze, joined with the same kind of coni- cal rivets, except in the attachment of the circular bottom- piece. It is 14 inches wide at the mouth, 12^ deep, and 50 in girth. The rim is plain, and strengthened by a strong bronze wire passed within its edge. The massive handle- Fig. 408, No. 13. Fig. 409, No. 15. rings are decorated, and attached to the vessel by ornamental staples, with stout strips passing down, both within and with- 532 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. out. It bears the marks of the long-continued action of fire. No. 15, Fig. 409, is a high bucket, or cauldron, formed ori- ginally of three sheets of very thin Dowris-coloured bronze, one for the circular bottom, and two for the side and rim, where they are turned round a stout bronze ring — all fastened by large flat-headed rivets — 18 1 inches deep, 15 wide in the mouth, and about 56 in girth round the broadest part of the shoulder. It has two slight four-edged handle-rings, pass- ing through very large decorated loops turned inwards, but overlapping the slightly everted edge, so as to strengthen the rim, as well as to give security to the purchase. It originally, stood on six feet, each forming an inverted cup. This speci- men is now imperfect in several places, and no article in the Collection exhibits the same amount of repair, as shown by the great number of places in which it has been patched; and from the care taken in the mending, it is manifest that it must have been intended for holding fluid. The bottom por- tion is one of the most ingeniously hammered pieces of bronze in the Collection. This article has been analyzed by Mr. J. W. Mallet, who thus reports upon it: — " From its size, and the thinness of the plates of which it was made, it displays a degree of skill and neatness in the treatment of bronze most remarkable, as existing at so early a period as this vessel pro- bably belongs to. The metal is not very hard, but extremely tough, and is of a beautiful rich bronze-yellow colour (' gold bronze'), scarcely altered by time. Specific gravity, 8*145." Composition — copper, 88*7 1 ; tin, 946 ; lead, 1*66 ; with a trace of iron. See Transactions, vol. xxii., p. 324. Of these riveted, many-pieced vessels there are six in the Collection, all arranged in the Western Gallery. The second variety of antique bronze vessels consists of those in which a single plate of metal was hammered into a shallow pan or dish, as shown by the accompanying illustra- tion, drawn from No. 1 6. It measures 25^ inches from out to out of the open, and is 92 deep ; is in the most perfect state of CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: CAULDRONS. 533 preservation, smooth on the outside, but presenting a number of linear indentations radiating from the centre, apparently the tracks of the tool by which the metal was made to assume its present shape; the lip is an inch wide, and rudely decorat- ed Avith crescentic Fig. 4ii». No. 10. punched marks. It was found seven feet deep in a turf bog at Lahern, parish of Killorglin, county of Kerry, in 1849, and — Presented by Rev. W. De Moleyns. Nos. 1 8 and 19, also in fine preservation, re- semble the foregoing in all respects, except in size. There are altogether twenty specimens of single-piece bronze vessels, not cast, in the Collection. Among the most remarkable ar- ticles of this sub-variety is a beautiful thin, saucer-shaped vessel, No. 28, Avhich has been cleaned to show the rich red- dish-golden colour of the bronze ; it was hammered out of a single piece of metal ; decorated upon the internal surface with a number of curved tooled indentations ; it is 7f inches wide, Fig. 411. No. 28. Fig. 412. No. 30. and has two small holes in the rim, as if for suspending it to a wire. It was found in the crannoge of Cloonfinlough, county Roscommon, described at p. 226. — Presented by the Board of Works. Figure 4 1 2 is drawn from a very gracefully shaped vessel, exquisitely wrought out of a single piece of sheet brass, as thin as ordinary writing paper, with a globular bottom, and having the handle strengthened by a flat T-shaped projection, extending both above and below its edge ; a double 534 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. corrugated indentation passes beneath the lip. It is 7i inches across the mouth ; and the handle, which is 6 inches long, has a hammered-up ornament within the circular expan- sion at its end. This vessel was found in the River Shannon, at Bishop's Island, between the counties of Roscommon and Westmeath. — Presented by the Shannon Commissioners. Fig. 413 is a very beautiful cast bronze cup, or drinking vessel, of bright-yellow metal, resembling in shape the wooden article figured at page 211, and having a decorated handle, terminat- ing in an animal's head at top. This is one of the most clas- sic bronze articles in the Collection. It is 5| inches in the long diameter of the oval mouth, and 2g deep; and was found in the river, between Lough Marraw and Lough Oscar, near Keshcarrigan, county Leitrim. O ' -^ Fig. 413. No 37. — Presented by the Board of Works. Cast-metal vessels, of both bronze and brass, have been found in great numbers throughout the country, and are fre- quently presented for sale. They appear to have been in common use before the general introduction of similar articles of cast-iron ; and, in addition to the foregoing, chiefly consist of Pots — of which there are seventeen specimens in the Col- lection, numbered from 38 to 54, and arranged partly in tlie Western Gallery, and partly in the lower space on the nor- thern side of the Museum, except the two largest, which stand at the foot of the North-western Gallery stairs. In shape these vessels differ from modern iron pots, in their greater height and nari-owness, and in some examples by the length of the upper member ; a few, however, are quite glo- bular. In size they vary from a capacity for holding one quart to nine gallons of fluid. That here figured, although not by any means one of the oldest, is remarkable for its great size, peculiar shape, external ornamentation, and having a spout inferiorly, showing its probable use in brewing or dis" CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS : POTS. )35 tillation.* This vessel of compact sonorous brass is one of the largest and most perfect ever found in Ireland ; it rests on three decorated feet, stands 26 inches high, is 68i in girth round the widest portion, and 14 across the mouth. A large projection, at- tached to the bot- tom, shows where the metal was pour- ed into the mould. The spout is 4 inches long, and the legs 9 high. The letters and date, 1640, are in the same relief as the other decora- tions on the exter- nal surface. It is said to have been Fig. 414. No. 47. found in the neighbourhood of Macroom, county Cork. The three small vessels figured below, from Nos. 60, 58, and 55, in the bottom space of the first compartment in the nor- thern side of the ground-floor, and of rather classical shape, Fig. 415, No. 60. Fig 41(;, No. 58. Fig. 417, No. 55. are good specimens of small metal articles for culinary and do- mestic purposes, used in Ireland in former times. Figure 4 1 5 is drawn from a copper can or ewer, 8 inches high, which was * See notices of brewing in Ulster Journal of Archa>ology, vol. vi., p. 286. See also Annals of the Four Masters, under A. D. HOG. 2 N 536 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. — Presented by the Shannon Commissioners. Figure 416 is drawn from No. 58, a small bronze globular pot or skillet, in a state of great perfection, with a horizontal handle, 6 inches in length, and bent at end ; it is 6| inches high, and 16^ in circumference. The third illustration is drawn from No. 55, one of three bronze ewers, with decorated spouts, placed in the same locality as the foregoing; it is 8 inches high, and has been mended by rivetted portions attached to the bottom, but has no remains of solder. It was found in a bog at Drumnaspar, parish of Upper Badoney, county Tyrone. For the remain- der of the culinary vessels, see details of these articles from pages 539 to 546, and also p. 553.* Articles connected with Distillation. — The fre- quent and very eai'ly notice of cups, drinking-horns, and other vessels of a like character, show that the Irish were acquainted with other beverages than milk and water. Mead, or Methe- glin, chiefly derived from honey, was used in very remote times ; and popular tradition asserts that Heather-beer, said to have been introduced by the Northmen, was a common drink in the middle ages. Some of the decorated drinking vessels, already alluded to at page 265, were, it is said, employed for "quaffing mead." In Irish writings of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, constant reference is made to spirituous liquors, such as aqua vitce [uisge beathadtJi] ; and we still possess some remnants of the apparatus for distillation, the knowledge of which process has never been lost, although we have no Irish names for either still or still-worm. t On * An article like Fig. 416 has been figured by Dr. Petrie in the Dublin Penny Journal, vol. i., p. 84, in illusti-ation of his valuable papers on the Fine Arts which appeared in that publication. A vessel similar to Fig. 417 has been figured by Val- lancey, from a specimen in the Museum of Trinity College. See Collectanea, vol. iv., page 42. f The earliest notice of distillation in Ireland appears to be that discovered in the Red Book of Ossory, a MS. supposed to be as old as the fourteenth century, in which this passage occurs — " Simple aqua vitce is to be made in the following manner : — Take choice one-year old wine, and rather of a red than of a thick sort, strong, and CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: STILLS. 537 Fig. 418, No. 67. Tray TT are six fragments of bronze or brass alembics, or still- heads and worms, numbered in continuation of the food im- plements already described. Three of these are still-worms, the most perfect of Avhich, figured below, is complete, and consists of eight convolutions, of soldered brass piping, joined at acute angles, each pipe about half an inch in diameter. They are fastened down to two strong flat bars by means of bent straps and square-headed rivets, the latter occupying the spaces between the pipes. The length of each convolution is 1 inches, and the total breadth of the article, 7. One extremity of this ends in a kettle- spout shape, evidently for the delivery of the condensed liquor ; the other end Avas pro- bably attached to the still-head. Fig. 419 is drawn from No. 70, a still-head about 4 Fig. 419, No. 70. 101 inci^Qs high, and 11 long in the horizontal tube, the small end of which was inserted into one of the extremities of the worm. About midway down the rather conical head is attached a broad square flange, 3 J inches wide, which acted as a stop, and prevented the head passing down too far into the still. The upper not sweet, and place it in a pot, closing the mouth well with a clepsydra made of wood, and having a linen cloth rolled round it ; out of which pot there is to issue a cavalis, leading to another vessel having a worm \serpente.'] This latter vessel is to be kept filled with cold water, frequently renewed when it grows warm, and the water foams through the cavalis. The pot with the wire having been placed pre- viously on the fire, distil it with a slow fire until you have from it one-half of the quantity of wine that you put in." I am indebted to the Rev. James Graves for the foregoing extract. It has also been published in the Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. vi., p. 285. 2 N 2 538 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. angle, between the head and horizontal tube, has been strength- ened by a stay of metal, which is perforated both for light- ness and ornament. The whole apparatus is exceedingly small and delicate. We have no precise knowledge either as to the shape of the still, to which these objects were an- cillary, or of the method employed for distillation.* Both the articles figured above were found at the depth of four feet in that part of the Bog of Allen near Ballykillen Hill, King's County, and were — Presented by William Watson, Esq. Spoons {Sponoga') and Ladles {Liacha) — amounting to thirty-three specimens — are arranged on Tray XJIT, and illus- trated by the four following types. With few exceptions, Fig. 420, No. 73. Fig. 421, No. 78. Fig. 422, No. 93. Fig. 423, No. 74. however, none of these are of great antiquity compared with other bronze articles in the Collection. Figure 420 is drawn from No. 73, a rude massive copper spoon, thick and undeco- rated in the handle, the only one of this material in the Col- lection ; 9^ inches long, and 2 broad in the bowl. Figure * The two articles represented above have been figured by Mr. Clibborn in the Ulster Journal of Archisology, vol. vii., p. 38. See also Moorewood's Treatise on Distillation ; and the " History of Inebriating Liquors." The most perfect specimen of ancient still-head and worm is that in the Museum of Trinity College ; the portion of tube ending in the head measures 4 feet. CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: SPOONS. 539 421 represents an exceedingly thin ladle of bright-yelloAV brass, No. 78, which measures 13 j inches in length, and 4^ across the bowl ; has an everted lip, which is prolonged into a T-like flange that runs round the handle, similar to that in Fig. 412, and was evidently intended for giving strength to that portion. From the paper-like thinness of the metal, it could scarcely have been cast in a mould, although it does not bear marks of hammering. Of this sub-variety there are three specimens in the Collection, see p. 545. It was found in the bed of the Shannon, at Grose's Island, near Carrick, county Leitrim, in 1847, and was — Presented hy the Shannon Commis- sioners. No. 93, Fig. 422, is one of those middle-age spoons with long, slender, round handles, terminating in decorated knobs or figures, and known as " Apostle Spoons," of which there are fourteen perfect and six imperfect examples on Tray ITU ; it is 5f inches in length. The fourth figure is drawn from No. 74, a comparatively modern article, 6|- inches in length, highly decorated on both sides, and socketed for the insertion of a wooden or bone handle. For details of spoons, see page 545. Bronze or brass knives have not yet been received into this Collection ; and we have not heard of any being disco- vered in Ireland. The only other food implement of anti- quity, to which reference has been made in Irish history, is the celebrated spit, called the Bir Veckin, referred to in Dr. Pe trie's Essay on the " History and Antiquities of Tara Hill," see Transactions, vol. xviii., p. 212. There are three nut- crackers of brass in the Cross-case, described at page 553. The follow ing are the details of the Culinary articles: — Bronze, V. — Ground- Floor, North Side; First Compartment. First Compartment. — Shelf II., Tr-ai/ SS, contains eleven sickles; numbered from 1 to 11, and varying in length of blade from 4^ to 6 inches. No. 1, angle-bladed; imperfect at point; socket 2^ inches long, and not thorough ; rivet-holes as in all the other speci- 540 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. mens ; a grooved cast ornament on side of blade ; found in the county Cavan. No. 2, perfect; slender; of bright gold-coloured metal ; blade 4| from its point to the angle formed with upper part of socket; has a midrib, and side-bevels, like some of the curved swords ; socket oval, and 1 1 long ; both edges of blade are remarkably sharp. No. 3, imperfect at point of ornamented blade; socket 3 inches high, with raised fillet round the margin. No 4, perfect; of same descrip- tion as No. 2, but blade and socket form a more acute angle. The blade is 5 inches in length, and traversed by a raised ornament, passing round the oval socket, which is 2f high, and has a project- ing margin inferiorly. No. 5, very plain, and more curved than any of the foregoing; 4^ in blade; oval socket 2^ high. No. 6 is figured and described at p. 527. No. 7, rude, plain, imperfect in socket, which turns round into hooked blade, which latter is 4f long; found in the county Tipperary. No. 8, fractured; socket 1^ in length; thorough length from point to posterior edge of imperfect soc- ket, 4f ; large rivet-holes; resembles No. 9. No. 9, ditto, figured and described at p. 527. No. 10, figured and described at p. 527. No. 11, reaping-hook-shaped, like No. 10, but somewhat difierent in curve of perfect blade ; much corroded ; measures 7f on convex edge; socket imperfect. The Culinary Vessels referred to at p. 528 here follow in succes- sion, and are numbered consecutively with the sickles. The collec- tion of these articles extends from those in the first bottom glass- case in the Western Gallery, Bronze II. and is continued under Bronze III. and IV. to the foot of the North-Western Staircase, and throughout the bottom shelf of the first compartment on the nor- thern side of the ground-floor of the Museum to the adjoining Cross- Case. Bronze, II., III., and IV. — Western Gallery, Lower Case. Lower Case. — Bronze cauldrons, and other many-pieced riveted vessels. — No. 12, the fine bronze cauldron figured and described at p. 530. No. 13, a smaller article of the same variety, more conical; figured and described at p. 531. No. 14, a larger and ruder speci- men of the same form, with flat uuornamented rivets joining the four large plates; heart-shaped; decorated with grooved marks un- der the lip; mended in several places; 19 inches wide in open; about CLASS V METALLIC MATERIALS: CAULDRONS. 541 16 deep, and 32 in girth; massive ring-handles, each 4| inches in diameter. The spear No. 6 was found in this vessel. No. 15, the large conical vessel, like a plate-bucket, figured and described at p. 531. No. 16, a single-piece dish or pan, figured and described at p. 533. No. 17, another specimen of the same variety, but smaller and shallower ; radiating marks on bottom ; lip plain, and patched in two places; 191 from out to out, and 6 deep; found in a deep bog at Sallow-Glin, near Newtown-Sandes, Barony of Iraghticon- nor, county of Kerry, and — Presented hy TflUiam Sondes, Esq. (see Proceedings, vol. vi., p. 48). No. 18, very perfect; about same size as former; tool-markings very distinct; decorated lip; 19j in dia- meter by 6 deep; found in the bank of the river between Bray and Enniskerry. No. 19, ditto, but flatter in the bottom, and sides more upright; mended in several places round edge; 22 by 16-|-. No. 20 a small specimen, much worn in bottom; 17 j by 5^ deep. Found at Cornacarrow, near Jamestown, county of Leitrim. — Presented by Shannon Commissioners. No, 21, the bottom portion of a large ves- sel of very thin sheet brass, having on the outside the marks of punching and hammering, like those on No. 16. No. 22, the upper portion of a large cauldron of thin sheetbrass, hammered out of a single piece, and not bearing any ostensible marks of joining; no bottom; looks like top of such a vessel as No. 14; four rivet-holes on each side of upper margin, mark where the staples which held the handles were affixed; 17 in diameter; covered with a whitish incrustation, from lying in water for a great length of time; found at Cloonfinlough, county of Eoscommon (see p. 226). — Presented hy Board of Works (see Proceedings, vol. v., App.). No. 23, a cir- cular brazen dish, decorated on the lip like No. 17; dififering in material from any of the foregoing; complete, but much battered; 16|- across mouth ; found in a morass, near the spot crossed by the Williamite army at Aughrira, county of Gal way, in 1691 ; believed by the finder to have been part of a kettle-drum Presented by Jr. H. Hartigan, Esq. (see Proc, vol. vii., p. 109.) No. 24, a circular brass vessel, hammered out of a single piece. The sharp edo-e of the upper margin and the rivet-holes around it show that it either had an attached rim, or formed the lower portion of a larger vessel ; rudely patched on one side; 12 by 6. No. 25, a similar article, but some- what smaller, and evidently much used in former times; made of a 542 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. single sheet of thin brass, which has been cut in several places, pro- bably with the intention of its being used for other purpose; 9 wide. No. 26, a small dish, formed of one sheet of thin bright brass; everted lip; in imperfect preservation, covered externally with an incrustation from fire; 10^ wide in mouth, and about 3j deep; found at old castle of Kiltubrid, King's County, in peaty soil, five feet under surface. — Presented hy Board of Works (Proceedings, vol. v., App. p. 57). No. 27, a small circular cup-like vessel ; formed of a piece of thin sheet brass; surrounded at top by a number of rivet- holes, in some of which the studs still remain. No. 28, the beauti- ful, cleaned bronze bowl, figured and described at p. 533. No. 29, a circular vessel, with handle, of the saucepan-shape; hammered out of a single piece of brass; round in bottom; everted lip, with double corrugated indentation on side, below that part; 6^ across mouth; handle 6 inches long; found in Kiver BlackAvater, a mile below Charlemont, between the counties of Armagh and Tyrone. — Pre- sented brj Board of Works. No. 30, another article of a like descrip- tion, figured and described at p. 533. — Presented hy Shannon Com- missionei's. No. 31, a stout circular brass vessel, quite perfect, hammered out of a single piece; sides contract to everted lip; 10^ wide, and 4| deep. No. 32, a large greenish-yellow brass pan, or basin, formed of two pieces, the bottom, and the rim with its lip, joined by mutual interlapping, like that employed in the manufac- ture of tin-ware; joining of side-piece effected by stout rivets; slight crescentic hammered ornament round broad horizontal edge; patched in several places round the bottom ; \A\ from out to out, and about 4 deep. No. 33, a shallow single-piece bowl of stout bronze; 9f in diameter. No. 34, another vessel of the same de- scription, formed of thin sheet brass ; very imperfect; originally of two pieces, the bottom, and the side and lip; 4 high, 5| wide; patched with very rude rivets; found, filled with coins, under a mound at Sheemore Hill, barony and county of Leitrim ; given to Dean Dawson (with Avhose Collection it was procured) by — C. D. Latouche, Esq. This article, and No. 32, properly belong to the many-piece rivetted bi'onze articles, but are placed here for conve- nience. No. 35, a bronze pan, with broad lip and raised centre, pro- bably cast; 14 inches in diameter, and 3 deep. Its history is unknown. No. 36, another vessel of the same description, but ham- CLASS V. — METALLIC MATEKIALS: POTS. 543 mered out of thin metal; margin of broad lip and bowl indented; 16 in. diameter by 2^ deep. The true cast bronze vessels commence here with No. 37, the beautiful bowl, of classic shape, figured and described at p. 534. The following sixteen articles are bronze pots, of various sizes, each standing on three legs; — No. 38, a globular cast metal pot, wanting one leg; llj inches high, and 9 wide in the mouth. — Presented by Arthur A. Nugent, Esq. No. 39, ditto, with wide handles, defective in lip; 12|- high, 92 across mouth. No. 40, like a modern pot, with small handles attached below rim; perfect, with the exception of one foot; 11^ high, and the same wide. Found with No. 43 in Lough Ramor, near Virginia, county of Cavan. Both — Presented hj Lord Farnliam. No. 41, a large metal pot; wide at bottom; per- fect; sides turning gradually into rim; feet decorated; three raised lines spread from each foot over bottom; 12f high, and 13 wide in mouth. No. 42, another, almost identical in shape, ornament, and size. Both have ridges round their top margins. Nos. 43, 44, and 45, all of the same variety, are placed in the bottom of the third glass-case under the Spears; Bronze, IV. They are wide at the bot- tom, narrowing towards the top, with high feet. No. 43, perfect, has three transverse raised lines on side; trident-shaped ornaments spring from the base of each leg; angular handles attached between junction of rim and conical pot; 15f high, and 12 across mouth. Found and presented along with No. 40. No 44, a very perfect spe- cimen, in fine preservation, similar to foregoing in almost every par- ticular, but somewhat higher in legs; upper members of handles slope downwards; 16|- high, 12 in mouth. This vessel was recently sold to a brass-founder in Dublin as old metal. No. 45, a rare and peculiar specimen, which originally stood on three very high legs, one only of which now remains; very flat at bottom; three broad, raised bands encircle the side; handles difl'er from all other spe- cimens, except No. 51, in forming graceful loops instead of acute angles; 18 high, 2^ wide; defective in lip. Nos. 46 and 47 stand at the bottom of the north-western stair- case. The former a very fine boiler, in the highest state of preser- vation, Avith broad bottom narrowing towards the top, like No. 47; is 641 inches in girth, 21 high, and 13f across the mouth ; three raised lines encircle the side of the vessel externally, and at top are 544 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. the letters AD. It was originally intended to have a spout, and a metal plug marks the site of that aperture; the legs are decorated with three lines, which spread over the vessel to the central bar. In the Sirr Catalogue it is described as having been obtained from a bog at Lowtown, county of Westmeath. No. 47, the large brew- ing boiler figured and described at p. 535. Bronze, V Ground-floor, Northern Side, First Compartment. Lower Shelf. — No. 48, a small bronze pot, imperfect origi- nally; mended in the bottom by rivets; 9 J high, 10 across mouth (Dawson). No. 49, ditto, also imperfect; 8| high, and 10 wide. No. 50, ditto, but more perfect, and of very thin metal ; 9^ high, 10 across mouth. — Presented hy E. IF. Eeynell, Esq. No. 51, a very perfect bronze pot, or skillet, with three elevated lines on side, and also decorated on the lip; handles round at angles; 8^ high, 9f wide across mouth. The three next specimens are globular. No. 52 stands on three legs, imperfect at top, mended in several places; 31 inches in girth (Dawson). No. 53, globular; defective on side of lip; 9j high, 30 in girth (Dawson). No. 54, ditto, also imperfect in lip; it is 27 J in girth. The cast metal pots end here, and the remaining articles are of a different variety of vessel. No. 55, a cast metal ewer, figured and described at p. 535. No. 6Q, ditto, imperfect at one side, decorated spout; 7^ high; found at Lecale, and — Presented by Lord de Boose. No. 57, ditto, of a larger size, per- fect, one leg apparently attached subsequent to casting ; spout deco- rated in the form of an animal's head; \Q^ high; found at Swords. No. 58, a small globular bronze skillet, figured and described at p. 535. No. 59, a copper jar, formed of three pieces, — the body of the vessel, the bottom, and the handle, the latter fastened by rivets; the seam in the back brazed, and the bottom inserted by interlapping, like modern tin-work; it is 13 inches high, and 27 in girth; it was pro- bably originally intended for a powder vessel, and, as such, was used by the insurgents at the battle of Vinegar Hill; it is much battered on one side, said to have been caused by a shot. No. 60, a copper jug, figured and described at p. 535. No. 61, a brass mor- tar, decorated on the outside, solid handles; 6 high, and 7^ wide at mouth ; marked with raised cast letters A K. No. 62, bottom frag-, ment of a cast bronze vessel; found in liiver Deel, county of Meath. CLASS V. METALLIC MATERIALS: STILL-WORMS. 