W. G. Wood-Martin - Traces of The Elder Faiths in Ireland Vol. II

m
TRACES
ELDER FAITHS OF IRELAND
tbere be wbtcb are desirous to be strangers in soile, ano forrainers in tbeir owne Cftie, tbeg mas so continue, ano tberein flatter tbemselves. ffor sucb like 5 bave not written tbese lines nor taken tbese CAMDEN. .'
tbeir
owne
'
TURPE EST IN PATRIA PEKEGRINARI, ET IN

PEKTINENT HOSPITEM
ESSE.'
EIS
REBUS QUJE
AI)
PATRIAM
'
IN
NOVA PERT ANIMUS MUTATAS DICERE FORMAS
CORPORA.'
'THOUGH KNEELING NATIONS WATCH AND YEARN,

DOES THE PRIMORDIAL PURPOSE TURN?'
'
ONE ETERNAL AND IMMUTABLE LAW EMBRACES ALL THINGS AND ALL
TIM KB.'
tbeir
3f ans tberc be wbicb are desirous to be strangers in owne soile, ano forrainers ijt tbeir owne Citie, tbeg mas so continue, ano tberein flatter themselves, jfor sucb like 5 bave not written tbese lines nor taken tbese
4
patneS.'
CAMDEN.
'
TURPE EST
IX P ATRIA PEREGRINARI, ET IN EIS
REBUS Q.VM AD PATRIAM
PBKTINENT HOSPITEM ESSE.'
'
IN
NOVA FERT ANIMUS MUTATAS DICERE FORMAS
CORPORA.'
'THOUGH KNEELING NATIONS WATCH AND YEARN,

DOES THE PRIMORDIAL PURPOSE TURN?'
'ONE ETERNAL AND IMMUTABLE LAW EMBRACES ALL THINGS AND ALL
TIMES.'
O S O H
a <n > <
w *
TRACES
OF THE
ELDER FAITHS OF IRELAND

*
A FOLKL ORE SKE TCH

~^.
tontiboofc of Ertsjj $re= Christian Cratuttong
BY
W.
G.
WOOD-MARTIN,
M.R.I. A.
Pagan Ireland. The Lake Dwellings of Ireland The Rude Stone Monuments of Ireland (Co. Sligo and the Island of Achill) History of Sligo, County and Town (3 vols.)
Sligo
and
the Enniskilleners
arc., S*c.
IN
TWO VOLUMES
VOL.
II.
PRINTED AT THE
BY PONSONBY & WELDRIOK.
tjje
JHemors of
JHotfjer
CONTENTS
FAIRY LORE,
.........
CHAPTEE
II.
CHAPTEE
I.
PAGE
1
MARRIAGE LORE,
........
CHAPTER
III.
ITS
26
WELL WORSHIP AND
CONCOMITANTS,
....
. . .
46
CHAPTEE
IV.
ANIMAL WORSHIP, BIRDS, AND AUGURY,
.116
CHAPTEE
TREE WORSHIP
V.
HERBS AND MEDICINE,
.152
CHAPTEE
'
VI.
STONE WORSHIP,
206
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER
THE SEASONS
PROVERBS,
VII.
PAGE
CERTAIN
........
NUMBERS,
DAYS,
COLOURS,
AND
262
CHAPTER
VIII.
TRANSITIONAL ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE CONTINUITY OF RELIGION,
288
ADDITIONAL NOTES,
........
WORKS ON
IRISH PRE-CHRIS-
325
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PAPERS AND

TIAN ARCHAEOLOGY AND
FOLKLORE WHICH CAME UNDER

329 417
THE WRITER'S NOTICE,
......
IN
ALPHABETICAL LIST OF AUTHORS NAMED
THE BIBLIOGRAPHY,
INDEX,
..........
423
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
FIGURE PAGE
" HOI.ED STONE" AT TOBERNAVEAN, WOODVILLE, NEAR SLIGO,

Frontispiece.
1
THE RESCUE FROM THE FAIRIES,
.11
.
2 3
" THE FAIRIES ARE DANCING BY BRAKE AND BY BOWER,"
THE FAIRY PIPER, " THEY ENDEAVOUR TO ENTICE THEM TO
RANEAN ABODES,"
5 6
7
FAIRY MUSIC,
THE LEPRECHAUN,
WILL-O'-THE-WISP, OR THE BOG SPRITE,
8 9
WEDDING DANCE MASK,
......... ........ .......... ......... ..... ........

.
17
18
VISIT
THEIR SUBTER18
20
23 24
36
51
SITE OF ST. KEYNE'S WELL,

ST.
CORNWALL,
10
1 1
BRIDGET'S STONE, KILLINAGH, NEAR HLACKLION,
...
.
60 60
THE LITTLE ALTAR, WITH STONES, ISLAND OF INISHMURRAY,

CLOCHA-BREACHA ALTAR, WITH
INISHMURKAY,
CURSING-STONES, ISLAND
12
.........
.
OF
61
13
14
EASTERN ALTAR, WITH STONES, ISLAND OF INISHMUKRAY,

CURSING-STONES, &C., ISLAND OF INISHMURRAY,
...
. .
62 63 64
64
15
ALTAR STONE FROM TRUMMERY CHURCH, COUNTY ANTRIM,

ALTAR STONES IN THE COLLECTION
R.I. A.,
16,17
18 19
THE HEALING STONE OF
ST.
CONALL,
......
....
69
ALTAR AT TOOMOUR, WITH DUMB-BELL STONE, AND " DICKET

STONES,"
20
21
ALTAR AT TOBERARAGHT, WITH GLOBULAR STONKS,
.......... ...
ST.
70 70
FRONT AND BACK VIEW OF
DKCLAN*S BLACK RELIC, EMPLOYED

71
TO CUKE SORE EYES, HEADACHES, &C.,
22
EGG-SHAPED STONES, STRAINING STONE, AND STRAINING STRING,

KILLERY, CO. SLIGO,
71
xii
LIST OF ILL USTRA TIONS.

PAGE
23
FIGURE
PART OF STONE CIRCLE, NEAR KENMARE. ON THE TOP OF THE LARGEST BOULDER THERE IS A SMALL STONE WHICH HAS A
CORD ALWAYS ROLLED ROUND
IT,
73 75
75
24
25
THE GARNAVILLA AMULET,

THE IMOKILLY AMULET,
IRISH MEDICAL AMULETS,
........
. .
26 27
28
.77
83
RAGS TIED ON TREES, &C., AT TUBBERNALT, NEAR SLIGO,
RUDE IDOL OF WOOD, FROM WEST AFRICA, WITH OFFERINGS IN THE SHAPE OF IRON NAILS DRIVEN INTO IT,
ST.
29
30
31
BRIDGET'S WELL, COUNTY CLARE,
ST.
ST.
DECLAN'S WELL, ARDMORE, IN THE YEAR 1830,

SENAN'S WELL, COUNTY CLARE,
......
.
.
.
... ...
SLIGO,
. .
85 89
96
97
32 33
34
GENERAL VIEW OF WELL AND ALTARS AT TUBKERNALT, NEAR

ALTAR AT TUBBERNALT,
.
.
100
.102 .103
.
TOBERMONIA, NEAR LOUGH ARROW,

ST.
35 36
37
MOLAISE'S (MOLASH'S) WELL, ISLAND OF INISHMURRAY,

ASSISTANCE, ISLAND OF INISHMURRAY.
ST.
104 105
WELL OF
WELL OF
A WIND-WELL,
ITS S~ACRED
.
.
KEERAN, NEAR KELLS, CELEBRATED FOR

.
TROUT,
38
.110
130
REPRESENTATION OF BOVINE HEAD IN BRONZE, IN THE COLLECTION OF THE U.I.A.,

REPRESENTATIONS OF BOARS IN BRONZE, IN THE COLLECTION OF
.........
39, 40
THE
41
R.I.A.,
BRONZE INSTRUMENT, WITH BIRD ORNAMENTS,
....
137
143
42
PATTERN OF BRONZE WIRE RUNNING THROUGH CENTRE OF HOLLOW

IN FIG. 41,
43 44
" THE WREN BOYS,"
........
.
.
143
149
THE AIR SUNG BY "THE WREN BOYS,"

SACRED TREE IN THE PARISH OF CLENOR, COUNTY CORK,
149
45
46
158
"BIG BELL TREE" AT BORRISOKANE, APPEARED IN THE YEAR 1833,

.
co.
.
TIPPERARY, AS
.
.
IT
.
47 48
"
SWEAT-HOUSE," ISLAND OF INISHMURRAY,
....
OF
BLACKLION,
159
162
"
SWEAT-HOUSE," IN COUNTY CAVAN,
THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
163

FIGURE
xm
PAGE
164
49
50
51
SWEAT-HOUSE AT ASSAROE, BALLYSHANNON,

SWEAT-HOUSE AT KINLOUGH,
CO. LEITRIM,
.... ....
. . .
165
BRONZE CALDRON FOUND IN THE TOWNLAND OF RAFFEHY, PARISH OF KILLINCHY, COUNTY DOWN,
203 208
52 53
ROWS OF PILLAR-STONES AT CARNAC IN BRITTANY,
"THE BUTTER ROLLS" (PROBABLY

SIDE,
CURSING-STONES), NORTH
. .
FERNAGH OLD CHURCH, COUNTY KERRY,
.210
211
54
"THE
BUTTER ROLLS " (PROBABLY CURSING-STONES), SOUTH SIDE,
FEKNAGH OLD CHURCH, COUNTY KEKRY,

*
....
. .
.
55
THE THIEF, THE BOY, AND THE COW, PARISH OF KILKOSS, COUNTY
SLIGO,
.
. . . . . .
.215
.
56
THE " EGLONE," NEAR THE VILLAGE OF HIGHWUOD, COUNTY SLIGO A GIANT METAMORPHOSED INTO STONE,
.
220
57
" THE GATES OF GLORY."

LEADING TO VENTRY,
STANDING-STONES NEAR THE ROAD
.......
....
. .
223
227
58 59
" HOLED-STONE" NEAR KOLLEGOR, INDIA,

"
HOLED-STONE," CALLED CLOCHBHREAC, "THE SPECKLED STONE," AND CLOCHLIA, OR "THE GKAY STONE," AT TOBERNAVEAN,
WOODVILLE, NEAR SLIGO,
.......
.
229
231
60
61
"HOLED-STONE."
THE MAEX-AN-TOLL, CORNWALL,
"HOLED-STONE" LURISTAN, PERSIA, ON THE GRAVE OK A VALIANT WARRIOR THROUGH WHICH COWARDS ARE PASSED TO CURE THEM OF COWARDICE,
......
.
232
62
THE CLOCH-NAVE-DEGLANE, OR "
DECLAN's SACRED STONE," AT ARDMORE, UNDER WHICH PILGRIMS SQUEEZE THEMSELVES,

ST.
233
63 " SECONDARY HOLED-STONE," NEAR THE VILLAGE OF DOAGH, COUNTY ANTRIM, CONNECTED WITH APHRODISIAC CUSTOMS, 64
238
"SECONDARY HOLED-STONE" AT CASTLEDERMOT, CALLED "THE SWEARING-STONE," EVIDENTLY FORMERLY CONNECTED WITH
APHRODISIAC CUSTOMS,
239
65
" SECONDARY HOLED-STONE," MAINISTER, ARAN ISLAND, CONNECTED WITH APHRODISIAC CUSTOMS
" SECONDARY HOLED-STONE."
240
66
WEATHER-WORN AND MUTILATED

240
CROSS, AT LAYDE, CO. ANTRIM,
......
67
"SECONDARY HOLED-STONE," AT GLENCOLUMBKILL, CONNECTED WITH APHRODISIAC CUSTOMS,
241
xiv
FIGURE

PAGE
68
"SECONDARY HOLED -STONE," DEVKNISH, LOUGH EUNE, CONNECTED
WITH APHRODISIAC CUSTOMS,

69
242
"SECONDARY HOLED-STONE," AT "THE CHURCH OF THE MEN," ISLAND OF INISHMURRAY, CONNECTED WITH APHRODISIAC
CUSTOMS,
243
70
CHURCH OF THE "SECONDARY ISLAND OF INISHMURRAY, CONNECTED WITH APHROWOMEN,"

DISIAC CUSTOMS,
HOLED-STONE," NEAR "THE
243
71
" SECONDARY HOLED-STONE," FORMERLY AT 8TENNIS, NEAR KIRKWALL, ORKNEY, CONNECTED WITH APHRODISIAC CUSTOMS,
.
244 244
72
73
"SECONDARY HOLED-STONE," AT LOCHGILPHEAD, ARGYLLSHIRE,

CROSS,
WITH BULLAN ON EITHER

.
.
SIDE,
.
CONNECTED WITH APHRO. . .
DISIAC CUSTOMS,
.245
246
74
"THE WITCHES' STONE," A BULLAN NEAR ANTRIM ROUND TOWER,

"SECONDARY HOLED-STONES," CONNECTED WITH APHRODISIAC CUSTOMS. EXTRAORDINARY STONE WEDDING RINGS, IN THE CHURCHYARD OF KIRK BRADDAN, ISLE OF MAN,
. . .
75
248
76
A ROMAN " SECONDARY HOLED-STONE," WITH AUABIC INSCRIPTHE WOMAN IS INSERTING TION, AT CHELA, NEAR RABAT.
HER HAND IN THE STONE TO GAIN FORGIVENESS OF HER

77
SINS,
249
" HOLED DOLMEN," OR SEPULCHRAL MONUMENT, AT RUJUNKOLLOOR, IN THE DECCAN,
.......
IS
250
251
78 79
PLAN OF ALIGNMENTS OF STONES AND CARNS AT CAVANCAliRAGH,

CHAIK-LIKE BLOCK OF WHINSTONE, ON WHICH THE O'NEILLS OF
CASTLEREAGH, NEAR BELFAST, WERE, IT
ALLEGED, IN252
.
AUGUKATED,
80
81
" THE HAG'S . CHAIR," LOUGHCREW GROUP OF CARNS, " ST. BRIGID'S ON THE SHORE OF LOUGH DERG, COUNTY CHAIR,"
.
253
DONEGAL,
82
83
84
"BREHON'S CHAIR," COUNTY DUBLIN, " BREHON'S CHAIR," COUNTY DUBLIN,

" DRUID'S JUDGMENT SEAT," KILLINEY
ST.
.....
254
254
255 255
85
86
COLUMBKILLE'S FLAGSTONE,
......
256
THE LIAFAIL, OR " STONE OF DESTINY," PLACED UNDER THE CORONATION CHAIR IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY
257
L 1ST OF ILL US7RA TIONS.

FIGURE
87
xv
PAGE
PILLAR-STONE AT TARA, ALLEGED BY SOME ANTIQUARIANS TO BE THE TRUE LIA FAIL, OR " STONE OF DESTINY," . ,
.
258
258 259
88
89
FORMER POSITION OF THE "BLARNEY STONE." KISSING THE STONE,

ROCKING-STONE AT CARRICKARD, COUNTY SLIGO,
ROCKING-STONE, HIGHWOOD, COUNTY SLIGO, ROCKING-STONE, ISLAND MAGEE,
90
91
......
. .
....
260
260
92
" THE CARRICKNABUGGADDA, OR ROCKING-STONE," NEAR WELLMOUNT LODGE, CLONACOOL, COUNTY SLIGO, . .261
SOUL REJOINING THE DEAD BODY,
93 94
95
......
. .
.
295 312
CROMLEAC-LIKE GRAVE IN THE COUNTY LEITRIM,
PLAN OF A PAGAN CEMETERY AT KILNA8AGGART,
.313
EERAT
Page
26, line 2, for
A.
" Senanus" read " Senan".
27,
,,
,,
23, for 31, for
90,
,,
"us" read "it". " Fachnan " read " Fachtnaii
".
125,
,,
,,
16, for "kittling" read "killing ".
212,
,,
12, for
18,
"scafolding" read "scaffolding".
,,
225,
,,
for
"Form"
"
read
"From".
,,
320, lines 4
and 13,/or
" Yates," read Yeats ".
OMISSION FROM BIBLIOGRAPHY.

731A BORLACE.
C.
Dolmens u f
Ireland, with their
Legends and Folklore.
London, 1897.
TRACES OF THE ELDER FAITHS

OF IRELAND.
CHAPTER
FAIRY LORE.
The Present
the outcome of the Past between Good and Bad Spirits
I.
In the savage mind no distinction drawn Great advance made when they become
two classes The Key to the Religion of Savages is Fear Fear of the Living preserves the social framework, Fear of the Unseen the The Fairies The " Grogan " of Ulster religious framework of society Emigration of the Fairies from Ireland Fairies invisible in daylight Observant, nevertheless, of everything that takes place Ill-omened to speak of them Partake of a mixed Human and Spirit Nature Libations and Sacrifices made to them Fairy Cavalcades Fairy Hunting Parties Fairy Malice Fairy Visitors Iron employed as a Charm against their influence Fairy Assaults Fairies abduct young matrons, girls, and infants Fairy Changelings Fairy Revels Fairy Music Fairy Battles
divided into
Fairy Mounds
Hermit Fairy
Rewards offered for their future The Leprechaun, or e The Dullaghan, or Headless b, Spirits cannot cross
a stream of running water
Animals announce the presence of Spirits by showing signs of great terror Will-o'-the-wisp and his pranks.
THE interest of this branch of archaeological study arises from recognition of the fact that the present is the outcome of the past, and that an adequate apprehension of the past is necessary to the understanding of human life under present conditions. The main cause of the great interest of the past is owing to the fact that it is easier to trace the actions of human principles and instincts at a time when the conditions of life were less complex than they now are. Having once obtained a knowledge of these instances, in their simpler action, they form a valuable clue to the understanding of human actions, even in the complicated circumstances of modern life. Although we speak of distinct ages, there is in truth no real distinction, no line of fixed
VOL. n.
FAIRY LORE.
demarcation, for the older period glides into the next as imperceptibly as an old year is followed by the new. In the earlier stages of human civilization, no distinction is made, in the savage mind, between supernatural beings, who have never been " cabin'd, cribb'd, confin'd" within a mould of The line of demarcation which clay, and the spirits of the dead. now separates fairies, and similar emanations of the human mind, from the souls of men, has been the gradual outcome of Christian teaching, for the philosophy of savages mingles them together indeed it seems entirely foreign to the mind of primiThe tive man to conceive the idea of a beneficent spirit. characters they ascribe to spirits are unconscious reflections of their own natures; the spirits of their creation use the same artifices, and have to be overcome by the same means, as would be employed in earthly contests.
;
The keystone of this description of religion is fear fear of This feeling was probably the moving principle the unknown. underlying the worship of the ancient Irish. From his appearance into this world until his exit from it, one of these old heathens was probably as completely enslaved by his supersti" medicine tions as is, by his man," an American Indian, who in sickness or in health, in peace or in war, looks for guidance and counsel to an arrant impostor, who combines in himself the functions of priest, prophet, and physician. At this stage of superstitious bondage we cannot afford to laugh, unless, indeed, we can afford to laugh at ourselves also; for the frenzy of the medicine man, the ecstasy of the saint, and the mad pranks of the revivalist have a common origin, either in self-deception, an undisciplined imagination, or a combination of both. The only supernatural beings, or spirits, the primitive savage believed in, or feared, were the dead who had belonged to his own tribe. About these he had no definite belief, but only an The spirits of the dead of another tribe all-prevailing dread. would of course be considered inimical. So late as the sixteenth century, the Buccaneers, when hiding their spoil, killed a slave or a Spaniard that is a stranger or an enemy and buried the corpse over the hidden booty, believing that the ghost of the slain would haunt the spot and frighten away treasure-seekers.
They
"
kill some slave prisoner on the treasure grave, And bid bis discontented ghost Stalk nightly on his lonely post."
Or
With the savage there was no great distinction between good and bad spirits. These probably varied in proportion to the
GOOD AND BAD SP1RUS.
It is therefore a characters borne by them when in the flesh. great advance when spirits are divided into two classes, the good and the malignant a still greater advance is made when they further develop into beings of an altogether superhuman On the character, who may be described as gods or demons. other hand, in modern times, the alleged apparitions of ghosts or spirits, may be generally resolved into two categories those produced by religious fraud, or gross imposture, and those which are the product of the imagination, and occasioned by anxiety of mind, overwork of the brain, or a disordered stomach. It has been remarked that fear of the living preserves the social framework, fear of the unseen preserves the religious framework of society. The fear betrayed by a child when alone in the dark, and the fear with which an uneducated person passes through a churchyard by night, demonstrate the still continued sentiment which seems to have been the principal element of most primitive religions. In the present day, many who deny, with their tongue, the existence of spirits, yet confess,
;
The savage worfears, their belief in their presence. ships the being that, to his mind, conveys an idea of fear or dread but the custom of worshipping that which contributes to his wants and necessities, is also occasionally met with amongst uncivilized, as also amongst semi-civilized races. In India, a woman adores the basket which carries necessaries, and offers sacrifices to it, as well as to the rice mill and the other
by their
;
homage
implements which mitigate household labour a carpenter pays to his tools, and offers sacrifice to them a Brahmin does the same to the style with which he is going to write a a mason to his soldier to the arms he is to use in the field and a ploughman to his plough. trowel
;
Professor O'Curry, in his Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History, gravely divides fairies into two distinct classes, i.e. the bond fide fairies or demons and the magic race of the Dedanann, who, after being conquered by the Milesians,
transformed themselves into fairies. In the north of Ireland, fairies appear to have been of larger stature and more uncouth than elsewhere there the fairy called " " Grogan is low of stature, hairy, with broad shoulders, and very strong: or, in popular parlance, "unco wee bodies," but " terrible strang." In Ulster, also, the peasantry, on a day of " The mingled rain and sunshine, sometimes say, good people are baking to-day"; alluding to the unlimited supply of water for the purpose of moistening the flour and of the sun-heat for baking the fairy dough. The fairies are not as numerous as forAn Ulsterman asked why they were not seen now-amerly. " There 's days, thought for a little while and then replied
;
:
B2
FAIRY LORE.
folk's gone to Scotland, but they're This country's full o' them only there's so much scripture spread abroad that they canna get making themselves visible." On the night of the 5th January, the Feast of St. Ceara, the fairies used to hold high revel throughout the length and breadth of Erin. Their last great assembly was in the year
them that says the wee
wrang.
violent disputes arose among prominent fairy and the night following a large portion of the fairy host The hurricane they quitted the Green Isle, never to return. raised in their flight was long referred to by the peasantry as the " Night of the Big Wind." A correspondent living in the north of Ireland states that he obtained various accounts of " " wee from an old man who, in his people appearances of the had direct experience himself. He was loath to enlarge youth, on the subject to a person who would probably, he considered, make light of it, but he nevertheless adhered to his assertions, that when he was a lad, he and his companions who were playing around a holy well one summer's evening, were greatly " terrified by the sudden appearance of a company of wee people in scarlet," and that he and his comrades ran away as fast as
1839,
when
leaders,
A similar desire to propitiate beings of malignant nature, or a wish to avoid words of ill omen, characterises people of very high civilization. The Mahommedan thinks that God's real name is known only to his prophets, Allah being merely his human title, just as the Jews held that Javah had an unconimunioable name, and old Jewish legends recount how Solomon, commencing only to utter it, made heaven and earth tremble. The Greeks denominated "the furies," " the benevolent "; the " Cape of Storms" has been metamorphosed, by the generally " reputed prosaio Saxon, into the Cape of Good Hope." Sir Walter Scott describes how the highlanders called the gallows, on which so many of their friends and relations lost their lives, the "kind" gallows, and addressed it with uncovered head, the The ceremony being evidently of a propitiatory character. antithesis of this is shown even now-a-days amongst sailors who
they could. It should be always borne in mind that, though the fairies are generally invisible in daylight, they are observant of all that takes place, especially of anything that seems to concern themIt is extremely inadvisable to mention them by name selves. for instance, Dame Glendinning, in Scott's novel of The Monastery, when reciting the precautions she had taken against fairy " And I wish to know of influence, concluded thus your reverence if there be ony thing mair that a lone woman can do in the matter of ghosts and fairies ? Be here that I should " have named their unlucky names twice ower
;
:
FAIRIES DESCRIBED.
are
imbued with a superstitious feeling regarding the ill-luck attendant on a ship which bears what is considered an auspicious In many localities weasels, or more properly or lucky name. stoats, are greatly dreaded by the peasantry. They are supposed to steal milk from cows, to spit fire, and to be endowed with power to injure both man and beast. Yet here again the idea of propitiating malign influence is apparent, for on seeing a stoat a countryman will raise his hat and address it in Irish as " " for what a man dreads, but feels he is powerless pretty lady to control, that he seeks to appease. The fairies are thought to partake of a mixed human and These curious creations of the fancy have been spirit-nature.
;
thivs "described
" That which is neither ill nor well That which belongs not to Heaven or Hell,
;
wreath of the mist, a bubble of the stream, 'Twixt a waking thought and a sleeping dream. A form that men spy
With
the half shut eye,
In the beam of the setting sun
am
I."
tried to reconcile heathen and Christian imagination, and hold an ill-defined belief that fairies are fallen spirits, driven from heaven, and condemned to dwell on earth until the day of judgment. The legend runs that at the time of Satan's rebellion some angels remained true to their allegiance, others sided with Lucifer, whilst a third party remained neutral. At the termination of the struggle those who sided with the Almighty remained in heaven, those who fought but those who against Him were cast into the nether regions remained neutral, unfitted for either heaven or hell, were compelled to dwell in rocks and hills, lakes and seas, bushes and forests, where they must remain until the day of judgment, and it is a moot point amongst rural theologians as to whether, even then, they have a remote chance of salvation. They themselves are said to entertain, like many mortals,
The peasantry have apparently
grave doubts regarding their future, although they have undefined hopes of being restored to happiness hence their enmity towards mankind, whom they acknowledge to be certain of living Thus the actions of the fairies are eternally in a future state. balanced by an intermixture of good and evil, and their passions
;
are often as vindictive as their inclinations are generous
and
humane.
Finvarra, a great fairy chief, once asked St. Colunibkille if there were any hope that the fairies would gain heaven, but the saint answered that hope there was none, their doom was fixed, and at the great judgment day they would not merely
FAIRY LORE.
die but would suffer annihilation. There is a great similarity in the imagery concerning these imaginary beings among nations that, for a lengthened period, have had but little intercourse. The following story occurs in Danish popular folklore A priest, one night, happened to pass a hill in which music, Some fairies dancing, and other merry making were going on. issued suddenly from the hill, stopped the carriage, and asked the priest whether he thought they would be saved in the last He replied that he did not know, but that he would give day. them an answer that day twelvemonth. The priest kept his promise and returned at the appointed time, when the fairies repeated the question to which he answered, "No, you will all be damned." Upon this the entire hill became suddenly enveloped in bright flames. On May eve the peasantry used to drive all their cattle into old raths, or forts, thought to be much frequented by the fairies, bleed them, taste the blood, and pour the remainder on the Men and women were also bled, and their blood earth. sprinkled on the ground but this practice has, it is believed, now died out, though sacrifice through blood, or the taking away When seeking of life, is still considered sacred and beneficial. for buried treasure, it is well to immolate a black cock or a black a similar sacrifice is deemed necessary before the comcat mencement of any important operation it is also certain to remove ill-luck from a house. A correspondent states that there is a tradition of long standing, that at the roots of a certain tree, on a farm, in the north of Ireland, lay a pot of gold. Some labourers thought they would " wee red man " dig for it, but as soon as they began work a and told them they need not proceed unless they first appeared sacrificed a life, but if they did so they would find the gold. The fairy, however, did not say whether the life was to be that The of a human being, or that of one of the lower animals. labourers thereupon sent for permission to kill a dog belonging to the gentleman owning the farm, but he refused and stopped the exploration. This episode is supposed to have happened about the year 1840, and is firmly believed to be true. When a cow fell sick through fairy malice, it was formerly by no means an uncommon practice, in the west of Ireland, to devote the ailing animal to St. Martin. The ceremony was performed by letting a few drops of blood from the cow in honour of the saint. If it recovered, the animal was never either sold or killed, as it would be dishonouring the saint to suffer it to die any save a natural death. A libation of some of the thick new milk given by a cow after calving, if poured on the ground, more especially in the
: ;
FAIRY SUPERSTITIONS.
interior of a rath or fort, is supposed to appease the anger of the Before drinking, a peasant will in many cases, offended fairies. spill a small portion of the draught on the earth, as a complimentary libation to the good people. In the present day, the Italian peasant invariably throws the first drop or so of common country wine from the big bottle covered with straw which he This is a relic of a libation to uses, ejaculating "Per Bacco." the rosy god, just as the Irish peasant, in purposely spilling milk or other drink, quite unconsciously sacrifices to the ancient gods of the land. The same principle of a first oblation is carried out in a cure The sufferer, on consulting an "herb-doctor," is for heartburn. given an egg, with instructions to boil it, chip the shell and throw the first spoonful on the ground, and eat the remainder. This process must be gone through on three successive days, when the charm is complete. If a child accidentally spills her mug of milk on the ground, the mother says, " That 's for the fairies leave it to them and welcome." The child should not be reproved, for that would bring ill luck to the household. In the Kev. George Turner's Nineteen Years in Polynesia, it " As in ancient Greece so in is stated that Samoa, the first in honour of the God. It was either poured out on the cup was ground or waved towards the heaven, reminding us again of the Mosaic ceremonies. The chiefs all drank a portion of the same Some of the North American Indians, cup, according to rank." before commencing smoking, lift the mouthpiece of the pipe heavenward to allow the Great Spirit the first whiff of the
: :
fragrant weed.
One should never throw slops out of door or window without calling out, "Take care of the water," for the fairies might be passing, and would resent the drenching and soiling of their Lady Wilde recounts the following gay caps and clothes. " One dark winter's anecdote on this subject night a woman threw out a pail of boiling water without thinking of suddenly the warning words. Instantly a cry was heard as of a person in pain, but no one was seen. However, the next night a black lamb entered the house, having the back all fresh scalded, and Then they all it lay down moaning by the hearth and died. knew this was the spirit that had been scalded by the woman. And they carried the dead lamb out reverently and buried it deep in the earth. Yet every night at the same hour it walked again into the house and lay down and moaned and died. And after this had happened many times, the priest was sent for; and finally, by the strength of his exorcism, the spirit of the dead was laid to rest and the black lamb appeared no more."
:
FAIRY LORE.
Harvest-time
is
remarkable for affording frequent glimpses On a stormy day, the eddies of dust raised by the wind along the roads are regarded by the peasantry as occasioned by a fairy cavalcade travelling from one rath to The same marks of respect are observed towards the another. invisible horsemen as if the dust had been raised by a company of the most exalted persons and some will throw tufts of grass, pieces of sticks, or even small pebbles into the centre of the dusteddy, not as an insult, but as an offering to appease the good
of fairy cavalcades.
;
superstition prevails in the East. In the calm summer go out hunting. evening the faint sound of tiny horns, the baying of hounds, the galloping of horses, the cracking of whips, and the shouts of the
people.
The same
The
fairies often
hunters
of bees
may
be
distinctly
heard, whilst
a hive.
air
their rapid
motion
through the
air occasions a noise
resembling the loud
humming
when swarming from