545 — Presented by Board of JForJcs. No. 63, a highly ornamented piece of bronze, fractured in centre ; 1 0^ inches long ; evidently the handle of a skillet. No. 64, a bronze curved moveable small pot-handle, twisted in the torque fashion ; a very rare culinary article. Nos. 65 and 66 are two solid, rather conical pieces of finely cast bronze; one grooved on the surface, both perforated at chamfered top; apparently moveable pot-legs. For remainder see Cross-case at page 553. Shelf II., IVrt_y TT, contains six articles employed in distilla- tion, and numbered from 67 to 72, in continuation of the culinary vessels already described. No. 67, an ancient still- worm, complete; figured and described at p. 537. No. 68, the fragments of another still-worm, somewhat larger in the tubing, and consisting of two and a half turns; fastened to the back-stay by means of wedge-like pieces of metal, which originally held in its place a thin overlapping strap; the back-stay is perfect, and measures 9^ ; found in Inch- more Island, Lough Ree, Shannon. No. 69, fragments of a still- worm, much broken, and consisting of portions of five tubes, and the two back-stays arranged on the same principle as the two foregoing articles; the tubing is very thin, and joined at the angles by a more perfect and elegant form of brazing; it was found in 1828 beneath the foundation of an old castle of the O'Dowds, at Carrownrush, parish of Easky, county of Sligo. No. 70, the still-head figured and described at p. 537. No. 71, a specimen of bronze tubing of the same diameter as that in No. 67; 13 inches long; fractured; it ap- pears more likely to have formed part of a worm than a fragment of a still-head tube. No. 72, the tube of a still- head precisely re- sembling that of 67 ; the conical end of the tube and flange where it was inserted are the same in both specimens; 12|- inches long. Trai/ UU contains thirty-three spoons and ladles, numbered from 73 to 105. No. 73, a rvide copper spoon, figured and de- scribed at p. 538. No. 74, an ornamented spoon, figured and de- scribed at p. 538. No. 75, a tinned brass spoon; 6f inches long; having a curious trade-mark on the inner side of the bowl, consist- ing of three spoons, enclosed in a circle, evidently struck after cast- ing; described as 52 in Proceedings, vol. vii., p. 161. — Presentedby Dr. Ringland. No. 76, a large single-piece ladle, imperfect in bowl; 12j long, 4 wide; found in townland of .-^rdress, near Kesh, county 546 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. of Fermanagh. — Presented hy Board of JVorhs. No. 77, a small brass ladle, with cup-like bowl riveted to handle. No. 78, a ladle, figured at p. 538. With few exceptions, all the remaining spoons are very thin and shallow in the bowl, and have slender handles. No. 79, imperfect in both bowl and handle. No. 80, of remarkably thin brass, perfect in bowl, but wanting greater portion of handle. No. 81, ditto. No. 82, handle of spoon, with circular stud at top. No. 83, ditto, with portion of bowl attached. — Presented hy Very Rev. Dean Butler. No. 84, fragment of a circular spoon-handle, with de- corated top. The two next rows contain fourteen complete spoons of the fashion called Apostle Spoons, with wide shallow bowls, slen- der stems, and decorated tops ; in length they vary from 5^ to 7 inches, and, with the exception of No. 90, which has a figure at top of stem, all the handles terminate in circular seal-like projections. No. 93 has been figured and described at p. 538. The last row con- sists of articles of a ruder description, and, with one exception, have flat handles. No. 99 was found at Ballyhennan, barony of Fassadi- nan, county of Kilkenny. No. 102 was — Presented hy Lord Farn- ham. In No. 103, the shank is grooved, like that of a mari'ow spoon. No. 105, the end of the handle of which is trident-shaped, was, with No. 98 — Presented by the Shannon Commissioners. Nos. 87, 101, and 104, were procured with the Dawson Collection; and No. 91 was deposited by the Royal Dublin Society. For remaining Catalogue of food implements, see description of Cross-Case at p. 553. SPECIES IV. ARTICLES OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY AND DOMESTIC USE, ETC. Bronze articles employed in household economy, or for do- mestic purposes — not enumerated under the head of utensils used in the procuration or preparation of food, or for the de- coration of the person — are here classed together, and consist of needles, or bodkins, tobacco-pipes and boxes, candlesticks, locks, keys, inkstands, &c. ; and also razors, tweezers, and such like objects connected with the toilet. Needles — in Irish, Miadh and Snaithe, a needle) — of CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: PIPES, LOCKS, ETC. 547 bronze, maybe considered of an age prior to the use of steel for such purposes. Figure 424 represents, the size of the originals, two bronze needles, _l..z:iil''^^7 Nos. 77 and 78 in ^s^ Eail-case P. There ^'^- '''■ ''°'- ' ' '"' "'• are altogether eighteen bronze needles in the Collection, rang- ing from If to 4^ inches in length; besides several on Find Trays. Brass Tobacco Pipes have been occasionally found in Ireland: that here figured the natural size, m No. 4, on Tray W, is curiously formed t of two symmetrical portions, either cast struck in a mould, and then brazed to- gether above I and beloAv. Tobacco- No. 4. boxes, either cast, or manufactured out of thin sheet brass, with removeable or hinged lids, generally oblong in form, averaging about 6 inches in length, and embossed or engraved with various devices on the exterior, have been found in considerable numbers in Ireland, and presented at different times to the Academy. Most of them are Flemish. They appear to have been first in- troduced about the end of the seventeenth century. There are thirteen of these arranged on Tray vv. Bronze or brass candlesticks of sufficient antiquity to be placed in a Museum are generally ecclesiastical, and to be con- sidered under the head of articles of that class. In the first Cross-case on the ground-floor may be seen three specimens of this variety, and some curious antique snuffers, &c. Locks and Keys [ Glas, a lock, Eochair, a key] — We have no ancient stock, door, or box locks of antiquity in the Museum ; but there is a large and varied collection of bronze keys, several of which are curiously decorated in the rings. The only antique 548 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. Fig. 42C. No. 111. brass lock in the Collection is that here figured, the actual size, from No. 1 1 1 in Rail-case P. At first sight, this unique article would appear to be the ring of a brooch, which, in form of orna- mentation, as well as shape and size, it greatly resembles. It cer- tainly belongs to the period of the ring brooches ; but whether used as a padlock solely, or attached to a pin, is now matter of speculation. All the bronze or brass keys, amounting to forty speci- mens, varying in length from l|to4j inches, are arranged on Tray WW, in the top shelf of the first compartment on the northern ground-floor; for the details of which see page 551. They may be divided into the latch or lifting key, like that still in common use in the Orient, and the ordinary warded key, of both which varieties the five following illustrations are typical examples. Figure 427 is drawn from No. 30, a flat piece of brass ; ll inch long. Figure 428, Fig. 427. No Fig. 428. No. 59. from No. 59 — Deposited hy the Royal Dublin Society — is in high preservation, and measures If inches in its greatest length. The three fol- lowino; cuts illustrate different varieties of the bronze warded- key, with decorated ring. Figure 429 is drawn one-half the natural size from No. 45, a padlock key, curiously decorated at top, and having broad wards cleft along the front edge. It appears to be that found in the Abbey of Thurles, county Tipperary, in 1830, and figured in the Dublin Penny Journal, vol. iv., p. 237. No. 54 has a dia- mond-shaped ring, and is 3| inches long. No. 46, a very perfect and highly decorated door-key, 2| inches long, with a CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: TOILET ARTICLES. 549 pipe in the shaft ; — was found at Tory Island, on the coast of Donegal, axi^— Presented by Lord George Hill. For the de- tails of the other keys in the Collection, see page 551. Fig. 423. No. 45. Fig. 430. No. -54. Fig, 401. No. 46. Toilet Articles — Compared with Scandinavian Collec- tions, there are but few toilet articles of bronze in the Mu- seum of the Royal Irish Academy. In the former we find a large assemblage of tweezers, some of them decorated with gold ; and knife-like articles in great variety, that appear to have been used as razors, thus showing that the Northmen either shaved or plucked the beard, probably both, whereas the ancient Irish allowed the hair to grow on the face, as intended by nature. Of the three annexed cuts, the first, drawn from No. 104, in Rail-case P, re- presents a tweezers, 3 inches long, and decorated all over the surface ; one of the few articles of this de- scription found in Ireland. It was procured from the Ballin- derry crannoge. No .101, Fig. 433, in Rail-case P, represents the largest specimen of three bronze articles, which, it is conjectured, were used as ra- zors, — in Irish, Ailtin. It is all of one piece, 3^ inches long, If wide; has a stout flat stem, decorated on the surface, with 550 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. an aperture near the top; and has exceedingly hard, sharp side- edges ; the two other specimens are smaller. There is a large specimen in Trinity College Museum. The third illustration is drawn from No. 96, one of three similar articles, with de- corated stems and fork-like terminations, the most rational use of which would appear to be connected with the toilet. The following list comprises all the articles of Household Economy, except those in Rail-case P, and in the First Cross- case on the northern side of the ground-floor : — Bronze, V. — Ground Floor; First Compartment. Shelf I., Tray W, contains twenty articles, chiefly connected with the use of tobacco, and consisting of pipe-stoppers, bronze pipes, a decorated pipe-case, and fourteen boxes, principally oblong, and used either for tobacco or snufF; numbered from 1 to 20. No. 1, a bronze pipe-stopper, in the shape of a horse's leg and foot, very well cast. No. 2, a pipe-stopper, resembling the hind-legs of a frog; 3 inches long. No. 3, a pipe-stopper, in the shape of a human leg and foot. No. 4, a bronze pipe; figured and described at p. 547. No. 5, a decorated pipe-case of wood, inlaid with brass; extreme length 85. No. 6, the bowl of a brass pipe; belonging to No. 5. The remaining articles on this tray are boxes. No. 7, a tobacco box ; 6^ inches long, 2 wide, and \\ high; hinged; top ornamented with the figure of Frederick the Great, beneath which is the inscription, " Fredericus Magnus Borussorum Rex," and the date 1767. No. 8, ditto, of about the same size, copper sides, brass lid and bottom, with several devices of animals, and a Dutch inscription upon it. No. 9, ditto, and of similar materials ; the engraved devices on it re- present drinking and hunting scenes. No. 10, ditto, ditto, with scriptural devices raised upon the cover; described as a Walloon tobacco-box, with a Flemish inscription ; said to have been " found on the person of a soldier slain in the battle of the Boyne." — Pre- sented hy the Rev. W. Thompson (see Proceedings, vol. vi., p. 10). No. 1 1, an oval brass tobacco-box; 4f long; with loops at end, as if for passing a strap through; graven devices; date, 1734. No. 12, a circular puzzle-lid tobacco-box ; 3^ in diameter. — Presented ht/ Major CLASS v.— METALLIC materials: KEYS. 551 General R. K. Birch, R. A. No. 13, aflat oval tobacco-box; 4| long; engraved device, with Flemish inscription. No. 14, an oblong, four- cornered box, top and bottom copper, sides inlaid with brass; co- vered with floral devices. No. 15, a snufi'-box, brass, with mother- of-pearl inlaid corners, each having a raised figure making up the date 1690, and bearing the following inscription on the side: — "This box was made out of one of the brass cannon used at the siege of Londonderry, and was presented by Mr. Thomas Locke to Henry Maxwell, M.P., December, 1825." On top is a circular piece of mother-of-pearl, with the name " Farnham, 1847," written thereon, and covered with a watch-glass ; on the bottom are warlike devices, and the Derry motto, "No Surrender." No. 16, a flat oblong brass box, four corners; 5\ by 2§; on the lid is a view of Haarlem. No. 17, an oval tobacco-box, well made, and in fine preservation, highly engraved; 6|by ]|; found at Vinegar Hill in 1798. Nos. 15 and 1 7 were — Presented hy Lord Farnham (see Proc, vol. iii., p. 529). No. 18, another, of the same shape, but somewhat smaller, and bear- ing at top, a calculating table, and the date " 1497 ;" found at Ban try Bay, and — Presented by F. M. Jennings, Esq. No. 19, an oblong brass box, with embossed cover, having a Dutcli inscription; 6 by If. No. 20, another Dutch box, very perfect; 9|- inches long, 2 wide; covered svith well-graven devices. Tray WW, contains forty bronze keys, numbered from No. 21 1o 60, varying in length from 1§ to 4|- inches. No. 21, the smallest in the collection, rude, flat, no pipe, but instead thereof, a small pro- jection. Nos. 22, 25, 31, 33, and 37, are of the same description. No. 30, is a latch-key, flat, figured and described at p. 548. No. 31, was found at Trim, and — Presented by Dean Butler. No. 34, another latch-key, of a different shape, with a ring. Several of those on the two first rows are very rude, and apparently of a great age. In the third row are several remarkable specimens. No. 39 is like the key of a beer-cock. No. 40 resembles No. 59, figured at p. 548. In No. 42, the ward portion is at a right angle with the plane of the ring. No. 44, a bad specimen of the same variety as No. 45, which is figured and described at p. 549. The fourth row contains seven specimens of a larger size than the foregoing, probably door-keys. No. 46, is figured and described at p. 549- No. 51 is decorated on the outer side of the ring. No. 52 is a unique specimen, with a broad ring, 2 o 552 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. having a square knob attached to its upper edge. No. 54 is figured and described at p. 549- No. 55 is decorated in the ring. No. 5Q, is a plain, rude specimen, unwarded. No. 57, a very perfect and highly decorated house-key; 4^ long; found in an old castle near Newtownbarry, county of Wexford, and, together with No. 33, w^as — Presented hy Lord Farnham. No. 58, a rude latch-key. No. 59? a lifting key, figured at p. 548. No. 60, a rude, bulky latch-key. First Cross-case, Ground Floor, North Side — Contains some articles connected vrith the species Tools, Food Implements, and Household Economy, which could not be attached to trays. Top Shelf. — Nos. 81, 82, and 83, are the three bronze adzes described at page 523, and of which the last has been illustrated by Fig. 402. No. 84, a brass button-mould, in three pieces; 1^ inches long, and ^ wide (Dawson). No. 85, a small brass mould for casting coats of arms, referred to at p. 524, and described in Proceedings, vol. vii., p. 130. All these relate to tools. On the Second Shelf are seve- ral articles connected with Household Economy, and numbered in continuation of the keys on Tray WW. No. 61, a brass door-bolt; 8j inches long, by 1^ wide, and f thick. No. 62, a brass candle- stick ; 9|- high, massive, having large holes in the socket, and a broad circular flange about half-way down the pillar; " found in Dunshaughlin bog, county Meath." No. 63, another candle- stick, rudely decorated in the pillar, large holes in socket, no flange ; lOi high. No. 64, ditto, but more modern, and with a slender pil- lar; 9^ high; found in what would appear to be the remains of a crannoge, at Manorhamilton, county of Leitrim, and — Presented hy Rev. John Hamilton (see Proceedings, vol. vii., p. 346). No. 65, an antique snuffers, without a top to the box; 6j long; found in Clonave Island, Lough Derravarragh, county Westmeath. No. QQ, an imperfect snuffers, slighter and of more modern form than the foregoing; 6|. No. 67, a small hinged implement, apparently the top of an article for holding a taper ; 3;^ long- No. 68, a small oun- cel or steel -yard, a description of instrument very common in Ireland, especially in those parts of the country where flax and yarn were much sold until the compulsory use of the standard weights and measures; quite perfect, beam quadrangular, wanting weight, much worn; 8f inches in length (Dawson). No. 69, ditto, sm^ll, beam circular, complete in all respects, even to the straps, iron CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS : BREAST-PINS. 553 hook, and copper weight; 7f long. No. 70, the beam of an ouncel, 10^ long; found in the river at Athlone, in 1849, and — Presented hj the Shannon Commissioners — see Presentation Book, p. 62. No. 71, a small circular brass box for holding standard weights; 1^ in diameter; found in the demesne of Stranocum, in levelling the bank of the River Bush, about twenty feet below the surface of the ground. — Presented by James R. Hutchinson, Esq. (see Proceedings, vol. vi., p. I6l). No. 72, ditto, smaller, and apparently more modern; 1§ wide across lip; found in a bog near Cullybackey, county of Antrim. — Pi^esented by Rev. Br. Reeves. Nos. 73, 74, 75, and 76, are four bronze moveable legs, possibly belonging to ink- stands, the longest measuring 3j inches, and the shortest 2. For the remainder of articles of this species, see Rail-Case P, at p. 597" In the bottom space will be found some Food Implements, in addition to those already described and numbered in continua- tion of the spoons on Tray tlU, at p. 546. No. 106, a copper cheese-scoop; 5\. No. 107, a rim of thin brass, like top of sauce- pan ; 3 ; found in River Glyde. — Presented by the Board of Works. Nos. 108, 109, and 110, three brass nut-crackers; the latter rude, and decorated with concentric circles, like some of the gold ornaments; 3|- (Sirr); the two others are apparently more modern, and each about 4 inches in length. No. Ill, the bottom of an an- cient chafing-dish; 4| in diameter, perforated in bottom. No. 1 12, ditto, Avide mouth, narrow bottom, cast; 5^ at top, 2 deep. No. 113, ditto, imperfect in rim; 4| by 2. No. 1 14, ditto, massive, in good preservation, square moveable stud in bottom, as if for stem ; 4-1- by 2|. No. 115, ditto, plain, perfect; 5^ wide, 2^ deep. No, 116, a bronze chafing dish, tolerably perfect, one handle remaining, aper- ture in bottom capable of holding vessel No. 114. Nos. 117 and 118, two small thin brass plates, fellows, imperfect in edges; each 6 wide (Dawson). No. 119, the small handle of a brass skillet, like No. 63, only A\ long. SPECIES V. ARTICLES OF DRESS AND PERSONAL DECORATION. Personal decorations form a large numerical proportion of the bronze articles in the Museum, and at present amount to upwards of five-hundred specimens, excludingthose on " finds." 2o2 554 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. This part of the Collection is increasing daily, each addition presenting some new variety, either of form or ornamentation. It consists of cloak, mantle, or hair-pins, brooches, bracelets, arm-rings, buttons, buckles, fasteners, armour-decoration, and massive rings of different sizes, connected with cos- tume, &c. For convenience' sake, and in order to display them in the best possible light, according to tlie present construction of the Museum, the bulk of this part of the Collection, especially the smaller articles, has been arranged on four large Trays, XX, YY, ZZ, and AAA, placed between the swords and spears in the Western Gallery. A few may be seen in Rail-case P, and the remainder on Trays from BBB to G-G-Gr in the top shelf of the JMiddle Compartment on the northern side of the ground-floor. Pins, Fibula, and Brooches — sty led in Irish, dealp, briar, duillenn, and 6ro/«^/ia [spear-like], es, cartait, casern, roith croir, milech,andbi'eathnas — have been discovered in Ireland in greater numbers and variety, and of more beauty in design and work- manship, than in any other country in Europe. In these articles the process of development is displayed in a most remarkable manner ; for, from the simple unadorned pin or spike of copper, bronze, or brass, the metallic representation of the dealg, or thorn, to the most elaborately wrought ring-brooch of pre- cious metals — the patterns of which are now re-introduced by our modern jewellers — every stage of art, both in form and handicraft, is clearly defined ; not one single link is want- ing, as may be learned from a glance at those three large Trays, XX, YY, and ZZ, in the Central Compartment of the Western Gallery. In the first stage, all the artist's powers seem to have been exhausted on the decoration of the pin it- self, or in the development of the head, which was enlarged and modelled into every conceivable shape, and decorated with a great variety of patterns. When it Avas scarcely pos- sible to effect further improvement on the head, a shank-ring CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: BREAST-PINS. 555 was added, either by means of a rivet passed through the head, or a simple loop running through a hole in the neck. In the next step the ring was doubled, or several distinct rings were employed. Then the ring itself became the chief object in this article of personal decoration, and the acus, or pin, Avas of secondary importance. Finally, the ring was en- larged and flattened out, decorated, enamelled, covered with filigree, and jcAvelled, until, in those magnificent specimens of eilverand gold, and Jindrume, or white metal, found in Ireland of late years, it reached a degree of perfection which modern art can with ditficulty imitate. The three annexed figures, drawn the natural size from Nos. 170 and 184, Tray XX, and 399, on Tray ZZ, afford the reader a good idea of the simple pin, with decorated head and shank, used as a cloak-fastener, or for any of the ordinary purposes to which such articles are applied in the present day. Figure 435, from No. 170, on Tray xx, repre- sents the length, shape, and style of or- nament, in a great number of simple pins. Figure 436 is drawn from No. 184, in which the crooked head resembles that of a horse. Figure 437 illustrates No. 399, on Tray zz, one of the most ele- gant antique articles of its class which has yet come to light. The pin itself is bronze, with an elaborate scroll, formed in the casting ; and to a groove in the raised portion which traverses the centre of this indented scroll has been soldered, in high relief, a thin line of silver or white metal. It would not appear that the depressions on each side were filled with enamel; but in No. 383, on the same Tray, a portion of the enamel paste still 556 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. fills up the indented scroll, but it has been constructed on a different plan from that figured above. By the eight following figures, drawn from Nos. 114, 113, 123, 69, 45, 63, 62, and 66, on Tray XX, are shown typical varieties of pin-head ornamentation in articles of this descrip- tion ; they are all drawn the size of the originals. Some of these simple pins, which vary in length from 3 to 12| inches, have flat shanks, several of which are decorated for about a third of their length. In others the lower third of the pin is quadrangular, and in a few there is an elevation at the junc- ture of the upper and middle thirds, as is well shown in Fig. 453, on p. 559, like those in several examples of bone pins on fig. 438. Fig. 439. Fig. 440. No. 114. No. 113. No. 123. Fig. 443. No. U3. Fig. 444. Fig. 445. No. 62. No. 66. Tray C, see Fig. 216, page 233. The pins in the foregoing cuts vary in length from 2i to 7^ inches. No, 69, Fig. 441, was found in the Ardakillen crannoge, and — Presented by the Board of Works. Crannoges and street-cuttings have been the principal localities from which these small pins have been procured. No. 123, Fig. 440, was — Presented by the Shannon Commissioners. Varied as are the designs and style of ornament shown by the eleven foregoing figures, they scarcely include even the typical forms. So minute is the de- coration, both in casting, scroll-work, and inlaying in many of these small pins, particulai'ly of those in the top row of Tray ZZ, that it can only be properly seen with the aid of a large lens. The next form of pin-head decoration, shown by the three following illustrations, may be frequently observed in Irish CLASS V. METALLIC MATERIALS: BREAST AND HAIR PINS. 557 collections. It consist of a circular disk, varying in size from I to I5 inch, with a central conical stud, placed at first hori- zontally, and then vertically, or on the same line with the shaft, which is bent into its obverse side. Of this variety there ai'e three horizontal, and fifteen vertical specimens on Tray XX. At first, the circular top plate was plain, and the central boss small, as in No. 127, which has a stem 11| inches long, and was probably used in the hair ; but as the pattern became the fashion of the day, this portion was decorated both in casting and by the punch and graver, and at the same time the cone was enlarged, as shown by Figure 448, from No. 207. In the Museum of National Antiquities at Copenhagen, there are a few pins of this description (probably Irish) — see Fig. 239 in Worsaae's Oldsager — in one of w^hich the bronze disk is covered with a thin plate of gold pressed into all the lines of the ornament on the plate, — a form of jeweller's work specially alluded to in our annals, where Ucadan is said to have covered brooches with gold, — see page 354. Some of Fig. 446. No. 127. Fig. 447. No. 12?. Fig. 448. No. 207. these circular-headed pins are very long, as in No. 128, one- third the true size, which measures 13| inches, but No. 207 is only 5|- inches in the stem and 2j across the top. The same form was repeated in those manufactured from bone : see Fig. 213, page 234. The foregoing are drawn one-half the natural size ; other specimens have been found in Ireland with the 558 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. disks of greater magnitude. See Dublin Penny Journal, vol. iv., p. 45. By the four following cuts, drawn to a scale of one-half the true sizes, are illustrated other forms, differing somewhat in shape from the former. No. 216, Fig. 449, on Tray XX, is a small pin, 4f inches long, with a head similar to that in Fig. 448, but having the central mamillary projection larger, and the boss proportionably less. No. 498, on Tray ZZ, Fig. 450, which is 5 inches long, has a cup-like head, similar to the termination of some of the gold penannular rings ; there are four such specimens in the Collection. No. 489, Fig. 451, is a very rare form, 5^ inches long; with a rivetted plate upon the shoulder, and a sunken oval disk on the front of the ring. Fiic. 449. No, 216. Fig. 450. No. 498. Fig. 461. No. 4S9. Fig. 452. No. 190. both evidently intended either for enamel or the settings of stones. No. 190, Fig. 452, is likewise a very rare specimen, and measures Sj inches in extreme length. Fio-ure 453, No. 1 26, on Tray XX, illustrates the decorated shank, central elevation, and cleft head, with recurved spires, like that seen in the pommels of some Danish swords, it is 101 inches long, and the portion here drawn is the natural CLASS V METALLIC MATEBIALS t BREAST-PINS. 559 size. There are three other such sword-shaped pins in the Col- lection, Nos. 125, 131, and 188 ; but inthe latter, the head scrolls are wider, and turned downwards and inwards. No. 422, on Tray ZZ, Fig. 454, is a plain pin, with a wheel-like head, having a small hole in the neck, through which a ring passed. See Proceedings, vol. vii., No. 497., p. 130. The third illus- tration, Fig. 455, from No. 195, represents, of the true size, the largest of a series of ten Ham- mer-headed pins, Nos. 192 to 201, on Tray XX, that appear to be of a special and peculiarly Irish pattern. Each has a cen- tral aperture, Avith a pectinated Fig. 455. No. 195. set of jewel-holes, generally five, above the flat semicircular ena- melled fiice. The elevated cast decoration within the margin is usually of the bird-pattern, and only rises to the level of the ena- mel, except in No. 197 where it stands out in high relief In No. 194, the enamel paste, now of a dirty Avhite colour, is quite perfect ; and portions of it re- main on other specimens. In tw^o examples the hammer-head is circular. In length they vary from No 192, a miniature specimen, 3i long, to No. 200, which is 1 1^ inches. Walker Fig. 453. No 126. Fig. 454. No. 422. 