the
is
upon rushes, instead of upon occurrence in fairy history, but a blade of grass, a straw, a fern root, or a cabbage stalk are equally adapted for aerial steeds these latter articles, i.e. fern roots or cabbage stalks must, however, be cut into a rude sicksimilitude of a real horse. Persons afflicted with "
Travelling through
of
borrowed horses,
common
falling
ness" are supposed to be merely suffering from fatigue attendant on the lengthened journeys which they are constrained to take, night after night, with the fairies, and mounted on cabbage
stumps.
of a strange, unreasoning, childlike mischief ascribed to them, in the imagination of the peasantry, is wonderful, considering the very diminutive stature assigned to them. In the Dublin fragment
fairies are objects
The
fear,
and the amount
of
of" Tighernach's Annals," edited by Whitley Stokes, in vol. xviii. of the Revue Celtique, the death of Cormac, grandson of Conn the Hundred Fighter, is gravely alleged to have been occasioned " Fairies killed him, after he was by the malice of the fairies. betrayed by Maelcenn the Wizard, because Cormac had revolted against the Wizard, and worshipped God in lieu of them."
Like Puck the
fairies are said to
" Skim milk, sometimes labour in the quern, And bootless make the breathless housewife churn."
This can be prevented, and the butter be made to rise, by for an iron nailing a horse-shoe on the bottom of the churn horse-shoe, or indeed an iron article of any kind, is looked upon as a potent charm to keep fairies away. Another remedy is, directly after sunset, to bar every door
FA IR Y SUPERSTITIONS.
and window in the house, light a great fire of turf on the hearth, and place nine irons in the fire, whilst the following charm ia
recited, in Irish,
" Come
butter, come, butter, come, Peter stands at the gate,
Come
Come
"Waiting for a buttered cake.

butter,
come "
!
As the irons become heated a great noise will be heard without, and a witch will try to force an entrance, beseeching the occupants of the house to take the irons off the fire, as they are burning her. Finding all attempts at entry useless, the witch, shrieking with agony, will return to her house and bring back all the butter. The irons may then be removed from the fire,, her torments will cease, and the farmer will enjoy, in undiminished quantity, the product of his cows. If a neighbour or a stranger enter a cottage, whilst churning is going on, he should put his hand to the dash, as otherwise the butter will not come, or will be abstracted in some mysterious way, so no one, gentle or simple, either from coiirtesy or in consideration of the farmer's feelings, will omit to share, or appear to share, in the necessary labour. From the Irish Hudibras we also learn that
fairies
:
" Drink
dairies dry, and stroke the cattle Steal sucklings, and through the key-holes sling, Toping and dancing in a ring."
;
In any case a careful housewife should always, before retiring good drinking water in the kitchen. One night a woman was awakened by a great noise, and on entering her kitchen found the fairies in possession,
to rest, leave a large vessel full of
them cooking victuals before the fire, whilst others were preparing the food. The good people cautioned her to go back, so she wisely retired again to her bed. The next morning everysome
of
thing in the kitchen appeared undisturbed, except the large vessel used for holding drinking water, which was full of blood,, a hint to leave in future plenty of pure spring water for the selfinvited guests.
Many
district,
years ago, two industrious
women, engaged one night
in spinning flax, in a cabin in a remote, wild,
and mountainoua were suddenly disturbed by a loud knocking at the door. The affrighted women made no reply, when a shrill voice out" " side inquired in Irish, " Are you within, Feet-water ? lam," came the reply from a pot in the corner of the kitchen in which
10
the family
FAIRY LORE.
oi splashing
had washed their feet before retiring to bed. A sound was heard in the water, and an eel-like form rose from the pot, and stretching forward, unbarred the door.
Several
women
of small stature,
of extraordinary appearance,
and strangely attired, entered, and began to use the spinningwheel. Under pretence of fetching turf for the fire, one of the
inmates walked out of the opened door, but immediately rushed " The mountain is on fire."
back, exclaiming,
The unwelcome intruders at once ran out of the house " shrieking and exclaiming, My husband and my children are burnt." On the success of the stratagem, the women of the house lost not a moment in resorting to the usual precautions against fairy influence. They made fast the door with the iron tongs, laid the broom against the door, threw a glowing ember from the hearth into the " feet- water," plucked a quill from the wing of a speckled hen (almost needless to explain that fowls always roost in the cabins), removed the band from the spinningwheel, placed the carded flax under a weight, and made up the fire. They were scarcely in bed when the mysterious visitors were heard outside calling in Irish as before, " Let me in, .Feet" water but now the response from the pot was, " No, I cannot, for there is a spark in me." The fairy women then addressed " Let me their applications to all the other objects in turn in, " " " " Let me Let me in, broom in, speckled hen" tongs " 41 " Let me in carded flax." Let me wheel-band Each
; ; ;
in,
object replied that it was powerless to obey, owing to the precautions which had been taken. The fairies thereupon raised a yell of disappointed fury, and took their departure, with the " imprecation, May your tutor meet her reward." Here, again, in this story, iron is employed as a charm against fairy-influence and fairy-assaults but the strange legend also may be instanced as descriptive of the custom of throwing a piece of burning peat into any vessel in which feet have been washed and to this day the fizzing of an ember in a pot of water is music in the ears of an old crone, from the assurance that the house is thus impregnable to the assaults of the " good
;
people." Mr. C. J. Hamilton, in The Spectator (9th April, 1897), recounts a modified version of the same story as occurring in Connemara " The mountain overlooking the beautiful Bay of Killary is called Mweelrea (The Bald King) and it, too, is supposed to be sacred to the fairies, and a fairy's spinning-wheel is somewhere concealed there. One day a woman who lived near was spinning in her cabin, when two old women carrying wheels came in.
:
They began to spin, and their hostess, thinking they would like some refreshment, went out to get water for making tea. One
FA IR Y SUPERSTITIONS.
of her neighbours
'
11
her, and asked her what she was doing. to give two dacint little women a cup of tea.' ' What will I do, at Shure, they 're fairies,' said the other. Tell them Mweelrea is on fire.' all at all ? So the owner of
saw
Faith,
I'm going
'
'
'
the cabin went back crying two women got up and ran them."
'
Mweelrea
is
on
fire.'
And
the
out, leaving their wheels behind
A horse-shoe is often to be seen nailed over the door of a dwelling-house, dairy, or stable, or to the mast of a fishing smack. In the first instance, it prevents the fairies from entering the house and doing mischief to the inmates in the second, it is a certain preventive against their milking the cows, taking tlfe liorses out of the stable and riding them over hill and dale the long night through, leaving them to be discovered in the
;
limb, exhausted and bathed in charm against fairies, who are supposed to be fond of lurking in fishing boats drawn up on the seashore, and delight in hindering fishermen in their toilsome avocation. A small piece of iron should be sewn into an
morning trembling
sweat
;
in
every
in the third instance it is a
infant's clothes.
The Rescue from the
Fairies.
From Mrs.
Hall's Irish Sketches.
The fairies are reputed to have been conquered by a race using iron weapons, so they dread that metal, or steel. "When the friends of a person who has been carried off by the good people venture into their underground retreat to bring back the captive to upper air, they arm themselves with a missal, or a
12
FAIRY LORE.
This latter, laid on the thresprayer-book, and an iron knife. hold of the entrance into the rath, prevents the fairies from pursuing the rescue-party when they have found the prisoner, and are in the act of carrying him off. Another practice adopted by persons who wish to recover a spell-bound friend from a state of durance, is to stand on All Hallows Eve at a cross-roads, or at such spot as may be pointed out by a wise woman or a fairy doctor. Having rubbed a special ointment on the eyelids, the fairies will become visible as the fairy troop sweeps past the spot, and the gazer be enabled to recognise the prisoner by a A sudden gust of wind peculiarity' of dress, or by some token. indicates -the near approach of the elves stooping, the watchers gather up the dust from under their feet and throw it at the procession, or throw milk from a vessel they carry for the purpose. The fairies are thereby compelled to surrender any human being
;
in their custody
(fig. 1).
following Irish ballad, with its English translation, by George Koberts, appears in Mangan's collection of Poets and Of the author nothing further is known. Poetry of Ireland. The poem is entitled, " The Dark Fairy Eath," and presents a good specimen of the idea entertained by the peasantry regarding the abduction by the fairies of young and good-looking country
lassies.
The
^
Long, long have I wandered in search of my love, O'er moorland and mountain, through greenwood and grove, From the banks of the Maig unto Finglas's flood I have ne'er seen the peer of this Child of the Wood.
"
Summer evening alone on my path, me on to the Dark Fairy Rath And, seated anear it, my Fair One I found, With her long golden locks trailing down on the
One
bright
My
steps led
ground.
When I met her, though bashfulness held me I put my arm gently around her white neck
;
in check,
;
But she said, Touch I belong to this Eath,

' ' ' '
!
me
not, and approach me not near and the Fairy Host here.'
Ah I spake, you are burdened with sorrow and care But whence do you come? From Clar Luire or elsewhere? Are you Blanaid the blooming, the queenly, yet coy, Or the dame brought by Paris aforetime to Troy ? '
;
neither,' she said, but a meek Irish maid, years ago dwelt in yon green-hillocked glade, And shone all alone like a lamp in a dome. Come ! take off your arms I '11 be late for my home.'
'
'I'm
Who
pearl of soul, I feel sad and forlorn To see your bright cheeks fairy-stricken and worn. From your kindred and friends far away were you borne To the Hill of Cnoc-Greine, to languish and mourn.'
'
my
FAIRY CHANGELINGS.
And I said to myself, as 1 thought on her charms, how fondly I'd lock this young lass in my arms.
13
How
I'd love her deep eyes, full of radiance and mirth, Like new-risen stars that shine down upon earth.
I
twined round her waist my two arms as a zone, fondly emhraced her to make her my own But when I glanced up, behold nought could I see. She had fled from my sight as the bird from the tree "
Then
And
Young mothers are supposed to be carried off to nurse fairy children. According to Shakspeare, the English fairies, at any rate, are provided with a properly-qualified midwife of their own, for in Romeo and Juliet the following description of the "-Mistress "
Fairy
occurs
"
:
0, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you. She is the fairies' midwife."
Lady Wilde remarks that: "Until a woman has gone through the ceremony of churching, after the birth of her child, she is the most dangerous being on earth. No one should eat food from her hand, and myriads of demons are always around her trying to do harm, until the priest comes and sprinkles holy water over her. Even if she goes to the river to wash, the fish for fishes are a will all go away from her in tremor and fear very pious race, and cannot bear to be touched by unholy hands, ever since the mark of Christ's fingers was on them. Indeed, they were once, by accident, auditors of an argument against transubstantiation.held by a heretic, and were so shocked at his
;
language that they all left the river, and the disappointed angler could not help regretting that the fish were so very particular as to the tenets of Holy Church." If a man leaves the house after his wife's confinement, some of his clothes should be spread over the mother and infant, or the fairies will carry them both off for the fairy queen desires, above all things, a mortal woman as a nurse for her fairy And if her own child happens to be an ugly little offspring. sprite, she will gladly change it for the beautiful human babe, who henceforth will live entirely in fairyland, and never more see his kindred or home. It is well known that the ministry of well-disposed fairies was The testimony peculiarly conversant with the birth of children. of Milton is express " Good luck befriend thee, son, for at thy birth The faery ladies dane'd upon the hearth The drowsy nurse has sworn she did them spie, Come tripping to the room where tliou didst lie,
; : ;
And, sweetly singing round about thy bed, Strow all their blessings on thy sleeping head."
14
FAIRY LORE.
For a girl to dream she sees a fairy is a sign that she will soon be married. Under any circumstances it is a favourable omen for women to dream of fairies, but it is an unfavourable sign for men, and no man should undertake any important matter for several days after such a dream, or it will surely end in disappointment. In remote parts of the country it is still believed that the fairies change children in the cradle therefore, as already stated, a piece of iron should be sewn into the infant's clothes, another remedy is to put and kept there until it is baptized
;
an infant commences to pine or becomes peevish, it is a sure sign that an exchange has been effected. Detailed narratives of the removal or substitution of a fairy for an earthly child are not uncommon. Spenser, in the Faerie
salt
on the cradle
if
Queene, thus describes the incident
".
There as thou
And
fairy thee unweeting reft, slept in tender swaddling band, her base elfin brood there for thee left
.
:
Such,
men
do changelings
call, so
changed by Fairies' theft."
Therefore, babies should be carefully watched until they are christened, lest they be carried off or changed ; but fairy changelings are easily recognised by their tricky habits, and by constantly complaining and crying for food. " SomeThis idea of fairy possession is still quite common times a sickly invalid is entirely neglected by his or her friends, and if remonstrance is made, the answer is, Shure it 's not him (or her as the case maybe) at all. It 's only an ould fairy.' Even medicine ordered by the doctors has not been given, on the " A ground that It 'ud be no good it 's not them is in it.' plan, which at once demonstrates the nature of the child, is to place it over the fire, on an iron shovel, when with wild shrieks the fairy vanishes up the chimney, venting all sorts of anathemas on the household that has so treated it but while waiting for the solution of the enigma, the unfortunate child is often so dreadfully burned that it dies in great agony, its cries being heard with callous indifference by its parents, who imagine that it is the fairy child, not their own offspring, that is tortured. Crofton Croker quotes Robin Goodfellow's song, in which
:
'
'
the proceedings of a fairy troop are thus described " "When

larks 'gin sing
fling
steal as
Away we
And
babes
new born
bed
we
go,
An
elf in
We leave instead
And wend
us laughing
Ho Ho Ho "
! ! !
FAIRY CHANGELINGS.
The
sits
15
up
music.
fairy changeling often produces a set of tiny bagpipes, in the cradle, and plays jigs, reels, and lively dance The inmates of the cottage are forced, greatly against
their inclination, to commence dancing, and this enforced amusement continues until they sink from exhaustion. When the infant is thus known to be undoubtedly a changeling, it is removed on an iron shovel from the cabin, and placed on the centre of the dunghill, whilst rhymes are recited by the fairy doctor directing the operation, together with some verses in Irish, of which the following, according to the Rev. John
O'Hanlon,
is
a correct translation "

Fairy
List
!
men and women

it is
all,
your baby's
call
For on tbe dunghill's top he lies Beneath the wide inclement skies. Then come with coach and sumptuous And take him to your mote again For if ye stay till cocks shall crow,
;
train,
You
But
'11
find
him
A pallid lump, a child of scorn, A monstrous brat of fairies born.

ere you bear the boy away, Restore the child you took instead When like a thief, the other day, You robbed my infant's cradle bed. Then give me back my only son, And I '11 forgive the harm you 've done
;
like a thing of
snow
nightly for your sportive crew, I '11 sweep the hearth and kitchen too ; And leave you free your tricks to play, Whene'er you choose to pass this way.
And
Then like good people,' do incline To take your child, and give back mine."
'
is
all retire into the cottage, the door additional incantations are recited. Any sound made by the wind, or the noise occasioned by a passing vehicle, is regarded as heralding the arrival and departure of a fairy host. The cabin door is then cautiously opened, the assembled party walk to the manure heap, and the poor emaciated baby is handed to the deluded parents by the fairy doctor, who declares that the true child has been returned " The " good people." Crofton Croker's legend of by the " Changeling may be given as a typical example of this class of A young married woman went with several companions stories to bind up the wheat in harvest time, and left the infant she was nursing in a sheltered corner of the field well wrapped up " When her work was finished she returned to in her cloak. where the child was, but in place of her own, she found a thing
The ceremony completed,

closed, whilst
carefully
16
in the cloak, that
FAIRY LORE.
was not half the size, and that kept up such a So Mary Scannell crying you might have heard a naile off. guessed how the case stood, and, without stop or stay, away she took it in her arms, pretending to be mighty fond of it all the The wise woman told her in a whisper while, to a wise woman. not to give it enough to eat, and to beat and pinch it without mercy, which Mary Scannell did and just in one week after to the day, when she awoke in the morning, she found her own The fairy that had been put child lying by her side in the bed. in its place did not like the usage it got from Mary Scannell, who understood how to treat it, like a sensible woman as she was, and away it went after a week's trial, and sent her own child back to her." If a child accidentally falls, it should at once be given three small pinches of salt, for the fairies, in trying to carry it off, caused it to tumble, and salt is a well-known antidote against fairy influence for this reason, an infant afterbirth is frequently Salt in itself is considered very lucky. given salt. Though it be the last in the house, no person ever refuses it to a neighbour for, although it is unlucky to give away the last of anything, it would entail even worse luck to refuse the gift of salt. If an infant is born with teeth, these must be at once drawn by the nearest blacksmith the representative of the ancient caird. When an older child loses his first teeth, care is taken to make him throw them into the fire, or else evil will befall him, for nothing belonging to the body should be parted with, lest it fall into the hands of the fairies or of ill-wishers. The fairies are supposed to issue by moonlight from their underground dwellings, and disport themselves on the green sward of the raths (fig. 2).
; ; ;
" But woe betide
tlie
wand'ring wight
in the night."
That treads
its circle
elfin sports continue during the summer and autumn but the first crow of the cock, or the first glow of the morning, is a signal for instant retreat to their underground dwellings. They are so tiny and lightfooted, and touch the green blades of grass so delicately, that they never shake off the dewdrops, even during their wildest gyrations.
These
;
nights
" Graciles tripudiamus, Molle grarnen nee curvamus Pede festo quod calcatum,
Choris noctu consecratum, Spica vernal altiore
;
Lux cum
redeat Aurorae."
VOL.
II.
18
FAIRY LORE.
may
" On
be thus rendered
tops of
:
This
dewy
grass,
So nimbly do we pass, The young and tender stalk Ne'er bends when we do walk Yet in the morning may be seen, "Where we the night before have been.
:
They are generally clad in green, or white silver-spangled

with high-peaked and wide -brimmed scarlet caps. On clear moonlight nights they are often seen dancing on and around
clothes,
the large umbrella-shaped mushrooms growing on old forts, to the accompaniment of fairy bagpipes (fig. 3). If espied by earthly
beings, they endeavour to entice them to visit their subterranean
FIG.
3.
From Mrs.
The Fairy Piper. Hall's Irish Sketches.
abodes (fig. 4). Such visitors have need of the practice of the greatest asceticism to extricate themselves from fairydoni.
FIG. 4.
**
"
They endeavour to
to visit
entice them their subterranean
abodes."
" The
fairies are
this in their land is the merriest hour. Their steps are soft and their robes are light,
For
dancing by brake and by bower,
And
they trip
it at
ease in the clear moonlight.
Their queen is in youth and beauty there, And the daughters of earth are not half so fair. She will take thee to ramble by grove and by glen, And the friends of thy youth shall not know thee again."
FAIRY MOUNDS.
19
Whether above or below ground one should never partake of Mr. C. J. Hamilton states that on the road from fairy fare. " is a hill called Clifden to Letterfrack Crukuaragh, where the Some years ago two boys were fairies are supposed to live.
drowned near Crump Island, and shortly afterwards a man was coming back from a fair, and as he passed Crukuaragh he saw a house. He thought, I 've niver seen a house there afore anyway. I '11 ask to sit down and git an air of the fire.' He went in and he saw an old woman, and sitting by the fire were The woman asked him to the two boys that were drowned. have a cup of tea and, while she went out to fill the kettles, one
'
;
of .the boys gave him a hint to be off. For,' says he, if you atfe or dlirink bit or sup in this house ye '11 niver get out ov it So he went away, and the next time he passed that way agin.' there was not a sign of a house there." If you place your ear to the ground when the fairies withdraw, you can hear them moving about in the subterranean chambers you can also recognise the clink of money, and the
' '
noise of the locking and unlocking of their great treasure chests. In some raths the fairies are of extra jovial disposition; an artificial mound in the county Sligo, frequented by these beings, " the is styled in Irish, fairy mound of laughter," and there are several places in the south of Ireland called by the pseudo" but "Mount "is only a scriptural name of "Mount Sion " Sion" an translation of the Irish name for a hill, and of sheeaun, the Irish for a fairy mount. adaptation There was a strange notion held by the peasantry that two straws put across the path used by the fairies caused them to
;
stumble
" Then raising their voices Beyond all believing,
They send
forth three wild shrieks

;
Of uttermost giie vang For Hugh was their neighbour, And he would not vex 'em.
By
Or such
the crossing of straws, tricks to perplex 'em."
their splendid halls
wee folk," and magnificent feasts, are, it is alleged, mere illusions. If you procure a box of fairy ointment, and rub it on the eyelids, you instantly see everything as it really is. The finely-dressed little people are wizened and deformed imps, the splendid halls are damp earth-floored caverns, the sumptuous feasts are a meagre supply of squalid food, and their treasure chests are filled, not with gold, but with mere heaps of withered leaves and other rubbish.
The picturesque and
beautiful appearance of the "
c2
20
FAIRY LORE.
if
Well-known pipers or ground dwellings, where,

offered to
fiddlers are also transported to underthey eat and drink of the good things
them, they are never allowed to return to their earthly
homes.
The cheering (?) notes of the bagpipes, and the more melodious sound of the fiddle, are often to be heard in the stillness of night issuing from the innermost recesses of raths, the invisible denizens of these retreats footing it in the dance to the cadence
A gentleman, on entering of these lively and unearthly strains. a cabin in a remote district, observed a young girl crouched before the fire, chanting a melancholy-sounding song. On inquiry, he learned that the sufferer had overheard fairy music, that she had lost her memory, took no interest in what was going on around, and heard continually the soft and plaintive music of the
wee
folk.
f\\
S.K.K.K.S.K.PI*
FAIRY MUSIC.
21
same round sung over and over without change, watched his opportunity, and after the pause, when Da Liian, Da Mort, had
been sung three times, he went on with the tune, adding the words Agus Da Cadine, and then continued accompanying the voices inside the moat, finishing the melody when the pause again came with Agus Da Cadine (fig. 5). The fairies were so delighted at this change that they conveyed the hunchback into their underground hall, and, to reward him for his musical skill, removed his hump, and he emerged from fairydom a well-shaped dapper little fellow. Various raths in different parts of Ireland are assigned as the scene of this story, and to render the recitation of the tale more effective, the rude melody is usually sung
to^tiie listeners
by the
story-teller.
is almost identical with the Irish, and furnishes an exact parallel in nearly every detail it is also more complete. People who chance to be on a rath at night, and hear the music of the fairies, are haunted by the melody, and long to return and listen to it, and generally either become mad or commit suicide. In the islands off the west coast the peasantry believe that the witching power of the underground music is so strong that whoever hears it cannot choose but follow the sound. Young girls are drawn away by the enchantment, and dance all night with Finvarra the King, "though in the morning they are found fast asleep in bed, yet with a memory of all they had heard and seen and some say that, while with the fairies, the young women learn strange secrets of love potions, by which they can work spells and dangerous charms over those whose love they desire, or upon any who has offended and spoken ill of them. It is a beautiful idea that the Irish airs, so plaintive, mournful, and tear-compelling, are but the remembered echoes of that spiritmusic which had power to draw souls away to the fairy mansions, and hold them captive by the sweet magic of the melody." The fairies, however, are not always given to amusement, music, and gaiety. Very often the tiny inhabitants of two neighbouring forts quarrel, and sanguinary conflicts ensue. These encounters generally take place during the night-time, and poor mortals, living in the vicinity, are terrified by shrill screams and all the various noises which accompany a fiercely-contested battle in the morning the scene of the struggle is covered with tiny pools of blood, and other traces of the fight. About the year 1800, a battle was fought in the county
;
The Breton legend
Kilkenny between two fairy hosts. The opposing armies "lined the ditches " on either side of the road, the public thoroughfare being the debatable ground. The hawthorns on the fences were broken, as if crushed beneath the feet of infantry and cavalry
;
22
FAIRY LORE.
and although the previous evening hedges and fields were uninjured and blooming, yet in the morning the branches of trees, bushes, and the green sward were dyed with blood. In the year 1797, a great number of fairies were observed at midday marching in military array across a bog between Maryborough and In 1836, another party was seen crossing the hills Stradbally. at Ballyfriar, in the same locality in fact, from numerous recorded instances of armed parties of the fairy host appearing in this neighbourhood, the county Kilkenny must have been their
favourite exercising ground. In a place called Cashel, about a mile from Ballyroar, there stood a solitary hawthorn, supposed to be held sacred by the "good people." On a fine summer's day a peasant, whose house stood opposite this bush, saw soldiers, many hundred in number, marching up this tree. Seized with sudden terror, he fled into his cabin but, on emerging from his shelter some time afterwards, he, to his great astonishment, beheld many hundreds of little men creeping like bees along the boughs of the hawthorn, each individual only the size of an ordinary mortal's little
;
finger.
Sheeauns," or fairy mounds, are met with in great profuin fact, their number sion, particularly in the west of Ireland would lead one to believe that some parts of the country must
"
have been, at one time, more thickly peopled with fairies than with human beings. Their numbers must have been diminished by their internecine feuds. Quite recently a patriarchal peasant informed a gentleman that he had seen a number of fairies around him, and this was at once corroborated by his companions, who stated that they had observed a field covered with them, whilst others engaged in quarrying left off work, as the place was so full of " the " good people as to be hot. Although the gentleman imme50 for a. diately offered 100 if a fairy was shown to him, and photograph of one, he has not yet had the opportunity of paying the reward. This appears strange for William Allingham, the " " poet, describes the good people as being everywhere
; :
"
By
the craggy hillside,
Through the mosses bare, They have planted thorn trees For pleasure, here and there. Is any man so daring As dig them up in spite,
He
shall find their sharpest thorns
In his bed at night."
One rather rare kind of fairy also to be described the Leprechaun, or hermit-fairy, of peculiar habits, tastes, and powers
THE LEPRECHA UN.

lives
present, "
for in Leprechaun history there is, at life no recorded instance of two of this class of " good people ever having been seen together. The Leprechaun loves solitude and
solitary
retirement, frequenting undisturbed nooks, where he can sit in perfect quiet, without fear of interruption, in the pursuit of his usual occupation, that of a brogue- or shoe-maker (fig. 6). Though carrying on this humble trade, he is described as wearing the red square-cut coat and long waistcoat ricUy laced with gold, the knee-
cocked hat, shoes, and breeches, characteristic of the beaux of the last He possesses the power of century.
FIG. 6.
bestowing unbounded wealth on what- From Mr. & Mrs. Hall's Ireland. ever mortal can catch and keep him under his eye, until, weary of human observation, he gives the ransom demanded for his liberty. Nearly always, by some device, he makes his captor avert his gaze, if only for a moment, when he instantly vanishes. There is another gruesome spirit of the hobgoblin species, who is generally seen without his head in fact, it is doubtful if the Dullaghan has ever been observed with his cranium properly placed on his body, as he generally carries it under his arm, or produces it from his capacious pockets. This, however, appears to be a comparatively modern kind of spectre, and headless phantoms are not confined to Ireland. St. Augustine, whose veracity, it is to be supposed, no one will question, actually " et vidimus ibi multos preached to beings of whom it is said homines ac mulieres capita non habentes." Other legends of saints demonstrate that many of them can dispense with a, cranium, as St. Denis, who walked from Paris to the place which now bears his name, without his head. This remarkable performance is quite eclipsed by that of the patron saint of a Spanish church at Saragossa, who strolled along for three miles carrying his head in his hands, and talking all the time. Spirits (good, bad, and indifferent) cannot cross a stream of running water. The same idea prevails in Scotland. Burns, in Tarn o' Shanter, thus adjures the mare on which Tarn, pursued
:
The Leprechaun.
by the witches,
is
riding
"
Now, do And win
thy speedy utmost, Meg, the key-stane of the brig There at them thou thy tail may toss, A running stream they dare na cross."
;
24
1<
AIRY LORE.
A dog or a horse, especially a mare, often sees ghosts and Animals apparitions when they are invisible to the human ken. generally announce their presence by showing great terror, the dog whimpers and trembles, the horse is almost paralysed with fear. The idea that spirits cannot cross running water may have originated in a curious phenomenon with regard to the movements of " Will-o'-the-wisp," or the bog spirit, the phantom of the moors, whose dancing light lures its folloAvers into miry places. When this light reaches the edge of a stream of running
FIG.
7.
Will-o'-the-wisp, or the
Bog
Sprite.
water, it is driven backward by the currents of air accompanying the flow of the water, it then makes several essays, returning again and again, before it finally glides along and down the banks of the stream which, on account of the air-current, it cannot cross. On the death of a man of the Khasi tribe away from his native district, after the corpse is burnt, the calcined bones are carefully collected and carried back to his village. The spirit follows the remains, but it cannot pass a river, so the
WILL- O' -THE- WISP.
25
people carrying the bones stretch a cord across the stream styled the " string bridge," and the spirit of the deceased takes advantage of
it
to glide over.
that marsh gas is due to the decomposition If a of vegetable matter in bogs, swamps, and stagnant water. pole is thrust into the mud at the bottom of a pond, or the mud stirred up, in the summer season, this gas will rise in large bubbles to the surface, and in the winter season, when the surface of the water is frozen, large air bubbles are seen locked up here and there in the heart of the ice. In either of the above instances, if a light be applied to the gas as it escapes from its imprisonment in the water or from the ice, it will take fire but a Difficult problem to solve is how the gas, which issues from " " becomes will-o'-the-wisps boggy ground and constitutes ignited. This is alleged, by some, to be due to the decomposition of certain animal substances, the gases from which mingle with and ignite those from the decaying vegetable remains in their
It is
;
now known
vicinity.
CHAPTEU
II.
MARRIAGE LORE.
Women
St. Kevin, St. prohibited from setting foot on certain Holy Islands Senanus, St. Columbkille, in particular, and Irish Saints in general, inexIrish Saints of most exemplary character orably repelled the Fair Sex
Women from Sacred Localities, a practice far older than " Sure Saints' or Priests' " Beds Christianity specific to remove Barrenness As effective as the prolific Shadow of Rabelais' Abbey Steeple Females prohibited from drawing water from certain Holy Wells, or from
Exclusion of
washing in them Separate Burial-places for Men and for Women Imagined Polution by Contact with Women The subject of Ancient Marriage Customs in Ireland has not been grappled with by Antiquarians Marriage Portions Marriage by Capture Pursuit and Capture of the Bride
Bringing
the ancient
Home
way
tbe Bride
of Procuring
Rape of the Sabines, a Mythical Tradition of Wives by Physical Force Rape of Wives by
the Picts from the Gaels
Ancient Irish Laws defining the penalties conse-
quent on the different recognized modes of Abduction Irregular or Tem"The Straw Boys" Traces of porary Marriages Wedding Festivities the ancient custom of the Couvade, or "Hatching" Women after
marriage retain their maiden names
Line.
Descent
still
traced in the
Female
AN
old Icelandic author states that, into a certain island in one of the Irish lakes, no female of any animal, including the human
was allowed to enter. This rule seems to have been enforced, not only in Ireland, but in various parts of Europe. " no female Curson, in his Monasteries of the Levant, states that animal of any sort is admitted to any part of the peninsula of Mount Athos and since the days of Constantino the soil of the holy mountain has never been contaminated by the tread of a
species,
;
woman's foot." Moore has immortalised
this idea in the legend of Glendalough, where St. Kevin hurls Kathleen into the waters for daring to intrude on his presence and on his mediations yet
;
" Soon the
saint, yet,
ah
Felt her love, and
mourned her
too late, fate."
WOMEN AND THE

It
' '
SAINTS.
strictly
27
moral
;
has been wittily remarked of this most
man
If hard lying could gain it, he surely gained heaven For on rock lay his limhs, and rock pillow'd his head, Whenever this good holy saint kept his hed
;
And keep
For
I
it
he must, even to his last day,

it
'm sure he could never have thrown
away."
fair sex
St.
Senan
also inexorably
hunted away the
" But legends hint that had the maid Till morning light delay'd,
And
#
given the saint one rosy smile,

left his lonely isle."
She ne'er had
St. Columbkille seems likewise to have been credited with a horror of women. He detested even cows on their account, and would not allow one to come within sight of the walls of his "Where there is a cow monastery, because, as he explained: there must be a woman, and where there is a woman there must be mischief." Writers, almost without exception, depict the early Irish saints as of most exemplary character. Whether the long past " lent enchantment to the view," and ages in which they lived hid from modern gaze little episodes in the lives of other saints not quite as correct as the two foregoing examples, it is now imLet us suffice that, in point of morality, they possible to say. contrast most favourably with the picture drawn of Scottish monks by Sir Walter Scott
:
" The living dead, whose sober brow
Whose
Oft shrouds such thoughts as thou hast now, hearts within are seldom cured
When
Of passions by
their
vows abjured
under sad and solemn show Vain hopes are nursed, wild wishes glow."
women from sacred localities is a practice than Christianity. They were prohibited by the Komans from entering the temples of Hercules, the reason for which is given by Plutarch and Macrobius. The monks Irish examples could be multiplied to any extent. of Iniscathy Abbey from its foundation to its demolition are A said never to have permitted a woman to enter the island. " What lady having requested speech with a monk, he replied have women to do with monks? We will neither admit you or " If you any other woman into the island." The lady replied believe Christ will receive my soul, why do you turn away my
The
exclusion of
far older
28
"
MA RRIA GE L ORE.
" "I That," he answered, body ? verily believe, but we never permit any woman to enter this place, so God preserve you. Return to the world lest you be a scandal to us, for however chaste you may be you are a woman.''
" Cui Praesul, Quid faeminis
Commune
Nee
te,
est
cum monachis ?
nee ullam aliam -Admittimns in insulam.
Tune
Si
ilia
credis spiritum Posse Christum suscipere,
meum
ad Episcopum
Quid me
repellis corpore?
Credo inquit, hoc optime, Sed nullae unquam faeminae Hue ingressam concedimus Esto salvet te Dominus.
;
Redi iterum ad saeculum,
Ne
sis
nobis in scandal um
Et si es casta pectore Sexum habes in corpore."
There are, however, some still surviving fragmentary relics of ancient customs pointing to a state of things having formerly existed in Ireland resembling those still prevalent in some parts of the East, as well as in Africa. A night spent in one of the old churches at Termonbary, near Lough Ree, or passed in a cleft in the rock at the source of the river Lee, by a married woman who had not been blessed with issue, proved as effective in removing barrenness as did ever the prolific shadow of Rabelais' Abbey Steeple and is it not strange that, although the- early Christian missionaries are reputed to have held women in holy " beds " was abhorrence, a visit to one of their usually a favourite exercise of devout women, who imagined that by lying religious in it and turning thrice round, at the same time repeating certain prayers, a favourable answer would be granted to their maternal
;
requests.
Amongst some African tribes a man is at liberty to return his wife to her family and demand repayment of her purchase money if she bear no children. However, before doing so, he must send her to the " bed " of a fetichman but if, after that, she still remains barren, the woman's family are bound to take her back and repay her price to the disappointed Benedict. " " or " Priests' Beds Almost any number of Irish " Saints' might be enumerated a few shall suffice. A writer, describing the Island of Devenish in the year 1815, says that " a few paces to the north of St. Molaise's house is his bed," which is a stone
; ;
'
SAINTS' OR PRIESTS' "BEDS."

trough
(coffin)
29
in length
sunk level with the surface of the ground, six feet and fifteen inches wide, in which people lie down and repeat some prayers, in hope of relief from any pains with which they may be affected. About 100 paces north of St. Mary's Abbey is St. Nicholas's Well, to which many resort for relief, repeat some prayers, and leave a rag suspended on a bush near it."
In the parish
"
of Killady, county Cork, is St. Ita's Well, An oblong hole in the ground are still paid. not far distant is called "St. Ita's Bed," where, " if child-bearing women roll themselves, they will not suffer the pains of child-
where "rounds
Needless to add, no decent woman would do this in public, told several come here privately on by-days for that " Bed " purpose, or take home a handful of the earth from the for the purpose of rubbing it around their bodies in the name of the Holy Trinity." About the year 1873 the Rev. James Page thus describes a scene at the station called " St. Patrick's Bed," on Croagh All the devotees do not go there Patrick none but those that and the abominable practices committed there ought are barren to make human nature, in its most degraded state, blush. This station course is forty yards in circumference. Bound this they go seven times, then enter the bed, turn round seven times, take up some small pebbles, and bring them home, in order to prevent barrenness, and to banish rats and mice. The greater part of those who go through this station stop upon the hill all night that they may sleep in the bed."
birth.
but I
am
' '
On Inishmore, now called Church Island, in Lough Gill, county Sligo, are the ruins of a church founded by St. Loman In a rock, near the door of the church, in the sixth century. there used to be a depression or cavity in a slab of rock called " Our This was a favourite resort of devout Lady's Bed."
women, who imagined that by lying in it, turning thrice round, and at the same time repeating certain prayers, a favourable
answer would be granted to their maternal requests. This belief has long ceased, the island is no longer used as a burial place, and the " Bed" has disappeared, or cannot now be identified. In one of the wild desolate islands off the Western coast there
is,
" Lady Wilde, a stone receptable called The Bed Ghost." Many people go from the mainland for the Holy " " it bed," believing that purpose of passing a night in this " it luck to all, and to heals all diseases," and that brings good
according to
of the
women
the blessing of children." stones on the top of the Bally mascanlan Cromleac, near Dundalk, locally known as the " Pulleek Stone," are thrown by the credulous, who believe that if one rests there the thrower will be married before the expiration of the year. This is an
The small
80
MARRIA GE L ORE.
excellent example of a world-wide superstition, for J. F. Campbell records having found in Japan small piles of stones at the foot of every image and memorial stone, and on every altar hy the way-
Another traveller, describing the ceremony which gives birth to these heaps of stones, states that women who desire children make pilgrimages to a sacred stone on the holy hill of Nikko and throw pebbles at it. If they succeed in hitting it He maliciously adds that they seem very their wish is granted. He also describes a seated statue of Buddha, clever at the game. at Tokio, 011 whose knees women fling stones with the same object, and further relates that the grotesque statues guarding the entrance of another temple were covered with pellets of chewed paper shot through the bars of the railing which surrounded the idols. A successful shot implied the attainment of the spitter's wish. In Upper Brittany pins are thrown into the holy well of St. Goustan by those who wish to be married within the year the pins stick point downward into the bottom of the well if the prayer is to be granted. Girls still resort to a little shrine on the beach at Perros Guirec, in Lower Brittany. The postulant, her prayer concluded, sticks a pin into the wooden statue of the saint, which is riddled with pin-holes, and her wish for a husband Similar rites are observed in is infallibly granted within a year.
side.
;
Poitou and Alsace, and the like practices exist almost all over France, or have died out, in many places, only recently. In an island near Achill there is a holy well at which no female is allowed to draw water. It must be handed to her by a male, be he even an infant, whose hand she should place within her own in laying hold of the vessel when drawing the water which may be afterwards used for the ordinary purpose of everyday life. Numerous anecdotes are recounted of the misfortunes which have happened to women who persisted in drawing water
from
this well.
An
old
man who
lived for
many
years on this
solemnly declared that he had, on several occasions, cleaned out the well after women had taken water from it, and that on each occasion it was full of blood and corruption. From the time he commenced to clean out the well until the task was accomplished, no water flowed into it; but as soon as the cleansing was finished, clear spring water immediately burst
island
forth.
According to an ancient legend, quoted by Professor O'Curry, the River Shannon originated from the profanation of a sacred pagan well by a woman. Women w ere not permitted to wash their feet in holy wells, though men were allowed to do so, for the Irish held a great many
r
superstitions relative to water in
which
feet
had been dipped.
SEPA RA 2E B URIAL-PLA CES.

is
31
In Nennius' Historia Britonum, the Mill of Kilkeary in Ossory described as the thirty-second wonder of Ireland. This ancient mill would neither grind on the Sabbath, nor would it grind The site of this stolen grain, and women dare not enter it. semi-sacred edifice is now occupied by a modern building, and for its present characteristics the miller can answer. In many localities it was forbidden to bury men and women in The prohibition still occasionally survives as the same cemetery. at Inishniurray and it is an almost universal belief that if a woman be buried in the men's ground, the corpse will be removed during the night, by unseen hands, to the women's cemetery, and vice versa. The custom of separate burial is derived from very ancient times, for the old pagans had, in some instances, A little to the separate burying places for the two sexes. north of Buttevant, on a height overlooking the road, stands an ancient conical sepulchral tumulus, styled in Irish " the mound of the boys." A tumulus of corresponding dimensions, called " the mound of the girls," is in the immediate vicinity. This idea of supposed pollution by contact with women appears to be much the same in all ages, and all the world over. In the present day the movements of the fleet of trading canoes belonging to some of the natives of New Guinea are governed by minute and elaborate regulations on this subject. No woman is allowed
;
on board any canoe
for
two months previous
to its sailing,
and
during the entire period of absence the leading men in each canoe must abstain from all intercourse with the fair sex.
So much similarity and so many correspondences exist in the every-day routine prevailing among races generally considered distinct, that the ethnological differences they exhibit are of little weight when what they possess in common is taken into conTo unravel the tangled skein of primitive life as it sideration. formerly existed in Ireland, we must look to the tribes of Central Africa, of America, thehillmen of India, and the Pacific Islanders. With many of these we find marriage laws unknown, the family system undeveloped, and the only acknowledged blood relationship " These facts of that through females. to-day are, in a sense, the most ancient history. In the science of law and society, 'old' means not old in chronology, but in structure that is most archaic which is nearest to the beginning of human progress considered as a development, and that is most modern which is
;
' '
farthest
removed from that beginning." In the whole range of legal symbolism there
is
no
trait
more
remarkable than that of capture in marriage ceremonies, nor is there any the meaning of which has been less studied. The Rev. Edward Chichester, A.M., writing in 1815, on ancient customs in the parish of Culdaff, county Donegal, says that there
32
MA RRIA GE L ORE.
were many which appeared extraordinary, though not confined to any one district of Ireland, the most singular he mentions being elopement previous to matrimony, and that notwithstanding the absence of all difficulties which might stand in the way of the union of the lovers. " The symbol of capture occurs whenever, after a contract of
marriage,
it is
necessary for the constitution of the relation of
husband and wife that the bridegroom or his friends should go through the form of feigning to steal the bride, or carry her off from her friends by superior force. The marriage is agreed upon by bargain, and the theft or abduction follows as a concerted matter of form to make valid the marriage. The test then of the presence of the symbol in any case is, that the capture is conIf there is no certed, and preceded by a contract of marriage.
preceding contract, the case is one of actual abduction." Those who approach the study of this interesting subject with unbiassed minds will readily perceive that there must have existed an early period of lawlessness, in which it was with women as with other kinds of property, " that he should take who had the " that wives were first power, and he should keep who can obtained by force, then by theft, and later by trade and bargain. The question of ancient marriage customs in Ireland has not been grappled with by antiquaries, and it is probable that, when the solution has been attained, it will exhibit matrimonial alliance in the Emerald Isle in a very different light from that in which it has been hitherto depicted by an extravagantly eulogistic school of writers. Sir Henry Piers, in a Description of Westineath written about the year 1682, and published in Collec. de Rebus-Hi^., vol. i., " especially in those p. 122, says regarding Irish marriages, that counties where cattle abound, the parents and friends on each side meet on the side of a hill, or, if the weather be cold, in some place of shelter about midway between both dwellings. If agreement ensue, they drink the agreement bottle,' as they call it, which is a bottle of good usquebaugh (whiskey), and this goes merrily round. For payment of the portion, which is generally a determinate number of cows, little care is taken. The father or next of kin to the bride sends to his neighbours and friends
; '
sub mutuae vidssitudinis obtentu, and everyone gives his cow or and thus the portion is quickly paid. Nevertheless, caution is taken from the bridegroom on the day of delivery for restitution of the cattle in case the bride dies childless within a certain day, limited by agreement ; and in this case every man's own beast is Thus care is taken that no man shall grow rich by restored.
heifer,
frequent marriages." what as follows