560 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. figured an article of this description in 1788 : see " Historical Essay on the Dress of the Irit^h," pi. ii., fig. 4. Among the many curious devices intended as dress-fasteners by the ancientlrish jewellei's, that here figured the natural size, No. 495, on Tray ZZ, is one of the most remarkable. It was cast, and in colour of metal, and style of make, much resembles No. 190, figured on page 558 ; the boss with the cross, placed below the curve, represents the decorated face of the head. There are two other pins on Tray ZZ of a similar descrip- tion, and about the same size and shape. But for their small pin-like ends, they Avould give the impression of having been used as ear-rings. The Ring-pins and brooches are illustrated by the fourteen following cuts. Figure 457, drawn the natural size, from No. Fig. 456. No. 495. .^^ „., , 420, on iray ZZ, shows a very rare form, with three rings passed through apertures in Fig. 457, No. 420. Fig. 458, Na 308. Fig. 469, .No. Mb. the elongated head. It is 3 inches long, was found in the CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: PINS. 561 Dunshauglilin crannoge, and — Presented by Mrs. Rothtcell. There is no other article of this pattern in the Collection. Figure 458 is drawn from No. 308, a long pin : with a flat head, like that of the ancient stylus, for smoothing the wax on the tablet; and, possibly, it and its fellow. No. 307, may have been used for that purpose. The ring which passes through the neck, consists of a piece of stout brass Avire, tapering slightly from the centre to both extremities. The portion here represented is the natural size, but the extreme length of the article is Q^ inches. In Figure 459, drawn the true size, from 305, on Tray YY, the head is circular, and highly deco- rated in the casting, and the ring very small and penannular. It measures 7| inches ; there is an amber stud in the centre. The four next cuts illustrate still further the development of the ring. In the first, Fig. 460, No. 235, is shown the type of a great number of small pins, in which the broad ring is barely sufficient to pass round the square decorated head, to which it is attached by means of a cross-rivet, which allows it to play like a swivel. Of this description of pin there are as Fig. 460, No. 235. Fig. -iGl, No. 2fi3. Fig. 462, No. 324. Fig. 463, No. 297. many as twenty-five specimens in the Collection, varying in length from If to 7 inches. In some of the smaller ones it requires a strong lens to ascertain that the ring and head have not been cast together. Figure 461, drawn from No. 263, on Tray YY, shows a simple ring-pin, in which the ring narrows where it passes through an aperture in the square de- 562 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. corated head. No. 324, Fig. 462, is 3| long, and its ring is double, except where it passes through the shaft. It Avas pro- cured from Gweedore, and — Presented by Lord George Hill. Of this sub-variety there are sixteen specimens in the Collec- tion. In No. 297, on Tray YY, represented the natural size by Fig. 463, the outer margin of the ring is decorated with quatrefoil ornaments, the lowest of which forms a loop, evi- dently for the attachment of a pendant ; it has a long, flat, decorated acus, 6 inches in length. All the pins from No. 295 to 299 have pendant loops attached to the rings. In the annexed illustra- tions, drawn the natural size, may be seen two varieties of rings not uncommon in colleC" tions of Irish brooches. The first, No. 302, Fig. 464, is one of a series of four articles of the . same description, arranged on Tray YY, in which the ring as- sumes the form of a coin or flat- tened disk, with a notch at top to allow it free-play in the loop. In some specimens the disk of the coin-pin is quite smooth and plain ; but in others, as in that here represented, it is highly ornate, and decorated with a funiform pattern. In No. 326, also on Tray YY, is shown a rude plain specimen of the penannular pin, decorated in the inferior enlargements. This form of ring, as Avell as that in which the ends are united by a cross-bar, will be fur- ther illustrated in the descriptions of the silver ring-pins and brooches. Before proceeding to the descrii)tion of the fully- developed ring-brooch, so far as that article is represented in bronze, we beg to direct attention to a series of seven stout Fig. 4C4, Ko. 302. Fig. 4G5, No. ;-.2G. CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: BREAST-PINS. 563 Fig. 406. No, 479. Fig. 467. No. 4S4. rings, about the size of tlinmb-rings, with projecting knobs on their external margins, which have been arranged on Tray ZZ, from Nos. 479 to 485, and of whicli the two an- nexed il- lustrations, drawn the true size, are typical representa- tives. In Mr. Murray's collection, alieady referred to at p. 252, and some illustrations of which have also been presented to the Academy, there is a bronze pin, the ring of whicli is very similar to No. 479, figured above, so that tlie use of these ar- ticles is no longer a matter of conjecture. Their Aveight and shape may be one of the causes why so few have been found with the acus attached. There is an aperture in that portion of the ring, between the knobs, so that possibly a third deco- ration may have occupied that space. In No. 483, a portion of the ring is gilt, and the studs are decorated with central discs of red enamel. It resembles a finger-ring more than any of the others, For further details of these articles, see p. 589. Ring-brooches — in which the acus merged into a mere fastener, and the designer's and caster's arts were chiefly ex- pended on the ring — arrived at great perfection in bronze articles, although far inferior in size and workmanship to those composed of silver orjindruine. The large bronze ring- brooches, about forty-eight in number, are chiefly arranged on Tray YY, from Nos. 331 to 371. See, also, those numbered from 463 to 470, on Tray ZZ. In breadth of ring they vary from 1| to 4| inches, the largest of which, No. 37 1, Fig. 468, is penannular, broad, flat, and almost plain below the narrow 564 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. hoop, which plays in the slightly decorated wide loop of the pin, which is 7f inches long ; it is quite plain on the obverse, and is the only specimen of the kind in the Collection ; it Avas — Presented by the Shannon Commissioners. In a few instances, small brass wire helices, with sharp extremi- ties, encircle the upper portion of the ring, evidently intended to secure that portion to the garment in which the brooch was fastened, and thus prevent its swinging about. See No. 470. In addition to the decoration produced by casting, three other forms of ornamen- ig. . 0.3/1. ^j^j.Jqj^ were employed in the construction of these brooches, viz. : by gilding, jewelling, and enamel- ling. An example of the first may be seen in No. 469; of the second, in several specimens, but in particular Nos. 343, 344, and 346, the first and last of which are figured on the opposite page. Examples of the third form may be seen in Nos. 339, 345, 34T, 350, 352, 356, 359, 362, 368, 467, and 470 ; the colour of the enamel was generally white (now cream-coloured) or red, and in a few rare instances blue. In some cases the ring is separate below (penannular), to al- low of the passage of the pin through it, so that when fixed the pin Avas oblique, and the ring hung perpendicular ; but, as already stated, a cross-bar (often highly decorated) joined the large broad portions of the ring. See Nos. 361, 369, 469. In a few instances, the circle of the ring is occupied with a cross-stay, or sometimes three bars uniting in the centre, an example of which is shown in Fig. 469. In some rare cases, a decorated cross was attached to the loAver mar- gin of the ring, in addition to the decoration in its centre, of which there is a very good specimen in No. 466, on Tray CLASS V. — METALLIC materials: BROOCHES. 565 zz. The gliding is of two kinds, either by a wash, or a thin plate of gold pressed into the sunken ornament within the outer rim. The stones have been lost in many specimens, but their " settings" still remain ; and, where present, they are all amber — that substance bein^ most easily procured when these ar- ticles were manufactured. In some instances there were as many as eight amber studs in the front of the brooch. The enamel generally occupied an oval or triangular space on each of the lower enlargemeiUs of the ring ; and where it is defici- ent, as in No. 359, 364, and 468, maybe seen the roughened surfaces of the cavities on which it was laid. The two following figures, unreduced, from Nos. 344 and 346, on Tray YY, illustrate the middle-sized bronze decorated and jewelled ring-boooches. In the former the pin is 4 inches Fig. 469. No. 344. Fig. 470. No. 346. long, and in the latter 6i ; in which it is also highly decorated, and raised above its usual level into the form of a human head, covered Avith the hood of the cochal, like that seen in the figure of the ancient steersman, given at page 321. In both the rings are jewelled. In Fig. 469 three bars occupy the centre of the ring; and in both, but especially Fig. 470, the character of the ornament is precisely that shown on the de- corated bones figured and described at page 346, figures 229, 230, and 235. The outer margin of the ring in No. 346 is 566 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. also decorated. It was found in the Woodford river, near Ballyheady Bridge, townland of Corureen, parish of Kildal- len, county Cavan, and — Presented hy the Board of Works. In 1781, six circular brass plates, Avith curved stems, were dug up in Slane Park, county Meath, one of which (or pro- perly two joined together) was figured by Vallancey, in his Collectanea de Rehu'^ Hibernicis, vol. iv., p. 44, pi. vii., fig. 1, as a musical instrument, under the name of a Crotal, or cymbal : small wire helices encircled its stem. It is still in the Museum of Trinity College, and measures 12| inches long ; but the centre piece is not part of the original, and one of the joinings, neither of which is shown in that engraving, is un- doubtedly modern. See Dr. Ball's paper in the Proceedings, vol. iii., p. 136. Subsequent investigation has shown that these were not musical instruments, and are not capable of emitting any sound, except that of an ordinary piece of metal when struck by any hard substance. They appear to have been latchet-fasteners, the curved stem passing through oilet- holes in the garment, and may, from their shape, be styled Spectacle-Brooches. There are four such articles in the Academy, arranged on Tray ZZ, Nos. 490 to 493, on one of which the helix for fasten- ing it to the cloak still remains. Three are decorated upon the external surface, and vary in length from 3^ to 5^ inches, and from 1 i to 2;^ in diameter of disk. The largest, here figured one- half the true size, is highly decorat- ed both on the disk and stem, the latter of which has a cen- tral enlargement, and is flat- tened towards the point, where it is highly finished, thus proving, with others si- milarly formed, that such was its original termination. The cast decoration is of especial Irish character ; that on the boss and rij;. 471. No.4y2. CLASS V. METALLIC MA'IEIUALS : BROOCHES. 567 and central enlargement partaking of the cornuted device, and also the bird-like pattern seen in Fig. 455, p. 559, while that at the extremity of the stem resembles the bone ornaments figured at page 346. Spring-Brooches. — All the foregoing articles may fairly be considered of native design and manufacture. Some of those, however, now about to be described, and which have been very rarely found in Ireland, present characters that re- semble classic fibulte more than any other articles of personal decoration in the Collection of the Academy. The four folloAv- ing cuts are drawn the true size from brooches, of which Fig. 472, No. 472, on Tray ZZ, pre- sents more of the classic type than any of the others; but at the same time the ornamentation resembles the Celtic trumpet- pattern already alluded to at page 519. Its acus is fixed by a loop; but all the others of this va- riety have the pin, formed Fig. 472. No. 472. Fig. 474. No. 478. by a spire of two or more coils, attached to one end of the article ; and passing along the back, it is looped in a catch behind. Figures 473 and 474, drawn fi'om Nos. 477 and 478, — deposited by the Royal Dublin Society, — may be styled spring-brooches of the Dolphin pattern, in each 2 P 568 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. of which the pin, having made two turns, by what is termed a *'rat-trap spring," hitches into the curved fish-tail of the ar- ticle. In the first, the spring has been riveted to the body of the brooch ; but in the second, both brooch and pin are of one piece. The circumstances under which the three foregoing articles were discovered, are unknown. In Rhodius's rare old work, " De Ada Dissertatio" 1672, there are figures of se- veral such fibular. On Tray zz may be seen three fibulae, resembling coiled snakes, and which may therefore be denominated spring- Fig. 475. No. 475. brooches of the Serpent pattern, the largest of which. No. 475, is represented the size of the original by the accompanying illus- tration. In these, the body of the snake is flattened out — into that form which several of the cobra species assume when ir- ritated, and standing partially erect — while the tail portion is coiled several times on itself, and fastens in a catch formed in the neck. This very beautiful sj)ecimen, which is in the highest state of preservation, and was deposited by the Royal Dublin Society, is curiously frosted with a raised irregular pattern all over the surface ; but whether produced in casting, or caused by sudden cooling of the metal, is uncertain. No. 473, which is almost identical in shape, is said to have been found at Navan Rath, county Armagh, and was procured along with the Dawson Collection. Of all the bronze articles connected with personal decoration in the Academy's Collec- tion, there are few can equal in design and workmanship the hinge-brooch, figured on the opposite page, the natural size, and which was found in the Ardakillen crannoge, near Strokes- CLASS V. METALLIC MATERIALS: ARMLETS. 5G9 town, county Roscommon. The decoration on the enlarged ends partakes of" the Celtic trumpet-pattern, a miniature fac- simile of those curious bosses of thin sheet brass on Tray WV' already referred to, and like them hammered or punched up from behind ; while the central connecting curved strap, de- corated with a raised intertAvinement, like that seen on some of our sculptured crosses, and in the illumination of ancient manuscripts, would appear to have been cast. The exceed- ingly thin ornamented plate in front is fastened by eight rivets Fig. 47G. No. 476. to a stout flat plate, behind, which also overlaps the edges of the strap. The flat pin is hinged behind.* The total number of bronze pins and brooches now in the Museum, including. those on " Find" Trays, is 600. Armill.e, Buckles, Clasps, Buttons, Chains, Breast Ornaments, and Armour Decorations, &c. — While the Scandinavian and German museums of fatherland antiquities abound in antique bronze diadems, collars, neck and arm rings, and also greaves, and leg decorations, &c., similar articles of that metal are very rare, some even unknown, in this country — sucli personal ornaments having been formed of gold and silver, but especially of the former, by tlie early Irish. To Tray AAA, in the Western Gallery, have been affixed a miscellaneous collection of such bronze articles of this nature as have come into the possession of the Academy, and from which the following illustrations have been made. * The late J. M. Kemble considered this brooch of great antiquity, and the finest specimen of bronze workmanship in the Collection. He made a very careful drawing of it, a few days before his fatal illness. 2 i> 2 570 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. The torque pattern was employed by our ancient jewellers in the construction of small bronze rintrs, and also of bracelets and armlets ; there are four such specimens in the collection, of which that represented, one-half the true size, by Fig. 477, from No. 506, is a good example. It is composed of two torque rings, meeting in a decoration in front, with a central Fis. 477. No. SOG. FiL'. 478. Ko. Mi. aperture, and four elevated studs ; it is the most massive ar- ticle of the kind in the collection. Figure 478 illustrates (one- half the size of the original) No. 504, somewhat wider and more slender than the foregoing; composed of a double cir- clet of thin bronze, with free ends, one of which is perforated for looping on a stud placed behind the central enlargement ; the other extremity, as well as the central space, is decorated with an embossed bird-head pattern. It was found at the junction of the Deel and Boyne rivers, in the county Meath, and — Presented by the Board of Works. Figure 479 drawn, one-half the true size, from No. 509 ; Fig. 47U. No. 509. Fig. 480. No. G2G. is a penannular ring of pure red copper, and apparently of great antiquity ; with slightly cupped enlargements at the CLASS V. — MKTALLIC MATERIALS: PERSONAL ORNAMENTS. 571 ends, like several of the gold armlllse found in Ireland. It is totally undecorated, and was — Presented by A . TV. Baker ^ Esq. No. 511, on the same tray, is similar both in shape and material, but the copper is not so pure ; it is also smaller, and not cupped at the extremities. Articles of this kind have been regarded by some persons as ring-money ; but no refe- rence to any such mode of barter has yet been discovered in the very ancient records of Ireland ; whereas bangles, identical in form, are still worn, both on the wrists and ankles, by the in- habitants of other countries. Of this variety — which was pro- bably worn on the ankle, like those still in use among the Hin- doos and some African tribes — is Fig. 480, from No. 626, on Tray FFF, 4i inches in diameter, with two small rings attached to it, each 1^ wide, which may have been used for suspending the anklet by. It was cast or hammered in two pieces, which are joined on the flat. [For finger-rings, see page 598.] Besides the foregoing, the uses of which are unquestioned, there are a great number of large massive bronze rings in the Collection, two of which are placed on Tray AAA, and six on Tray CCC ; these were probably worn on the limbs, several are solid ; some of them may have been the handles of cauldrons, like those described at page 530 ; but a great many are hol- low, and filled either with lead, or some composition, like that used in the construction of Danish sword-handles, already re- ferred to at page 550. Several of these large rings have smaller ones attached to them, like Fig. 480, and some articles of the same description in gold. The three following cuts represent other antique articles connected with personal decoration. Fig. 481 shows the ti'ue size, a curious and not inelegantly formed piece of bronze chain, No. 518; to one end of which a pendant is attached, but not of the same style of workmanship, and apparently of less antiquity. Fig. 482 represents, the true size, a highly de- corated and enamelled button. No. 623, in Rail-case P. The enamel paste, — nearly deficient, — which was red and green, 572 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. filled up all the spaces not occupied by the raised bronze lines. The loop behind is very thin and small, so that it is probable this article was sown upon a garment more as a decoration than a fastener. Fig. 483 repre- sents, the natural size, one of the most beau- tiful specimens of inlaying bronze with silver, and some dark metal (after the fashion of the ancient niello), which has as yet been discover- ed in Ireland, It is a pendant hook, No. 520, Fig. 481. No. 518. Fi^'■. i^-2. No, G23. Fig. 483 No o20 on Tray AAA, and may have been used for suspending a sword by. The scroll-work is of a purely Irish character. It was procured, many years ago, from Mr. Wakeman. There are a few other articles of this description in the Collection, in No. 52 1 of which the large decorated boss is covered with green enamel ; but it is comparatively modern, and far inferior in style of workmanship to that here represented. In the centre of the fifth row on Tray AAA, may be seen seven articles of different shapes, consisting of studs, plates, and bosses, highly decorated with the most elaborate pat- terns, each article differing in shape and ornamentation, but all originally covered on their external faces with a thick coating of gold. From the effects of time, and possibly some rude tieatment, the gilding has been worn off the sharp raised edges of the pattern, but large quantities of it still remain CLASS v.— METALLIC MATERIALS: PERSONAL ORNAMENTS. 573 throughout the indeutati. ns of" all; and, when examined with a powerful lens, it is manifest that the plating, or wasliing, Avith the precious metal, must have been of considerable thick- ness. Verdigris has exuded from the exposed red bronze in many places, and filled up the sunken portions of the decora- tion, but the patterns can be easily made out in all. In length they vary from If to 2 inches, and are about one-eighth inch thick at the outer margin. Posteriorly, they are flat and rough ; and have two or more loops, according to their size, for attaching them to the garment on which they were placed, — possibly a buff'-coat. The casting is as fine as that seen in any of the brooches either of bronze or silver; and the style of ornament, although varied in each specimen, has a general resemblance to that on those decorated bones, already figured and described from pages 345 to 347. For a long time these articles were not consi- dered of much value, and regarded as horse trappings, — the beauty of their decoration, and the circumstance of their gold plating, now established by analysis, not having attracted much attention. They Avere discovered, with several other articles, described hereafter, under the folloAving circum- stances, for an account of Avhich the author is indebted to Mr. Wakeman, by whose zeal these valuable relics of the past Avere procured for the Academy. In July, 1848, the Avork- men engaged upon the railway, near the Navan station, ad- joining the River Boyne, discovered a quantity of human re- mains, and also the skull of a horse, together with a number of antiquities, consisting of a bronze bridle-bit, and harness plate : some links of a chain and a massive boss evidently for the at- tachment of a chariot trace ; iron rings plated. Avith bronze, some small bronze buttons, and the seven richly gilt articles here referred to ; all of Avhich are noAv in the Museum of the Academy, and four of Avhich have been engraved. In the place Avhere these remains were discovered, the soil Avas much darker than the adjacent ground. The human bodies do not appear 574 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. to have been placed in any order; and in the surrounding earth was found a great quantity of charcoal, extending from 2 to 10 feet below the surface. A small portion only of the grave, or battle-pit (if such it were), was traversed by the rail- way cutting, so that much of the ground of this very remark- able interment remains as yet unexplored. By the three following unreduced illustrations are presented typical specimens of the decorations alluded to, the details of all which are given at page 592. Three of the seven articles are more or less cruciform in shape, and have small loops behind for attaching them to the dress ; only two are dupli- cates ; and, with these exceptions, all the others, although in pairs, are totally distinct in ornamentation. No. 562, Fig. 484, cast fi'om the same mould as No. 560, has been cleaned by a jeweller, in order to disclose the true nature of the me- tal, and the extent of the gilding. It is al- most as red as pure copper, and the greater part of the fine yellow gold wash or plating remains on the central boss. It has four loops on the reverse side for attaching it to the buff- coat, or other garment, to which it must have formed a very beautiful ^'^■^^^- ^°-"^-- decoration. No. 559, Fig. 485, which remains in the state in which it was found— is, like the majority of these plates, slightly curved, as if to adapt it to the rotundity of the per- son, and has a different style of ornament in the head from that shown in Fig. 484. It has three loops posteriorly. Its fellow, No. 563, had originally a stone in the central boss, the setting only of which remains ; it resembles this in shape, but CLASS V, METALLIC MATERIALS : PERSONAL ORNAMENTS. 