:
In the present day the routine
is
some-
ANCIENT MARRIAGE CUSTOMS.
83
Some desirable partner for their son is discovered by his parents desirable either in respect of the amount of her fortune, in cash or kind, or the land she possesses. The families are so, to put the matter in train, generally strangers to each other it becomes necessary to engage the services of an intermediary to The proplace the proposal before the young woman's parents.
;
fessional
"match-maker
"
is
usually elderly, shrewd, calculating,
and versed in all the arts of country diplomacy. The commission given, he calls as if by accident, and without making any definite proposal, sketches an outline of the desired arrangement. Negotiations and the all-important question of the fortune follow, and here occurs the match-maker's opportunity, as his services are ,]jsually rewarded in proportion to the terms he obtains, so ample play is given to his powers of "blarney" and wealth of
argument. If the girl is possessed of a fortune, the novelty of the transaction comes in, as the dowry passes, not into the estate of the young couple, but into the pocket of the bridegroom's parents, who, in consideration, agree to assign the farm to their
son, charged with certain payments. traveller in Ireland, about the year 1830, describes a rustic marriage festival which he came on by chance one evening in the
The account is thus summarised by Lady of Kerry. Wilde: "A large hawthorn tree that stood in the middle of a field, near a stream, was hung all over with bits of coloured stuff, while lighted rush candles were placed here and there amongst
wilds
the branches, to symbolise, no doubt, the new life of brightness Then came a procession of boys preparing for the bridal pair.
marching slowly with flutes and pipes made of hollow reeds, and one struck a tin can with a stick at intervals, with a strong
rhythmical cadence. This represented the plectrum. Others rattled slates and bones between their fingers, and beat time, a rude attempt at music, after the manner of the Crotolistrai which appears amongst all nations of the earth, even the most
savage.
A boy followed, bearing a lighted torch of bog-wood. Evidently he was Hymen, and the flame of love was his cogAfter him came the betrothed pair hand-in-hand, a nisance. large square canopy of black stuff being held over their heads the emblem, of course, of the mystery of love, shrouded and Behind the pair followed two veiled from the prying light of day. attendants, bearing high over the heads of the young couple a sieve filled with meal, a sign of the plenty that would be in their house, and an omen of good luck and the blessing of children. A the wild chorus of dancers and singers closed the procession chorus of the epithalamium and grotesque figures, probably the traditional fauns andsatyrs, nymphs and bacchanals, mingledtogether with mad laughter and shouts and waving of green branches.
;
VOL. n.
r>
84
11
MA RRIA GE L ORE.
The procession then moved on to a bonfire, evidently the ancient altar, and having gone round it three times, the black shroud was lifted from the bridal pair, and they kissed each other before all the people, who shouted and waved their branches in
approval.
"Then the preparations for the marriage supper began on which, however, the traveller left them, having laid some money on the altar as an offering of good-will for the marriage future. At the wedding supper there was always plenty of eating and drinking and dancing, and the feast was prolonged till near morning, when the wedding song was sung by the whole party of friends standing, while the bride and bridegroom remained seated The chorus of one of these ancient at the head of the table. songs may be thus literally translated from the Irish
;
:
"
'
It is not day, nor yet day, It is not day, nor yet morning It is not day, nor yet day,
;
For the moon
is
shining brightly.'
" Another marriage song was sung in Irish frequently, each verse ending with the lines
:
"
'
And
There is sweet enchanting music, and the golden harps are ringing twelve comely maidens deck the bride-bed for the bride.'
" A beautiful new dress was presented to the bride by her husband at the marriage feast, at which also the father paid down and all the place round her dowry before the assembled guests the house was lit by torches when night came on, and the song and the dance continued till daylight, with much speech-making and drinking of poteen. All fighting was steadily avoided at a wedding, for a quarrel would be considered a most unlucky omen. A wet day was also held to be very unlucky, as the bride would But the assuredly weep for sorrow throughout the year. bright warm sunshine was hailed joyfully, according to the old
;
saying
"
'
Happy
is
But blessed
the the bride that the sun shines on is the corpse that the rain rains on.'
;
"
the day of bringing home, the bridegroom and his and meet the bride and her friends at the place " of meeting. Having come near to each other, the custom was of old to cast short darts at the company that attended the bride, but at such distance that seldom any hurt ensued yet it is not out of the memory of man that the Lord of Howth, on such an
friends ride out
;
On
occasion, lost an eye."
THE
Even at when going
the
' '
STRA
W BOYS."
;
85
commencement
of this century, countrymen,
on horseback, each the bride was having behind him a woman seated on a pillion mounted behind the best man the bridegroom, however, rode That old world relic of barbarism, the pursuit and capalone. The latter pretended to run ture of the bride, then still existed. away, pursued by the bridegroom and even yet the bridal party usually set out for a long drive, the bride and bridegroom, bridesmaid and best man, being on the first car, the guests following in
to a marriage, generally rode
;
an order which usually depends upon the respective merits and " speed of their horses. This drive was sometimes called draghome the bride." Sometimes the term was applied to ging the.drive from the parent's house to that of her husband. f Weddings were made the occasion of great festivities, usually followed by a dance kept up till the greater number of the guests were stretched upon the floor through the combined effects of fatigue and other causes. In remote parts of the country, " straw boys " still appear at the house disguised in tall conical- shaped straw masks (fig. 8), decorated with stripes of red and green cloth they also wear white shirts and red petticoats set off with many coloured ribbons. The leader dances with the bride, the next in rank with the bridesmaid, and the remainder of the band find partners as best they can. They are usually well entertained and treated to drink.
;
They formerly demanded money, and indulged in boisterous play but in most localities this is a thing of the past.
Lord Kames, in Sketches of the History of Man, states that the following marriage ceremony was in his day (1807), or had till shortly before, been customary among the Welsh " On the morning of the wedding day, the bridegroom, accompanied with his friends on horseback, demands the bride. Her friends, who are likewise on horseback, give a positive refusal, The bride, mounted behind upon which a mock scuffle ensues. her nearest kinsman, is carried off, and is pursued by the bridegroom and his friends with loud shouts. It is not uncommon, on such an occasion, to see two or three hundred sturdy CambroBritons riding at full speed, crossing and jostling, to the no sinall amusement of the spectators. When they have fatigued themselves and their horses, the bridegroom is suffered to overtake his bride. He leads her away in triumph, and the scene is concluded
:
with feasting and festivity." In Roman history, the story of the rape of the Sabines should be accepted as a mythical tradition of the ancient way of procuring wives by force, and, as might naturally be expected, the story, differing slightly in form, is to be found in the folk-lore of many tribes and in .many places. In the Irish Nennius there is a
I i'
.11WW''V'V WB A ^-HW
'
Fio.
8.
Wedding Dance
M;isk.
Slightly less than quarter real size.
Welch's Irish Views.
WEDDING
FESTIVITIES.
37
rape of wives by the Picts from the Gael, and the Irish are also represented as giving three hundred women to the Picts, conditional on the succession to the crown amongst the Picts being through females only
:
"
'
There were oaths imposed on them, the stars, by the earth, That from the nobility of the mother Should always be the right of the sovereignty.
By
The story of the oaths is, no doubt, a fable to explain the descensus per umbilicum of the Picts. But in Duan Gircanash,' a poem on the origin of the Gaedhel, reciting the same event, the
'
11
Pints' are represented as stealing the three
hundred wives
"
'Cruithne, son of Cnig, took their

It is directly stated
women from them
Except Tea, wife of Hermion, Son of Miledh.'
And
had
to
in consequence of the capture, the Gael, being left wifeless, form alliances with the original tribes of Ireland
:
"
'
There were no charming noble wives For their young men Their women having been stolen, they made alliance
;
With
the
TuathaDea.'"
:
Mr. C. Staniland Wake, in Marriage and Kinship, remarks " In the Book of Abduction without Aicill, under the head of leave,' it is said that the child of a woman who had been abducted without leave from her family, unless begotten more than a month
'
after the abduction, belonged not to the abductor, but the mother's family. If the mother had been forcibly abducted it
belonged to them absolutely, and they might refuse to sell it to the abductors but if the mother had consented to the abduction he could force her family to sell. Where there had been an abduction without leave, the woman's family were allowed a month to bring the man to terms about her, or to reclaim her. If there was no contract, and the woman remained with her abductor longer than that period, her family lost their Here we have different phases of right to the offspring. forcible abduction, abduction without marriage by capture the consent of the woman herself, and abduction without leave of her family, which, no doubt, was wanting also when the consent of the woman had not been obtained. From the reference to the consent which was necessary to take the children from the woman's family and give them to their father it may be thought that abduction with the leave first had of the woman's family
; ' '
88
MA RRIA GE L ORE.
The arrangement referred to was made, howmonth being fixed by custom as the term within which it ought to be come to, or the woman brought
was recognised.
ever, after the abduction, a
In this case there does not appear to be back by her family." any such symbolical capture, or abduction by arrangement, as Dr. MacLellan's theory requires. There was actual capture, which
for, but as the contract came after the abduction, the facts do not come within the theory according to which " the marriage is agreed upon by bargain, and the theft or abduction follows as a concerted matter of form, to make valid the marriage. It comes rather within the statement that if there is no preceding contract, the case is one of actual abduc-
was afterwards compounded
'
tion.'
"
In the 21st chapter of Deuteronomy, verses 10-14, we have the full description of marriage by capture as practised amongst the Israelites. Every detail, even to the paring of the nails of the captive before marriage, is identical with one of the Arab methods of terminating the widow's period of seclusion and aUowing her to marry again. The general conclusion which may be drawn from these and other allied facts, taken as a whole, may be interpreted as evidence of a gradual progress from a state of Totemism and female
kinship, always tending upwards from that condition, exhibiting the development of human society as an evolution, moving, at different epochs, with varying rapidity. Mr. John F. MacLennan, M.A., in Primitive Marriage, points out that " as civilization advanced, the system of kinship through females only, was succeeded by a system which acknowledged kinship through males also, and which in most cases passed into a system which acknowledged kinship through males only." The Editors of the Senchus Mor appear to be of opinion that Patria Potestas did not enter into old Irish law, for they say " the provisions of the Irish family (vol. ii., p. 4, preface) that law do not appear to have any connection with the ancient Eoman law. The Irish law demands for the mother a position equal with the father, and there is no trace of the exercise of that arbitrary power which was wielded by a Roman father over the members of his family." In the laws of Ireland there was thus, according to this evidence, no trace of Patria Potestas. Many English writers allege that in former times the population living in remote parts of Ireland paid very little attention to the tie of matrimony in fact, Keating admits the accusation, " With for he remarks regard to what is charged upon the Irish by other writers, that they very religiously observe their -matrimonial contracts for the space of a year, and think they may then lawfully dissolve them, it is sufficient to reply that this
:
A NCIENT MA RRIA GE CUSTOMS.
89
opinion prevailed only among the rude and unpolished part of the people, who despised the discipline of the Church, and denied the authority of their ecclesiastical superiors." A " Teltown Marriage " is an expression often used in Meath to describe an irregular marriage in the present day, and a somewhat similar custom to that now to be described existed in If a Scotland, Wales, and part of England till very lately. couple who had been married for a twelvemonth disagreed, they returned to Teltown, to the centre of a fort styled Eathdoo, placed themselves back to back, one facing the north, the other the south, and walked out of the fort a divided couple free to marry again. (What numbers would now take advantage of this simple ceremony were it but legally efficacious !) Another ancient idea was that people should not marry in the autumn in "binding" time, for they were sure to be unbound afterwards, and the bride and bridegroom should go out of the church door together, as in many localities it is believed that the first to go out will be the first to die. There are also ill-disposed women, or witches, who by weaving spells during the wedding service prevent any children being born of the marriage. Their general manner of proceeding is to tie a knot on a string for every word uttered during the
ceremony. Other traces of Pagan wedding customs still linger. " " is a relic of the time when the bride Giving away the bride was really sold the promise of the bride in the marriage service to obey her husband was, at one time, no mere form the bride's veil is a reminder that in days of old she was really shrouded from head to foot rice poured over the newly married couple is
; ;
doubtless a substitute for the staple food of the country, and a token of a hope that they may always have a sufficiency old shoes were thrown after brides long before the introduction of Christianity, so that throughout the entire ritual of wedding observances, there is probably nothing that has not been hallowed by centuries of Paganism. At the commencement of this century it was customary, in the parish of Culdaff, county Donegal, for an infant at its birth to be forced to swallow spirits, and it was immediately afterwards suspended by the upper jaw upon the midwife's fore-finger. This ceremony was performed for the purpose of preventing a disease which the people styled " headfall." Another custom, not -merely local, but found in other parts of the kingdom, was noticed" by the Rev. Edward Cupples in the county Antrim. When his parishioners brought children to be baptized, a piece of bread and cheese was concealed in the infant's clothes. If several children were brought to the font at -the same time, the males were first presented to the clergyman.
;
40
MA RRIA GE L ORE.
Strangest of all strange customs is that of the Couvade, the custom which obliges the husband to take to his bed when a child is born, sets the doctor to dose him, the woman to nurse, and his friends to visit him. No certain information has as yet, it is believed, been obtained relative to the present continuance of this custom in Ireland, but the prominent position held by the mother in Irish
birth-rites is very remarkable.
Solinus recounts how, before the Christian era, the Irish mother puts the " food on the sword of her husband, and lightly introduces the first particle (auspicium) of nourishment into the little child's mouth with the point of the sword, and with gentle vows, expresses a wish that he may never meet death otherwise than in wars and amid wars." The Eev. F. A. Potter, in his description of the parish of Eathconrath, in the county Westmeatn, in the year 1819, mentions the fact of all the married women calling themselves by their maiden names, and this is still common in Ulster. To the present day, in many places, women, although married, retain their maiden names, and in times not very remote often followed their mother's rather than their father's kindred. The study of this habit may, in time to come, unravel the tangled skein of this folk custom but apparently the Couvade was prevalent in Ulster at a very remote period, for in one of the early centuries of the Christian Era, when the Northern Province was invaded by Maev, Queen of Connacht or the Western Province, she found all the adults confined to bed, so that no one, save the champion Cuchullin (Coolin) and his father, were able to defend the country against the invaders. This inactivity and inertia of the Northerns was interpreted by the light of a custom which seemed to render it intelligible.
;
This
singular inaction is accounted for in a tale entitled CeasnaiiUtean Uladh, or the " Childbirth debility of the Ulster-
men."
In the Book of Leinster it is recounted that Macha, wife of Crunniuc, was compelled to run in a chariot race with the horses of Conor, notwithstanding her earnest entreaty for a postponement of the contest on the plea that she was soon to become a mother. Her prayers were unavailing. After she had passed the goal she gave birth to twins, upon which she cursed the Ulstermen, and inflicted them yearly, at a certain season, with labour pains for five days and four nights (or four days and five This was styled the Noinden Ulad. This incident is nights). recited to account for the debility of the Ulstermen, when the Province was invaded by the celebrated Connacian Queen. It may be well to explain that the term Couvade or " hatch-
THE ANCIEN1 CUSTOM OF " HATCHING."

" ing
41
comes from Beam, where the custom is so named. in the present day in Ireland, women before childbirth often wear the coat of the father of the expected arrival, with the idea that this will make the father share some of the pains of Women also labour, and thus mitigate those of the mother. often place the trousers of the father of the child round their neck, the effect of which is also to lighten their pains. In the same way, in India, amongst the Kukis, the doctor, not the The custom of the Couvade is patient, swallows the medicine. still practised in Southern India, in Yunnan, in China, in Borneo, Kamschatka, Greenland, and by many tribes of North and South
Even
America.
Guiana in the year 1763 thus describes the " When the wife lies Couvade there prevailing in for the first time, the husband is obliged to keep his hammock, which is draw n up to the ridge of the house, and he is suffered to have no nourishment but a little cassava wheat and some water. When they let him down, they cut him in several parts of his body with some sharp instrument, made either of the fin of a fish or the tooth of some animal. Sometimes also they give him a, sound whipping. Till this ceremony is performed upon the birth of the first child, the husband is the slave of his father-inlaw, and as soon as it is over he is obliged to enter into the service of some old Indian, and quit his wife for some months. During this time he is not allowed to eat venison, pork, nor game of any kind neither is he allowed to cleave wood, under a.
*~A traveller in
custom
of the
r
notion that
it
may
by a great
festival, at
hurt the infant. This servitude is terminated which the husband is again put into
possession of his liberty and his wife." Descent can be easily proved from the mother, whilst it is, as a general rule, impossible to know the paternity of an infant. Whenever relationship is traced through females only, the custom may be safely regarded as a remnant of savagery for it should be borne in mind that in primitive times a child was considered to belong to the tribe generally, afterwards it came to be looked on as the property of the mother, then of the father, whilst it is only in modern times that it is looked on as related to both. When a state of society was reached in which the father took the place previously held by the mother, the father instead of the In the altered state mother came to be regarded as the parent. of the case the father would, on the birth of the child, be bound by this idea to be careful of what he did or what he ate, for fear the child might be injured, and in this way the curious ceremony of the Couvade may have originated. In classical literature there are clear illustrations of it; so also among the Tibareni, a tribe on the south coast of the
;
42
MARRIAGE LORE.
Black Sea, among the Cantabri in the North of Spain and in Corsica. Mr. C. Staniland Wake, writing on the Couvade, directs attention to the fact that Dr. E. Tylor was of opinion that the custom " implicitly denies that physical separation of individuals which a civilized man would probably set down as a first principle common by nature to all mankind. ... It shows us a number of distinct and distant tribes deliberately holding the opinion that the connection between father and child is not only, as we think, a mere relation of parentage, affection, duty, but that their very bodies are joined by a physical bond, so that what is Professor Max done to the one acts directly upon the other." Muller offers the curious suggestion that the Couvade custom " " secret which led the arises from some spring in human nature husband at first to be " tyrannised over by his female relations, He then began to and afterwards frightened into superstition. make a martyr of himself till he made himself really ill, or took to his bed in self-defence." Sir John Lubbock sees in that custom a connection with the change which he supposes to have taken " As soon as the He says place from female to male kinship. change was made, the father would take the place held previously by the mother, and he, instead of she, would be regarded as the parent. Hence, on the birth of a child, the father would naturally be very careful what he did, and what he ate, for fear the child be injured." The suggestion made in this passage is carried further by M. Giraud-Teulon, who regards the Couvade as an imitation of nature, intended to give a colour to the fiction that the father had brought forth the child, and was for it a second mother, such a pretence being the only way in which a bond between the father and his child could be established. The French writer " shows that " adoption by the imitation of nature was practised the Eomans down to the first century of the empire. This among was with a people who recognised relationship through both father and mother, and it was not a true instance of the Couvade. " So far, moreover, from this custom having any relation to a
' '
:
change from female to male kinship, it is most strongly pronounced among peoples having preferably a system of kinship through females. This is the case with the Arawaks and Caribs of British Guiana, and probably with the Abipones of Paraguay. M. Giraud-Teulon dwells on the domestic superiority of women among the Basquees with whom a husband n'entre dans la maison que pour reproduire et travailler pour la bien de sa
femme."
reproduction furnishes the explanation of the custom in question. With some of the Brazilian tribes, when a man becomes a father he goes to bed instead of his wife, and all the
'
" This
'
THE PRACTICE OF 2HE COUVADE.

women
qu'il a
43
of the village
come
to console
eu de
faire cet enfant.'
la peine et douleur This agrees with the idea enter'
him for
tained by so many peoples that the child is derived from the father only, the mother being merely its nourisher. When such an idea is held, it is not surprising if, as among the Abipones, the the father's carelessness influences the belief is formed that new-born offspring, from a natural bond and sympathy of both,' or if the father abstains, either before or after the child's birth, from eating any food or performing any actions which are Still more so, if the child is thought capable of doing it harm. regarded, as is sometimes the case, as the reincarnation of the father, a notion which is supported by the fact, pointed out by Mr. Gerald Massey, that in the Couvade the parent identifies himself with the infant child, into which he has been typically The explanation given by Prof. Douglas of the transformed. Couvade as practised by the aborigines in the Chinese province of He states that the father Kwei-chow agrees with that view. the idea being that the goes to bed with the infant for a month, life of the father and child is one, and that any harm happening to the father will affect injuriously the well-being of the infant'." Thus we see that the Couvade was practised by tribes represented then as backward in civilization, and in modern times by savages in many widely separated countries. This curious custom has been found at all times in many parts of the world, and in countries so distant from one another as to preclude the idea of imitation hence it seems that, however absurd the custom may appear, yet there must be a sentiment in human nature, at some stage of its development, of which it is the
' ' ;
outcome.
daily life routine of a present day savage is regulated by strange customs, which, however foolish they may appear to us, are regarded by the practiser as of vital importance to his own welfare and these customs are in reality but the sterile or growth-arrested germs which, under more favourable conditions, have in civilized communities evolved into highly complicated
The
many
legal
and
religious codes.
Finally the practice of the Couvade may be accounted for, partly on the idea of the child belonging exclusively to the father, and partly on the want of distinction in the savage mind between objective and subjective relations, whilst it has been also suggested that the malignant demons plotting against mother and child were considered to be tricked in this substitution of the man for the woman but C. Tomlinson, F.E.S., " could not have suggests that such a practice originated in the motives above referred to, but rather in the necessities of humanity in the early history of the race, when the man shared
;
44
with the
MA RRIA GE L ORE,
woman the exhausting function of suckling the child. From long disuse, the lacteal organ has become rudimentary in men generally, but occasionally exceptions are to be met with." He then enumerates many instances, both with regard to tribes
and
to individuals,
and
states that
on submitting
to a physiolo-
gist the question whether at some remote period of the history of the human race man did not share with woman the task of
suckling the infant, he was referred to Darwin's Descent of Man (chap, vi., 2nd ed.), in which this subject is treated at length, and to which the reader is also referred.
A most interesting Paper on "Lactation," by JohnKnott, M.D., M.R. C.P.I., &c., has lately appeared in the Medical Press, vol. cxix.,
pp. 578-580, 608-610. Classic antiquity presents instances of nations tracing their For examples, Herodotus descent through the female line only. (Clio, clxxiii) states that the Lycians "have one distinction from
which they never

take their
If
names from
is
deviate, which is peculiar to themselves they their mothers, and not from their fathers.
;
anyone
diately to give
asked concerning his family, he proceeds immean account of his descent, mentioning the female
branches only." Over the different companies into which the Cretans were
divided, a woman presided who had the care and management of the whole family this female government arose from their pretended descent from Thetis. According to Plutarch, Bellerophon slew a wild boar which had destroyed the cattle and crops of the Xanthians, but who nevertheless gave him no reward for the exploit. He thereupon prayed Neptune to blight their crops, which the god did, until moved by the supplications of the female population, Bellerophon prayed a second time to Neptune to remove the curse. To commemorate this a law was enacted amongst the Xanthians, that they should take their names from their mothers and not from their fathers. The story is, however, evidently invented to account for the peculiarity of having descent reckoned through females only. The old-world idea of pollution through contact with women is neatly ridiculed in the reply of Theano, wife of Pythagoras, to a person who inquired of her what time was required for a woman " She is to become pure pure immediately if the man be her husband but if he be not her husband, no time will make her
:
:
so."
A very common superstition is that a marriage lacks validity unless solemnized with a gold ring. In a small country town, in the south of Ireland, a local jeweller used to keep a few wedding
rings for hire, and
when
couples,
who were
too poor to purchase
2HE WEDDING RING.

one
45
of the necessary precious metal, were about to be married, they procured, for a small sum, the temporary loan of a ring, it being returned to the jeweller immediately after completion of In very poor localities it is customary the marriage ceremony. for the same gold ring to do duty for many marriages, for which purpose it is placed in the custody of some fairly comfortably circumstanced individual. It is regarded as most unlucky if the wedding ring slips off the finger of the newly married wife either through accident or another superstition is that when a wedding ring carelessness has worn so thin as to break in two, the woman or the husband will die, that the wedding ring and married life wear away pari " Perhaps, we have here an answer to the often-asked passu^, question of modern days, Why do ladies encumber themselves Another common notion is, with such heavy wedding rings ? that if a wife should be unfortunate enough to break her wedding ring, she will shortly lose her husband." The wedding ring is, it is stated, worn on the fourth finger, in accordance with a very ancient but erroneous belief that an " This," Wheatly artery ran direct from this finger to the heart. " is now contradicted but several eminent by experience, says, authors, as well Gentiles as Christians, as well physicians as
; '
'
divines, were formerly of this opinion, and therefore they thought this finger the properest to bear the pledge of love, that, from thence, it might be conveyed, as it were, to the heart."
According
to the old
proverb
" As your wedding-ring wears,
Your
cares will
wear away."
CHAPTER
WELL WOKSHIP
Holy Wells divided
of the Process
III.
A]S
D ITS CONCOMITANTS.
into three classes Are still very numerous Illustrations by which Christian Observances were, both in ancient and modern times, accommodated to heathen superstitious The Desiul, or Holy Bound as practised in Ireland in ancient and in modern times amongst the Greeks and Romans in the Tyrol in Portugal by Irish Bishops The Tuapholl, Maledictive or Cursing Hound in Ireland in Scandinavia Ceremonial employed in anathematizing enemies The Private Curse The Public Curse Enumeration of all known Cursing Stones and Cursing Altars How the Curse may be averted Some Sacred
Stones
still
their Species employed to
believed to contain the Spirits of Ancestors They propagate Were invoked for good as well as for evil purposes Were cure Diseases Straining Strings Amulets and Charms-
Strings, shreds, rags, hair, &c.,tied on Bushes, &c., around Holy Wells Their signification Accounts of Wells in various parts of Ireland Altars and Wells decorated with Fruit and Flowers Wind Wells Sacred Fish
Salmon
Trout
Eels
Well-worship and
some, to be of Eastern origin
its concomitants, believed, by Conclusions to be drawn.
in Ireland may be roughly divided into three namely, those which derive their reputed virtues from pagan superstition, where even yet
classes,
HOLY WELLS
" The nimble-footed
fairies dance their rounds, By the pale moonshine, dipping oftentimes Their stolen children, so to make them free, From dying flesh and dull mortality."
Secondly, springs that were transferred from pagan to so-called Christian uses and thirdly, a few which may lay claim to a merely Christian origin. In the alleged ecclesiastical canons of Edgar it is ordered " that every priest forbid well- worshippings, &c.," and heathenism is very properly denned as the worship of idols, the sun or moon, fire, or rivers, water- wells, stones, and forest trees.
;
CHRISTIAN OBSERVANCES.
;
47
Although many holy wells have now, in a greater or less degree, lost their sacred character, they are still numerous probably there are not less than three thousand throughout Ireland. Holy wells are resorted to for purposes of prayer, or for the performing of certain penances either voluntary or imposed evidently a survival of the old heathen adoration of "water-wells." In many Irish MS. there are allusions to this pre-Christian worship for example, Tirehan relates that St. Patrick, in his progress through Ireland, came to a fountain called Slaun, to which the Druids offered sacrifices, and which they worshipped as a God and in Adamnan's Life of St. Columkille it is recounted that this saint, when in the country of the Picts, heard of a notable fountain to which the pagans paid divine honour. Illustrations of the process by which Christian observances were, in ancient times, accommodated to heathen superstitions and customs, are, in modern times, to be also found, nearly everyIn China and where, smoothing the work of the missionary. Japan the paraphernalia of Buddhism have proved most convenient temples, shrines, altars, bells, holy-water vessels, censers, rosaries, vestments, are all ready at hand for transfer from one set of priests, and from one religion to the other. Images of Buddha, with a slight application of the chisel, are transformed into images of Christ, and the roadside shrines of the goddess of mercy are easily metamorphosed into shrines of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In Ceylon, devil dancers, from the temples of Siva, accompany the processions alike of heathen gods and of those of Christ and of Christian saints. In the same chapel, images of Buddha are placed opposite images of the Virgin, and apparently receive equal adoration, whilst a mingled throng of Hindoos, Buddhists, and Christians pay their vows together at the shrines of St. Anna, by whom miracles are believed to have been wrought. With the process here visible before us, we can see how heathen customs and ideas, in both early and modern times, would be planted and cultivated in popular Christian On this principle the pagan Pantheon, or " Temple of usage. " Church of all the all the Gods," at Home, became the Christian Saints," and, in Ireland, the first expounders of the New Faith
; ;
accommodated
their teaching to pre-existing observances, tole-
rated, or even encouraged the continuance of long established institutions, conciliated popular prejudice, converted pagan into Christian festivals, and consecrated to the service of the new God,
localities, objects,
and days which had been previously dedicated
to an older worship. This is no new thing, but the mere repetition of an old story. It is stated that in ancient Phoenicia there are grottoes dedicated to the Virgin Mary, but which were evi-
dently, in ancient times, shrines of Astarte, for they
still
bear
48
WELL WORSHIP AND
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
the symbols of the ancient worship of Canaan. The order of the Jewish local sanctuaries, and the religious feasts celebrated at them had much in common with the idolatry of the land indeed " many of the "high places were old Canaanite sanctuaries. The Israelites, like many worshippers of the Christian God, fell into
;
a state of syncretism, and were unable to distinguish between local worship and the worship of a One and universal God. The
service of
many modern
shrines
is,
to a non-theologically trained
mind, almost indistinguishable from polytheism, of which, some

writers allege that it is the historical continuation. There is a very remarkable and apposite passage bearing on this aspect of the introduction of Christianity into the British He was counIsles, in the instructions given to St. Augustine. selled not to destroy the temples of the Britons, but to consecrate them to the service of Christianity ; not, in fact, to interfere in any way with firmly established customs his course of action in " It is said to be the custom these matters was thus laid down of the men of this nation to sacrifice oxen. This custom must be changed into a Christian solemnity, and on the days of the dedication of their temples, turned into churches, as well as of the feasts of the saints, whose relics shall be there deposited; they shall be allowed, as formerly, to build their huts of boughs round these same churches, to assemble there, and to bring their animals, which shall be killed by them, no longer as offerings to the devil, but as Christian banquets in the name, and to the praise of God, to whom they shall render thanks when they have satisfied their hunger. By reserving something for men's outward joy, you will the more easily lead them to relish internal
;
:
joy."
An American reviewer while contesting facts and traversing arguments similar to the foregoing, in reality gives away the " position, for he says that the writer evidently understands neither the Catholic missionary priest, nor the Catholic people in his treatment of paganism becoming absorbed by Christianity. Not in Ireland only, but in all lands, the early preachers were willing to allow to the people whatever was harmless in their pagan customs, or even to use these customs, the very religious Kome witones, too, by transformation into Christian rites. nessed this in early Christian days, and America, wherever a Jesuit, a Franciscan, or a Dominican, brought the Cross of ReIf we accept these premisses, it follows, as an demption."
inevitable corollary, that modern Christianity is, in fact, the reintegration of many old religious ideas, by the absorption on the part of the Church, of numerous pagan usages. Like Pagan Rome, Christian Rome adopted most of the gods that came in its way, and constituted them into a numerous array of saints, so
CHRISTIAN OBSERVANCES.
that every that he is
49
member
"
of the
Church
is
bound
in principle to say
intolerant to none,
Whatever shape the pious rite may bear, E'en the poor pagan's homage to the sun I would not harshly scorn, lest even there
I spurn'd some elements of Christian prayer."
is
The holy spring, still supposed to effect the cure of disease, a material outcome of, as well as a connecting link in, the
chain of primitive customs and thoughts thereby engendered, extending from pagan times. The past thus stands side by side A railway in the South of Ireland runs with the present. At the foot of the embankment is a directly over a holy well. small and forbidding pool, fed by a never-failing spring here, while trains thunder by overhead to catch the mail-boat for England, country people drink of the sacred water, pray for release from their afflictions, and hang their rags on the In early days enthusiastic missionaries tree beside the well. to wean the natives from paganism by admitting such sought of their existing customs as, from the then Christian standjust as the before-cited American point, appeared harmless From critic admits is the case in times comparatively modern. all this it follows that if we subtract what appears to be the result of distinctly mediaeval Christianity from the ordinary so-called superstitions of the peasantry, the residuum is pure
; :
paganism.
To the Irish peasant wells were the haunts of spirits that proved propitious if remembered, but vindictive if neglected hence no devotee approached the sacred precincts empty-handed,
;
the principle being "no gift no cure" therefore the modern devotee when tying up a fragment torn from the clothing, or dropping a cake, a small coin, or a crooked pin into the well, is unconsciously worshipping the old presiding pagan genii of the It is still thought that if you dream of one of these holy place. wells the spirit of the well is propitious, and it is a good omen if the waters appear clear it is a favourable sign, but if muddy it denotes accruing vexations and troubles. The same transformation scene which we have described in A money offering having Ireland took place also in Britain. been left at the shrine erected for the purpose, the Cornish folk might visit their springs and offer pins or pebbles to the imaginary divinity, or draw what conclusions they pleased from the bubbles which rose on the water as they stamped on the ground at the side, but St. Hilda had no favour to bestow on anyone who stooped at the brink of her fountain without a gift. The sick girl, or
;
;
youth, who had performed

VOL. n.
all
due ablutions, and had gone through

E
50
all
WELL WORSHIP AND
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
the necessary ceremonials, before drinking of the well of Tegh, in Denbighshire, would never make the malady of which they suffered, pass into the fowl, which they held under their arms, unless the necessary fee had been previously deposited in
St.
St. Keyne would ignore either bride or bridegroom win mastery at home by being the first to quaff at her spring, unless their footing had been previously paid. On one occasion, after a wedding in the parish church, situated not far from the well (fig. 9), the bridegroom rushed out of the building, and returned heated from exertion, but smiling, and was met by his The result is thus narrated by the disapequally smiling bride. pointed husband to an inquiring stranger
the shrine.
who ran
to
"
of the well, I warrant, betimes ? countryman said But the countryman smiled as the stranger spoke, And sheepishly shook his head.
'
You drank
'
He
to the
"
I hasten'd as soon as the wedding was done, And left wife in the porch : But, i' faith, she had been wiser than I ; For she took a bottle to church.' "
'
my
Seneca, whom St. Jerome respected, thus unites the sentiments of the two eras in fact, he was even claimed as a Christian and was placed among the saints by the Fathers of the early Christian Church, and the genuineness of a spurious correspondence between him and the Apostle Paul has been gravely maintained in our own times by some writers, though it is obvious that the letters, as we possess them, are worthless
religion.
;
When Seneca said, " where a spring rises, or a river flows, there should we build altars and make sacrifices," he but expressed a popular article of faith of the old but dying religion, which was adopted by the then lately born and fiercely persecuted new
forgeries.
a distinct line of demarcation between the greater and the crowd of minor divinities who never rose above being genii locorum, the spirits of particular trees, rocks, lakes, rivers, and springs converted into holy wells and adopted in the most wholesale manner into Christianity. " sained three hundred wellSt. Columbkille alone is said to have Well worship prevails, not in Ireland springs that were swift." alone, but, it may be almost said, in every county, or shire, in It evidently did not originate in the the United Kingdom. blessing of wells by early saints and thus spread downwards, until it became almost, if not quite, universal on the contrary, it began from the people, who were being christianized, and thence permeated the entire system of Irish Christianity.
is
There
divinities of the Irish pantheon,
THE "DESIUL," OR HOLY ROUND.

in
51
A curious remnant of Paganism may be seen in the manner which a peasant always approaches these holy localities. This must be from the north side, and he must move from east to west, in imitation of the diurnal motion of the sun. Similarly
a corpse should be
carried
,
to
its
last
resting-place,
a bride
approach her husband an infant be carried to the baptismal font, and the glass be
circulated round
*im.
the
festive
board in the
same manner
;
FIG. 9.
Site of St. Keyne's Well, Cornwall.
From
the
Royal Magazine.
hence the proverb
Cuir an ijloine thart fa dheas, i. e. send round the glass to the south, such being the right or lucky way, the It was also the opposite being the wrong or unlucky way. custom of the gods, for Homer describes Vulcan as filling a bumper to his mother Juno
: :
Avrap
6 TCHS aAAoKTt $eots
ev8eia
Tracriv
O.TTO
The hands of clocks and watches turn from east to west like the sun we deal round playing cards in the same fashion thus is ancient thought found crystallized in modern custom. Mr. F. T. Elworthy recounts that, in Somerset, quite recently, and within his own knowledge, " a number of children were brought to be baptized, and, of course, were ranged in a group round the font. The officiating minister, not being accustomed
; :
SE
52
WELL WORSHIP AND
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
to such a number, or not knowing the custom, began with the child on his right hand, of course following on in order, and going round to the child on his left. This action caused great indignation parents, who had never before seen the importance of having their children baptized at all, were quite sure that
:
now they had not been done properly, and must be taken to Thus it was held of another church, to be done over again.' far greater moment that the parson should proceed from left to right than it was that the children should be baptized or not." To the south of the old church of Car ran, county Clare, there is a small earn, around which the corpse is carried before burial in the churchyard and the writer has seen coffins, whilst oil the way to the cemetery, carried desiul-wise around the cross at Monkstown, county Dublin. Martin describes the custom as existing in the Hebrides, and the following are his experiences in the matter of the desiul* or " Some are sun-wise round very careful, when they set out to and if this be that the boat be first rowed about sunways sea,
' ;
:
neglected they are afraid their voyage may prove unfortunate. I had this ceremony paid me (when in the Island of Ilia) by a poor woman after I had given her an alms. I desired her to let alone that compliment, for I did not care for it but she insisted to make these three ordinary turns, and prayed that God and Mac Charmaig, the patron saint of that island, might bless and prosper me in all my designs and affairs. I attempted twice to go from Ilia to Colonsay, and at both times they rowed about the boat sunways, though I forbid them to do it and by a I took contrary wind the boat and those in it were forced back. boat again a third time from Jura to Collonsay, and at the same time forbid them to row about their boat, which they obeyed,
; ;
and then we landed safely at Collonsay without any ill adventure, which some of the crew did not believe possible for want of the round." Formerly when starting on fishing expeditions the crews of Irish boats were very careful that their craft should leave the shore in a direction sunways, and even yet this superstition directs the course of
many
a fishing boat, in Ireland, as the necessity for turning

;
well as Scotland,
when being put to sea. In connection with events of moment,
sunways was felt to be specially binding but even in matters of no particular importance the rule was held to apply. In the
* In Moray, Scotland, the natives cut the finger- and toe-nails of the patient suffering from consumptive diseases, wrap the parings in a rag torn from his clothes, "then wave their hand with the rag thrice round his head, crying Deas Soil (desiul) after which the rag is buried in some unknown place. This is a practice similar to that recorded by Pliny, as practised by the magicians and druids of his time."
:
THE DESIUL, OR HOL Y RO UND

< '
' >
58
Vision of
Mac
Conglinne, the hero
when
parting from his tutor

dollincl desel relce.
went right-hand wise round the cemetery,

Cormac's
In
Glossary the spirit of poetry is stated to have met Senchan Torpeist, " and then he goes sunwise (desiul) round Senchan and his people." If the mumps were rife, afflicted children were led with a halter hanging about their necks before sunrise to a south-running Many pains and penalties are incurred, should (desiul) stream. they break silence during the ceremony. In Gerald Griffin's novel, The -Colleen Bctmi, the writer, who describes his countrymen from real life, alludes to the ritual of the desiul, or lucky round, then rife in many parts where it has ii^rw died out, and recounts how a child, in compliance with Three popular superstition, was christened "North East." infants having died, the unlucky parents imagined that, if the last arrival were baptized " North East," the curse would be removed from their household. In " Waverley" Sir Walter Scott describes how the old Highlander, called in to attend the wounded Edward, walked round the patient three times, from east to west, according to the course of the sun and this ceremony was considered a matter of the utmost importance towards effecting a cure. From left to right has ever been the processional order to go to the right is tantamount to a malediction, and is called in " " withershins," or widdershins," from the Saxon English u-idher, against. Implicit belief in the efficacy of the desiul was, at one time, rife throughout Ireland. Allusion to this ceremony is made by Dr. P. W. Joyce, who states that Tempo in Fermanagh, " is called in Irish an t-Iompodh deisiol (an timpo deshil), iompodh meaning turning, and deisiol, dextrosum, from left to right. The place received its name, no doubt, from the ancient custom of
;
turning sunways, i.e. from left to right, in worship." At the battle of Cooldrumman, fought near Drumcliff, county Sligo, in the year 561, St. Columbkille, in his prayer before the contest, denounces his adversaries for employing pagan rites to assure victory, and anathematizes
:
"
A
i.e.
the host which has taken judgment from us, . " host that marches round a earn
performs the desiul. By the strange irony of fate the saint's manuscript of portion of the Holy Scriptures the origin of the " book of the battle "conflict, hence styled the Cathach, or became the battle-standard of his tribe, the Cinel Conaill\ and an
old Irish
MS. recounts that before a fight "it was proper the " Cathach should be carried round the army and, further, that
;
54
if
WELL WORSHIP AND
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
" carried three times to the right around the army of the Cinel Conaill at going to battle, it was certain they would return victorious." The desiul was an act of worship also among the Greeks
and Eomans classical and gentile antiquity abounding with evidence of some kind of rotation forming, in them, part of the ceremonial of religious worship. Hyginus relates that Arge, a huntress, while pursuing a stag, said "Although thou folio west the course of the sun, yet will I follow thee," at which the sun, being displeased, changed her into a doe. Arge's offence appears to have been that she referred in a profane manner to the desiul, or act of solar adoration. Although the Latin proverb, adrersits solem ne loquitor (speak not against the sun), is generally understood in the sense that one should not argue against that which is as clear as the sun shining at mid-day, it is nevertheless quite possible that the adage may originally have had also reference to a caution against making disparaging remarks against sun-worship, or the observance of the desiul. Plutarch remarks, that "the turning round in adoration is He also said to represent the circular motion of the world." relates that Marcellus, when leading the Roman legions against the Gauls, " his horse, terrified with the shouts of the Gauls, turned short, and forcibly carried him back. Marcellus fearing that this, interpreted by superstition, would cause some wonder in his troops, quickly pulled the rein, and, turning his horse again towards the enemy, paid his adorations to the sun, as if that movement had been made, not by accident, but design for the Eomans always turn round when they worship the gods."
;
:
to fall,
relates that, in his day, when an Irishman happened he immediately, upon rising, turned three times to the right, then, with his sword or knife, dug the soil, cutting a sod from it this latter part of the ceremony seems to imply belief in
;
Camden
an earth
Caesars,
spirit.
it became customary to pay divine honours to the they were approached with veiled head, the suppliant The most apposite turning round, and then prostrating himself. quotation that can be advanced is one from Lucretius, which may be thus translated
:
When
"
Call it not Piety that oft j'ou're found Veiled, at the standing-stone to make your round."
" Which In a comedy by Plautus, one of his characters says " the other jestingly replies, way to turn myself I know not "If you worship the gods, right-hand wise, I apprehend;"
:
THE
"
TUAPHOLL," OR UNHOLY ROUND.

in
55
whilst Valerius Flaccus, relates that

:
' '
describing
a marriage ceremony,
And
Pollux advanced the nuptial torches' ray, ritual water, while in holy round, Eight-hand- ways they together tread the ground."
if a corpse had not obtained sepulchral the poor, shivering, homeless ghost, generally appalled some near relative by its ghastly presence, entreating him, to collect, if
With the Eomans,
rites,
mortal remains (see vol. i., p. 242), burn them, then three times sunwise round the pyre, and pronounce the farewell prayer, or charm, which permitted the unhappy shade to cross over in Charon's barge and enjoy the, very questionable, comforts of Elysium. The old heathen custom of the desiul survives in the most unlooked-for places, and amongst the most unlikely people. In 1809, in the struggle entered upon by the Tyrolese for the independence of their country, the patriot Hofer was foiled in two attempts to capture Innsbruck, the capital of the Tyrol. At a council of war even the patriot appeared irresolute, until a grey" Attack the haired peasant stood up, and thus addressed him once more but make a vow, that if the attack succeeds, enemy thou and thy people, and all the members of right-thinking
possible, its
move
parishes (communes), will yearly, on this day, hold an office, and walk round the churchyard three times, according to the peasant Then shall all go well." This was regarded as a procustom. phetic utterance the attack was delivered and was successful. The old pagan custom of the desiul, universally practised in Ireland around wells, churches, and rude stone monuments, is found also in Portugal, where cattle, in order that they may escape the murrain, are taken sun-wise round some favourite
;
shrine.
themselves,
C. Borlace remarks that " Irish bishops, as they call on their travels, were popularly supposed to be infected with this demonstrative form of heresy," that is, performing the desiul, or moving sunways, or right-hand ways,
W.
round some venerated
object.
"Poor Saint Eudbert, although
of royal Frankish stock, mixed with the blood of Irish chieftains, had to put up with derision from the vulgar crowd, who, not content with laughing at his ignorance of their language, were accustomed to look upon all Scotic pilgrims, as deceptores, " which may be paraphrased, " cheats, gyrovagi, et cursores,' dancing dervishes, and running lackeys." If the Irish peasant wishes to curse his enemy, he proceeds, " " widdershins," i.e. in the tuapholl, i.e. withershins," or reverse order from desiul and the reversal of all ceremonies
'
56
WELL WORSHIP AND
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
at a military funeral may, possibly, be a remnant of this custom of " withershins," or the unlucky way. The following lines from an old Scottish ballad, as quoted by W. F. Wakeman, demonstrate that the unholy turn, "withershins" or "widdershins," as it is here spelled, was considered as unfortunate on sea as it
was ashore
" The stormy winds did loudly blaw, The raging waves did flout,
An' my love, an' his bonnie ship Turned widdershins about."
or withershins, which may be paraphrased as contrariwise," perhaps points to a step in the struggle between Christianity and Paganism, when, having obtained the upper hand, the former seated herself in her adversary's place, and Then to appropriated the most paying tricks of her opponent. do anything opposed to the Church was to make oneself an enemy of the Church to go the holy round against the Church-way (i.e. the adopted pagan way) was to indulge in magic in later times the same train of reasoning originated the idea that the devil appeared to anyone who recited the Paternoster backward. Toland, in his History of the Druids, written in 1718, thus " The never describes the two ceremonial rounds vulgar come to the ancient and fire-hallowing earns, but they walk round them from east to west, according to the course of the sun. This sanctified tour, or round by the south is called deixeal (dextrorsum), as was the unhallowed contrary one by tuapholl
Widdershins
"
unorthodox,
this latter was geis, i.e. defines the expression, a thing or act forbidden, because of the ill-luck which would result from its In the old written Geis also means a charm or spell. doing.
(sinistrorsum),
i.e.
left-hand-wise";
or, as
O'Donovan
legends it signifies an injunction, a prohibition, a "taboo"; people were often put under gets to observe, or refrain from, certain things, acts, or lines of conduct, the obligation being either taken voluntarily or imposed on them by others. Even In the Book of to look left-hand-ways was considered unlucky. Lecan there is a reference to the famous fair of Teltown in Meath and it is stated that there were three prohibitions (f/eis) laid on anyone visiting the locality one being that the visitor was not to look at it " over the left shoulder." The Norsemen held the same idea as the Irish regarding the In Grettis Saga a witch is described tuapholl, or unholy ground. as having "walked backwards around the (tree) stump, in the opposite direction of the sun's course, and pronounced many powerful incantations thereover." In Hoensa Thoris Saga a warrior, "pulled a rafter of birch- wood out of the (burning)
;
:
THE PRIVATE CURSE.
57
house, and then rode against the sun (from west to east) round the houses with the burning brand." In the Eyrbyggja an apparition is described as moving "backward, through the room, against the course of the sun." Perhaps one of the oldest written Irish accounts of the tuapholl occurs in the Book of BaUymote, where it is recorded that a king of Leinster had a magical well in his garden, to which no one, save the monarch and his three cup-bearers, could
approach without being instantly deprived of sight. The queen, determined to test the mystical powers of its waters, not only approached the well, but passed three times round it to the left, or " withershins," as was customary in malific incantations. Uptm the completion of the third round the spring burst forth in a raging torrent, and three enormous waves dasbed over the hapless queen, who was thus carried right out to the ocean. The tlesiul and tuaplioll rounds formed apparently portion of the inauguration-ceremony of an Irish chief; for Spenser, in
stone on which he had been inaugurated, and " turned himself round thrice forward and thrice backward."
his View of Ireland, after describing the ritual, states that, when it was concluded, the newly-created chief descended from the
In ancient times, particularly in the East, imprecations were supposed to possess extraordinary power. The curse of a father was believed to be especially fatal, for it was thought that the gods were always ready to execute the imprecations of parents
upon disobedient children. There still exists a survival
of
a remarkable ceremonial
employed by the ancient Irish for anathematising their enemies, which apparently may be sometimes employed unconnected with holy wells or sacred localities, and which, for convenience, we may " designate the private curse." The poet Spenser had intended to treat "more at large" of the semi-pagan social customs of the and it is Irish, amongst others, that of their manner of cursing to be regretted that he never carried this idea into execution.
;
0' Donovan thus defines the effect of a well-delivered curse " The belief among the ancient Irish was, and still is, that a If it has curse, once pronounced, must fall in some direction.
:
been deserved by him on whom it is pronounced, it will fall upon him, sooner or later, but, if it has not, then it will return upon the person who pronounced it. They compare it to a wedge with which a woodman cleave th timber. If it has room to go, it will but if it has not, it will fly out and go, and cleave the wood strike the woodman himself, who is driving it, between the eyes."
;
The
if it
Irish peasants believe that a curse must fall on something does not descend on the person on whom it is evoked, it will
;
58
WELL WORSHIP AND
ITS
CONCOMITANTS.
for seven years in the air, ready to alight on the head of the individual who provoked the malediction. It hovers over him like a hawk over its quarry, watching its opportunity, and if his guardian spirit abandons him, but for an instant, it swoops instantly on his head, showing itself immediately in the loss of The peasantry, however, believe that wealth, health, or of life. the blessing of one person may cancel, or at least mitigate, the curse of another (see vol. i., p. 275), but this opinion does not affect the theory of a " well-delivered anathema." There is an ancient, homely proverb, that "curses, like " and the dread of retribution of chickens, come home to roost this nature inspires such an amount of awe, as to prevent rash anathemas. An Irish proverb, which conveys the idea that curses are apt to fall on the person who has rashly uttered them, Fa bhun chrainn a cuiteas a duilleabliar, i. e. it is is as follows at the foot of the tree the leaves fall. If we are to judge by Proverbs xxvi. 2, the Jews seem to have been imbued with much " As the bird the same idea by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come."
; :
:
remain
peculiar pagan
manner
of cursing,
though now rapidly
dying out, prevailed at one time amongst the Irish-speaking population. The primitive, simple, and original ceremony, styled the "Fire of Stones," is of "the private curse" type. The
desirous of cursing his enemy, collects as many water-worn stones as will cover the hearth-stone of his cottage these he piles up as he would arrange turf for making a fire. Then dropping on his knees, he prays that, until the heap before him burns, every description of misfortune may befall his The enemy, and his enemy's family to untold generations. stones are then carried out of the house, and scattered over the face of the country, being cast into places from which it would be difficult, or even impossible to recover them, such as bogholes, pools, streams, lakes and rivers, each stone being thrown away with the imprecation that the curse may last until the entire series thus scattered to the four winds are again gathered
individual,
;
together.
The rite of the " Fire of Stones " is grossly malevolent, but a very similar proceeding for merciful and healing purposes is as follows. A " herb-doctor, "if called in to cure " the rose," as erysipelas is styled by the peasantry, will gather ten pebbles from a well or brook one he at once throws back into the water, the other nine are carried to the patient's bedside. Having muttered spells over them, they are placed by the "doctor," one by one in a certain position. The affected part is then rubbed
;
THE PUBLIC CURSE.
59
with each stone in succession. The ceremony completed, the stones are carried to the stream or well, from which they had been taken and thrown in again, with the wish that the patient " so as the stones remain there never have " the rose
may
long
un gathered.
These
ceremonies
Orkney, to acquire the
resemble the formulae of old, used power of witchcraft. Provided with
in
five
oval-shaped and two flat stones, the postulant went to the seashore at midnight, turning on his way three times against the course of the sun. On arrival he lay down on his back, with arms and legs stretched out, his head to the south, and taking care that the place was situated between high and low water inajfe He then placed one oval stone at either foot, a flat stone on his chest, another over his heart, and grasped an oval stone in either hand. Shutting his eyes he repeated a long incantation, devoting himself to the evil spirit of the locality, and remained silent and motionless for a prescribed period. Then opening his eyes he turned on his left side, rose and flung the stones, one by one, into the sea with certain stereotyped forms of maledictions and imprecations.
One example has been given of the " following are examples of what may,
private curse."
for
The
convenience, be
designated the "public curse." A number of oval or circular stones may be observed around the margins of holy wells, together with numerous white pebbles scattered over the bottom, whilst on some altars, overlooking the
are numerous globular, oval, and occasionally curiously These possess maledictory properties they wrought stones. were also used for swearing on, and are believed to be endowed with miraculous powers of healing sickness. The late Sir Samuel Ferguson thus alludes to what appears to be the primary object to which these articles are applied
well,
;
:
"
And
They loosed their curse against the King, They cursed him in his flesh and hones, They turned
ever in the mystic ring, the maledictive stones."
There are two stones in the Joyce Country, Connemara, which, anyone who is falsely maligned, turns, at the same time anatheevil befall the matising his maligner, the curse will take effect, and " false accuser. The turning of the " cursing stones of Kilmoon, Here county Clare, twisted the mouths of the victims awry. there are a holy well, a sacred tree, and a pillar-stone, called " the cross."
if
In the graveyard of Killeany, in the same county, there is a remarkable altar, about ten feet square, on the top of which
60
WELL WORSHIP AND
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
are many rounded " cursing-stones." According to Mr. T. J. Westropp, M.A., there are no very definite traditions of the practice of "cursing" at other sites, at Ross, Kinallin, or Killowe, though in each case rounded stones lie upon the altars.
FIG. 10.
St. Bridget's Stone, Killinagh, near Blacklion.
R<pr<duced frcm the Journal of ihe
present Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
field near the graveyard of Foyoges, county Sligo, a "great long slate" which marks what is styled the " Bishop's grave." Formerly a considerable number of round stones were piled on the slab, and many still remain. Though
In a
is
there
FIG. 11.
The
Little Altar, with Stones, Island of Inishmurray.
Reproduced from the 'Journal of
the present Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
they be taken away, they are sure to be found the next morning " some are in their usual place. According to a correspondent, split by their having been employed in forming a fireplace." Can this have anything to say to " the fire of stones " ?
CURSING-STONES
AND
CURSING-ALTARS.
61
Many years ago a young gentleman, who lived in the neighbourhood, took two of the stones to a bridge close by, where he hurled them on to the rocks in the bed of the stream beneath, and broke them in pieces. Next morning, however, the fragments were to be seen on the slab. A young lady then determined to test the truth of the legend, and, accordingly, abstracted one of the stones, which she concealed in a box, despite which it reappeared three mornings in It is succession, after three futile attempts, in its former place. almost needless to explain that a servant in the house replaced The young lady, in after-life, had great bad luck, which, as it. a matter of course, was attributed to this attempted larceny of the ^sacred stones. Near the shores of Lough Macnean, not far from the village of Blacklion in Fermanagh, is St. Bridget's Stone," a, globular-
1''IG.
12.
Clocha-breacha-Altar, with Cursing Stones, Island of Inishmurray.
shaped boulder, and
its table-like
surface displays nine cavities.
Each
smooth and oval, Ceremonies of some descripwhich nearly fills the depression. tion were formerly carried on about it, when it was commonly
of these depressions contains a stone,
known as " the Cursing Stone " (fig. 10). Upon the various altars (figs. 11-18)
murray,
off the coast of Sligo,
in the Island of Inishbe noticed collections of these globular stones, a few of them ornamented with what may be styled Early Greek Crosses enclosed by a circle. The most ornate of these symbols (see No. 1 of fig. 14) occurs on a stone, globular in shape, measuring fifteen and a half inches in diameter. No. 2, a stone on Clocha-breacha, in the form of a globe, measures No. 8, on the same altar, eleven inches and a half in diameter. is egg-shaped, its greatest diameter being ten and a half inches.
may
62
WELL WORSHIP AND
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
No. 4, exhibits a plain Greek cross enclosed by a circle, the diameter of which is five inches and a half, the design resembling crosses engraved 011 Coptic and Syrian churches of about the No. 5, the smallest of the inscribed cursing fifth century. stones of Inishmurray, also bears a Greek cross. The diameter of the circle by which the figure is encompassed is about five inches. Nos. 8, 9, and 10 represent average examples of the ordinary undecorated stones on the altars of Inishmurray, and also upon
similar structures distributed over several districts of Ireland, They were, in all probability, rounded principally in the west. and smoothed by the action of water, or by friction with the
FIG.
lo.
Eastern Altar, with Stones, Island of Inishmurray. Reproduced from the Journal of the present Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
sand or gravel of some sea or lake shore. In size some are no larger than a walnut, while others, in point of dimensions, might be compared to an ordinary beehive. No 8 is eight, No. 9 six No. 6 is a block of sandstone, the upper inches in height.
shaped like a cube, while the lower presents the appearance of a shaft intended for insertion in some socket. The cube has been hollowed to some extent, and was furnished with a covering or stopper of stone, which completely fills the There is no tradition in connection with this relic, depression. but as its principal surfaces have been carved with a number of very early crosses, it was probably intended to serve some
portion
purposes in the ancient ritual of St. Molaise's establishment.
CURSING-STONES.
The stone
63
is about two feet in length. No 7, another hollowed stone, furnished with a stopper, which also completely fills the
FIG. 14.
Cursing-Stones, &c., Island of Inishmurray.
depression, is a great puzzle to archaeologists, as is also No. 7 measures three feet ten inches in circumference.
its fellow.
(For the
64
WELL WORSHIP A AW
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
theory on the subject of its original use, see p. 68.) Although Nos. 6 and 7 were undoubtedly, at one time, used for Christian rites, in their origin, they were most probably previously employed for pagan purposes. The stones on the altar of Clocha-breacha are arranged in such a manner as to render it difficult to reckon them indeed, according to the statement of the natives, they can never be correctly counted. These cursing stones are still in great repute. In the year 1886, during the anti-Protestant riots in the town of Sligo, an aged countrywoman was heard to threaten that she would go to the Island and " turn the stones against the In another instance a countryman after the Protestants." recitation of a story, which his auditors did not appear to " that it implicitly believe, asseverated that it was true, and was so, to the stones be it said."
writer's
;
FIG. 15.
FIG. 15.
FIG. 16.
FIG. 16.
FIG. 17.
Altar Stone from Trummery Church, County Antrim. Catalogue of the Museum, R.I. A. Altar Stone in the collection R.I. A. Museum, R.I. A. Altar Stone in the collection R.I. A. Museum, R.I.A.
From
the
From
the Catalogue of the