575 differs in the ornate details. Fig. 486 is draAvn from No. 561, and would appear to have been the central decoration. Its stile of ornament differs from both the foregoing in the circular pattern which pervades it, and which resembles the trumpet- Fig. iSo. No. 559 Fig. 4S6. No. 561. shaped figure already referred to at pages 519 and 566. It has four loops posteriorly. It is to be regretted that the limits of this work do not admit of having all these plates engraved. It may be asserted that they were horse-trappings or harness decorations; but the brooch-like and highly cast ornament, and the gilding, &c., have led us, in lack of any positive evi- dence, to a contrary opinion. The ancient Irish warrior, standing behind the Ara, in his two-horse chariot ; ai-med with a heavy battle-axe and long glittering spear; provided with several darts, or lances, for casting at the foe ; and having by his side a leaf-shaped, bril- liant, gold-adorned sword, — was, in all probability, furnished with more defensive armourthan a small, round, brazen-centred shield : but no remnant of either helmet, greave, or leg-plate, has yet been recovered, wherewith the antiquary could pre- sent such a chieftain to the modern historian, arrayed in the panoply of the day in which he lived. That coats of mail were in general use here is evident from their frequent mention in 576 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. our early histories ; but they were probably of iron, and will be taken into consideration in the description of articles of that material. There is, however, in the Royal Irish Aca- demy a very extensive collection of bronze rings of diiFerent sizes, which, although believed, some years ago, to have been used as means of barter, and described as "ring money," there can now be little doubt formed portions of costume. Upon Tray BBS, in the second compartment on the north side of the ground-floor, is displayed the remains of a suit of bronze ring-mail, which probably served, when worn over or attached to a buff-coat, the double purpose of defence and decorative costume ; and was, in all likelihood, a portion of the parapher- nalia of office in days gone by. It was discovered, about twenty years ago, three feet under the surface, in burning a reclaimed bog, adjoining the old castle of the O'Conors, near the toAvn of Ros- common. " Owing to the peaty na- ture of the soil," observes Dr. Heily, through whose means this valuable relic was preserved, " the fire burned down into a pit, from which this armour was thrown up. I had the place most care- fully searched, but no trace of human or other bones could be found." This figure represents the article as it was found (and as it is now placed on the tray), consisting of two broad chains, each composed of five strands of rings, Avith five links in each, except the upper and inner strands, which have but four links,— joined at their centres to curved shoulder-plates, and united in front and rcrc to large, hollow, ornamented, wheel-shaped bosses, from which proceed portions of other chains, the terminations of which, are Fig. 487, No. 1. CLASS V. METALLIC MATERIALS : ARMOUR RINGS. 577 as yet unknown. These chains are chiefly made up of triple rings, cast in single pieces ; and are imited to each other, and to the shoulder-plates and bosses, by narrow looped slips of bronze. The two inside strands, both above and below, have each a link of only two rings, evidently for the purpose of shortening the chain towards the neck. As placed on the tray, and represented in the draAving, it measures 15f inches in the clear between the bosses, each of Avhich is 4 in diameter, and provided with seven loops above and beloAV for the attach- ment of the two sets of chains, as shown in the annexed illustration, draAvn one-third the true size. From the lower edge of each boss depend seven fragments of chain, the longest of which is 9 inches. They are chiefly composed of tri- ple links, but contain some speci- mens of four rings joined together. The following figure illustrates a link of the chain, which is ^^fSS^i^^^ about 11 inch long, and ^ wide. The shoul- v^^i^^ie^J/ der-plates, each 4f inches long, and 3i broad, Fig. 489, No. 1. r^y.Q Qj^g^ ijj single pieces, and decorated on the external surface as well as perforated in the same style of art as that displayed in the chain. With these articles — which were found united — were dis- covered a number of detached pieces, which, no doubt, formed portions of the same, or a similar personal decoration, con- sisting of fragments of chain of a larger size than that figured above ; and bosses of various shapes, some of the most charac- teristic specimens of which are represented on page 578, which, with others found elsewhere, are placed in the same tray as No. I. Some of these chains were cast with five links to- 578 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. gether (see No. 20) and many of the larger ones with but two, as shown in the accompanying figure, from No. 15, each ring of which is thin, flat, and li inch wide. The remaining rings and bosses are of three kinds — large hollow rings, encircled with loops on their external margins, and small trumpet-mouths, also having central inserted bosses, through which circular bronze rods pass for connecting them with other rings, and which also served to fix them in their places. There are two such articles on Tray BBB, Nos. 2 and 3, Fig. 490, No. 15. Fig. 491, No. 3. Fig. 492, No. 4. both slightly defective ; and from the latter of which, Fig. 492 has been drawn, one-third the size of the original. No. 4, also reduced two-thirds, and represented by Fig. 493, is of a diffe- rent pattern from any of the foregoing, and composed of a hollow ring, surrounded by a number of circular chain loops, and the centre filled by a moveable boss, with a conical pro- jection, traversed by a pin, which fixes it within the ex- ternal ring.* By Figure 493 is shown, one-half the true size, a centre-piece, similar to that in the foregoing, found in the Co. Tipperary. On one edge may be seen the aperture through * This is the identical article, formerly in Dean Dawson's collection, which Sir William Betham figured in the Transactions of the Academy, vol. xvii., and de- scribed as " a Celtic Astronomical instrument, invented to exhibit to the pupil ei dia- gram of the Earth's polar inclination, and the phenomena of the phases of the Moou" ! ! CLASS V. — METALLIC .MAT K rials: ARMOUR RINGS. 579 which the traversing pin passed. The third article of this variety, and that most fie- quently discovered, is a ring, generally hollow, mostly ap- proaching an oval, and hav- ing a trumpet-mouthed aper- ture on each side, more or less wide, elevated and de- i"'>g- '"''^ ^°- '■ ^'s- '''' ^o. 93. corated in the different specimens, which vary in size from li to 3^ inches in their greatest length. Ko. 93, Fig, 494, is a characteristic specimen of this article. They were tra- versed by double-looped straps of bronze, which connected them on each side with ring chains, which remain m situ in several specimens: see Nos. 7 and 8. There are altogether twenty-three rings of this description in the Collection, viz : Nos. 555 and 556, on Tray AAA ; Nos. 6 to 11 on Tray BBB ; and Nos. 80 to 94 on Tray CCC. Vallancey, Avho figured one of these in 1784, under the name of Io(/h Vraoach, or " Druids' chains of knowledge, or chains of Divination," says, " they are found in our bogs in great plenty." On Trays CCC to FFF have been arranged a collection of five hundred and seventy-eight bronze rings, mostly single, but some double, and a few interlooped, and varying in size from that of an ordinary finger-ring to specimens 4i inches in dia- meter. On the upper portion of Tray CCC have been ar- ranged twenty-five rings, varying in diameter from somewhat less than an inch to about 4 inches ; the smaller are solid, but the larger hollow, perfectly plain, and perforated on each side for the passage of a loop for connecting them to chains or other bosses. They have no lips or trumpet margins to their lateral apertures ; but from a careful examination of the chain dress on Tray BBB, no doubt can longer exist as to their use. Some of these measure 1| of an inch in the thickness of ring. Detached rings, bosses, and portions of ring-chain, ideuti- 580 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. cal with those just described, having been frequently found in Ireland, attracted the attention of the speculative and fanciful antiquaries of the last century ; and like other articles, the di- rect uses or object of which is either undetermined or misunder- stood, have been usually attributed to Druidism, and had mystical meanings assigned to them, on which the most absurd theories were founded ; and on the names assigned to them by theorists, discursive philological dissertations were writ- ten. Thus, Vallancey figured five of these links of chain- ar- mour in his Collectanea (vol. iv., pi. xiv., pp. 73 to 106), and described them as amulets, divining-rings, talismans, ring- money, and Teraphims, &c., under the names o^ Fainidh-Dra- oieach, Tair-Faimh, Boil-Reajin, Soil/each, loffh Eolas, and Ainic Druieach, &c. &c. The chain-loops to some of these rings, he says, "represented the Sun, Moon, and Earth, and the large ring in the centre was the Earth." Other persons, he states, thought "that they represent the Sun, Venus, and Mercury;" but, he adds, "all agree that some of the planets Avere understood to be thus re- presented"* The author of the foregoing was, like other speculators, not quite clear as to the Jewish, Phoenician, or Chaldaic origin of these articles; but he was certain that " the Irish Druids never walked abroad without the ring and staff" page 83 : — although we really know nothing of Irish Druidism, except the bare liict of Patrick and the early Chris- tian missionaries having come in contact with its priests on their arrival, in the fifth century. The ecclesiastical chroni- clers of the period, in their zeal for the establishment of Chris- tianity, Avould appear to have altogether ignored the subject of Pagan worship : and of the Druidism of Gaul and Britain we know little beyond what may be gleaned from the writ- ings of Csesar. * See Collectanea, vol. iv., p. 8i. Sir. W. Betham evidently took his notion of the astronomical instrument, alluded to in the note at page 578, fi'om the forego- iiiit fancy of Vallancev. CLASS V. — METALLIC MATEIUALS: BRONZE PINS. 581 With one of the gold penannuhir ornaments recently ac- quh-ed by the Academy, from the county Sligo, was disco- vered a quantity of small ring-chains of a peculiar make: see No. 647, page 599. For Finger-rings, see Rail-case P, page 598. The only other articles of note, a[)pertaining to dress or personal decoration, in the Collection, is a series of large buckles, on Tray G-GG ; but they are of very modern date. The following is a detailed cataloofue of all the bronze or brass articles belonging to dress or personal decoration in the Collection : — Bronze, II. — Western Gallery, Central Compartment. Shelf I., Tray XX, contains two hundred and forty-four bronze pins, cloak and hair fasteners, of various shapes and sizes; numbered from 1 to 244. They are arranged in four rows, not merely for the purpose of artistic display, but with a certain regard to the forms of each sub-variety. The first row contains 83 simple pins, va- rying in length from 2 to 5 inches. Their shanks are generally cir- cular, and in most instances smooth and plain; but in Nos. 16, 17, 18, 35, 77, and 83, they are slightly decorated, either by transverse, oblique, spiral, or chequered depressions or elevations. In most specimens the heads are globular, and perfectly plain ; but in those numbered from 38 to 83 they are flattened, and either circular or triangular, Avith gx'aven or cast decorations on the flat surface. In Nos, 68, 69, 70, and 75, they are cubical, with the angles re- moved. It is manifest that the heads were attached in Nos. 21 and 22. Nos. 45, 62, 63, QQ, and 69, have been figured as illustrative of the form of head in simple pins, on p. 556. Nos. 1 and Q2, were found in the crannoges of Clonfree and Ardakillen, county Eos- common; and No. 14 in the island in Eoughan Lake (see page 223). In the second row the pin-heads are more developed and deco- rated, and in the central specimens the shanks are of great length; they were probably hair-pins. This row contains eighty-three spe- cimens, numbered from 84 to 166, which vary in length from ]| to 13^ inches. The first forty are of the same variety as those in the 582 CATALOGUE OF 1 HE MUSEUM. top row, but exhibit greater diversity in ornamentation of both head and shank. No. 79 was found at Ardakillen. No. 124, figured with 1 13 and 1 14, at p. 556, presents the first instance of a division between the decorated upper portion of the shank and its plain extre- mity, and of which Nos. 126, 131, 133, 135, and 136, are good ex- amples. In these, a portion (about the upper-third) is enlarged and decorated, eitlier in casting or with the file or chiseL Nos. 125 and 126 have remarkable sword-pommel-shaped heads, the latter is figured and described at p. 559; and in No. 131 the scroll is turned downwards and outwards. The three central pins, Nos. 127, 128, and 129, are the longest specimens in the Collection, and have cir- cular disks at top; the two last are decorated; the first and second are figured and described at p. 557. No. 132 is a unique speci- men, cupped at top, probably for holding a jewel, and has a loop at- tached to the stem. No. 136 has a remarkable open-work head and a central square elevation on the stem; it was found at Clon- macnoise. The heads of all the remaining pins in this row decrease in size to the end, and have been decorated by the file. No. 137 has a hollow on top of solid head. In No. 138 there are projections on the top and sides of the head. No. 139 was found, with several others, in a quarry near Donnybrook. Nos. 140 and 143 were found at Headford, county of Galway. No. 148 was found at Arda- killen crannoge. The third row contains forty specimens, numbered from 167 to 206, which show still more the development of the head than any of the foregoing. No. 170 is figured at p. 555. No. 174 was found at Ardakillen, and 177 at Roughan Island. Nos. 183 to 187 have curved heads, formed into zoological designs, of which No. 184, figured on p. 555, is a typical specimen. No. 188 has a large recurved head, like No. 131, and a square elevation on the shank. In No. 189 this pecu- liar form is still further developed. The ten specimens numbered from 192 to 201 present a peculiarly Irish form of fibula decoration, the type of which, from No. 195, is figured and described at p. 559. No. 192 was procured from Gweedore. In Nos. 200 and 201, the tops of these hammer-headed pins are circular. In No. 194 the white enamel still remains. In No. 197 the bronze decoration on the flat of the head is raised above the level of the enamelled sur- face. Nos. 200 and 201 have small circular heads, like some of the CLASS V. METALLIC MATERIALS : FIBULA. 583 silver pins. No, 203, a good specimen, in fine preservation, with a lozenge-shaped head; is 4| long. It was found at New Grange. The last three specimens on this row comraence another de- scription of decorated head, of which there are fifteen examples in the Collection, ending with No. 218 in the bottom row, and of which 207 and 216, figured and described on pp. 557 and 558 are typical examples. In these the shield-like boss is attached to the bent por- tion of the pin, and has a large conical projection in the middle; in length of stem they vary from 2| to 8J, and in diameter of boss from f to about 21; the central projection rises from ^ to about an inch above the surface. The external surfaces of these bosses are, in most instances, highly decorated ; see, especially. No. 206, where it is formed by a series of minute concentric circles ; that pin was found at Croghtenclogh, parish of Castlecomer, county Kilkenny. In the bottom roAV, consisting of thirty-eight specimens, num- bered from 207 to 244, the first twelve belong to the variety just described. No. 214 has been cleaned, to show the reddish copper colour of the metal before it was tarnished by time. All the remain- ing pins on this tray, except No. 219, present the same form of semi- circular head, which in No. 228, and all after, becomes a loop. No. 215 was found at Loughran's Island, on the Lower Bann. No. 216 was procured from Keelogue Ford. Nos. 223 and 244 were found in Ardakillen, and No. 235 in Cloonfinlough crannoges. No. 237 was procured from Lough Gurr, county Limerick. Of the foregoing, No 1 was — Presented by the Rev. Peter Browne; Nos. 20, 124, 136, 156, to 160; 209 and 2\Q—hj the Shannon Com- missioners; Nos. 69, 79, 148, 173, 233, 235, and 244—^5^ the Board of Worlcs; No. 88 — by Executors of Leslie Ogilby, Esq.; No. 203 — by R. Maguire, Esq.; No. 130—% R. A. Grey, C. E. ; Nos. 140 and 143—6^ R. J.M. St. George, Esq. ; Nos. 131, 133, 213, and 236, were procured with the Dawson Collection, Shelf II., Tray "STY, contains one hundred and twenty-seven pins and brooches, all supplied with rings, and showing the process of development in that portion of the article; most of them are highly decorated, and numbered from 245 to 371. The top row contains forty-three pins, varying in length from 2f to 10 inches, and in dia- meter of ring from -^ to Ig of an inch. Most of the stems are circu- lar and plain; but in Nos. 255, 256, 259, 260, 264, 266, 269, 270, 2q 584 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. 271, 272, 277, 279, 280, and 284, they are flattened towards the points, and also decorated, — some of them with the most minute and elegant ornamentation, apparently produced in the casting. At the commencement of the row the heads are large, and decorated, — up to the long central pin. No. 268; after which, that part decreases in size until it becomes a mere loop, or turn-over, for retaining the en- larged ring. In the first specimens, the ring narrows in substance where it passes through the pin, so as to form a swivel; but in others, towards the end of the row, asinNos. 277 and 285, it passes through without any diminution in size. With the exception of the first, all the other rings are plain. Nos. 268 and 278 were found in Cloonfinlough crannoge, described at p. 226. No. 286, originally plated, was found in a bog, close to an ancient ford, near Anadruse bridge on the River Deel, townland of Derrymore, parish of Killu- can, barony of Farbill, and county Westmeath. The second row contains forty-three specimens, in which the rings are more developed than in the foregoing. The first six re- semble those in the top row, with the exception of No. 293, which has a large burr on the side of the ring-hole. In all the other speci- mens the ring is either double, split, or more or less decorated. In No. 294 may be seen the rudiments of those enlargements subse- quently observed upon the penannular brooches. In No. 295 to 299 there is a loop at the end of the lower margin of the ring, probably for attaching a pendant to. No. 297 has been figured and described at p. 561, to illustrate this variety. It has a long flat acus ; the outer margin of the ring is decorated with quatrefoil knobs. In Nos. 295, 296, and 300, may be seen the settings for decorative stones, possibly amber. In No. 298, the pendant loop is in the form of a bird's head. In the four following specimens, Nos. 301 to 304, the ring assumes the form of a flattened disk, like a coin, of which No. 302, figured and described at p. 562, is a typi- cal example. In the four next specimens, from Nos. 305 to 308, the heads are specially developed, and the rings become again the minor part; a good exemplification of which may be seen in No. 305, figured at p. 560. It and the following have large circular heads, with small wire-like loops passed through the necks. Nos. 307 and 308, the latter of which is figured and described at p. 560, resemble in the form of their flat heads the ancient stylus^ the upper portion of CLASS V METALLIC MATERIALS: PINS AND BROOCHES. 585 which was used for smoothing the wax on the tablet, before writing with the point. They have each large twisted rings passed through holes in the neck. The remaining numbers on this row vary in length from 2| to 6f inches. Sixteen have either double or split rings — like key-rings — passed through the aperture. The six last are small pins, with highly decorated penannular rings. No. 296 was found at Ballinderry ; and No. 306, in the old channel of the River Brusna, opposite the ruins of Gallen Abbey, King's County. No. 317 was found in the bed of the Yellow River, near Ballyduff Bridge, parish of Oughteragh, county Leitrim. No. 321, in Gillstown River, townland of Clooneen-Hartland, barony of Ballintubber North, county Roscommon. No. 324 was procured from Gweedore; and No. 330, from Oldcastle, near Mullingar. The third row contains twenty-six ring-pins, exhibiting a still greater advance in the process of development of the ring, which in most instances is flattened out, and in some jewelled. They are generally plain in the shank, with simple looped heads ; but in a few instances, as Nos. 346, 349, and 355, &c., the loop, or ring, is deco- rated. In length they vary from 2f to 6^ inches. The majority are penannular, and vary in diameter from 1^ to 2 inches. With- out entering into most minute and voluminous details, or affording a very large number of illustrations, it would not be possible to present the reader with a full description of the character of orna- mentation observable on these rings, no two of which arealike. In No. 337, the ring, although apparently ck-ft, is joined below, a form not uncommon in many of the larger brooches of silver and white metal. In this, and, with few exceptions, all the other specimens on the third row, the lower margin of the ring is enlarged, flattened, and decorated; and in No. 339 was also jewelled. In several spe- cimens, viz. Nos. 338, 339, 340, 342, 343, 344, and 346, the ring is flat, decorated all round the hoop, and passes through the loop ia the pin-head by a slender portion, Avith a raised shoulder on each side. No. 343 has a very perfect and highly decorated ring, ornamented in the style of the bone carvings exhibited by Figs. 229 to 231, oa p. 346; the three amber studs still remain; it is one of the most perfect articles in the Collection. No. 344, figured and described at p. 565, has three of the four original amber studs remaining. No. 346 has the acus highly developed at top, and is also figured and 2 Q 2 586 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. described at p. 565. la Nos. 347, 349, 350, 353, and 356, the up- per portion of the circular ring is decorated with a number of trans- verse and spiral indentations. In No. 350, a portion of the enamel still remains on the face; as also in No. 352, where it is of a white and red colour. See Proceedings, vol. vi., p. 250. No. 334 was found at Loughran's Island, on the Bann; No. 336, in the bed of the Shannon, at Athlone; and 343 at Dunshaughlin. The fourth row consists of fifteen brooches, in Avhich the ring reaches the maximum of size observed in bronze articles of this de- scription; while the pins are proportionably shortened, and with few exceptions are all decorated on the loops, which are flattened out, some to the extent of | of an inch. In length they vary from 3^ to 7f. In No. 361, a ring-brooch, with a connecting bar between the ends of the penannular ring, we first observe that large tri- angular development of the head of the acus on which the jeweller subsequently displayed much taste and ingenuity, as may be seen in the large brooches of silver and white metal. Most of these developed heads are brazed so accurately to the posterior loops, that the joinings are imperceptible. The rings vary in diameter from 2^ to 4f inches; and, with the exception of Nos. 357 and 361, they are all penannular. No. 359 has the large extremities of the ring hol- lowed out for enamel, showing the roughened beds on which that substance was placed. No. 364 presents the same peculiarity. Most of these rings are circular above the lower development, and deco- rated with transverse lines, like those in the previous row. Some of them are plain upon the reverse; but others are decorated, either in casting, or by engraved or punched lines ; and Nos. 364 and 368 have deep hollows on the obverse, opposite the lower enlarged and de- corated portions. In No. 369, in which the pin is wanting, the ring is joined below by a cross-bar, and has six jewel-settings. The last article on this row. No. 371, figured and described at p. 564, is the largest bronze brooch in the Collection. No. 357, much corroded, was found a short way under the surface on the Antrim bank of the Portna rapids, on the Lower Bann. Nos. 365 and 366 were found one foot under the surface of the land, in the townland of Drought- ville, barony of Ballybritt, King's County; and 370, in the Shan- non, at Cornacarrow, county Lei trim. Of the foregoing, Nos. 251, 293, and 318, were — Presented bi/ CLASS V. METALLIC MATERIALS: PINS AND BROOCHES. 