the Catalogue of the
FIG. 17.
From
Fig. 15, from Trummery Church, county Antrim, 4J inches long, and about 2 inches thick, has on one side, four indentations somewhat resembling finger-marks, and upon the other a cross. Fig. 16, 4 inches long, is peculiarly ornamented on one
side only. Fig. 17 is decorated with an irregular pattern. On the obverse it bears the figure of a cross. In the townland of Ballysumniaghan, and in that of Barroe, in the county Sligo, there were originally stones also used for the purpose of cursing. The ceremony appears to have closely resembled that observed on the Island of Inishmurray but, in addition, the postulant was required to go through the ritual, One mode of averting the curse bare-footed and bare-headed. " to was for the person against whom " the stones were turned cause himself to be laid in it, and to have have a grave dug, to
;
HO W THE CURSE MA Y BE A VERTED.
65
three shovelfuls of earth cast over him, the grave-diggers at the same time reciting certain rhymes. This custom of burying the patient was a rite commonly employed in olden days as a cure for insanity or to ward off illluck. Although it saved the person's life, he lost his reason, The terrible ordeal consisted either temporarily or permanently. in burying the unfortunate patient for three days and three
head being left uncovered. During this entire time he was allowed no food, no one was permitted to speak to him silence being strictly enforced during all heathen ceremonies, otherwise the spells were of no avail. If the patient survived this treatment he was disinterred, generally more mad
nights, only his
afifieTthan before his burial.*
In the case of a child born at Whitsuntide that most illfor anyone to arrive in this world a grave is dug, the infant laid in it, but only for a short time, and the evil hanging over the babe is thus averted. The stones at Ballysummaghan, originally seven in number, were styled " the Summaghan Stones." They are said to have been cast into the neighbouring lake, yet were found next morning in their accustomed places. About two miles distant from the foregoing site, in Barroe, near Bloomfield, there was a similar Under the shade of some ash-trees is the dried-up set of stones. site of a holy well for, owing to its profanation by unbelievers in its sanctity, the waters left it, and broke out in another spot. Both here and at Ballysummaghan the stones have now disThe two cursing sites seem to have been the special appeared. It is recounted that the heritage of the Summaghan family.
omened time
The 0' Summaghan victims were members of the sept. missed a firkin of butter, and accused one of his neighbours of 0' Summaghan then the larceny, which was stoutly denied. " performed stations" at Barroe and at Ballysummaghan, but with an unexpected result. His wife and son both died, for it was his wife who, being in debt, unknown to the husband, had, with the aid of her son, abstracted the firkin of butter, conveyed it into Sligo, and sold it to pay her bills. Near Castle Kirk, not far from Lough Corrib, behind the rock that shelters the church and glebe from the north, a spring pours into a natural rock basin. Close by lay an oval-shaped flagstone, " to all called " St. Fechin's Stone," the "touchstone and terror evil-doers for miles around for, whoever was accused or suspected of a crime was " dared to the Leac-na-Fechin, or voluntarily underwent the ordeal of turning the flag, with certain attendant
last
:
*For other examples of this grave-digging ceremony, Scotland and Pitcairn's Criminal Trials may be consulted.
VOL.
II.
Early
liaces
of
66
rites
WELL WORSHIP AND
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
and incantations." There was a guardian of the stone, who instructed postulants in the mysteries of the procedure. Dr. Maziere Brady, in his Records of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, mentions a sacred stone to which great veneration was paid, and on which the country folk took solemn oaths. In the island of Iniskea, adjoining that of Achill, there used to be, and probably there still is, a cursing stone at the mouth of a holy well. Anybody who wanted the immediate gratification " turn it round three of vengeance must go to the stone, times, and pray that his enemies might not prosper or get length of life and their means would melt away like snow before the sun their days would be shortened till in the end they would get a miserable death in fact it is a stone that would put an end to bad people in a short time." Close to the old castle of Einville, near Salrock Harbour, is a holy well held in great veneration called Cobcip no Seacc n-lngean, i.e. "the well of the seven daughters ", where the people Here they formerly had a stone called perform their devotions. Leac na Seacc n-lngean, i.e. " the flagstone of the seven daughters," which was used as a cursing-stone. Unfortunately, no legend throws light on the origin of these seven amiable
; ;
;
women.*
the island of Iniskill, near Port Noo, in Donegal, remarks C. Boiiace, " I sa\v a very similar stone (to that at Djidjeli, in Algeria) placed with many others on the upper surface of a large, square, natural block, much reverenced by the pilgrims who periodically visit the place in the summer months. It was a boulder, about 18 inches long, which had been rolled into its present shape (that of a long egg, pointed at either end) by the action of the sea ; the material being dark slate, traversed by four bands of quartz. The pilgrims, lifting it off the rock, pass it round their bodies, repeating prayers or curses, just such a practice as Strabo mentions in the case of the stones at Cape St. Vincent, the sacred Promontory of Portugal." Cursing-stones are by no means confined to Ireland. There is a cursing-well at St. Elian, about two miles from Colwyn Bay, in Wales. By placing the initials of the names of the individual to whom evil is desired upon a pebble, and then dropping it into the water, some great calamity or sudden death is ensured to the person thus pointed out to the spirit of the spring. Not long ago vindictive people from all parts of the Principality went to St. Elian's to put those they hated under the ban of the saint,
On
W.
* A description of the cursing stone on Caber Island, and an account of the ceremony of "turning the anvil" are given under the heading of "Wind Wells." (See pp. 104-108.)
CURSING-STONES.
67
and the dread entertained of this proceeding was almost beyond There was a custodian of the spring, and it formed part belief.
of his occupation to search for pebbles bearing the initials of any one who wished to be relieved from the curse, or "taken out of the well," as it was called. The custodian of the well also advised the persons, so unfortunate as to be thus condemned, as
means to take to evade the curse. Pennant, the antiquary, relates that he was threatened by a man, whom he had offended, " with the curse of St. Elian, and with an intimation that he would journey to the well to put the curse into
to the best
effect."
In all these cases of the use of " cursing-stones," there is an earnest appeal to supernatural powers, but it is not to the Christian's God. Inquiries amongst the peasantry yield, in general, little result suspicion is only aroused. Up to the present, archaeological deductions are so tainted with religious prejudice and partizanship, that but little reliance can be placed upon them on the one hand, there may be exaggeration on the other hand, there is, most certainly, careful concealment. The real facts are well known to those who have studied the subject, and to those who are, so to speak, behind the scenes but ordinary archaeological students are only favoured with glimpses of the truth through occasional side-lights.
; ;
Prof, Nelson says that even so late as the close of the eighteenth century, in some mountainous districts in Norway, peasants used to preserve and reverence certain stones of a round form. Every Thursday evening they were washed, smeared before the fire with butter or grease, then dried and laid in the seat of honour at certain seasons they were steeped in ale. All this was done with the idea that the stones, if so treated, would bring luck to the house. A sacred stone on the Island of Inisgloria used to be treated in a somewhat similar manner, and was, in
;
addition, regularly clothed. A missionary who settled Tanna, in the New Hebrides,
on the eastern side of the island of was not allowed to build on the site he had selected, as it was sacred ground, on which were deposited stones in which the natives supposed the spirits of their
On Vati Island are still to be obdeparted relatives resided. served a collection of stones and rudely-cut shells which, when the missionaries first arrived, were the only form of gods the natives possessed, and into which the spirits of their departed Most of the stones friends or relatives were supposed to enter. were ordinary smooth water-worn boulders, three to four inches Similar stones long, and from two to three inches in diameter. were reverenced by the Karens, the Boroditch Islanders, and the
F2
68
WELL WORSHIP AND
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
Several tribes of the Pacific chip these stone to permit, Fijians. as they think, the spirits they contain to have free exit and entrance, whilst others, in addition, smear them with oil. Many Irish specimens have circular indentations sunk in them. May not the same ceremonies that prevailed in the East, and still prevail in the islands of the Pacific have obtained in Ireland ?
(See page 64.) The following account, from Polynesian Researches (vol. 4, pp. 218-214), of the manner in which the natives of Haiwaii regarded certain stones, might, with but change in names, be ap" We had not travelled plied to many remote parts of Ireland " before we reached Ninole, a small village on far," writes Ellis, the sea-shore, celebrated 011 account of a short pebbly beach, called Koroa, the stones of which were reported to possess very singular properties, amongst others, that of propagating their The natives told us it was a Waki pana (place famous) species. for supplying the stones employed in making small adzes and hatchets before they were acquainted with the use of iron but particularly for furnishing the stones of which their gods were Some made, who presided over most of the games of Haiwaii. powers of discrimination, they told us, were necessary to discover the stones which would answer to be deified. When selected they were taken to the Heiau, and there several ceremonies were performed over them. Afterwards, when dressed and taken to the place where the games were practised, if the parties to whom they belonged were successful, their fame was established but, if unsuccessful for several times together, they were either broken When any were reto pieces or thrown contemptuously away. moved for the purpose of being transformed into gods, one of each sex was generally selected these were always wrapped very carefully together in a piece of native cloth. After a certain time they said a small stone would be found with them, which, when grown to the size of its parents, was taken to the Heiau, or Temple, and afterwards made to preside at games. We were really surprised at the tenacity with which this last opinion was
:
adhered to." It was formerly a belief firmly held by the Irish peasantry that some kind of stones, under certain circumstances, as they " grew." expressed it,
an Irish aborigine approached sacred stones at wells, and other places, he imagined he was approaching and appealing to the spirits of his ancestors, promoted to be the prehence he felt a wholesome fear which siding spirits of the place was transmitted, along with the cult, to early Christian, and thence on to recent times.
springs,
;
When
WERE EMPLOYED
TO CURE DISEASE.
69
These stones, turned from left to right when he was praying,- but from right to left when cursing, were as we have seen invoked for evil purposes; it is now well to demonstrate that they were also invoked for good purposes. At a site called " TheEelig," nearBruckless, close to St. Conall's Well, on the northern side of Donegal Bay, there is a most interesting relic of paganism a healing, medicinal, or magical stone of St. Conall (fig. 18), dark brown in colour, about five inches
and size somewhat like an ordinary dumb-bell. The stone probably owes its peculiar form to the action of water, to which
in shape
long,
be attributed three on the shaft (see When not in use, it is kept in the hollow of a broken cross on the summit of the earn at " the Relig," and is regarded with the greatest
also
may
small, hollows also fig. 15).
..
ml , reverence. The sick person has the Stone Conveyed tO his

.
IMG. 18.
Ihe Healing Stone of St. Conall. Reproduced from the Journa i of the
present Society of Antiquaries of
house, where it is retained until the cure is effected, when it is returned to its resting place. There is no custodian, but when borrowed, notice is given to the people living near, and to return it to its original place is a matter of duty. It has, for centuries, had the reputation of curing diseases it is even alleged that the stone was once sent to America, to cure a native of this portion of Donegal who had emigrated and desired to utilize its healing powers possibly the patient had no faith in the medical skill of the physicians in the land of his adoption. The stone was honourably returned. On the altar at Toomour, in the county Sligo, is a natural fragment of rock, or fossil, also resembling a dumb-bell in shape, and very like the healing-stone of St. Conall on the wall behind the altar are seventeen globular stones designated " dicket
; ;
thither ancient
* This was also customary in the island of lona a rite either imported by Irish missionaries or indigenous, as some writers state that the name of the place was Inis-Dniineach, i.e. the Island of the Druids. In Toland's History of the Druids (edition 1814, p. 356), it is stated that before the Scottish Eeformation there were in the island "three noble marble globes, placed in three stone basins, which the inhabitants turned three times round, according to the course of the sun. These were thrown into the sea at the Reformation; but Mr. Pennant, in 1772, found a wretched substitute for them, composed of the pedestal of a broken cross and the supporters of a gravestone. These stones were then turned round as formerly, and a tradition prevailed that the day of judgment would come when the pedestal upon which they
:
moved was worn out."
70
WELL WORSHIP AND
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
stones" by the peasantry (fig. 19). The well of Toberaraght reputed to cure many forms of disease in the half-barony of Coolavin, county Sligo, is surrounded by a low wall, on the top
FIG. 19.
Altar at Toomour, with Dumb-bell Stone, and "dicket stones."
of which are placed thirteen round water- worn pebbles employed in the usual manner by those seeking restoration of their health Stones occupy a prominent position in the empirical ab(fig. 20). surdities of country charlatans. To cure a person who is delirious from fever, a "fairy doctor" takes three oval stones, recites certain charms over them, and casts them in different directions, saying
Jb'iG.
20.
Altar at Toberaraght, with Globular Stones. first I throw away for the head the second I throw away for the heart the third I throw away for the back." The Duibhin Deaglain, i.e. St. Declan's Black Kelic, deserves more notice than it has hitherto attracted. It is composed of
in Irish
" The
STRAINING STRINGS.
71
black marble, and was brought, as already stated (vol. i., p. 217), from Italy to Ireland, on the great rock in Ardmore Bay, which It is here reproduced on acted as ship for its conveyance. account of the curious crux ansata which it bears. It was employed to cure sore eyes, headache, and other ail-
ments (fig. 21). Lying on the ground

in the graveyard of the old church of Killery, Co. Sligo, is a thin flag, and at its south-eastern corner there is a small rectanular stone projecting about six inches Qnrfapp of tllP SUriaCe
Fl
Frollt
21.
' ,
At all times may i be seen around it a piece

SOil.
-I
and back view of St Sedan's Black Relic, employed to cure sore eyes, headaches, &c. Half real size. Reproduced from the Journal of the
present Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
-,
called the straining string," supposed to be an for strains, pains, and aches. The believer to the flagstone, on which lie repairs, either by self or deputy, seven egg-shaped stones, and removes from the " straining " He then takes the old string, replacing it by a new one. stone each stone in succession between the thumb and second finger of the left hand, and repeats certain prayers whilst turning it from left to right between his fingers (fig. 22).
of string
"
infallible
cure
few years ago a young lady,
who
lived about twelve miles
from the
with
locality,
met
a bad sprain. Her old nurse, who
was devotedly attached to her, suddisappeared, not seen until the following morning, when she with a reappeared " straining string,"*
denly
and
was
FIG. 22.
Egg-shaped Stones, Straining Stone and Straining String, Killery, County Sligo.
procured from Killery, to which she had walked during the
night, and the cord was immediately bound round the disabled limb. Youth, a sound constitution, and the family doctor,
A very similar superstition a person has received a sprain,
exists in Scotland, for in some parts, when " an individual it is customary to consult
72
WELL WORSHIP AND

;
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
but nothing would persuade the old effected a speedy cure nurse but that it was to the efficacy of the " straining string"
young charge owed her rapid recovery. These straining strings or threads are sent for from far distant America by those who have emigrated from the neighbourhood, and who place more reliance on the benefit to be derived from them than on the skill of the New World physicians. This ceremony at Killery may be regarded as one of the most perfect
that her
representations of the survival of the semi-Christianization of a
Pagan custom. Upwards of
and wearing strings from this site, have been and treated, in the County Sligo Infirmary.
thirty instances of patients suffering from sprains lately admitted,
A dispensary doctor narrates that a woman consulted him " about a severe affection of the throat, and when examining her he found that she had a scarlet worsted thread tied round the throat and another round the wrists. Asking the meaning of this, she said that the old wise woman of the place had given So as theydid them to her the night before as a certain cure. no harm,' added the doctor, I left them on, though meanwhile and under the usual medical I added what I considered best treatment she soon became quite well. But, all the same, she believed in the scarlet thread, and secretly thought that by its " power she was cured of her ailment,' for,
' ' ;
" Roan tree and red thread, Put the witches to their speed."
According to Mr. E. Welch there is at the Killowen CromKenmare, a ruined circle of stones. On the top of the a cord largest boulder there is placed a piece of limestone with The man living in the nearest house to rolled loosely round it. this rude stone monument would not say what the small stone
leac,
what is called the ' wrested thread.' This consists of a thread spun from black wool, on which are cast nine knots, and is tied round the sprained limb. During the time the operator is putting this on, he repeats, in a muttering voice, inaudible even to the bystanders, theoe words
practised in casting
:
'
The
And
lord rade (rode), the foal slade (slipped).
He
And
Bone
lighted, she righted. to bone,

to sinew,
' ! '
And sinew
This charm.
is,
Heal in the Holy Ghost's name
with a slight change of words, a mere adaptation of an old pagan
STRAINING STRINGS.
73
and cord rolled round it were for, though repeatedly asked, but " stated that they had been always there " in his time (fig. 23). In the Western Isles a strand of black wool is wound round and round the ankles, as a charm to cure a sprain, while the
The same has also been operator mutters some doggerel lines. observed in Sligo. A similar charm was used in Germany and many other countries in fact the custom is widespread. Lady Wilde also recounts another cure for a sprain. A young girl, who must be under fourteen years of age, spins a thread dry, "that is, without saliva then she ties it round the leg or the arm afflicted, and when the cure is completed, the thread
: ;
miraculously disappears."
.Flo. 23.
Part of Stone Circle, near Kenmare. On the top of the largest boulder there is a small stone, which has a cord always rolled round it. Photo, by J. St. J. Phillips.
Amongst the means employed by the Babylonians

off
for
warding
attacks of evil spirits during the hours of darkness were magical threads, wound round the limbs, to which phylacteries were attached, on which were written sentences from a holy book. Certain kinds of strings appear to cure both man and beast. For instance, if a cow becomes restive, plunges about and refuses food, she is said by the country people to have the peist, worm or serpent. To cure this, a string is twisted into a knot
74
WELL WORSHIP AND
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
resembling a coiled worm. It seems so firmly knotted as to defy untying, yet there is a knack of drawing out the two ends, This is repeated three times. For leaving the string quite free. a charm against the disease styled "blackleg" in calves, a hole is
made in the dewlap, through which a red string allowed to remain.
is
passed, and
Mr. T. J. Westropp states that, at the parish Church of " the Tomfinlough, county Clare, plague-stone, with raised one forming a Celtic cross, is built into the wall it is circles, said to have kept pestilence from the parish, even at the time of the Great Cholera." Cases occur in which the lithic object is found entirely removed from its hallowing surroundings, though it possesses
;
" still certain definite powers, as for instance " doctor stones used in many parts of Ireland. One very celebrated specimen was located in the neighbourhood of Oughterard, Co. Galway. It was in great request there, and also in the neighbouring portion of the Co. Mayo. It was considered unlucky to keep it in a house, and those who used it hid it until it was again required. This custom is paralleled by the superstition which makes a " after she has countryman avoid encountering a "wise woman effected the cure of a patient, lest she should impart to him the disease which she is believed to have more or less absorbed in " her own person. Another " doctor stone belonged to a family who resided in the Co. Wicklow the eldest male member of the family was held to be able to effect cures by its means. Of all materials appropriated to the uses of superstitious medicament, crystal, and in later time, glass were pre-eminent. Of the former material were the " adder stones " or serpent's " the eggs of pseudo-archaeology. The material is styled splendid of the adder," and of its origin Pliny has left a marvellous product account ;' indeed few objects have obtained a more remarkable notoriety than wonder-working crystals. Their fortunate
;
;:
* " Prseterea est ovorum genus, in niagna Galliarum fama, omissum Graecis. Angues innumeri testate convoluti, salivis tancium, corponim que Spumis artitici complexu glomerantur, anguinum appellatur. Druidae sibilis id dicunt sub-
lime jactari, sagoque oportere intercipi ne tellurem attingat. Profugere ruptorem equo serpentes enim insequi, donee arceantur amnis alicujus interventu. Experimentum ejus esse, si contra aquas fluitet vel auro vinntum. Atque, ut est Magorum Solertia occultandis fraudibus sagax, certa Luna
;
capiendum censent, tanquam congruere operationem earn serpentium human!

sit,
mali orbiculati modici niagnitudine, crusta brachiorum Polypi crebis, insigne Druidis. Ad victorias litium, ac regum aditus, mire laudatur: tantae vanitatis, tit habentem id in lite, iu sinu Equitem Eonianiuii e Yocontiis, a Divo Claud io Principe interemptum non ob aliud sciam." Plin. Nat. Hint., lib. 29, chap. 3.
nrbitrii.
Vidi equideni id
ovum
cartilaginis, velut acetabulis
A M ULETS A ND CHA RMS.