587 Lord Farnham ; 254 and 301—5^ R. A. Grmj, C. R ; 2Q9,—bij A. Laivder, Esq. ; 323 — h>/ Dr. G'Meara ; 352 — by Rev. C. Graves, D.D.; Nos. 209, 216, 244, 266, 292, 327, 336, 361, 363, 370, and 371, were — Presented by the Shannon Commissioners ; and 306, 317, 32 1 , 334, 346, 357, 365, and 366—5^ the Board of Works. Nos. 307, 308, 335, 354, and 360, were procured with the Dawson Collection. Tray ZZ contains one hundred and twenty-eight bronze pins, brooches, latchet-fasteners, and other articles of that description, numbered from 372 to 499. The top row contains 43 simple pins, varying in length from 2| to 6f inches. Several of them are very slender; see, in particular, 379 and 396, which are not grosser than a large modern pin. The shanks of many are decorated with most elegant patterns, of which No. 399, figured on p. 565, is a good il- lustration; see also No. 400, which possesses the same style of scroll work. In No. 408 the shaft is plated, and in No. 383 it is inlaid with silver; but the decoration is so minute in several as to require a lens for the discovery of its beauty. In No. 401, which is 5 inches long, and slightly decorated all over the shank, there is an eye near the point like that of a packing-needle; it is the only specimen of the kind in the Collection. In several, the lower third of the shaft is four-sided; see Nos. 382, 384, 385, and from 391 to 394. The heads are chiefly circular, and carved like the rimer used for counter-sinking screw-holes. The first, No. 372, has a large nugget- head, and is evidently unfinished. A few towards the end of the row are looped for the passage of rings. The second row contains thirty- four pins, most of which are sup- plied with rings ; this series shows the first advance in that form of decoration. In length they vary from 2g to 5| inches, and are numbered from 415 to 448. The four first are plain, with decorated heads. No. 419 is a most remarkable pin, 5\ inches long, with a double ring passed through a square decorated collar, from which spring upwards several loops that support a cup-like head, which possibly held a stone, and which is detached from the shaft; on these loops, as well as on the necks, are strung several small rings. No. 420, a small pin with three rings, figured and described at p. 560. No. 421, a very elegant pin, in fine preservation, with wreath-shaped loop. No. 422, said to be from Ballinderry, is figured and described at p. 559- No. 423, ditto, imperfect in point, 588 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. circular head, enamelled. No. 424, plain, with large buckle-like quadrangular loop. No. 425, ditto, with flat circular loop. No. 426 has a horse-shoe-shaped ring rivetted across the square top. In No. 427, with two stone settings the ring is enlarged below ; a cross-piece joins the ends. No. 428, ring penannular. No. 429, ring, decorated. No. 430, a flat highly decorated ring. No. 431, ditto, with six stone settings. No. 432 has one stone-setting. No. 433, a small plain pin, with large flat circular disk, like a coin, suspended from it. No. 434, ditto, smaller. No. 435, ditto, still smaller. No. 436, a rude plain flat pin of bright yellow metal, with hole in top; no ring or loop. No. 437, a small plain pin, with quadrangular buckle-like ring. No. 438, a long pin, with small broad ring. The remaining articles in this row show the development of the simple ring which in Nos. 439, 440, and 442, is attached to the stem by a cross rivet. The third row contains eighteen articles, chiefly brooch rings, but with four exceptions having no pins. No. 449, a plain ring. No. 450, ditto, pennanular. No. 451, portion of double ring. No. 452, a double ring of two and a half coils. No. 453, ditto, larger. Nos. 454 to 457 are four small brooches, like some of those in the collection of silver articles, in which the pin does not project beyond the margin of the ring. In diameter they vary from | to 1 j inch, and are all decorated; the ornament on 456 resembles that in some Scandinavian gold articles, and consists of a number of indenta- tions sunk into the substance of the metal. No. 458 is a large flat ring, with a small narrow neck for passing through the loop of the pin, at which point the ends overlap for about j inch. It is 1| in dia- meter, and decorated with Ogham-like marks. No. 459, a small, plain, penannular ring. No. 460, a ring decorated below. No. 461, ditto, with cross bar. No. 462, penannular, decorated. No. 4C3, highly decorated on lower flat expansions. No. 464, ditto, deco- rated, twisted. No. 465, a ring with cross-bar, decorated. No. 466, a very remarkable ring ; the loop for fastening it to the acus is placed behind, like that seen in some of the pins in large decorated silver brooches. The ring is rendered wheel-shape by a central cross, and has a pendant cross below its external margin. It has nine coun- tersunk elevations, probably stone settings: see p. 564. The fourth row contains four perfect brooches, numbered from 467 to 470. No. 467, a penannular ring brooch, with four red CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: PINS AND BROOCHES. 589 enamel studs. No. 468, ditto, with large shallow enamel indenta- tions in lower margin of ring; highly decorated head-loop to pin; 4| long, and 2^ wide in ring. No. 469, a very beautiful and highly de- corated bronze brooch gilt, loop attached to posterior side of deco- rated head, cross-bar to ring ; 4f by 2|. No. 470, a penannular ring- brooch, with large decorated looped head to pin, like 468. Portions of red and yellow enamel paste still remain in ring. Two helices, or wire-spires, for attaching it to the dress, are still in situ. The fifth row consists of spring brooches, and the knobby rings of pins, like those figured at p. 563. No. 471, a spring brooch, wanting the pin, of classic, and what has been styled Helvetian form. No. 472, a triangular brooch, with trumpet ornament ; figured and described at p. 567. No. 473, a spring-brooch of clas- sic form, representing a serpent, with enlarged neck, forming the body of the article, while the tail coiled round several times, ends in the pin, which catches in a fastener formed below the head ; 2^. No. 474, ditto, longer and broader, with five-coiled spring; head of ser- pent very well cast; decorated down the centre, and along the outer edge; 3|. No. 475, the very beautiful specimen of the same va- riety, figured and described at p. 567. No. 476, the buckle-brooch, with trumpet pattern; figured and described at p. 569- The two next specimens, Nos. 477 and 478, are of a different variety, and both figured and described at p. 5(^di. The remaining articles on this row consist of rings about the size of thumb-rings, with two or more knobs attached to the outer rims of each; and believed to have been attached to pins. The first. No. 479, is figured and described at p. 563. No. 480, ditto, with three knobs; central one defective. No. 481, ditto, three knobs in a cluster. No. 482, ditto. No. 483 like a finger-ring; lower portion gilt, with central red enamelled studs in each of the three knobs. No. 484 is figured at p. 563. No. 485, ditto, unsymmetrical. The last row consists of a series of pins, and other articles con- nected with personal decoration. No. 486, the acus of a ring- brooch, with triangular gilt head ; 2\. No. 487, a remarkably long, slender pin; of unusual pattern; 7-|; with a thin flat rim of white metal, two jewel-settings; Ig. No. 488, the long acus of a large ring-brooch, with decorated head, and wide loop posteriorly; 7. No. 489 is figured and described at p. 558. The four next specimens 590 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. are spectacle-brooches. No. 490, figured below, measures 4| in its greatest length; and has a small circular termination to decorated stem; disk plain; 1|. No. 491, ditto; 4f ; disk slightly decorated in centre, as if struck with a die; Ig in diameter. No. 492, ditto, highly decorated ; figured and describ- ed at p. 566. No. 493, a small plain specimen of spec- tacle-brooch ; 31; Fig. 495. No. 490. Fig. 49G. Ko 493. disk, Ig-, with a helix of six coils encircling the slender, sharp- pointed stem, as shown above. The three next specimens are curved pins, of a peculiar shape; of which, No. 495 is figured at p. 560. They differ but slightly either in character or ornament. The three last articles are slender pins, with cup-shaped heads, of which the central one, No, 498, has been figured and described at p. 558. Of the foregoing, the first, No. 372, was found in Bride-street, Dublin, and described as No. 504 in Proceedings, vol. vii., p. 130. For Nos. 373 and 397, see Nos. 502 and 503, in Proceedings, vol. vii., p. 130. Nos. 375, 376, 378, 408, 409, and 432, were procured in the Ballinderry crannoge. Nos. 381 to 392, and Nos. 395, 396, 417, and 421, were obtained from Gweedore Strand, on the coast of Donegal, and — Presented by Lord George Hill. See Proceedings, vol. vii., pp. 41, 159. Nos. 374, 402, 442, 403, 404, 444, 446, 476 were procured from the Strokestown crannoges ; 499, found at Loughran's Island, on the Bann, was — Presented hy Board of Worhs. Nos. 377, 381, 413 and 418, procured from Arranmore, in Galway Bay, were —Presented l^ W.R. Wilde, Esq.; and Nos. 374, 419, 470, 487, 488, were — Deposited by Sir Benjamin Chapman ; and Nos. 416, 443, 475, 477, and 478— by the Royal Dublin Society. Nos. 452, 463, 491, 493, 495, 496, were — Presented by the Shannon Commissioners ; and No. 445, found in Upper Exchange-street — by Park Neville, C. E. See Proc, vol. vii., p. 162. No. 448, found in a fort in the townland of Drumgurragh, in Farney, county Monaghan, was — Presented by Rev. Mr. Thompson, April 26, 1853. No. 490 was found in Co- lonel Pallisser's demesne, county Kildare. Shelf II., Tray AAA, contains a miscellaneous collection of one hundred and twenty-three articles, chiefly relating to personal deco- CLASS V. — METALLIC materials: RINGS. 591 ration, and numbered from 500 to 620. The top row is composed of rings, — either bracelets or armlets. No. 500, a thin bronze hoop, apparently a bracelet; 2| inches in diameter, and about | wide. No. 501, ditto, broader and thinner, grooved, and decorated with minute cross-lines, has another enclosed; 2^ by | (Dawson). No. 502, ditto, a half-round in section, plain, ends over-lap; 2^ by f. No. 503, a very perfect armlet, with a central circular aperture; cast, grooved on both sides; ring complete; 3j by ^ No. 504, the large double bracelet, figured and described at p. 570. No. 505, a thin narrow torque armlet, with a central broad aperture, like No. 503; one end of the slender round twisted hoop is fastened in a rude socket, in the broad circular decoration. Possibly two other bands were originally affixed in the same fashion to the central decora- tion ; it is 3| in diameter. No. 506, the double torque armlet figured and described at p. 570. Nos. 507 and 508, two pieces of bronze torque, imperfect, probably portions of armlets. No. 509, a bright copper penannular armlet, figured and described at p. 570. No, 510, fragment of a similar article of bronze, but with a wider cup, and much resembling some of the gold ornaments in the Academy's Collection, No, 511, a penannular copper ring, resembling 509, but not of such red metal, and not cupped at the extremities; 2~ in greatest width. Second row. — No. 512, a thin flat ring, with separate and overlapping ends; decorated with cross indentations on external half-round surface; 2^; found in Dublin. No. 513, a perfect, beautifully cast ring, with central lozenge-shaped ornament, and highly decorated with very minute raised circles all round; 1^ in diameter from out to out; it may have been a brooch-ring. No. 5 14, a small slender torque- pattern ring; Ij in diameter; found in one of the Strokestown crannoges. The three next articles are chains, the two first of no great age. No. 515 consists of three portions, — a sqviare watch chain; four simple loops; and a pendant termination; 12^ long. No. 516, a slight simple looped chain, 6 inches long. No. 517, ditto; 8 (Sirr). No. 518, a small curiously-constructed chain, with a pendant, figured at p. 572 (Sirr). No. 519, a hooked pendant, with portion of chain attached; 3j (Sirr). No, 520, the beautiful pen- dant hook, inlaid with silver, figured and described at p, 572, No. 521, a hook pendant, with large decorated boss, rudely coated 592 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. with green enamel. The third row consists of eleven large shoe, belt, knee, and garment buckles, not of any great age, but most of them of patterns long since disused. In shape they are round, flat, quadrangular, and oval, and in size they vary from 2^ to 4^ inches. Nos. 522 and 523 were— Presented by Vert/ Rev. Dean Butler; 524 — hij the Shannon Commissioners ; 526 and 527 — hy R. A. Gray, C. E.; and 528 — hy Major John Brown. The fourth row consists of se- venteen buckles, smaller and more antique than the foregoing, and also three swivel-loops, one of which is quite perfect. Many of the buckles present curious forms, and exhibit the fashion in this ar- ticle at the respective periods to which they belong. No. 540 was found at Newtown-Trim, and was, with 544 — Preseyited hy the Very Rev. Dean Butler. See Proceedings, vol. vi., p. 171. The fifth row consists of articles of undoubted antiquity. No. 553 is a large bronze ring, possibly an armlet; 3| inches in diame- ter externally; much corroded on its internal surface, where the thin bronze coating having been removed, allows the central filling with lead to be seen. No. 554, ditto, perfect; 4 massive. On its lower and outer edge may be seen an aperture, covered by a bronze plate, through which, probably, lead was poured in; No. 555, a bronze ring, with side apertures, like those on Trays CCC, which are represented at p. 579; 2 in greatest diameter. No. 556, ditto, smaller ; 1 f . Both these were — Deposited hy the Royal Duhlin Society. No. 557, a thick flat ring, of yellowish-red metal; silver plated; If. The seven following articles are the decorated and gilt plates referred to at p. 572; and found in the railway cutting at Navan. No. 558, a long plate, with curved head rising out of upper edge; slightly curved on the flat; the decoration is very sharp, and much of the gilding remains; 1 1. No. 559, ditto, larger; figured and described at p. 575. No. 560, a cross-shaped ornament; identical with, and probably cast in the same mould as. No. 562; much coated with verdigris; a little of the gilt plating still remains on its central portion; it has four back-loops; 2^. No. 561, a large decorated boss, in good preservation, figured and described at p. 575. No. 562, identical with 560, is figured at p. 574. No. 563, another ornament, of a different pattern, consisting of a central boss, and three square arms, with an inferior semicircular enlargement; it is CLASS v.— METALLIC MATERIALS: RINGS, ETC. 593 highly and most minutely decorated, and has a central jewel set- ting; a considerable portion of the gilding still remains over the surface ; the decoration on the lateral portion of this specimen re- sembles twisted animals, like those on the carved bones figured at page 346, whereas that employed on the upper member of the cross consists of a double spire, not unlike the Scandinavian style of ornament, but the centre of each spire is of the true Celtic character. The general features of the ornamentation in this spe- cimen resemble those in No. 561 ; four loops; 2f. No. 564, a small, oblong, four-cornered plate, like No. 558, but without upper enlarge- ment; decoration very minute, and well plated with gold; two loops; 1| by f. The remaining articles in this row, from No. 565 to 572, consist of simple bronze rings, most of them flat, varying in diameter from 1 to l^ inches. The sixth row consists of rings, and small buckles. No. 573, a rude flat copper ring; 1^. No. 574, a twisted bronze penannular ring, fastening by a catch, like a modern key-ring; \^. No. 575, a penannular ring, very similar to some of the silver armlets; large, and four-sided in centre, becoming flattened towards the extre- mities, the outer edges of which are beautifully decorated with mi- nute circles; it is one of the most elegantly formed articles in the bronze collection, and looks like a child's bracelet; found in the city of Dublin. No. 576, a plain ring; 1^. No. 577, ditto, flat twisted; Ig-. No. 578, ditto, with an aperture, as if for the inser- tion of a stone; possibly a finger-ring. No. 579, a bronze finger- ring, Nos. 580 and 581, ditto, penannular. The remaining articles in this row consist of twenty-seven buckles, several of which are attached to bronze straps, and were probably used with spurs; some resemble hat-buckles; their history is unknown. Nos. 582 and 608 are large belt-buckles. No. 593 is decorated. The last row contains fourteen articles, of a miscellaneous character, numbered from C09 to 623. No. 609 is a large double swivel. No. 610, a scollop-shaped article, like a locket. No. 61 1 , a lozenge-shaped, flat, decorated article; 1-|; with a loop at each angle, and a central stone- setting; possibly the pendant of a breast-pin. No. 612, a thin egg- shaped disk, dished, with five holes; apparently a decoration. — Presented by the Shannon Commissioners. No. 614, ditto, with four holes. No. 115, ditto, massive, with loop at upper edge; 2 j ; 594 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. found with the foregoing, and other bronze antiquities, atTuUahogue, near Dungannon. — Presented by Eev. Dr. Porter. Ifo. 616, a pen- dant, like a key-hole cover. No. 617, ditto, of graceful cage- work ; pos- sibly an earring. No, 618, an ornamental disk, resembling a badge; Ij. No. 619, ditto, rude, lozenge-shaped; 2|. No. 620, a deco- rated pendant hook, like No. 521. No. 621, a circular open-work stud; l|. No. 622 ditto, imperfect; and 623, perfect. Bronze, VI. — Ground Floor, Second Compartment. Shelf L, Tray BBB, contains a series of articles connected with a suit of chain-armour, and numbered from 1 to 54. No. 1 is a large neck and chest decoration, composed of chain-bosses and shoulder-plates, figured and described at p. 576. Nos. 2 and 3, large bosses, of light golden bronze, originally encircled with small loops, having central concave studs, and trumpet-mouthed apertures on each side. Both articles appear to be identical, and are slightly imperfect. No. 3 is figured and described at p. 578. Eor descrip- tion of No. 4, placed in centre of tray, see Fig. 492, p. 578 ; and for No. 5, see Fig. 493, on page 579- Nos. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, belong to a class of article very frequently found in Ireland, and which evidently formed a portion of chain-dress decoration, each consisting of a massive ring, with lateral trumpet-mouths, through which a connecting strap of bronze joined the ring-chains; see Nos. 7 and 8, in which that portion remains. In size they vary from No. 11, which is only 1-^, to No. 7, which is 2f in greatest diameter. In shape they are somewhat oval, and are well represented by Fig. 494, on p. 579. These articles are connected with a chain of double or treble links, and of a larger size than those belonging to the more complete article. No. 1. To each side of this tray, several other strands of chain have been attached, some of which were found alontT -with No. 1; see p. 576; and are numbered according to their several varieties and shape, from 12 to 54. No. 15 is the large double ring. Fig. 490, p. 578. No. 16, a large double rintr; 1| wide; both together are 2f long. No. 20 is a link of five rings, measuring 3^ by f . The other rings decrease gradually to the size of those used with No. 1. Traij CCC contains forty rings, for armour decorations; num- bered from 53 to 94. The three first rows contain eighteen rings, CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: RINGS. 595 varying in diameter from less than an inch to about 2 inches; plain, perforated on each side for the passage of a traversing connecting strap, or wire, but Avithout lip or decoration around aperture. In thickness they vary from ^ to § of an inch; some are solid, and others are hollow ; see Nos. 59 and 60. The fourth row contains articles of the same description, but still larger, and all solid, and varying in size from 1|^ to 3g-. The fifth row consists of three large hollow rings. No. 77, imperfect, is 1| thick, and 4j in diameter of ring. No. 78 is thinner, and only 3f. No. 79 is 3-|- wide, and l^ thiqk. The remaining fifteen rings have lateral apertures, with raised mouths, and vary in size from Ig to 3g- in greatest diameter. They present much variety, both in shape of ring and later apertures, the latter of which are but slightly everted, and none of the true trumpet-shape. In No. 81, the tubular margins of the aper- tures incline inwards, and in No. 91 they are peculiarly small. No. 86 is elongated in shape. They are all more or less solid, either from casting, or by subsequent filling up with lead or composition. Trai/ DDD contains one hundred and thirty-seven plain bronze rings, numbered from 95 to 231, and varying in diameter from ^ to 3 inches, and in thickness from §■ to |. None of them appear to have formed portions of loops or ring-chains, but were cast single, and present great diversity in thickness, as well as fineness of casting. They are all solid, and belong to that class of article heretofore styled "ring-money ;" but in their formation there does not appear to be any arrangement as to either size or weight. They were probably used either for harness, or in connexion with armour or personal decoration. The two last articles on this tray are slen- der and penannular ; both may have been used as bracelets. Tray ECE contains three hundred and sixty-nine small bronze rings, numbered from 232 to 600. The first twelve rows are made up of small thick rings, varying in width from f to f of an inch ; all cast solid; single, and mostly flat. Some are a little worn on one side of the inner edge, as if from attrition ; see No. 463. The eleven lower rows are composed of much slighter and larger rings, mostly flat, and varying in size from ^ to 1| ; several are corroded on the sur- face, Nos. 544, 545, and 546, are peculiarly thick. No. 593 looks as if punched out of a piece of metal, and not cast. Nos. 471, 473, 478, 479, and 486, were found at Headford, county Galway, and — • 596 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. Presented hy R. J. M. St. George^ Esq. A large proportion of the remainder were discovered near Cashel, county Tipperary. Tray TYT contains thirty-two articles, totally different in cha- racter from the foregoing, and consisting of a few small, and a large number of massive rings; numbered from 601 to 632. The top row contains seven thick rings, from ^ to 2j in diameter. No. 601 is not closed, and has transverse perforations on both sides of section, as if for uniting it by a wire. No. 602, a broad ring, ornamented on surface by transverse and oblique lines. No. 603 was, with 608 — Presented by the Shannon Commissioners. The latter was found near the site of the old Bridge of Banagher. In the second row, Nos. G09 to 614 form a chain of six rings, varying from 1§ to 3| in dia- meter, looped into each other by three enclosed specimens. No. 615 is a solid bronze armlet, not Irish. The third row contains four slender rings, averaging 3| inches across, on the two first of which play small perfect cast rings, one of which is much worn, as if from long use. The rings on the fourth and fifth rows are larger and thicker, and were either cast in two sections, and then united, or hammered upon a mandrill, and subsequently filled with a composition. One small ring plays on No. 625, and two on No. 626; figured at p. 570. No. 621 was found in gravel, under 4 feet of peat, in townland of Tiuderry, ba- rony ofEliogarty, county of Tipperary, and — Presented hy the Board of Works. The small rings which play on the larger ones are iden- tical in character with many of those arranged on Tray EEE. The six last are very large, averaging 4j wide; the last is Ij thick. Some are hollow, and others partially so; see No. 631, where a want on the side shows the interior, as well as the mode of joining. All these were evidently Avorn as personal decorations on the extremi- ties. No. 630 was found at Headford, county Galway, and — Pre- sented hy E. J. M. St. George, Esq. Tray CtOtOt contains fifty bronze buckles, double or single, of different patterns, numbered from 633 to 682 ; but none are of much antiquity; in size they vary from | to finches; some were possibly used in harness, but others were evidently personal. No. 660 was — Presented hy li. A. Graij, C. E. Rail-case p, continued from p. 518, contains a number of small specimens, appertaining to tools, food implements, household eco- CLASS V. — METALLIC materials: TOOLS. 597 nomy, music, personal decoration, and miscellaneous articles, not placed on trays, but numbered in continuation of their respective species, most of which have already been described. Tools, continued from p. 552. — No. 86, a brass awl, with square shoulder; 3f inches long. No. 87, ditto, from Gweedore, and — Pre- sented by Lord George Hill. No. 88, a curved article, with flattened extremities, like a modelling tool, resembling a stylus; 4g. No. 89, ditto, single, notched at one end ; plate portion decorated on one side; 2^. No. 90, ditto, not notched. No. 91, a narrow, curved imple- ment, flattened at one end; 7: see No. 101. No. 92, a very perfect narrow spoon-shaped implement, with circular handle; 7. No. 93, a long narrow tool, sharp at one end, bent and circular at the other, like a modelling tool; 6g. No. 94, ditto, but imperfect in point; 4|. No. 95, a long, narrow, curved implement, with boss near centre; 9f. No. 96, a bronze circular file, straight, like a model- ling tool. No. 97, bronze implement, like a tool handle ; 4^. No. 98, a straight implement chisel-edged at both ends. No. 99, a small bronze forceps-shaped implement, with half-round spring; holes in legs, as if for the insertion of points; 2|. No. 100, a hinged im- plement, evidently a tool, but of unknown use; 3| (Dawson). No. 101, a two-pronged article, like a surgical instrument, riveted at one end; 5| — Presented^ tvith JVo. 91, 5?