;
75
possessors were believed by their means to obtain superiority over their adversaries and when placed under the pillow were
of benefit to
women
in childbirth.
The Garnavilla amulet is a crystal ball, set in a bronze frame, with a loop for suspension. It was frequently borrowed by the country people of the neighbourhood as an
antidote
cattle.
to
disease
effect a
in
cure it was tied round the neck of the beast and thus dropped into the food-., as the animal
sto'bped to eat (fig. 24).
To
The
murrain
sphere
of
Ballyvourney
stone
is
a
*'*
24
-
some
hard
brOWn
Viaaalr
Stone, resembling The Garnavilla Amulet.

nnrl ana
al->mif tl\e aDOUt fim inches in
Dasait,
and
Front and side view; halt real size. Reproduced from the Journal of the pres ent Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
a-half
diameter.
number
Many virtues are ascribed to it, and legends without are recounted of the cures which it effected when in the
possession of St. Gobnate.
The Imokilly amulet (fig. 25) is described by G. M. Atkinson as a sphere, almost two inches in diameter, weighing five ounces, " a polished ball of tricciated or banded agate, dark grey in colour, clouded. It is streaked with white lines fading away, and the centre part is of a red colour, due to the presence of some metallic oxide, probably iron. A hole is pierced through the
middle
possibly it was worn slung round the neck, and there is a
:
roughness at the bottom, leading to a supposition that a metal band had been fastened
little
it around formerly. There are several ap-
fracture - lines the ball, caused, through reland. of Antiquaries oflrel perhaps, by its being heated and immediately immersed in cold water but, I am happy to say, it is still entire. There are two very slight marks of circles on it (fig. 25). The curative virtues of this stone
coloured drawing by G.
The Imokilly Amulet.
Half real size. From a M. Atkinson. Reproduced from the Journal of the present Society
parent
are
in
still believed in by the country people. a vessel containing water, the water is
By being placed supposed to get
76
WELL WORSHIP AND

is
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
impregnated with the healing powers, which, mixed with more

administered to the suffering cattle, ... a certain cure in cattle, and also for hydrophobia." It is interesting to find Pliny's ideas about the virtues of the agate still
water,
for
'
murrain
'
existing in Ireland.*
In the county Clare an amber bead was formerly used for the cure of sore eyes, and for other purposes (see vol. i., p. 185). A stone formed of crystal is described by Martin, in his account of the Island of Arran, as about the size of a goose's egg. It was thrown among the enemy in battle, and always gave victory to its owners, the Mac Donalds of the Isles. In later times it removed internal pains. If the stone failed to effect a cure, it, of its own accord, left the sick man. In fig. 26, figs. 2 and 3 " Bloodrepresent the front and back view of an Irish charm, the " the Mac stone Amulet." Fig, 4 is Carthy Amulet." Water, consecrated by the immersion in it of these sacred relics, retained its supposed efficacy in Christian quite as fully as in Pagan times. Bede states that amongst his Saxon countrymen a portion of King Oswald's Cross, immersed in water, and the water then given to the stricken, restored ailing human beings, or cattle to health. A similar property was supposed to reside in
* G. M. " Atkinson, in his description of the Imokilly Amulet," quotes Pliny (Bostock and Eiley's translation) on the properties of the agate, as
follows: "Achates (a general name for agate, and possibly some other stones not now included under the name) was a stone formerly in high esteem, but now held in none, first found in Sicily near a river of that name. (After enumerating the different descriptions, he mentions corallo achates.) Coral agate, spotted all over like sapphires, with drops of gold, and commonly found in This last, it is thought, is good Crete, where it is also known as sacred achates. for wounds inflicted by spiders and scorpions, a property which I could really believe to belong to the stones of Sicily, for the moment they breathe the air of that province scorpions lose their venom. (St. Patrick must have transferred this virtue to 'ould' Ireland.) These stones found in India are possessed of
similar properties, great and marvellous, and present remarkable appearances. The very sight of them is beneficial for the eyes held in the mouth they allay thirst. Those found in Phrygiahave no green in them, and those of Thebes, in Egypt, are destitute of red and white veins. These last are good as a counterThe magicians poison to the venom of the scorpion, like the stones of Cyprus. make other distinctions they tell us those which have spots upon them, like the spots on the lion's skin, are efficacious as a protection against scorpions ; and in Persia they say, these stones are vised by way of fumigation for arresting tempests and hurricanes, and for stopping the course of rivers, etc., and turn water cold if thrown into a boiling caldron. To be duly efficacious they must be attached to the body with hairs from a lion's mane. The hair, however, of the hyaena is held in abomination for this purpose, as being a promotor of discord in families. The stone that is of a uniform colour renders athletes The way of testing it is to throw it, along with colouring invincible, they say. After being kept for a couple of hours gently on matter, into a pot full of oil. the boil, if genuine, it will impart an uniform colour of vermilion to the mixture." Plin. Nat. Hist., lib. 37, chap. 54.
; ;
FIG. 26.
Irish
Medical Amulets. Fig. i. Connoch, or Murrain Caterpillar Charm, found at Timoleague Abbey, County Cork. Figs. 2 & 3. Front and back view of the Bloodstone Amulet. Fig. 4. The MacCarthy Amulet. Fig. 5 is like fig. i, formed of silver, found near Doneraile, County Cork. Slightly more than half-size. Reproduced from the
Journal of the present Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
78
WELL IVOR SHIP AArD
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
parings from old Irish MSS., shreds of which, steeped in water, and then given to the patient, were a certain antidote to many
poisons. A case that created much amusement, and one listened to with deep interest by a crowded court, came on for investigation at Cork, in 1840, on a summons to show cause why an information should not be taken against a man for unlawfully possessing
himself
old
of,
and detaining, a "murrain stone."

its
The owner, an
'' a weeny recovery, described it as stone, which was kept in an ancient silver box so that the daylight To cure a beast it was only necessary to make couldn't see it." the sign of the cross by rubbing it to the back of the ailing animal three times on three consecutive mornings. Its owner added, " a friend of mine in de country had his cattle sick, and learning through a gossip, dat I had de stone he came and borrowed it of me, and I gave it to him of course I daren't refuse it when he
;
woman, who sought
spake de word." " Attorney. A charmed word I suppose ? " Owner. You mustn't hear it. You havn't de faith (laughter). " Attorney. Of course not. Well, did he rub it to the cattle ? " Oicner. To be sure he did. " Attorney. And they are all well ? " Owner. Of course. " Attorney. What became of the stone ? " Owner. When de miracle was worked he sent home de
sthone,
but de garsoon (boy) mistook de house, and gave it to Con Sheehan. " Attorney. And Con refuses to return it ? " Owner. He gives no sattysfaction at all, at all. " Attorney. Have you anything more to say, ma'am ? " Owner. I say dis, if he don't send it home to me he and all belonging to him will taw like ice." The attorney having thus closed his case the Bench declared
it
had no
jurisdiction.
amulet of shining crystal, about the size of a large marble, was many years ago in the possession of a Mrs. Philip Noonan, of Liscarroll, who, once a year, used to dip the charm in water in the presence of her neighbours, to whom she then distributed G. M. Atkinson believed that this amulet was the the water. subject of the foregoing lawsuit, and he adds, "its possessor at present (1876) is Mrs. Gould, a daughter of the above-mentioned Mrs. Noonan." When the plague raged in Scotland, in the latter part of the " Lee seventeenth century, the services of the famous Penny," which suggested to Sir Walter Scott the idea of his Romance " The entitled Talisman," were being constantly requisitioned as
An
AMULETS AND CHARMS.
79
a charm against the plague, and when it crossed the border into " Lee Penny" was promptly borrowed by the England the municipality of Newcastle, who deposited with its owners the Lockharts of Lee House, Lanarkshire a large sum of money as guarantee of its safe return a very necessary precaution, for so convinced were the good people of Newcastle of its plague-curing efficacy that they actually wanted to retain the charm and forfeit
;
is simply a small triangular pebble, set in an old silver coin, obtained in Spain by Sir Simon Lockhart, as part ransom of a Moorish chief, when that knight accompanied Lord James Douglas in the abortive expedition to bury the heart of Bruce in the Holy Land. $fary Queen of Scots appears to have been a firm believer in the efficacy of healing stones, for on the eve of her execution, when writing to her brother-in-law, Henry III. of France, she " two rare stones, and valuable for the health," bequeaths to him " in token of true love towards him." asking him to accept them see then that great veneration, subject to certain conditions
the deposit.
The " Lee Penny
"
We
and ceremonials, appears to have been paid by the ancient, and indeed by many of the modern Irish, to various inanimate in nothing is this so remarkable as in the objects and materials lithic objects which were used for purposes of prayer, for cursing and for the cure of ailments. Truth is often stranger than fiction, and this latter popular Irish charm, or cure, has been transplanted from its native land, and has taken root and flourished on the An Irish emigrant to Texas had a " MadAmerican continent. to be a perfect remedy for hydrophobia, which stone," reputed It would be interesting to know how the effected several cures. Madstones were employed in Ireland, and if any are now used. A charm for farcy, which had been employed for generations by a family in the county Limerick, is now used by a member of that same family on his horses, in a great ranching country, within the shadow of the Kocky Mountains, in the north-west territory of Canada. For cattle-murrain a plague emanating from fairy malice the remedy, as we have seen (vol. i., pages 79-81), is simple. The sick beast is given a drink from a vessel in which is placed a stone axe, a flint arrow-head, or some such ancient lithic When, however, the disease is diagnosed by the implement. " " as proceeding from the connoch, a supposed fairy-doctor peculiarly poisonous caterpillar, swallowed by the animal and
;
believed to produce internal disorder, generally of a fatal character, the remedy is more difficult of attainment, for it consists in giving the afflicted beast to drink from a vessel, in the bottom of which is placed a silver model of this murrain-caterpillar. Two of these amulets, found in the county Cork, one in the old
80
WELL WORSHIP AND

of silver, in
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
series of
burying place of Timoleague Abbey, the other near Doneraile, are
formed
which
is
embedded a
amber and
azure coloured crystals. Each charm is about three inches in length. The figures of the two silver connochs (see fig. 26, figs. 1
and 5) represent,
clearly enough, larvae of the larger sphinx-moth one very like that of the elephant hawk-moth, common in Ireland the other resembles that of the (in Ireland) comparatively rare
;
;
death's-head hawk-moth.
when they
cleft
The practice among the peasantry, find one of these latter grubs, is to insert it in the
sapling,
of a
young ash
which soon puts an end
to the
caterpillar, whatever effect it may have on the murrain-epidemic. Even to dream, you see this caterpillar betokens ill-luck and
misfortune. Why the form of the grub, which is supposed to have produced the distemper, or the flint axe or arrow-head which produced symptoms of disease, should be selected as the means of procuring a recovery, it is difficult to tell, yet the idea has the sanction
of classical antiquity and of modern homoeopathy. A country man had the misfortune to be badly wounded in the chest, with a steel hay-fork, whilst working on a rick. His wife kept the prongs of the implement bright and polished, until the wound healed, as she said that otherwise, if the steel of the fork became rusty, the wound would suppurate. Horace alludes to the superstitious belief that only the same weapon that inflicted the injury could heal it, as was the case with the wounded Telephus. Shakspeare adverts to the same principle when he says that the toad carried in its head an antidote to its own poison. The basis of homoeopathic treatment is sintilia simililits curantur, like things are cured by like, and we are still frequently recommended to "take a hair of the dog that bit Homoeopathic adepts amongst the Irish Fairy Doctors you." generally order medicine of a yellowish colour, for the jaundice, such as saffron, turmeric, and sulphur. The Allopathic school, on the contrary, employs other remedies, and pays no regard to colour. Thus there are two schools of medicine even amongst the Irish Fairy Doctors.
Throughout Ireland there are many traces of the former custom of praying to, or asking certain gifts or favours from, a On the summit of one of the lithic object or from a well. pinnacles of Tormore, on Tory Island, a large stone is shown " the by the natives who call it wishing stone." They allege that whoever stands on this stone, and turns round three times, " 7 " will obtain whatever he wishes for. Wishing W ells are to be met with in most counties the wisher on bended knee, and with
;
OFFERINGS TIED
wishes, but
it is
ON BUSHES,
ETC.
81
hands clasped behind his back, takes a draught, and then
silently essential that the supplicant should not make known his wishes till they are granted, and ill-natured people allege that, for this reason, there are but few female votaries amongst the successful postulants. These wells had a wonderful
reputation, and women would go, apparently half ashamed, to whisper their wish and drink in good hope of a fortunate result. Thus water- worship, recommended by Seneca and by the Church, is a cult not yet extinct these wishing wells belong however to a class from which the heathen ideas, that in days of yore clung around them, have now vanished to a greater extent than from those adopted into Christian usage. Scenes of faith, of love, and piety are, happily, more frequent among devotees at the holy wells than are the mutterings of male" At these sacred diction, for places may be seen the mother for her child, the girl for her lover, the wife for her praying husband, going the rounds on their bare knees, with the crucifix in their clasped hands, their eyes raised to heaven in silent prayer, with a divine faith that their prayer will be answered and who an say but that the fervour of the supplication has often brought down the blessing of healing for the sick, or comfort for the
;
-
? The picturesque grouping round the holy well, the background of purple mountains, the antique stone cross at which the pilgrims kneel, the costumes and often the beautiful faces of the praying women, with their long dark hair and purple Irish eyes, form a scene of wonderful poetic and dramatic interest." A contributor to Xotes and Queries, writing in 1876, says "I remember, as a child, to have been surreptitiously taken, by an Irish nurse, to St. John's Well, Aghada, county Cork, on the vigil of the saint's day, to be cured of whooping cough, by drinking three times of the water of the holy well. I shall never forget the strange spectacle of men and women, creeping on their
sorrowing
knees, in voluntary devotion, or in obedience to enjoined penance, so many times round the well, which was protected by a grey stone hood, and had a few white thorn trees growing near it, on the spines of which fluttered innumerable shreds of frieze and varied coloured rags, the votive offerings of devotees and
patients."
trifling
Thus we see that whilst many superstitions may be considered and silly, others are really useful so far as they influence
those
who thoroughly believe in them, to The immediate surroundings of a
right courses. celebrated and
much
frequented holy well are, at all times, festooned with manycoloured rags, red, blue, green, white, black in fact, kaleidoscopic in character tied up to denote, in a modern sense, a finale to the " rounds " and prayers, but which, if the action of attaching them
VOL.
II.
82
WELL WORSHIP AND
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
meaning.
grass
is
to the trees or bushes be analysed, has a deeper and more mystic If there are no trees or bushes, brambles will do as
well, and, failing these,
an upright weed, or a strong
stalk of
rags are to be met with everywhere in the vicinity of these springs, in the old churchyard, beneath the shade of trees, on the open mountain slope, in the secluded glen, or on the busy village green. Fig. 27 is the reproduction of a photograph, taken in the month of November, 1900, of some of the rags attached to trees, bushes, and brambles around the Holy Well of Tubbernalt, near This collection consists of four groups the town of Sligo. one to the left front of the boy seated on the ground the second stretched between the two dark tree trunks to his left the third row suspended to the left of the tree overhanging the rivulet the fourth group tied on the brambles at the base of this tree. This custom of tying rags to trees, bushes, and, where these are not at hand, to briars or stalks of grass, has exercised students of archaic practices ever since the customs of the peasantry have been examined in a critical spirit. To this practice may be added These practices seem that of throwing pins into sacred wells. strange and meaningless until one has learned that almost all old customs have a reason for their origin and existence. There are many wells into which it was usual to drop pins, which were It has been suggested that the intention was to generally bent. exorcise the evil spirit afflicting the person who threw in the It is hardly necessary to add that in former times it was pins. believed that all human ailments were owing to the machination The ceremony for a cure for warts was to wash of evil spirits. the warts and prick them with a pin, which was then bent and dropped into the water but all crooked pins lying in the bottom of wells were not necessarily used as a charm for warts, as, for some unknown reason, crooked pins are supposed to bring good luck if you wish a person good luck, stick a crooked pin in his
sufficient.
:
deemed
The
coat.
rag, or ribbon, taken from the clothing, tied up to a tree, fluttering in the breeze, is viewed somewhat in the light of a scapegoat, and is considered to be the depository of the spiritual
The
and
This is exemplified by an or bodily ailments of the suppliant. anecdote related of a vindictive peasant who took the rags from the bushes around a holy well and scattered them on the highway along which a neighbour, against whom he bore ill-will, was in the habit of passing, in the hope that he might pick them up, and thereby become possessed of all the maladies with which they were stored. It is alleged that the inhabitants of the Orkneys, for a similar purpose, wash a sick person, and then throw the water on to the highway, in the belief that the sickness will be
84
WELL WORSHIP AND
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
transferred from the patient to the first person who passes over the spot. In some parts of Ireland and Scotland, parings from the nails of the sick, or a small portion of their hair are placed in a packet, and left on the road the passer hy, who picks it up, will forthwith have the malady transferred to himself. The supposed transference of disease, from the sufferer to some other subject, other than the rags, &c., is a more de;
For instance, keep your veloped form of this superstition. lift a portion of the stoop eye fixed on the new moon rub the warts with it dust or clay under your right foot and as the moon wanes, the warts disappear. Go through the same performance as a funeral passes cast the dust or clay and as the body decays in the grave the in front of the corpse warts diminish. Choose a large black snail rub it on the wart then impale it on a thorn as the snail withers, so does the wart. Steal a small piece of meat from a butcher's shop, bury it, and as In some districts this custom it decays, the wart disappears. seems to have changed into the larceny of a potato, and the disease is supposed to be gradually transmitted from the human being to the tuber. In similar manner a sheaf of oats or other grain is sometimes buried in the ground, whilst certain forms are gone through, and incantations are recited, in the belief that, as the grain rots, so the person against whom the spell is directed This principle was once will, pari passu, fail and wither away. admitted into surgery, when, some three centuries ago, the learned chirurgeon anointed and dressed the weapon, instead of the wound which it had inflicted. Huf/f/ada, liugcjada, lekne, lekne, " To you, to you, the lekne," is said by a woman three times at She must, at the same time, hold in her the door of a pig-sty. arms the child suffering from " lekne," or swelling in the glands The malady is by this means transferred from the of the neck. child to the unfortunate pig. In all these instances there is a symbolic as well as supposed actual transference of the malady from the sufferer to some other A striking example of this is object, animate or inanimate. afforded by the dread of the peasantry at the appearance of a " wise woman," or witch, under whose treatment a patient has recently recovered. They imagine that the first living thing her eyes fall on, after the cure of her patient, is afflicted with the malady of the sick person whom she has attended, and men and women will carefully avoid meeting a witch for a considerable time after she has effected a cure. Thus it will be seen that rags tied around holy wells are not merely offerings, or votive they are riddances. If you have a headache, you take a shred from your clothing, and place it on the tree, and with it you place, or hope to place, the headache
;
; ; ; ; ; ;
;
OFFERINGS TIED
there
;
ON BUSHES,
ETC.
85
the putting up of these rags is a putting away of the evils sin, the anger of the gods, of the act which should be accompanied saints, in modern times by the ritual words, Qip impibe an Gigepna mo cino einneap t>o paâim am an aic po, " By the intercession of the Lord, I leave my portion of illness in this place." A similar custom prevailed in Scotland. Travellers in the East mention trees and bushes festooned with rags, fastened as offerread of a Hindoo rajah performing his ings to the branches. devotions on the occasion of a pilgrimage to a celebrated temple, which he enriched with a variety of of-
impending, or incurred by or of " the others
"an
We
ferings
and having
all
performed
the cererites at-
monies
and
tendant thereto, he ended his devotions by attaching a rag to
an adjacent
tree.
The
28,
is
rude
effigy
represented by figure
from West Africa, no more than a half
shaped upright figure, without limbs or feaThe first imtures. pression which one might be under, is
that it must have incurred unpopularity by
neglecting to answer prayers, the indignation of its worshippers taking the form of
F IG
28.
driving nails into_ltS RudeIdolo f woodt fromWest Africa, with offerings in the The Sacred person. shape of iron nails driven into it. Photo, from Strand "**' nails are, on the contrary, costly offerings, as the idol comes from a part where iron is extremely scarce, so the devout negro, who was anxious to propitiate this divinity, sacrificed one of his most valuable nails to it by the " simple and respectful process of hammering it into the hallowed stomach." This custom arises from reasoning, similar to that which underlies the practices of witchcraft. Many savages will not permit their likenesses to be taken, nor will they tell their names to strangers, for that would put them in the power of the person who possessed their likeness, or who
86
WELL WORSHIP AND
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
knew their names. Thus, if an article in the custody of a malevolent power, causes its former owner to suffer, the same article in the possession of a beneficent power, relieves pain, restores health, or promotes prosperity. Clothing, or a shred torn from a garment to represent it, if placed upon a sacred tree, or dropped into a
holy well, a pin that has pricked a wart and has been deposited at a holy place, a stone taken up and cast into a hallowed spot, " an iron nail driven into an idol's " hallowed stomach these are all in continual contact with the local powers, and the
power overshadowing the representative object, properly manipulated, reach and overshadow the postulant. There are instances where the real object of a rite having been lost sight of, the practices have become deflected from their earlier forms. For example, Athenian women, in the olden days, who for the first time became pregnant, were in the habit of hanging up their girdles in the temple of Artemis the meaning underlying the act is clear, as is also the converse case, related of the Ursuline Nufls of Quintin, who kept one of the largest schools in Brittany. "When a girl who had been their pupil, marries and enters the interesting situation of the Athenian women just referred to, the pious nuns send her a white silken ribbon, painted in blue the Virgin's colour with the words, Notre Dame de Deliverance protegez-vous.' Before sending it off, they touch with it the reliquary of the parish church, which contains a fragment of the Virgin Mary's zone. The recipient hastens to put the ribbon round her waist, and does not cease to wear it until the baby is born, for the ribbon, having been in contact with divinity, though that contact has ceased to outward appearance, is still in some subtle connection with the
will, if
; '
effluence of the
goddess." In Ireland the ceremony of leaving a piece of the clothing on an adjacent tree, does not appear to be exclusively confined to water worship for at a cromleac in Valentia Island, at certain seasons, the peasantry circumambulate the monument and attach their rags as at' holy wells. However, it may be pointed out that some sepulchral tumuli are believed to have been erected A rude stone monument, covering a well, is over wells. mentioned in a Life of St. Patrick another is pointed out at Ballycrourn, in the county Clare, while, at a cromleac in Kerry, a spring is said to have existed, and the rites customary at a
; ;
holy well were paid at
it.
Dr. O'Connor, in his Columbanus ad Hibernos, written in 1810, states that he pressed a very old peasant to state what possible advantage he expected to derive from frequenting wells near " old blasted oaks " or " upright, unhewn stones," and to explain
OFFERINGS
2'IED
ON BUSHES,
ETC.
87
the meaning of spitting on, and placing rags on the branches of the surrounding trees. The old man and his companions could only explain that both they and their ancestors were always accustomed to do it, that they considered it a preservative against " Geasa draoidcclit, i. e. the sorceries of the Druids, that their cattle were preserved by it from infectious disorders that the daoinimaithe, i. e. the fairies, were kept in good humour by it and so thoroughly persuaded were they of the sanctity of these pagan practices, that they would travel bare-headed and bare-footed from 10 to 20 miles, for the purpose of crawling on their knees around these wells, and upright stones, and oak trees, westward as the
; ;
sun travels, some three times, some six, some nine, and so on, in uneven numbers, until their voluntary penances were completely
fulfilled."
A few descriptions of wells, in different parts of the kingdom, are given as examples of this wide-spread survival of pagan observances. Many are more frequented by devotees than casual observers imagine and numerous springs are still held in veneration, although all, or almost all traces of worship, at some of the ancient shrines, have apparently vanished. For example, at a well not far from Bosses Point, county Sligo, it was stated, by one who ought to be considered a good authority on the subject, that the ancient cult was completely extinct in the surrounding district. Surprise was strongly depicted on the faces of those to whom were pointed out threads of cotton tied on the stalks of grass around the well. This custom can be observed where least About a hundred yards from the little church of expected. Kilmacteigue, county Sligo, lies the insignificant looking well of Tubberkeeran an ash overhanging the spring is covered with many-coloured rags, mementoes left by pious pilgrims to the The tiny well, now nearly filled by the gnarled roots of place. the tree, is frequented by the country people for various purposes, principally by those whose cows are sick, or not yielding as much milk as their owners expected. In the townland of Glenawoo, not far distant from the foregoing well, lies that of Toberaraght, still visited for restoration of health from diseases of peculiar character, such as The valley was formerly the haunt of a monstrous eel, epilepsy. piaxt, or serpent, that devoured every animal, or human being, within reach hence the name of the glen until St. Araght slew it on the spot where the well sprang up. Around it, as also around
; ;
the stations at St. Barbara's Well, closely adjoining, trees and bushes are covered with offerings in the form of rags. Toberit roddy, in the immediate vicinity, is a disenchanted spring lost its efficacy in the year 1775, when a gentleman utilised a stone which belonged to the sacred site, as building material for
;
88
his
WELL WORSHIP AND
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
new residence. This was no sooner completed than it fell, and the flag-stone was found hack again in its original position but from that date "the power" left the waters of the well, for holy wells and even lakes, when insulted, either lose their efficacy, dry up, or migrate to some other locality. Not far from Stuake,
;
county Cork, is the dried site of St. Lacteen's Well, surrounded by thorn bushes. The peasantry attribute the disappearance of the water to its desecration by a woman who washed her soiled clothes in it. This legend resembles the story in Pausanias,
related of a magical well in the Peloponnesus, in which every ship sailing in the Mediterranean was reflected, but a woman
having washed a soiled garment in the water, the spring thereupon lost its miraculous properties. The following were esteemed sacred springs in the parish of
Drumcliff, county Sligo :- Tobar-na-bachaitte, or the well of the On Lady Day there are, it is crozier; Tobar-Muire, Mary's well. The well was reputed to stated, stations still carried on there. have been the home of sacred trout, and to have possessed healing virtues, particularly in cases of ophthalmia. There is St. Patrick's well, where a legend recounts that the saint baptized converts. There are also the wells of Tobar-na-bolgoi,ghe, Tobervogue, and Tober Columbkill. In the footnote is a list of wells in the county
" Sligo which were formerly held in estimation as holy." The ceremonies at " St. Patrick's bed," near Croagh Patrick, are described by an eye-witness who saw them in 1826. Two old trees overshadowed "the bed " and the pilgrims presented a
* In the parish of Kilmacowen, Toberpatrick parish of Calry, ToberCormel parish of Ballysadare, Tobercurrin, Tobertullaghan, and Tobercallen
; ; ;
parish of Killoran, Tobergal ; parish of Achonry, Toberaribba, Tobercurry, Toberaraght, and Tobercully parish of parish of Dromard, Toberpatrick Skreen, Toberpatrick, Toberawnaun, and Toberloran parish of Easky, St. Adman's well, Toberavidden, and Toberalternan parish of Templeboy, Toberpatrick, Tobernasool, and Tobercahillboght parish of Kilglass, St. Patrick's well ; parish of Castleconor, Toberpatrick parish of Ballysadare, Tobcrloonagli, and Toberbride parish of Ballynakill, Lady's well, and Darby's well; the latter was anciently styled Toberlastra or Toberlastrach parish of Kilmactranny, Tobennnrry there was also anciently (according to the Ordnance Survey notes) a well, styled Tobar-Ehilibh, or St. Elva's well; parish of Kil;
macallan, Tobermoneen, and Tobernaglashy, so named from an enchanted cow which used to regale herself at the spring parish of Aghanagh, Tobermonia, Toberbride, Tobermurray, Toberpatrick, and Tobermahon parish of Tawnagh, Toberpatrick, Tobernalee, Kingsbrook, Toberstarling, and Tobernagalliagh ; parish of Shancough, St. James's well parish of Drumcolumb, St. Columb's well ; parish of Kilross. Toberdoney, beautifully situated, still used for cures, and frequented on St. Peter and St. Paul's day ; parish of Emlaghfad, Holywell parish of Toomour, Tobernacarta, Tobernamalla, Toberliubhan, Toberacol, Tobercloicharig, or King's well parish of Kilturra, St. Araght's well, and Toberpatrick; parish of Drumrat, Toberbride, or Tobernanavin, and Toberbarry ; parish of Cloonaghill, Toberneerin parish of Kilfree, Tobernabraher,, and Tobernaneagh parish of Killaraght, Toberpatrick.
;
;
OFFERINGS TIED ON BUSHES, ETC.