/ Shannon Commissioners. No. 102, fragment of a delicate jeweller's forceps; 2§. No. 103, a small bronze tool, square at one end, to fit aperture in leg of No. 99. Articles of Household Economy, continued from p. 553. — Eighteen needles, numbered from 77 to 94, and varying in length from If to 4i. Nos. 77 and 78 are figured at p. 546. No. 96, from Gweedore, was — Presented hij Lord George Hill ; and No. 93, from Dublin — hy Park Neville, C. E. No. 95, a large brass thimble, found at Trim — Presented hy Dean Butler. No. 96, the toilet article, figured at p. 549- No. 97, ditto, larger; 3f. No. 98, ditto, plain, with decorated head, wide fork ; 3j. No. 99, an ear-scoop, handle decorated; 3^. No. 100, ditto, plain; a fine example of antique bronze, with greenish polished patina; 31 No. 101, the bronze razor figured and described at p. 549. No. 102, ditto, smaller; 2|. No. 103, ditto, imperfect; 2^. No. 104, a tweezers, figured at p. 549; procured with No. 110; from Ballinderry. No. 105, ditto, slender, decorated; 2f. No. 106, ditto, plain. No. 107, ditto, slender. 598 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. No. 108, ditto, small broad blade, with running loop ring at end; If. No. 109, ditto, small, rude; l^. No. 110, ditto. No. Ill, the ring-lock figured at p. 548. No. 112, top of weight-box. No. 1 13, a weight-box, perfect, and highly ornamented, Avith compartment at bottom for holding small weights; If. No. 114, brass ink-bottle, in shape of trooper's boot; 3g- long. No. 115, a brass ink-bottle, with rude decorations on sides; suspending loops ; 1|. No. 116, ditto, oval, with detached cover; five suspending loops; 2f. Personal Decorations — continued from Tray AAA. No. 621, a large double-looped button, with rude cast decorations in front, each perforated with double holes behind ; 3^ inches in length of article. No. 622, a plain button. No. 623, the enamelled button figured at page 572. No. 624, an enamelled button covered with glass ; " found in the mountain, four miles from the Seven Churches, Glenda- lough." No. 625, a double shirt-stud, or wrist-button; perfect, decorated. No. 626, a portion of antique buckle. No. 627, a pen- dant, with loops posteriorly. No. 628, a piece of decorated open- work, like the end of an earring. No. 629, a small bronze plate, decorated with the figure of a griffin; riveted. No. 630, ditto, of open-work. Next follows a collection of antique Thumb and Finger-Rings, the largest of which. No. 631, here figured the true size, is apparently of very great antiquity. The square central depression is roughened irregularly, possibly for the reception of enamel paste; but in the side concave hollows the raised markings are too regular for that purpose, and much re- ° ... Fig. 497, No. 631. semble some of those lines incised on the stones of the tumulus at New Grange; the hoop is also decorated, but is slightly corroded ; it Avas found in the county Cavan. No. 632, a large brass thumb-ring, with seal, and C. I. H. B. in Irish charac- ters at top; ] -J wide. No. 633, ditto, with monogram on stamp; has remains of gilding. No. 634, a thumb-ring, resembling No. 631. No. 635, a broad ring, rudely decorated on face (Dawson). No. 636, a thumb-ring, with torque-pattern hoop, and seal at top, bearing a heart and ancient inscription; remains of gilding; pro- bably ecclesiastical. The remaining specimens of this description CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS : HORSE-TRAPPINGS. 599 are finger-rings. Nos. 637, 638, and 639, are small, flat, decorated hoops, enlarged in front. No. 640, a thin, flat hoop of red metal, with a rude decoration representing a heart between two hands. No. 641, a finger-hoop, open at side, rudely decorated with antique mark- ings. No. 642, a plain thick hoop, with an inscription on the inside; found in " an ancient building, in the Co. Carlow." No. 643, a small thin decorated hoop. No. 644, a thin twisted hoop, with a heart- shaped decoration in front. No. 645, a hoop, with a raised antique stone-setting. No. 646, a chain of three decorated rings, looped in each other (Sirr). No. 647, a large collection of ring-chains, like those already described and figured at p. 577; well cast; several consisting of five loops, and one of seven; many are joined together with bronze straps; found, with a gold ornament, in the county of Sligo. Nos. 648, 649, and 650, are three small bronze straps, cleft at one end, and solid at the other — possibly spur loops. The total number of articles of bronze or brass belonging to Per- sonal Decoration, not including spurs, at present in the Museum, amounts to 1433, viz.: — 620 on the four large trays in the Gallery; 30 in this rail-case; 683 on the six small trays in the second com- partment of the northern ground-floor, of which there are a great number of duplicates; and 100 upon the difi'erent "Find" trays in the third compartment on the southern ground floor. Amusements. — The only object in this Case apparently used in a game of any description, is the bronze die, No. 1, measuring | of an inch on each face, and having a heart, diamond, club, and spade, on four sides, the remaining faces being blank. Musical IjSTSteuments — are represented by a collection of twenty- two harp pins, varying in length from 2g to 4L inches; square in the head, and perforated in the small extremity for holding the string. They are numbered from 17 to 32, in continuation of the trumpets, described at p. 633 ; the majority were obtained from cran- noges. [For miscellaneous articles, see continuation on p. 636.] HORSE-TRAPPINGS. Connected with personal decoration and costume, Horse- Trappings follow next in order, according to the arrangement and the classification adopted in this Museum. Such frequent mention is made in early Irish Avritings of the chariot-roads, 2 R 600 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. together with chariots, horses, harness, and horse-trappings, that we might naturally expect to find some remnants of them even at the present day. Topographers have recognised the sites of some of our ancient roads, especially those in the vicinity of the remains of the royal residence at Tara. Chariots, with their occupants, and mounted warriors, have been sculptured on a few memorial crosses, especially those of Kells and Kil- clispeen ; and one of the largest collections of ancient harness in north-western Europe is that now preserved in the Eoyal Irish Academy. It is arranged on thirteen Trays, from HHH to UUXJ, in the second and third compartments on the ground- floor in the northern side of the Museum ; and consists of bronze spurs, stirrups, saddle-knobs, bridle-bits and pendants, har- ness-studs, bosses, and other decorations, a chariot trace, cro- tals, &c., amounting altogether to as many as 282 speci- mens. Spurs, although now fallen into disuse as a portion of the indispensable costume of an equestrian, Avere articles of great importance from about the middle period of the Chris- tian era to a comparatively recent day. In shape they pre- sented great variety, and had much art expended upon them ; some were very costly, and used as the insignia of knighthood. They were made of iron, bronze, silver, and even gold ; many Avere gilt. The Academy possesses a collection of forty spurs, arranged on Trays HHH, and III, including types of nearly all the known varieties of these articles, which hold a middle place between personal costume and horse-trappings. The earliest form of spur Avas that knoAvn as the "goad" or "prick spur," consisting of a short conical spike projecting from the back of the fork or bow, and without ^'^- '''' ^°- '■ a rowel or Avheel. Of this very rare variety, the accompanying illustration. Fig. 498, No. 1, is a good specimen. Its total length is 4^ inches; the legs of the fork are unsymmetrical. CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: SPURS. GOl the inner one being the shorter, and the strap-holes are diffe- rent on each side. No. 17, Figure 499, is the representative of several similar spurs in the Collection, remark- able for the curved bars of the fork or bow, with loops on its lower edge, for the attachment of straps or chains; the rowel is of moderate size, and the loAver and back portion of the bow is rudely decorated. Small bronze loops are at- tached to the termi- nal apertui'es in the fork ; its total length is 6 inches. It was found at St. Wols- tan's, on the Liffey, county of Kildare. The second illustration, No. 9, Fig. 500, represents one oi the most perfect and beautiful articles of its kind which has been discovered in the British Isles, — of an- tique bronze, covered with a smooth greenish patina; very narrow in the bow, and having a large blunt rowel of eight bars, greatly disproportionate to the other parts of the article. It is 6^ inches long, and only 2i in the clear of the fork, the terminations of which are, as in the case of the prick-spur, unsymmetrical, having on one side a mortice-hole, and on the other a loop, projecting below its edge. From this loop depend two metal straps — one clasped, for the at- tachment of a leather fastening, the other hinged in the centre, and ending in a buckle ; both in the highest preserva- tion, and decorated Avith minute notches along their edges. These and similar straps and buckles, afford us a clue to the 2 R 2 Fig. 501, No. 20. 602 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. uses of a great number of small articles attached to Tfay AAA, or placed in Rail-Case p. Posteriorly, the upper edge of the bow is decorated with a minute open-work trefoil pat- tern. It, and another article of the same description, were procured with the Dawson Collection, and said to have been found in the same locality, with an interval of many years. By the fourth figure Is presented the last variety, the charac- teristic of which consists in having the rowel-stem large, and bent at an angle, so as in many specimens to represent the human arm. In this example. No. 20, Fig. 501, the bow is only 2|- inches in the clear, and bent so as to fit close round the tendo-Achillis, and pass beneath the projections of the ankles. Its total length is 6| inches, of which the stem and rowel are more than one-half. It is highly decorated all over the external surface, chiefly with that form of beaded orna- ment shown on the costume of the figure represented among the miscellaneous articles at page 640, so that it probably be- longs to the same age. The buckles and loops are of iron. Spurs of this description, with large rowels and angular stems, resemble those shown upon the effigies of knights in mail armour. There are six specimens of this description in the Collection.* It is remarkable, that Avhile the bronze spurs are so small in the bow as to appear like heel-spurs, many of those of iron are wide enough to fit on the calf of the leg. Saddles — in Irish, daillait, a saddle Ti;^^- ., — are represented among the bronzes by four pommel-decorations on Tray OOO, of which the accompanying figure, drawn one-third the natural size, from No. 149, Fig. 502. no. h'). * Although there is no ancient Irish name for spur or stirrup, the term Deili- geen hrostoe — " the thorn that incites" — is occasionally applied to a shoe-spur in Con- naught. In O'Dugan and O'Heerin's Topographical Poems, golden spurs (spuir) are mentioned under A. D. 1372-1420. Spencer says the Irish had neither saddles nor stirrups ; but, like many other assertions of that author, it is refuted by modern investigations. Metal stirrups were unknown in England until about the sixteenth century. See Fosbroke's Encyclopjcdia of Antiquities. CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: STIRRUPS. 603 is a good illustration. It is cut off beneath obliquely, and spreads out into flanges with rivet-holes for attaching it to the saddle-tree. In the great Brahe Museum at Scokloster, near Upsala, may be seen the largest collection of ancient sad- dlery at present in Europe ; and there several such articles as that figured above have been preserved.* Heretofore, these articles Avere believed to be sword-pommels. There are eight bronze Stirrups arranged on Tray JJJ, of great diversity of form, and some of them highly de- corated, of Avhicli the following illustrations are good exam- ples. No. 46, Fig. 503, is a very small triangular stirrup, 4| inches high, and 3| wide, Avith the strap-bar placed behind a decorated plate which rises above its level; but ... 1, , • . 1 Fig. 50a. No. -16. Fig. 504. Xu. 47. it IS all cast in the one piece. The oval ornament in front represents a human face. No. 47, Fig. 504, is small, and highly decorated; 5 inches high, and 4 wi le, with a square swivel-staple at top for the attachment of the strap, the Avheel-shaped foot-plate being 2f wide. Some of the bronze stirrups in the Collection were gilt. Bridle-bits — in Irish, bealmhach — abound in the Aca- demy's Collection, amounting to as many as eighty-eight speci- mens, either complete or fragmentary, and are arranged on five Trays, from KKK to OOO. They may be divided into — 1, the simple riding snaffle or burdoon, with a strong mouth- piece in two parts, having an exceedingly well-fitted hinge- stud between, and large cheek-rings, which, as well as the ex- tremities of the bit, are in many specimens highly ornamented, and in some instances jewelled or enamelled : 2, the double- * The Author is indebted to the Baron von Krtemer, Governor of Upsala, for great kindness in facilitating his antiquarian researches while in that part of Sweden in the summer of 18.59. 604 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. rein driving-bit, without an intermediate piece in the hinge, but with metal straps or rods, running on the cheek-rings for the at- tachment of the reins ; and 3, the small (and probably driving) bit with an iron mouth-piece, and no rings, but broad and in most instances highly decorated open-work cheek-plates for the attachment of the reins. The uppermost of the three illustrations, on page 605, is a good example of the first variety, with a raised cast ornament on the mouth-piece, and decorated studs raised on one face of the rings, for limiting their play in the holes of the bit. The mode in which these rings were formed is a subject of interest to the inquirer into the manufactures and workmanship of the ancients. In several instances the ring is spliced and riveted : see Nos. 60, and 61. In a few, a brazed joining may be ob- served on the outer side of the ring. The majority, however, appear to have been cast along with the mouth-piece ; but what contrivance in the moulding, both of this portion and in that of the hinge, was employed, is matter of speculation ; as in No. 75, on Tray MMM, and which was never used, the nar- row portion of the ring barely turns in its collar. In several instances the ring was cast with but one stud, and the second was riveted to an enlarged flat boss on the opposite side. In some cases the pivot passed through the ring, but in others it went down only for a sufficient depth to fasten the stud. By this means this decorated portion of the ring may, in the cast- ing, have been removed from the mouth-piece, and thus inter- fered less with the flow of the metal ; and could also be fitted and adjusted better subsequently. In two very remarkable examples, Nos. 77 and 78, the ring was cast in a penannular form, with hollow bulbs at the extremities, into which the pivot that played in the hole of the mouth-piece passed — by springing back the ring-ends. The pivot was then riveted across; and in No. 77 both it and the rivets were formed of cast-iron, the uncut slag of Avhich still remains. For the details of this curious combination of bronze and iron, see page 617. CLASS V METALLIC MATERIALS: BRIDLE-BITS. 605 No. 55, on Tray LLL, Fig. 505, is 10 1 inches long, and 3 in diameter of each ring, the upper decorated studs of which are fiistened by pivots ; and, like all the others of this variety, the intermediate space between them is smaller than the rest of the ring, although not caused by wearing, as in other cases. It was found with pendant, Fig. 517, and another bridle-bit, on an ancient battle-field in the valley between the hills of Screen and Tara, county Meath. The second and third illustrations, Figs. 506 and 507, from Nos. 67 and 71 represent the second variety. No. 67 is 11^ inches long. and 3| across the ring, which plays freely through the bit-hole, and has bronze loops attached to it on both sides, one of which, 5 inches long, is here represented — in what manner the reins were attached to these rods is undetermined. The third illustration, Fig. 507, No. 71, also belongs to the se- cond variety ; and, like the foregoing, the mouth-pieces hinge without an intermediate portion. In place of studs, the rings have knobbed bars projecting from their outer margins, and four of the metal rein-staples are still in situ. It is much smaller than any of the foregoing, measuring in extreme 606 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. fig. 509, No. C4. There are thirty- length but 9 inches; each ring is 2i wide, exclusive of the pro- jections ; it is one of the articles discovered at Navan : see page 573. Pieces of the buff leather remain between the sides of the metal straps in some specimens. The details of several of the snaffle-bits of the first variety are well worthy of examination, presenting great beauty both in design and execution, examples of which are afforded by the two following cuts, drawn iiom Nos. 52 and 64. The former is a portion of a perfect well-pre- served bit, 9^ inches long by 2| Avide in the ring, differing in decora- tion from that shown by Fig. 506. In the latter, drawn from a slender specimen, 12| inches long, and 3^ wide in diameter of ring, the studs are counter sunk for the in- rig- -^"w, ^'o. m. sertion either of stones, glass, or enamel, seven bits of these two varieties, twenty of which are quite perfect, and most of them in fine preservation.* In the third variety there is much greater diversity both in shape and ornamentation than in the two former; but, al- though there are the remains of as many as fifty-one distinct specimens, in no single instance is this form of bridle-bit per- fect on both sides, and connected by its iron mouth-piece.f This may be accounted for by the lightness of the cheek-pieces themselves rendering them liable to fracture, but is particu- larly due to the circumstance of the mouth-piece having been formed of iron. At first the cheek-plate was a plain curved * In the Proceedings and Papers of the Kilkenny and South-East of Ireland Ar- chaeological Society for November, 1857, maybe seen a very beautiful cbromo-litho- graph of a bridle-bit, with highly decorated and enamelled flat rings, said to be found at Kileevan, near Analure; but neither the Guelloche pattern, nor the Grecian scroll thereon, is Irish — the former is purely Scandinavian. t In Mr. Shirley's Account of the Territory and Dominion of Farney, may be seen an engraving of a very perfect bit of this description, with bronze cheek-plates attached to the iron mouth-piece, p. 22. CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: BRIDLE-BITS. 607 plate of metal turning backwards from a straight bar to which the iron mouth-piece was attached, and having a semi-oval loop behind, on whicli the rein-staples — generally two in num- ber — played, as shown in the tliree following illustrations, drawn from specimens on Trays NNN and OOO. No. 101, Fig. 510 is phiin, and measures 6 inches in its extreme width. No. 99, Fig. 511, imperfect, is beautifully decorated Fig. 510, No. 101. Fig. 511, No. 99. Fig. 512, No. 95. with a raised ornament somewhat in that of the style of the tAvelfth century. No. 95, Fig. 512, is remarkably slender, and iTieasures 6 inches across ; the tAvo metal rein-straps still remain on the posterior loop of this variety, of Avhich there are two examples in the Collection ; — both found in the river Bann, and — Presented by the Board of Works. In the next series of illustrations, we perceive an advance both in ornamentation and purpose ; for, by attaching the reins at a distance from the mouth-piece, a better purchase was se- cured, and the power of a curb effected. This is well shown in No. 103, Fig. 513, in which the cheek-pieces, composed of single bars, 4f wide, end in dogs' heads, and to the pos- terior member of which the rein-staples are attached. A still more simple bridle-bit is that shown by No. 91, Fig. 515 : it is A^ wide, flat on one side, but triangular, and also decorated 608 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. on the other. A portion of the iron mouth-piece and two rein- staples remain. Of the decorated specimens, there are at least three sub-varieties — the Horse -pattern of which, No. 132, Fig. 514, imperfect, is a good example. It is much worn, but, when complete, measured 4f inches in width ; it was — Presented by W. Loncjjidd^ Esq. Of this variety there are five Fig. 513, No. 103. Fig. 514, No. 1S2. Fig. 515, No. 91. Other specimens, Nos. 112, 113, 121, 122, and 130. Another form of decoration, belonging to the same description of cheek- piece, is the Dragon-pattern, of Avhich there are several spe- cimens, see Nos. 105 to 108, 110, 111, 117, 120, 124 to 128, and 131, &c. A third sub-variety of cheek-piece ornamenta- tion resembles an inverted letter B — all the four specimens of which are beautifully cast, and in high preservation, see Nos. 104, 109, 116, and 125. The fact of the combination of bronze and iron, perhaps to economise the former, in all the specimens of the third variety, as well as the style of ornamentation, evidently refers these articles to a later period than those of the first and second varieties. In a few comparatively modern specimens — see Nos. 134 and 135— the cheek-piece is straight, like that in a snaffle- bit of the present day. For the details of the cheek-pieces, see description of Trays NNN and OOO, pages 618 to 619. Pendants. — Scarcely a year passes without some bronze CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: BRIDLE-PENDANTS. 609 spur-shaped articles, like those figured below, being found in our bogs, chiefly in Connaught. They vary in length from 10 to 14 inches, and in breadth from 4 to 8. Many are highly de- corated, and some were enamelled on the enlarged extremities of the stem and bow (see Fig. 519). The sti-aight portion ter- minates in a knob, either plain or decorated ; or is hollow for holding a plume of hair or feathers, like similar head- stall orna- ments attached to the bridles of most cavalry regiments until very recently. By the public these articles have been re- garded either as spurs worn on large jack-boots, or decorations affixed to forehead-bands, and Avhich rose above the horses' heads. Others believe them to be censer-holders ; but a care- ful examination and comparison of the thirty-two specimens on Trays PPP, QQQ, and RRR, will show that none of these hypo- theses are tenable. They were evidently bridle ornaments, but are too narrow to fit on any horse's head ; and the loops at the - ......^^^ ends of the forked extremities, or (as in |OI mI some cases) on the insides of these por- tions, are in nearly every instance worn in such a manner as proves that they were suspended, and not worn in an upright position. Figures 516 and 517, from Nos. 171 and 177, represent typical specimens of this ancient horse-trap- ping. The former is I2i inches long, and 4|^ wide ; it Is in fine preserva- tion, and is deco- Fig.517. No. 177. ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^p^^ the knob and external surfaces of the prongs by a raised cast line, shown in the central illustration of that Figure. It was Fig. 516. No. 171. 610 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. found along with tlie bridle-bit, Fig, 505, and is decorated in the same manner. No. 177, Fig. 517, is shorter and broader, and the ornamen- tation more elaborate ; it is here drawn in perspective, in or- der to exhibit the decoration at the ends of the bow and stem, as well as the suspending loops, Avhich are placed at right an- gles with the line of the fork, and, like all the others of this variety, are worn underneath : one leg is shorter than the other. By the two following cuts (one-half the true size) are shown the details of the extremities of Nos. 171 and 177, the former of which is figured above; and the latter, which is drawn from a very perfect and beautiful specimen — Deposited by the Royal Dublin Society — also shows the remains of red enamel upon the decorated boss within the outer rim. These articles would appear to have been slung fro.in the rings of the bridle-bit, or were attached beneath the horse's jowl. In the latter po- sition, they could only serve as ornaments ; in the former, they would prevent the horse from grazing: see also the author's Fig. 5i8. no. ni. observations in the Proceedings, vol. vil., page 161. Vallancey figured one of these pendants, from a specimen which still remains in the Museum of Trinity College, and stated that it had been suspended by gold chains from the bridle-rings ; but acknowledged that he never saw the chains, as they were "secreted by the peasant that found it." As, however, in the case of the " spectacle-brooch" alluded to at page 566, an endeavour was made either to carry out the views of the author, or to establish the rumour as to the state in Avhioh the article was found — modern brass chains were added, as shown in the drawing in the Collecta7iea, vol. iv., pi. viii., fig. 1, and as may still be seen attached to the specimen: In order to make good the spur theory, a dealer absolutely cut Fig. 5iy. No. 177. CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: CHARIOT FURNITURE. 611 a slit in the knob, and inserted an iron rowel in one of these articles : see No. 175, page 621. In the Book of Rights we read of various highly-caparisoned steeds among the stipends of the chief kings, and the tributes of the chieftains: and with them coats of mail and "rings" (possibly such as those already described at page 576, &c.), together with Scings, a term which O'Keilly translates " horse- trapping," and which was probably part of a bridle, or its pen- dant. We also read of " bridles of old silver," and in one en- try of " twenty bridles, flowing, gorgeous with cruan and carbuncle."* Chariot Furniture. — Among the collection of articles found at Navan, and enumerated at page 573, was a boss of iron, 3f inches in diameter, covered on its external face with a plate of Avhite metal, from the centre of which projects a massive bronze stud, in the shape of a dog's head (like that of a blood-hound), li inch long, having a hu- man face engraved on its extremity. From a large aperture in this projection depends a piece of bi'onze chain, composed of two rings and two double loops, the latter re- sembling those of iron found in crannoges. There are but two purposes to which this article, represented by Fig. 520, could be assigned, — that of the attachment of a trace, or a straddle -terrett, for suspending the back-band or the shafts of a chariot ( Carbat) ; but the size of the nail-holes in the Fig. 520. No. 139. boss, and an examination of the wearing in the stud- hole, inclines us to adopt the former hypothesis. Harness Studs, Bosses, Rosettes, and other Horse-Trap- pings, many of undoubted antiquity, and amounting to sixty- one specimens, have been arranged on Trays sss and TTT, in * Cruan, says Dr. O'Donovan, in his translation of the Book of Rights, was " some precious stone of a red and yellow colour," — orange ; probably it was amber. G12 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. the Northern Compartment of the ground-floor. They consist chiefly of decorated rings, or triangular loops : with three star- like staples attached, in several of which, as well as in those be- longing to bridles, portions of thick buff leather remain. The accompanying illustration, drawn one-half the true size, from No. 194, found in the river Nore, affords a good ex- ample of this description of article, which was evidently a portion of the Tiarach, or breechino;. Some of these specimens of ancient harness are elaborately decorated, first in casting, and after- wards, by the punch and graver.* Cattle-bells and Crotals.- trappings may be placed small globular bells, and pear-shaped articles called crotals, of the same nature, and of which the subjoined cuts are good illustrations. Fig. 522, No. 279, represents a globular sheep-bell, 2f inches in diameter, having at top a staple for its attachment to a strap or cord, and formed of two hemispheres of thin metal, joined in the centre, with apertures in both ; those in the lower being connected by a Avide split. The lower segment is decorated ; and within the bell is a piece of metal, which acts as a clapper. A very musical sound is emit- ted by this and other bells of the same shape. On the bottom of several are the Fig. 521. No. 194. Under the head of horse- Fig. 522, No. 279. Fig. 523, No. 282. * Simple and distinct as those articles now appear to the eye of common sense, they played their part in the theoretical archajology of the past ; for one of these has been figured by Vallancey as a " triangular talisman," see Collectanea, vol. iv. pi. xiv., fig. vi. CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: GLOBULAR BELLS. 613 owners' initials. Of this variety of article there are thirteen specimens in the Collection, arranged on Tray 17X1X1, and rang- ing in size from 1^ to2|inches, as in that figured on p. 612. The Irisli antiquaries of the last century described and figured these small globular cattle-bells as crotals, confounding them with the ecclesiastical bells of a totally different shape and use ; thus, Ledwich, and others following him, called such an ar- ticle a " Bell Cymbal used by the clergy, and denominated a crotalum by the Latins ; consisting of two metallic spheres, hollow, and containing some grains of metal to make them sound, being connected by a flexible shank." And, in order to make good the latter assertion, he represented two sheep-bells joined together. See "The Antiquities of Ii'eland," second edi- tion, fig. v., p. 228. Walker, and later Avriters, followed in the same track. In connexion with articles of this description, may be seen a number of small, tinkling, globular bells, fixed on flexible wires, and evidently used for attaching to dogs or horses. About thirty years ago, a great number of antique articles of a peculiar-coloured bronze were discovered at a place called Dowris, near Parsonstown, in the King's County, to which we have already referred at page 360 (see also trumpets, p. 626). Among these were discovered several hollow, pear-shaped bells, with rings at top, and pieces of metal internally ; they, however, emit a very dull, feeble sound, but are evidently of the same class of articles as the foregoing, although, when found, they were believed to be the crotals of the ancient Druid priests, used in augury, and when pronouncing their oracles. That they are of great antiquity, may be inferred from the character of the metal of which they are composed, as Avell as the circumstance under which they were found. Figure 523, drawn from No. 282, on Tray UXTU, 61 inches long, including the ring, and 8 in girth, is a good example of this article. In casting, the metal appears to have been poured into the mould by an aperture at the side, through which the G14 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. core of clay that contained the metal-clapper was broken up. In some instances the article is closed ; in others, there is a narrow side aperture. The line of junction between the tAvo sides of the mould is very ostensible in all, so that one of these would appear to have been cast in two portions, and joined afterwards. The rings and staples were cast together, possibly in the same manner as the bridle-bits described at page 604. That figured on page 612, and the two other similar articles in the Museum, were presented by Lord Oxmantown to the late Dean Dawson, with whose collection they came into the possession of the Academy. See Proceedings, Vol. iv., pages 237 and 423 ; and also Dublin Penny Journal, Vol. i., p. 376. The following list enumerates all the horse-trappings, and articles appertaining thereto, in the Collection. Bronze, VI. — jN'orthern Ground-Floor, Central Compartment. Shelf II., Tray HHH, contains twenty-one spurs, numbered from 1 to 21. No. 1 is figured at p. 600 — see, also, Proc, vol. vi., p. 203. Nos. 2 to 8, on first and second rows, are antique bronze spurs, with cleft stems for rowels, and chiefly remarkable for the apertures at the end of the prongs, for attaching buckles or straps to. These are double in all, except No. 7, which has an open-worked bow. No. 5 was — Presented hy W. E. Wilde, Esq. Nos. 9 to 12 are probably heel-spurs, Avith large rowels, mostly blunt; very narrow in the bow. No. 9 is figured on p. 601. No. 10 is the fellow of No. 9, and, with No. 11, has bronze straps and buckles attached to the bow-loops. In the latter, one prong is much lon\ (Dawson). No. 175, perfect; large, slender; loops angular; almond-shaped terminations; that on stem split by a modern dealer for the inser- tion of an iron spur-rowel, which is now placed above it (see p. 61 1); 12^ by 6|^. No. 176, short, broad, with open-work ornament at extremities; loops angular; one leg f inch longer than the other; \\\ by 7. No. 177, with quatrefoil ornaments, like pin 279, Tray YY. It is figured at p. 609. Shelf III., Tray SSS, contains nineteen harness-studs, num- bered in continuation of the pendants, from 178 to 196. No. 178, a ring, with two decorated staples. No. 179, a decorated ring, worn into a triangular form internally. No. 180, a britching-ring, with three staples. No. 181, ditto, decorated. No. 182, a different form, quadrangular; three staples holding portions of leather. No. 183, a very light and elegant harness-stud, consist- ing of four rings joined together with slender staples; looks like a toy. No. 184, a ring, v.'ith two star-like staples, highly de- corated; leather remaining; measures 4 j. No. 185, a harness-ring, decorated upon both sides and top. No. 186, a ring, with three co- nical projections on upper surface, to limit play of staples, which remain. No. 187, a ring with four staples, plain. No. 188, a pe- culiarly-formed britching-plate, like three rings joined together; staples broad and quadrangular. No. 189, a britching-ring with three decorated star-like staples. No. 190, a triangular article, like centre-piece of No. 188. No. 191, plain ring, with one staple. No. 622 CATALOGUE OF THK MUSEUM. 192, a decorated ring, triangular internally. No. 193, a toy-like ring, with three staples. No. 194, figured at p. 612. No. 195, ditto, plain; comparatively modern. No. 196, a britching-ring, with three staples, differing from all others in breadth, and still retain- ing pieces of buif leather. Tray TTT contains a collection of forty-two bronze bosses, ro- settes, &c., either personal, or for horse-trapping; many of them comparatively modern; numbered from No. 197 to 238. The first seventeen are circular, Nos. 197 and 198 would appear to have been saddle-terrets; all those after No. 213 are highly ornamented; many with open-work, and are good specimens of casting. A few may have been personal ornaments (see Nos. 237 to end). No. 203 was procured from Lisnafunshin, barony of Fassadinin, county of Kilkenny. Nos. 206 und 213 were — Presented hy Lord Farnham, and No. 236—% Mr. G. Boulger. Tray UUtT contains forty-four globular or pear-shaped cattle- bells and crotals, numbered from 23c> to 282. The first article is a collection of thirteen small, tinkling, globular, perforated bells, at- tached to a zigzag wire-hoop, each bell about ~ inch in diameter, of very thin metal, and having shot inside; they resemble those now attached to toys, or to the fools'-bauble in ancient times; found in sinking a foundation at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, and — Pre- sented hy His Grace the Duke of Northumberland. Adjoining these is a string of fifteen globular bells of the same size; they emit a much duller sound; apertures, placed near the staples, which differ from those in the former set by being cast. After these follow 5 globular bells of a larger size, and decorated. The eight on the second row, numbered from 272 to 279, are larger than either of the foregoing, and vary in diameter from 2^ to 2| inch. Each has a slit connecting the lower apertures, and also holes in the upper segment beside the staple, and they emit very musical sounds. In No 277, part of the clay-core still remains. Several of thes.' globular cattle- bells are pleasingly decorated on the lower hemispheres; six have the initials " R. W.," and one " C. O.," embossed below. This latter, No. 279, is figured on p. 612. The three last articles are pear-shaped crotals, obtained from the " Dowris Find," and of which No. 282 is figured on p. 612. They were presented by Lord Oxmantown to the late Dean Dawson, with whose collection they came into the CLASS V. —METALLIC MATERIALS: TRUMPETS. 623 Academy's Museum. In size they average 6^ inches long, by about 2| in the widest portion. At page 5 19, for Tray XJXJJJ, see Tray WV, page 638. SPECIES VIL — MUSIC AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. The principal ancient Irish musical instruments whereof we have any historic record, or of which the remains have come down to the present time were, the harp — already de- scribed and figured at page 286 ; the trumpet, mentioned be- low ; and the bag-pipe, inflated by the mouth, like that still common in Scotland, and of which there are figures in Der- ricke's book of 1578, already referred to at page 322, but the materials of which were of too perishable a nature for pre- servation. There are sixteen specimens of trumpets in the Academy's Collection, arranged in the third compartment on the northern side of" the ground-floor of the Museum. Trumpets (in Irish, corn, stoc, or stuic). — The earliest Anglo-Irish notice of this instrument is that by Sir Thomas Molyneux, in his " Discourse concerning the Danish Mounds, Forts, and Towers of Ireland," 1725; but in his day it was the fashion to attribute everything valuable or curious in Ire- land to the Ostmen. This opinion appears in a great mea- sure to have arisen from the study of Olaus Wormius' trea- tise on the antiquities of Denmark, published in 1655; in which work may be found notices of many primeval monu- ments, analogous to those in Ireland ; but which were as much antiquities, and as little understood by the Northmen who invaded Ireland in the ninth century, as similar struc- tures here were to the Irish of that period ; both were the works of many centuries previous, and possibly of a people iden- tical in origin, — the first wave of population which overspread north-Avestern Europe. Since the time of Molyneux, the term " Danish Forts" has been popularly applied to all our military raths, and many of the sepulchral mounds. The short side- mouthed trumpet, figured and described by that author, having been, with several others, " found buried in the earth," 624 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. in a mound near Cairickfergus, was henceforth called Danish, although such articles are peculiar to Ireland, and unknown in any part of Scandinavia. In 1750, thirteen or fourteen curved bronze horns were dis- covered between Cork and Mallow, and three of them were figured by Charles Smith, in his History of the County of Cork. Three of these trumpets passed into the possession of Bishop Pococke, the distinguished traveller, and Irish antiquary, with whose collection they were subsequently sold in London, and were figured in the Vetusta Monumenta, by the Society of Antiquaries. There is every reason to believe that they were the identical articles described by Smith ; and they were afterwards copied by J. C Walker, in the Appendix to his "Historical Memoirs of the Irish Bards," 1786. One of these resembles No. 1 2 in our Museum (see Figs. 526 and 529), with a lateral aperture or mouth-hole; the other two were simple curved horns, like Fig. 524 ; but with these were found pieces of straight tubing, like that represented by Ousley, and which were then believed to have formed parts of these trumpets. It does not, however, follow that they were portions of, or in any way attached to, the horns with which they were discovered ; and if (as we believe) they were por- tions of a " Commander's Staff," as stated at page 492 (see Fig. 360), it was not an unlikely place for such articles to be found, where the commander of a battalion had also his speak- ing-trumpet, as well as his trumpeters beside him, when he fell in battle. That a curved trumpet, attached to each end of a straight tube, four feet long, could not be of any use known or conjectured in the present day, is manifest. The subject, however, requires further illustration. It is worthy of note, that, in nearly every instance, several trumpets, and generally including two varieties, have been found together. In 1783, Vallancey figured a side-aperture trumpet, from a specimen in the Museum of Trinity College ; and to his de- scription appended some conjectures as to its use in sounding CLASS V. — METALLIC materials: TRUMPETS. 625 from the tops of round towers, &c.* Vallancey's plate of the horn referred to was inserted in Gough's Camden, in 1789. Three trumpets, and a portion of straight tube (possibly that figured at page 492), precisely similar to those described by Smith, Avere discovered in the county of Limerick in 1787, and were figured by Ralph Ousley, in Vol. II. of the Transactions. In 1794 four brazen trumpets were found in a bog on the borders of Lough-na-shade, near Armagh. One of these, figured by Stuart, in his History of Armagh, is the large riveted trumpet with a decorated disk, and central globular connecting portion, now No. 8, Fig. 527, in the Academy's Collection, and which is joined with rivets ; whereas all those previously noticed were cast. In 1809 both joints of a very large and perfect curved bronze trumpet, or bugle-horn, were found in peat at Ardbrin, parish of Anagh- clone, county of Down, and were minutely described by Mr.Bell, in the Newry Magazine, for I815.t This tine specimen is also in the Museum : see No. 9 Fig. 528. * " The Irish,'' said Vallancey, " had various kinds of trumpets, viz., the stoc, buabhall, beann, adharc, dudag, corna, gall-trumpa." The same terms were adopted by his followers, Ledwich and Walker, the former of whom adds six other names to the list of Irish wind instruments : but none of these writers give any authority for such words. I am indebted to Mr. Curry, who has already furnished all the Irish names used in this Catalogue, for the following note on ancient musical instruments: — " Cruit, a harp; Timpan, a drum or tambourine ; Corn, a trumpet; Stoc, a clarion; Pipai, the pipes ; Fidil, a fiddle. All these are mentioned in an ancient poem in the Book of Leiuster, a MS. of about the year 1160, now in the Library of Trinity College; and the first four are found in various old tales and descriptions of battles. I have not found any reference as to the particular form of these instruments, and never met any allusion to a speaking-trumpet." Giraldus Cambrensis, in his Itinerary of Wales, describes the brazen horn of St. Patrick, to which miraculous powers were attributed. t In the four volumes of that well-conducted publication will be found many valuable articles on Irish antiquities, from the pen of Mr. Bell, now of Dungannon, one of the earliest pioneers of that subject in the present century. The bog where the trumpet referred to above was discovered had been a lake about the middle of the last century. In 1815, a stratum of burned oak was found in it, and a boat scooped out of a single tree, together with four short paddles ; — so that possibly it was the site of a crannoge. 626 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. In 1833, Dr. Petrie, in an article on Irish trumpets, pub- lished in the Dublin Penny Journal, Vol. II., figured a cast bronze horn, one of* several found at Dowris, and which was then in the possession of the Dean of St. Patrick's ; it is now No. 1 1 in the Academy's Collection. In 1835, several trumpets were discovered in a bog near Killarney, some of which were subsequently in the possession of Lord Londesborough and the late Crofton Croker; and some are still in the collections of Mr. Windele, and other persons at Cork. In 1847, three trumpets were discovered near Clogh- oughter Castle, county of Cavan, and were — Presented to the Museum hy Lord Farnham. — See Nos. 6, 14, and 15. Seve- ral others, the particulars of which are not known, came into the possession of Dean Dawson, Avith whose collection they were purchased by the Academy. In 1840, four trumpets were discovered in the bog of Drumabest, parish of Kilraughts, county of Antrim, two of which were sold to the British Museum, by the late Mr. Car- ruthers, of Belfast. The two others remain in Ballymoney, and have been figured by Mr. M'Adam, the last writer on the subject, in his learned article in the Ulster Journal of Archaeology for January, 1860. Of these four, two belong- to the variety with lateral apertures ; and the others were of a rare description, of which we have no example in the Museum of the Academy. That figured by Mr. M'Adam is 35 inches long, and has a double curve, the small upper por- tion turning backwards ; it was blown from the end, and is provided with a staple and suspending ring. These notices, together with the details given in the Ca- talogue of trumpets at page 633, include nearly all that is known on the subject of such articles found in Ireland, of which there are some fine examples in the British Museum. From the foregoing and following remarks, it would appear that five distinct varieties of trumpets have been found at different times in this country. CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS : TRUMPETS. 627 The bronze horns and trumpets noAV in the Collection are of two kinds — those blown from the ends, but the mouth- pieces of Avhich (if such there were), are not forthcoming, and of these there are three varieties — two cast, and one riveted ; and the cast trumpets with lateral embrasures, and closed at the small extremities. The most remarkable speci- mens of all these are represented in the following illustration. The first cut, to the right of the central top specimen, is a short, cast, curved horn, No. 2, which measures 24 inches along the convex margin; it is 3j Avide in the great, and If in the small end, and has a set of large conical projections standing out from either end, and decorated round their bases. There are also four holes in each end, and the small aperture is slightly everted, as if for holding the lips; but it requires a great exertion to produce even a dull sound with this in- strument. There are four perfect specimens of this variety in the Collection, all of which are cast. One of these. No. 1, is a beautiful example of brilliant, golden-red bronze, and was found at Dowris. The largest perfect specimen is 15, and the smallest 10|- inches, measured from point to point. Another variety of this trumpet is figured on page 629. Fig. 524. No. 2. Fig. 525. No. 11. Fig. 526. No. 12. Fig. 527. No. 8. Fig. 528. No. 9. The top central figure, and that immediately beneath it, to the left, Nos. 1 1 and 12, are specimens of the third variety, 628 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. all of which have been arranged in the end case adjoining the door of the Library, and are numbered from 10 to 16. Like the former, each was cast in one piece, but closed, generally by a knob at the small end, and furnished with one or two loops and rings at or near that point. Some have conical spikes round the larger ends, like those of the first variety, and evi- dently belonging to the same class of decoration seen in some of the brazen cauldrons figured on page 530. About the junction of the middle and upper thirds, and towards the inner side, when the instrument is held with its large end turned to the left shoulder, each has a smooth oval aperture, averag- ing 2 inches long, and 1^ wide. It is not possible, by any yet discovered method of applying the lips to this mouth-hole, to produce a musical sound ; but, as conjectured by Walker in 1786, these instruments might have been used as speak- ing-trun)pets, to convey the voice to a great distance, as well as render it' much louder. Mr. M'Adam, in his recently published paper on Irish trumpets, adopts this opinion, but applies it too generally to all our native instruments. Trumpets of this description might have been useful to commanders in the warfare of former days, when the chief battle-sounds were the shouts of the combatants, the clash of arms, or the groans of the wounded. Of the foregoing illus- trations. No. 1.1 is perfectly plain, and measures 24 inches along the convex margin, and 2^ in its greatest width, with a circular termination at the small end, and a narrow ring-loop at top. Kidges, like those left from the imperfect adjust- ment of the moulds — but probably part of the original design of the founder — pass along both the concave and convex edo-es. It appears to have been broken across near the centre, and afterwards repaired, probably by the process called burn- ing in, or — "pouring melting metal at a glowing tempera- ture upon the junction of two [heated] pieces, and by that means fusing the entire into one mass." — See Proceedings, vol. iv., p. 428 ; see also the method of mending bronze CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: TRUMPETS. 629 SAVords, described at page 456 of this work. This trumpet, which formed a portion of the " Dowris Find," and was procured with the Dawson collection, has been figured in the Dublin Penny Journal. No. 12 is one of the finest speci- mens Avhich as yet has been discovered ; of bright yellow metal, measuring 34| inches round the convex side, and 3| in width at the large opening ; above, it terminates in a deco- rated head, 2f inches in diameter and furnished with a large ring. There is another ring near the upper end of the con- cave side. It was broken across at the mouth-hole, and most ingeniously mended by pouring melted metal round the frac- ture, when probably the ends were heated by the method already explained. The additional metal has also been fused round the inner surface. Its lower Fig. 529, Ko. 12. edge is decorated with conical spikes. Figure 529 shows the details, already de- scribed, of the upper portion of this trumpet. It was found near Derrynane, county Kerry, and obtained through the instrumentality of Mr. Du Noyer. Of the first variety, like Fig. 524, described at page 629, and in which the aperture is at the end, there are two remarkably shaped instruments in the Collection, Nos. 5 and 6, in which the curves are different, and the small extremities appear to have been fitted either to mouth-pieces or to other joints. Each is cast in one piece, of dark metal, and strength- ened on both edges by lateral projections still larger than those on No. 10. No. 6, Fig. 530, Fig. 530. No. 6. , O ' is decorated at both ex- tremities, and in the centre of the straight portion, near the top of which there is a small ring-loop ; the jointing part, be- 630 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. neath the decorated shoulder, is 1^ inch long. It measures 221 inches on the convex edge, is 2^ wide at the mouth, and I at the small end. It was found with Nos. 15 and 16, at Cornaconway, near Cloghoughter Castle, county Cavan, and — Presented by Lord Farnham. No. 7, perfect, heavy, and a little larger, is of precisely the same shape, and was found at Roscrea. The third variety is represented by the two large trum- pets of the bugle-horn shape, Figures 527 and 528, in the il- lustration at page 627. Each of these consists of two portions, but no mouth-pieces were discovered with them. The first would appear to be that found in the county Armagh, in 1794, and figured by Stewart ; and the second, now the lowest speci- men in the illustration is that discovered in the county Down, and described by Mr. Bell. The peculiarity of these trumpets is their great length, and the ingenious mode by which each is joined along the concave side by a series of minute rivets fastened to a strap of metal, which runs the entire length of the inside in No. 9, and partially on both sides in Nos. 7 and 8. The trumpet No. 8 is composed of two portions — the large lower conical part, with a decorated disk beloAV, and a circular boss at top, to connect it with the slender upper part, the sides of which are nearly parallel; both together measuring, on the convex margin, about six feet — not cast, but formed of very thin, sheet bronze, closed by seams along the concave edge, in the following ingenious manner: — A strip of thin metal, half an inch wide, extends along the seam internally, and is united to each side by a series of nail-headed studs, in alter- nate spaces, with | inch between ; externally another strap, doubled on itself in the centre, evidently to strengthen it, runs over the seam, and is fastened by a series of small well- formed rivets, placed at regular distances, and passing through the three plates of metal. By this contrivance, which must have preceded the knowledge of junction by soldering, the CLASS V. METALLIC MATERIALS: TRUMPETS. 631 instrument was rendered perfectly air-tight. The cast boss at top is about 3 inches wide, and was fastened by interlapping with the tube. This lower part of No. 8 was evidently long in use, and has been most ingeniously patched and mended in several places by riveted plates and collars. The narrow upper tube is in two portions, passing, at the junction, into each other, but manifestly part of the same instrument ; their seams are joined by the same plan of riveting as that described above, but in a ruder way.* The decorated disk below, the details of the punched or hammered- up ornament on which are shown in the accompany- ing illustration, measures 7^ inches across. Its style of decoration much resem- bles that of the large shield-like plates on Tray VVV, and represented by Fig. 533, page 637. Its present mode of attach- ment to the trumpet- mouth is evidently modern. Fig. 531 no. a The great trumpet in this Collection is No. 9, represented by Fig. 528, In the illustration on page 627, certainly the finest article of the kind which has yet been discovered in Europe ; it was found in the Co. Down, in 1809- It measures 8 feet 5 inches along the convex margin, and consists of two por- tions, each formed of very stronii: sheet bronze, of a yel- lowish-red colour, and joined along the seam by means of a riveted plate ; but far surpassing, in ingenuity and handicraft, any of the foregoing articles of this description. It is 3 J inches * The Scandinavian trumpets, of which there are six perfect specimens in the Museum at Copenhagen, were all cast in separate lengths, and resemble in size No. 8 in R. I. A. By means of a " wind" in each of the two.perfect articles in that collec- tion, the lower portion presented in front of the peiformer, while the small end passed round his neck. 2 T 632 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. wide at the open of the large end, and f at the upper ; the smaller tube has parallel sides, and is about the size of the small extremity of the larger ; but by what means the two were joined, or whether a mouth-piece was attached to the small extremity, is unknown. The riveting of the edges in this instrument is the most perfect thing of its kind yet dis- covered, and is well exhibited in the accompanying cut, drawn, the natural size, from portions of its external and in- ternal surfaces. The bronze strap which covers the joining on theinside is studded with small, circular-headed studs, ri- veted on the outside, as shown in the lower section of this cut. There is no strap ex- ternally; and the perfection of the riveting has long been a subject of admiration to the curious, there being as many as 638 rivets in this lower portion. By what means they were introduced throughout, or what description of mandril was employed for riveting them upon, is still a subject of speculation. A great variety of loud, mar- tial tones, can be produced by the lower fragment of this trumpet ; but the want of a mouth-piece ren- ders it difficult to play upon. This is the instrument disco- vered in the County Down, and described by Mr. Bell, see page 625. Diodorus Siculus, writing of the Celtic Gauls, states — " they have amongst them trumpets peculiar as well to them- selves as to other nations ; these, by inflation, emit an hoarse sound, well suited to the din of battle." And Polybius says that "the parade and tumult of the army of the Celts terrified the Romans ; for there was amongst them an infinite number of horns and trumpets, which, with the shouts of the whole army in concert, made a clamour so terrible and loud, that every surrounding echo was awakened, and all the adjacent country seemed to join in the horrible din." CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: TRUMPETS. 633 Bronze VII. — Third Compartment; Northern Ground-Floor. The sixteen bronze trumpets have been arranged in the top space of the third Compartment, and are numbered from 1 to 16. No. 1, a very perfect horn, of bright gold-coloured bronze, referred to at p. 627, decorated at both extremities, with conical projections, four above, and six below; measures 21 inches round the convex margin ; is 3^ across the open of the large extremity, and 1| wide in the slightly-everted small end ; found at Dowris, near Parsonstown, King's County, and presented, together with No. 11, by Lord Ox- mantown, to the late Dean Dawson, with whose collection they came into the Academy. — SeeProc, vol. iv., p. 423. No. 2, ditto, fractured in centre; figured and described at p. 627. No. 3, a short trumpet, perfect; open at the small end ; thin, cast; 24 inches round convex margin; 3f across large, and If wide at small extremity; with six conical projections below, and four at top, together with four rivet- holes at that end. There are a number of small holes throughout the instrument, either from corrosion, or through defect in casting; and it has been mended by pouring in fresh metal, in three places, on the greater curvature towards the large end. No. 4, ditto, im- perfect, of very thin bronze, much worn and battered ; conical studs at large end, similar to those in foregoing. Nos. 5 and 6 are of a different variety, elongated in small extremity, and almost identical in shape. No. 5 is cast; heavy; very slightly decorated; without rivet holes at either extremity. It measures 23| inches round con- vex edge ; 2^ across ; large ; and | at the small extremity, which is 1|^ in length, from the raised shoulder; ring-loop on upper portion of concave edge ; found at Roscrea (Sirr.). No. 6, ditto, thinner, slightly imperfect on one side; figured and described at p. 629. No. 7, a thin bronze tube; 34 inches long, and 1^ in diameter, with circular ferule ; bosses at the extremities ; manifestly a portion of a bronze trumpet, in the highest perfection; riveted along the con- cave margin to a strap of thin metal, one-half inch wide, the rivets about one-half inch asunder, with the head inside, not placed in pairs, but obliquely as regards each other, as in the spear-ferule figured and described at page 504. Although these rivet-heads are flat near the extremities of this tube, they become prominent, and irregular towards the interior. The joining of the sides is most 634 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. accurate, and the article is perfectly air-tight, but, owing to its pa- rallel sides, does not produce any musical sound. The ferule- bosses, each about 2^ inches in diameter, were evidently fixed in their present positions by interlapping at the upper margins of the extremities of the tube, as in modern tin- work. This article evidently formed a portion of a trumpet similar to the following. No. 8, the large thin trumpet described as Figs. 527 and 531, at pp. 627 and 631 ; composed of two portions, the upper and smaller one also consisting of two parts, one inserted within the other. No. 9, the large perfect trumpet, in two portions, delineated by Figs. 528 and 532, and described at p. 631. The following trumpets have lateral apertures. No. 10, slightly imperfect at small end, including a portion of the mouth-hole, which is 30 inches from the large end. The decorated studs around the lower opening resemble those in No. 2. It was found near Macroom, Co. Cork, and was given by John Lindsay, Esq., to Dean Dawson. No. 11, described at p. 627, see Fig. 525. No. 12, large bronze trumpet, with lateral aperture, described at p. 629, see Figs. 526 and 529. No. 13, upper and lower fragments of a trumpet of the same variety, of very brittle metal; 2^ wide; ridge on concave, and convex edges, like the result of a mis-adjustment of moulds, but evidently intended to add strength to the article; extremity sur- rounded by twelve small studs, now enveloped in a coating of addi- tional metal, poured around them, when in a fluid state, to repair some deficiency in the margin; this addition passes over both sides of the fractured ends, for about Ij inch. The new edge is decorated with a raised torque-pattern. This artistic mode of perfecting the open of the instrument, which is 2| in diameter, shows how neces- sary the completion of that part was to the perfection of the instru- ment, and is also a most curious instance of repair in ancient bronze. The upper fragment is of the same description, with flanges on both curvatures; ring-loop; mouth-hole small, and thick round margin. It was found with Nos. 6 and 14, at Corraconway, county Cavan, and — Presented by Lord Far n ham — See p. 626; see, also, Proc, vol. iii., p. 530. No. 14, fragment of the large extremity of a trumpet, so like the foregoing, as to appear to have been cast in the same mould. There is, however, a slight difference in the orna- mental studs around the opening; found with the foregoing. No. CLASS V. — METALLIC materials: RING-MONEY. 635 1.5, ditto, imperfect, ring-loop near small mouth-hole (Dawson). No. 16, ditto, with two loops — one at top, the other on the side, similar to No. 12, the extremity contains a quantity of fine drab- coloured sand, possibly the remains of the casting-core. For the remains of harps, see Eail-case P, page 599. SPECIES VIII. MONEY, COINS, AND OTHER MEANS OF BARTER. At the period of the Roman invasion of Gaul and Britain, Caesar informs us that the inhabitants of those countries "used for money gold and iron rings of certain weight ;" but says no- thing of bronze or silver. Vallancey, writing in 1783, adopts this passage, and applies it to the elucidation of the use of a double bronze ring found in Ireland, like that represented by Fig. 452, page 578, of this work; but which, and all similar articles, of which there are a great many in the Collection, have since been proved to be fragments of ring-chains. Sir W. Betham enlarged upon this idea of the author of the Collec- tanea (but without acknowledgment) ; and, in two papers, read to the Academy in June, 1836, and January, 1837, and printed in Vol. xvii. of the Transactions, figured, and described as ring-money, a large and miscellaneous collection of articles of various shapes, sizes, and weights ; but chiefly penannular rings of bronze, gold, and silver.* The single, double, and triple rings of the former metal, undoubtedly, belonged to chain dress, or armour; and, although some small gold rings (several ancient forgeries of which have been discovered), may have been used as a means of barter, the uses of the other articles figured by that author, are now Avell established as fibulse and armillse. When we reflect on the great numlicr of antique metallic articles to which rings were attached, the * In Sir W. Betliam's second paper, allmled to above, he quotes a letter of Mr. SainlhiU, of Cork, stating that metal rings -were then niaiiulactured at Birniiugham and used for trading with people on the coast of Africa; but, adds Jlr. S., they "are a composition of brass and copper; they are called manillas, and are worn ax or- naments, and pass as the representatives of money." Some were manufactured of iron. 636 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. number of these found in Ireland will not appear surprising. See the further consideration of this subject in the descrip tion of the articles of gold and silver. Species, ix. — Medicine is only represented by one bronze surgical instrument, No. 38, in Rail-case Q. All the bronze articles connected with species x. — Religion — will be consi- dered under the head of ecclesiastical antiquities ; and there are no representatives of species xi Sepulture — among the metallic articles of any description in the Collection. SPECIES XII. miscellaneous. The true eclectic method of investigating the remains of the past — our increased knowledge of the contents of the mu- seums of other countries, and a rational comparison of the relics of our ancestors with articles in use in the present day, together with a common-sense view of antiquities generally — has left very few articles the use of which may not be fairly assigned, or plausibly conjectured. Still, if the house of a wealthy citizen of the present time were, with all its contents, to be sunk beneath the earth's surface, and dug up one thou- sand, or five hundred years hence, the antiquary of that day would find some articles, the precise objects of which could not be determined with sufficient certainty to warrant their being grouped with any of the species described in the classi- fication adopted in such a Catalogue as this. The most notable collection of articles, the object of which has as yet puzzled antiquaries, is the set of six bronze disks, arranged on Tray VVV, in the third compartment of the northern ground-floor, and of which the accompanying illustration is a good example. It is drawn from two imperfect specimens, Nos. 1 and 5 ; the line a, h, marking the division in the re- stored drawing. They average 1 1 inches in diameter, and are slio-htly dished, or hollowed, Avith nearly central cups or de- pressions. As already stated, the general design of the orna- ment is that of a series of horns or trumpets, with their bases CLASS V. — METALLIC materials: MISCELLANEOUS. 637 approaching each other ; together with crescentic and spiral de- corations. Each of these plates is hammered outof a tolerably thick piece of metal; and, as some of them are in an unfinished state, they afford the means of examining into the process of their manufacture. Although the general characters are the same in all, each differs slightly in detail. The pattern was Fig. 533. Nos. 1 and 5. first marked out by a rounded elevation on a concave surface, punched or hammered-up from the reverse side ; and in this state two of these bosses still remain. Then, by a continuation of the process in front, and possibly working on a block of pitch, or other yielding substance, these raised portions were rendered as thin as writing paper, and the whole embossment was made to assume externally a polished surface, and a sharp- ness of outline that is truly marvellous. Finally, the extreme edge was formed into a distinct line of the most exquisite finish, as is well seen in the intersecting curves in the lower section of the foregoing illustration. On the subject of the 638 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. spiral form of Irish ornament, the late John Kemble, in his eloquent address to the Academy in 1857, justly said: — *' There is a peculiar development of the double spiral line, totally unknown to the Greeks, the Etruscans, and the nations of the Teutonic North, which is essentially characte- teristic, not only of the Scoto-Keltic, but the Britanno-Keltic populations of these islands. If the lines are allowed to di- verge, instead of following one another closely in their wind- ings, they produce that remarkable pattern wliich, since a few years, we have been in the habit of calling the trumpet-pat- tern, and which, from one of its peculiarities, is sometimes called the thumb pa,ttern. When this is represented in a plane surface, in the illuminations of MSS., you have that marvel- lously beautiful result which is familiar to you in the ' Book of Kells ;' to us in the ' Book of St. Cuthbert,' or ' The Durham Book,' in the British Museum; and in the equally beautiful records of Scoto-Keltic [Irish] self-devotion and culture in the MSS. of St. Gall, in Switzerland. When, as is often the case in metal, this principle of the diverging spiral line is carried out in repoussee — when you have those singularly beautiful curves — more beautiful, perhaps, in the parts that are not seen than in those that meet the eye — whose beauty, revealed in shadow more than in form— you have a peculiar characte- ristic — a form of beauty which belongs to no nation but our own, and to no portion of our nation but the Keltic portion. The trumpet-pattern is neither Greek, nor Roman, nor Ori- ental. There is nothing like it in Etruscan art; there is nothing like it in German or Slavonic art ; there is little like it in Gallic or Plelvetian art: it is indigenous." — See Pro- ceedings, vol. v., p. 475 ; see likewise Dr. F. Keller's illumi- nations and fac- si miles from Irish MS. in Switzerland; trans- lated in the Ulster Journal of Archa3ology, vol. viii., p. 224. Respecting the uses of these articles — which have as yet been found only in Ireland — we are still in the dark; the most probable conjecture is, that they wore portions of shields. CLASS V. — METALLIC MATERIALS: MISCELLANEOUS. 639 Fig. 534, No. 17. Fig. 535, No. 24. Amoiio- the other miscellaneous articles, illustrative of native art, may be specified the following: — Figure 534 is drawn one-half the natural size from No. 17, a bronze figure, which serves to illustrate the subject of costume, described at page 259. This article resembles the figures represented on page 320 ; and pro- bably formed a decoration on some flat metallic surface. Figure 535, drawn the true size, from No. 24, in Rail-case P, repre- sents two portions of a thin curved strap of cast bronze, 8^ inches long, and highly decorated all over the external surface. It was found in the Shannon, near Athlone, and — P?'e- sented by the Shannon Commissioners . The concluding cut, Fig. 536, shows the interlaced strap work on a hollow bronze sheath or ferule, No. 8 in Rail-case P, shaped some- Fig. 536. No. 8. what like a crocodile's head. It is 4 inches long, and is par- tially open underneath : see page 640. Tray VW contains six bronze embossed plates, three of which are quite perfect. No. 1, incomplete, but forming, with No. 5, Fig. 533, on p. 637; 11 inches wide; the workmanship very imperfect. No. 2, complete, dished; 11 in diameter; apparently in process of manufacture, the edges of the elevated portions being round, except in one of the decorations towards the lower margin, where it has been worked out into a sharp, well-defined pattern. No. 3, ditto, flat, unfinished, except in one small ornament near the top; small, and probably modern, oval aperture in central depression ; stout everted rim ; found, with No. 4, at Monasterevan, Co. Kildare (Sirr). No. 4, imperfect in some places, unfinished; 1 1^ No. 5, imperfect towards lower edge, but the most highly finished specimen in the Collection, forming, with No. 1, the illustration at p. G37; cen- 2 u 640 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. tral depression deep, with raised curved margin ; diameter, 10 inches. No. 6, fragment of the right side of a boss, like No. I. Rail-case P, continued from p. 599, Miscellaneous articles. — No. 7, a curious article, like a crocodile's head; hollow, raised cast ornament, triangular projections at end; 4|. No. 8, ditto, figured at p. 639. No. 9, rude hollow model of a sheep; 2f, No. 10, ditto, hollow; a good representation of the ancient Irish pig; 3j. No. 11, ditto, of a boar, fuller, and evidently of an improved breed; 3j. No. 12, figure of a frog; 1^. No. 13, a solid piece of brass, in shape of a boot; 2j. No. 14, ditto; 2j. No. 15, a bronze capsule, with three apertures. No. 16, a curious antique figure on flat plate, rude, and showing commencement of art in figure-making; arms akimbo, head attached; plate not cast, but cut, punched, and chiselled; evidently intended to be placed on a flat surface. No. 17, figured and described at p. 639. No. 18, antique figure, like an idol; with a stem beneath, for fixing it on a pedestal; 3^. No. 19, antique classic female figure, well draped on both sides, with stud below for pedestal; 2^. No. 20, ditto, a complete statuette. No. 21, modern; a draped figure with Phrygian cap; holding an in- verted torch; 3. No. 22, antique figure, probably of Minerva, well- cast and draped, possibly Roman ; 3^. No. 23, curious grotesque hu- man figure, hollow, of antique bronze; stands on tripod formed of its legs and a projection like a tail — arms crossed in front, as if in the act of nursing; naked, except girdle and close-fitting head-dress; resembles a small lavatory; 4| high. No. 24, a thin, curved plate of bronze, with grotesque head, figured at p. 639. No. 25, a plate of bronze, shaped like a broad cross, edges supported by narrow additional straps; covered with small circular studs, for holding stones; probably the frame- work of a shrine decoration; 5j. No. 26, a small hat-shaped boss, like the miniature unjbo of a shield; f . No. 27, a circular disk, corroded; l^. No. 28, a curious almond- shaped instrument, hollow, formed of two elongated hemispheres; a loop at one end, a solid stem at the other; 1|. No. 29, lower portion of a similar article, with tubular stem; 1^. No. 30, pos- sibly top of antique balance; 2^ high, with three square projecting sockets; cock's head on top; cleft projections behind. Rail-case Q — No. 31, a brass Beggar's badge, circular; 1|; marked, "St. Mark's Parish, No. 7;" found in excavating for CLASS V. — METALLIC materials: MISCELLANEOUS. 641 foundations at King's Inns-street, Dublin; oval, bas-relief in cen- tre, representing apostles healing the lame man; city arms at top. — Presented hy E. Mallett, Esq. No. 32, ditto, marked, " St. Ann's Parish, No. 7." No. 33, circular, plain; 3 wide; marked, Parish of Tidavnet, 1742. For note on Beggars' Badges, see Ulster Jour- nal of Archaeology, vol. viii., p. 232. No. 34, a curious badge; 3 ■wide; bearing a large monogram on surface; originally gilt and enamelled. No. 35, a square messengers' badge, ornamented in relief, with a three-masted ship, and bearing the names " And" Murray and John Tew;" 3^ by 3^. No. 36, an oblong thin plate, coated with tin, and decorated with intersecting lines on reverse side; 7|- by 2|. Externally it had originally two circular bosses, with intermediate plates; one decorated cast boss, 2^ wide, still re- mains; trumpet-pattern. It appears to have been part of a belt-or- nament; and was found at Clonard, county Meath. No. 37, a thin ornamented plate, probably part of a similar article. No. 38, a conical piece of metal, If; with a stem, 12jlong; apparently a cau- terizing implement. No. 39, a large purse-clasp, believed to be part of an almoner's money-bag; 5j wide. No. 40, ditto, semi- circular; 5|. No. 41, bronze bifurcated tube in shape of bird's claw; ornamented; 4; possibly part of a lamp. No. 42, gurgoyle- shaped article, with human Egyptian- face decoration, possibly spout of lavatory; Z\. No. 43, capsule of thin yellow metal perforated at sides; \^. No. 44, a rudely cast piece of bronze, resembling the foot of some household article, possibly a lamp; found in the county Longford (Dawson.) The four next articles resemble tops of fire-irons, hollow, and slightly ornamented below. No. 45, covered with antique green patina; 2g high. No. 46, ditto, contains a por- tion of iron in the socket ; antique decoration ; found at Keelogue Ford, in 1843. — Presented by Shannon Commissioners. No. 47, short, pale metal, with lead impacted in socket. No. 48, ditto, small; 1^. No. 49, a decorated hook ; massive ; formed to fit a screen-pole ; hinged at small ends; sides fastened by a screw at large extremity; 9 inches round convex edge. No. 50, an angular piece of metal, decorated; 7f. No. 51, a small screw-like article, beautifully cast, and tastefully decorated; 1|. No. 52, ditto, with revolving pendant; originally gilt. No. 53, corkscrew-like article, with pivot; 5. No. 54, a decorated piece of bronze; 4. No. 55, a long piece of bronze, 642 CATALOGUE OF THE MUSEUM. shaped like a " hanger," bevelled at back ; fractured ; ] 5^. No. 56, a piece of brass tubing; 7. No. 57, ditto, 6 (Sirr.) No. 58, a penan- Dular tubular collar, with wide flange, open at side; unfinished; 7^ in diameter; tube, f . No. 59, piece of brass tube; 7^; found at Clontarf, No. 60, a set of three small tixbes, like cartridge-holders joined together; 3f. No. 61, a cruciform decorated article, pro- bably a latch; 5f. No. 62, a metal strap. No. 63, a well-cast piece of decorated open-work, cruciform ; surface covered with small em- bossed floral patterns; 5^. No. 64, ditto, small; 2f. No. 65, ditto, 2^. No. 66, a curious decoration, with double bird-head; embossed on surface; 2|. No. 67, small piece of bronze; 2. No. 68, cruciform piece of bronze slag ; 7. No. 69, a long, slender, T- shaped article, apparently very ancient; 8^; covered with thick brown patina. No. 70, a crescentic piece of bronze; 4 wide; well- cast; marked on edge with a decoration, modern, possibly a tool. No. 71, a pendant, like tongue of bell. No. 72, a small shamrock- shaped article, like three buttons joined together. No. 73, an ob- long plate, well-cast, with " vivas in dec" in raised letters (Daw- son). No. 74, small brass pistol, in one piece; 6^. No. 75, crozier- shaped decorated article, inlaid ; horse's head in front ; 3. No. 76, small bow, with square sockets; Ig. No. 77, spur-strap. Nos. 78, 79, 80, and 81, fragments of metal. No. 82, an ancient book-clasp, beautifully decorated with Irish scroll-work; 3. No. 83, spoon- shaped disk; 2 J. Nos. 84 and 85, small bronze rods. No. 86, hinged piece of metal; 3. The subject of House-bells will be considered in another place. In the first Cross- case on the ground-floor, top shelf. No. 87» is a massive bronze mortar-shaped article, with side-handles, and de- corated with cog-like elevations; 3g- high by 3^ wide; found near Thurles, and — Presented by Henry Grattan, Esq. Nos. 103 and 104, two bronze moulds, in fine preservation, omitted in descrip- tion of tools at p. 597. The first resembles a button-mould, and has four human faces on one of the stamps. No. 104 is 2f, and has eleven stamps. For the description of the metallic Scandinavian collection, con- tinued from page 153, see conclusion of metallic articles. ^ .■■^•^^fwf