singular appearance
oft'
89
when the
station
their hair, both men and women,
was over, for the people "cut and take horseshoes, and brogue-
nails, pins and needles, and fasten them to the trees; they also cut up their clothes, be they ever so new, and tie them to these trees."
At Loughadrine, in the county Cork, there is a lake formerly On its northern bank a celebrated station was held, until, of late years, the clergy interfered and suppressed it offerings of rags were tied on all the bushes.
held sacred.
;
St. Bridget's
Well, County Clare.
From
a pencil-sketch taken
in
the year 1824.
There is a holy well, overshadowed by a thorn-bush covered with votive offerings, near the farm of Montaggart, county Cork, " called " Bat's Well an irreverent abbreviation of St. Bartho-
by lomew's name. In the townland of Mount Bridget, about two miles from Buttevant, is St. Bridget's Holy Well where "rounds" are still paid. The spring is shaded by an ancient ash, faceti" " its branches laden with many ously styled Biddy's tree coloured shreds of clothing. Fig. 29 is a pencil-sketch, made
;
90
WELL WORSHIP AND
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
in the year 1824, of another spring, situated in the county Clare, also dedicated to the same saint, and called St. Bridget's Well. In a Paper on the " Churches of the County Clare " (vol. 6, 3rd ser., Proc. K. I. A., pp. 100-180), Mr. T. J. Westropp, M.A., records upwards of oiie hundred holy wells in this county. Special attention is directed to Tobereevul, the well of Aoibhill, the great banshee of the Dalcassians, on Craglea, above Killaloe to Tobereendowney, at Kiltumper, on the borders of the county to Tobersheela and to Tobergrania, in Ballycroum, Galway a cromleac, or rude stone monument, used as a holy well. These are all indubitably of pre-Christian origin. Clare and Sligo appear to be the only counties in Ireland where even the mere enumeration of the sites of holy wells has been attempted.'" Barnaby Eyche, describing in 1624, Irish holy wells in general, but those of the city of Dublin in particular, quaintly observed " that if there were but one-half of the (spelling modernized) virtue in them, that the Irish do believe, and will confidently
; ;
avow, we need no other physic nor surgery to heal all manner of diseases. The blind might be restored to sight, the halt and lame to their limbs there is no infirmity but it might be cured at sundry sanctified and holy wells, whereof there are great plenty in Ireland. The city of Dublin is quartered out with them. First, on the east part, they have St. Patrick's Well, the water whereof, although it be generally reputed to be very hot, yet the very prime of the perfection is upon the 17th of March, which is St. Patrick's Day, and upon this day the water is more holy than it is all the year after, or else the inhabitants of Dublin are more foolish upon
;
* The well and holy tree of St. Mogua lie to the north-east of O'Davoren's church, parish of Noughaval, county Clare. At Kinallia, in the parish of Carran, is a large bullan, in the natural rock, and near it a well and altar. The Well of St. Fachtnnn is at St. Fachnan's Cathedral Well of St. Lonan at the Well of St. Patrick in the parish of TempleClooney parish church the Well of St. Tola, in Disert-Tola Well of St. Laughteen, patrick'; Kilnamona St. John's Well, convent of St. John Well of Kilvnydan, parish of Inchicronan Well of Toberineenboy, parish of Doora Well of Toberniglmee, at St. Finghin's church; Well of St. John, parish of Killeely Well of St.
;
parish of Kilnoe; St.. Mary's Well, St. Mary's, Iniscaltra, Lough St. Cronan's Well, parish of Derg; St. Seily's Well, parish of Kilseily St. Lenan's Well, parish of Clonlea; well at Kilcredann, Killokennedy St. Mochulla's Well, Kiliinanlea; Toberbreedia, in parish of O'Brien Bridge Inismore, or Deer Island; Tober-righ-an-domhnaigh, parish of Kilmihil 6t. Emeria's Well, parish of Killiiner; St. Caritan's Well, parish of Moyarta Kilkee, barony of Inchiquin, a holy -well islands, Kilfiddan ; Toberniddann Toberbreedia Kiltftnon, Toberbreedia Kilvelly, barony of Burcratty Cragg,
; ;
;
Modi nil a,
Tobemiochulla KilFortanne, Toberinochulla Kilgorey, Tobermochulla Tobermore and Tobenimanrielta all in the barony of Tulla Kilbreedia, barony of Ihrican, Toberbreedia; Kiltrelly. barony of Moyarta, a holy well; Kilclogher, barony of Moyarta, Tobersenan., The holy well of Tobermacreagh
;
;
inore,
WELLS IN VARIOUS PARTS OF IRELAND.

;
91
that day, than they be all the year after for, upon that day, thither they will run, by heaps, men, women, and children, and then, first performing certain superstitious ceremonies, they drink of the water and, when they are returned to their own homes, for nine days after, they will sit and tell what wonderful things have been wrought by the operation of the water of St. Patrick's Well. " On the west part of Dublin they have St. James, his well, and his feast is celebrated the 25th of July and upon that day a great mart, or fair, is kept, fast by the well. The commodity that is there to be vended is nothing else but ale, no other merchandise, but only ale I think such another fact was never heard of in any other place, where a man cannot buy so much as a pennyworth of pins, but what money he hath to bestow he must Yet it carries the name of St. James, his lay it out for ale. fair.' The multitude of rascal people that useth to frequent this fair are first accustomed to perform certain ceremonies at St. James' Well, in casting the water, backward and forward, on the right side and on the left, and over their heads, then, drinking a draught of the water, they go into the fair, and then, installing themselves in some brothel-booths, they sit and drink <lrunk all the day after. " On the south side of the town they have St. Sunday's Well. I cannot tell what countryman St. Sunday was himself, but his well is of precious estimation amongst the Irish that do flock thither, so thick upon Sunday mornings in the summer season.
; ; ; '
lies to
the south of the old church of Cat-ran
Rock
hasin, called
"a well," at
Fahy, in the parish of Feakle; "Well of St. Cohui, at Tomgraney. Tobercruhnorindowati, in Killavd, is dedicated to the Creator of the world. Only one well. Toberisa, near Bunratty, is named after the Saviour. Three wells (Tohermurry) are dedicated to the Virgin, in Drimelihy "Westby, Kilmac"St. John has wells at Killone and Tronira. duane, and Killadysert St. Martin is St. Patrick at Eossaltii, Correen, and Clooney (Bunratty). patron of the wells at Moyarta, Bally nee-ally, and Lemaneagh. St. Michael at St. Augustine at Garrynaghry Kilbrecan, Cappa (Bunratty). and the Kilnuhils. and Kilshanny. The Holy Crow at Gleninagh. An A ngcl at Kilcorney." " The other wells we may group under their parishes: Kilfen<na, Toberdane; Clooney (Corcomroe), Tobermooghna A'ilkeedi/, Tobereenatemple, near Templenadeirka and Tobercollure Droinel(/f', Tobernalettan and Toberateaskan Qtiin, Toberlannive, Tobernachtin, Tobercrine, Toberaneeve, Tobcrkeeghaur., and Toberandillure Toberdooran Templcmaley, Tobernacoolia l>oora, Bunratty, Clooney (Bunratty), Tobernalaghan, Tobercreile, Toberavannan Tobernatnarkauv Kilmttrry-ne-gall, Tobcrfailia; Filfinaghta, Tohernavogue and ToberTulla, Tohermacshane, in Uggoon, Toberbugvile, Toberknockall, O'liriot's liridge, slattery Moynoe, Tobernagat Ogonnelloe, Tobersraheen Tobernasool; Kilfarboy, Tobermurrish KiUnurray Ibrikcan, Tobernahallia and Tobervan Killbalbjowen, Toberooan Kilrush, Toberaneddan Kilnmrry mac Mahon, Toberyrowarta Kilfearayh, Tobci'tnanorha Killadysert, Tobernamonastragh (Canon's Island)."
; :
92
"
WELL WORSHIP AND
IIS CONCOMITANTS.
To the southwards from the City of Dublin, they have Doblock's Well, another sanctified place, ceremoniously frequented at certain seasons, foolish and ridiculous to I might speak of divers other wells, but if be spoken of. I should speak of the wonders and miracles which they say are wrought there, it would make a more admirable history It would undo all the than that of Sir John Mandeville.
St.
For at those holy wells, physicians of England and Ireland. and at many other of those sanctified places, the blind are made to see, the lame are made to go, the cripple is restored to his limbs, or what disease soever, never so strange, never so inveterate, which is not there cured." Well worship has died out in Dublin the old popular religion connected with springs has ceased you may question every man you meet in Nassau-street, and not one in a hundred would be able to tell you where to find the waters of St. Patrick's well which still flows on the well would be as hard to discover as a spring in the desert. In the townland of Ballymorereigh, parish of Dingle, county Kerry, is the well of Tobar Monachan, down to a late period much resorted to every Sunday in the year. "Fairy strokes" (i.e. paralysis) are supposed to be cured by drinking the waters. A local antiquary states, " there is not a better well in Munster to give rounds at, sure there is a salmon and an eel in it, and whoever has the luck to get a look at them, may be sure that they have the benefit of their rounds." About four miles east of Baltinglass is the church-yard of Kilranelagh, the boundary wall of which is formed of loose stones, the top being very narrow in comparison with the base. Every man attending a funeral, brings a stone picked up on his Outside this boundary is a way, and throws it on the fence. well, with a recess in the wall just above it, furnished with
; ;
ledges plentifully provided with wooden cups, as everyone interring in the graveyard the corpse of a child under five years of age, provides one of these vessels. It is believed that "the spirit of the latest interred, is obliged to supply every one of its predecessors with a cup of water, and to keep watch and ward over the sacred enclosure till the next funeral, and so when two convoys are approaching at the same time, there sometimes occurs unseemly races and struggles." Dr. P. W. Joyce, in Irish Xames of Places, remarks, that those afflicted with jaundice may be restored to health and colour by drinking water from the well of Toberboyoga, or the well of the Jaundice, near Kells, in Meath. Many wells alleged to be gifted with similar medicinal or healing properties, are called " I must observe Boyaghan, but the above writer continues,
93
that some of them may have been so called from the yellow colour of the clay or mud. Gortnasoolboy, in the parish of Cam in Koscommon, would seem to be connected in some way
disease, as its most expressive indicate, the field of the yellow eyes."
with this
name
appears to
are wasting lake called
eug,
The same writer remarks that " When children away in decline, they are bathed in the little
Loughaneeg, three miles south
'
'
of Elphin, in
Boscommon
death,' applied here to a slow wasting disease ; Loughaneeg, The general restorative qualities of the lake of the decline.' Toberanleise, near the river Barrow, in the townland of Dunganstown, parish of Whitechurch, Wexford, is indicated by
the well of the cure a (liagh, little lake of Loughanleagh, three physician, leiyheas, cure). miles east of Bailieboro' in Cavan, has been celebrated from time immemorial, for curing all kinds of cutaneous disease. Let the eruption be ever so virulent, the patient, who was bathed in this little pool, and afterwards treated with poultices of the mud, was sure to show a clean skin in a very few days. A good many unfortunately for the people of the neighbourhood, a years ago, gentleman who had a pack of hounds swam them in the water, which so offended the local guardian that the lake immediately But still the lost its virtue, and has never since regained it. name remains to tantalize the people with the memory of what There are they have lost Loch-an-liagha, physician lake.' many small lakes called Loughanlea in various parts of the country, but it is pretty certain that in these cases the name means merely grey lake." In some cases salt-water" appears to have been considered as efficacious as fresh water, for the Rev. Edward Chichester, A.M., when describing, in 1815, the parish of Cloncha, county Donegal, states that near Malin Head, there is a small hollow in a rock filled with sea- water at every tide, and reputed to possess a miraculous power of curing diseases, " consequently a serious nuisance to the neighbourhood, for it invites strollers and mendicants of the worst description from the three adjoining
its
*fi&me
'
'
Tobar-an-leiyhis,
The
'
unusual kind of holy well, viz., one in which salt water takes the is to be found in the case of the Chapel-Wells in Kirktnaiden parish, Wigtownshire, half way between the bays of Portankill and East Tarbet. About thirty yards to the north-west are the ruins of St. Medan's Chapel, partly artificial and partly natural, a cave forming the inner portion. In days gone by the spot was much frequented on the first Sunday of May Dr. Eobert Trotter, who (O.S.), called Co' Sunday, after this cave or cove.
place of fresh,
* "
An
examined the chapel and the wells in 1870, gives the results of the observations in the eighth volume of the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (new series)." Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Spnnys. Janies M. MacKinlay, M.A., pp. 92-3.
94
WELL WORSHIP AND US CONCOMITANTS.

who
it
counties,
corrupt
infest the neighbourhood by their numbers, and The patron days of the place are by their example. St. John's Eve and the Assumption of the Virgin, and they are celebrated there by the most disgusting drunkenness and
debauchery."
The custom of holding "patterns" or "patrons," that is assemblies of country people, gathered originally to pay homage to the divinities of wells, or other local objects, afterwards for prayers and adoration of Christian saints, became a baneful Those who came to pray, remained to drink and source of vice. Booths and tents were erected for selling whiskey as at fight. fairs, pipers and fiddlers attended, and the evening and night
were spent in singing, dancing, and drinking to such excess, "that it seems," remarks an eye-witness, "more like the celebration of the orgies of Bacchus, than the memory of a pious saint, from the drunken quarrels and obscenities practised on So little is there of devotion, or amendment of these occasions. life or manners, that these places are frequently chosen for the scenes of pitched battles, fought with cudgels, by parties, not only of parishes, but of counties, set in formal array against each other, to revenge some real or supposed injury, and murders are not an unusual result of these meetings." Bishop Downes mentions that in the year 1700, there existed a tradition amongst the peasantry, that there had been formerly
in the church-yard of Kineigh in the county Cork, "a well that had great medicinal virtues, and that the concourse of people being very chargeable to the inhabitants, they stopped it up." The well of Toberkeelagh, situated on the western shore of Lough Mask, is overshadowed by a tall tree and bushes, on which pieces of rags are suspended portions of hair are also
;
frequently
silvered locks of age may often be seen fluttering in the wind, with the fair tresses of some youthful When sickness afflicts any of the peasantry in the votary. neighbourhood of Toberkeelagh, or even any of their cattle, it is usual to pray, or perform stations for their recovery at the holy
left,
and the
well.
It
is
them will pass by without " making some reverence." The holy well near the Abbey of Mothel, county Waterford, The loneliness of the spot, the lies in a picturesque hollow. offerings of rags, nails, buttons, pins, and the venerable tree with its branches hung with numerous locks of human hair, presented a typical specimen of the Irish Holy Well to a visitor who saw and described it in the year 1851.
Tubberkileilhe, in the townland of Ballyvooney, county Waterford, is also situated in a bare and lonely glen, through which a rivulet winds for about a quarter of a mile down to the sea-shore.
held in such respect by the people, that none of

In a
field,
95
rising abruptly from the margin of the stream, the from the surface of the ground. It is not covered by any building, neither is it shaded by the usual thorn or ash. Here are no votive offerings or pilgrims' relics, no ruined church or graveyard it is not dedicated to any saint no " patron " and no rounds are held here, yet it is esteemed sacred among the
well issues
neighbouring peasantry. Afflicted persons come to wash their diseased limbs in its waters, which are also regarded as a specific
for warts
and tumours.
;
The farmer on whose ground
it is,
had
but the usual punishment befell him he conthe well filled in tracted a running-sore, which was not cured until he had the well re-opened. Ac'cording to ancient tradition, a sacred well once existed on the shore of Scattery Island possessed of miraculous curative powers but, from some unexplained cause, knowledge of the site was lost. One day a lame young lad, going along the shore, suddenly sank in the sand. With much difficulty his comrades
;
to extricate him, when to their amazement, they found that he walked quite sound. They at once perceived that the long-lost sacred well must have worked the cure, and cleared away the sand, till they came on some steps, and down below lay the clear, fresh water, uncontaminated by the salt of the sea.* People from far and near rushed to the well, and wonderful cures were effected but next day not a vestige of the well could be found, as the waves had again covered it with sand, and it has
managed
never again been seen.
Another sacred spring, that of Tober-Kilnagreina, in the county Cork, was re-discovered about a hundred years ago. The farmer, who owned the land, carried off a large stone, with a natural hollow in the centre, which usually held water, to utilize as a
drinking trough for his cattle. Not long after, his stock began to and then all his children sickened. The farmer thought there was ill-luck in meddling with the stone so he carried it back, and his cattle and his family were at once restored to health. He then had the place thoroughly examined, when he came upon an ancient stone circle, and in the midst was a well of fresh water, which, according to local tradition, had been cursed by St. Patrick. The country-side flocked to the well, and a " pattern " " was organized. In course of time the revelry at the "pattern occasion for much scandal, and drinking, dancing, gambling, gave
fail,
;
* Lady Wilde states that "At Portrane, county Dublin, is a well called The Chink Well,' which, at high tide, is covered by the salt water, yet always remains itself fresh and pure. Anyone seeking a cure should leave a piece of bread on the brink of the well, and if this is carried uway by the next tide, the
'
disease will depart also along with it."
96
WELL WORSHIP AND

The
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
until one day a man was killed in a faction well lost its miraculous powers the maimed, the halt, and the blind prayed, went the rounds, and piled the stones as usual, but no help was vouchsafed. Worst sign of all, a great stone, on which a cross had been erected, fell down, of its own Then the people accord, and shattered the emblem of salvation. knew for certain that a curse was, indeed, again on the well, and they deserted it. Even the Ban-Naomha, who used to manifest herself to the regenerate under the form of a trout, disappeared and, though she may still be seen at other sacred wells, she was never again beheld by those who watched for her re-appearance at this now unhallowed shrine. In the year 1855, a visitor to the well of St. Bartholomew, at " The venerable Pilstown, county Waterford, thus describes it
and fighting went on,

fight.
Fio. 30.
St.
Declan's Well, Ardmore, in the year 1830.
From Mr. and
ilrs. Hall's Ireland.
thorns which overshadow it bore a motley appearance, being covered with red, blue, and green ribbons, and rags, as if torn from the dresses of pilgrims, and tied up as a finale to their ' An old crone engaged in going her and prayers. rounds 'rounds' said, 'they were tied up by each, to leave all the sickness of the year behind them.' Fig. 30 represents St. Declan's Well, Ardmore, as it appeared in the year 1830. In a Statistical Account of the parish of Dungiven, written in 1813, it is stated that at the well of Tubberpatrick, after performing the usual rounds, devotees wash their hands and feet in the water, and tear off a small rag from their clothes, which they tie on a bush overhanging the well they then proceed to a large stone in the river, immediately below the old church, and,
'
' ;

having performed an oblation, they walk round the
to
it,
97
stone,' bowing and repeating prayers as at the well. They then enter the old church, within which a similar ceremony is performed, and they finish the rite by a procession and prayers round an upright stone, where the people show the print of footsteps which they
say are those of St. Patrick. At St. Bridget's Well, near Dundalk, the trees are also decorated with rags, and a stone in the stream bears the impression of St. Bridget's knees. At Dunass, county Clare, is a well noted for many healing virtues from having been blessed by St. Senan, who also left the impress of his knees on a flat rock near the
FIG. 31.
St.
Senan's Well, County Clare.
From a drawing by Dr.
Petric,
made
in the
year 1840.
Reproduced from the Irish Penny Journal.
brink.
The country people kneel in these indentations as they stoop to drink, and find relief as they touch the impression left by the saint. The well presents nothing peculiar to distinguish it from a thousand other springs of the same kind, save the characteristic votive offerings made at it. These chiefly consist of wooden bowls, whole and fractured teacups, blacking-pots, and similar singular thank-offerings to the Patron Saint of the parish
(fig.
31).
Killalta, where Jeremy Taylor preached in the times of the Commonwealth, a station was held
Near the old ruined church of

VOL.
II.
98
WELL WORSHIP AND
IIS CONCOMITANTS.
on the 14th August. Mass was apnually said at a heap of stones between the church and the lake, and the people afterwards went round the earn on their knees. A hollow is shown in the stone
in the graveyard, said to be the impression of the saint's knees, containing water all the year round, and possessing the power of removing warts. Those who avail themselves of its curative Unbelievers affirm that properties, throw pins into the bullans.
instead of removing warts the water multiplies those disagreeable epidermal appendages but, on the other hand, it has been explained, by a medical gentleman of great experience, that water thus found, being " as a rule highly acidulated by the decomposition of vegetable matter, when applied to eyes, or rather eyelids, affected by certain forms of irritation, may, not The unfrequently, alleviate discomfort, and even effect a cure." same superstition prevails in connection with the water of many holy-water fonts, and even of lakes. There is a natural boulder close to the old church of Templenaffrin, or the church of the mass, near Belcoo, county Fermanagh, on the top of which are The water almost invariably (as is three well-defined bullans. natural in a moist climate) to be found in the hollows of bullans is very generally supposed by the peasantry to possess miraculous curative powers, especially in diseases affecting the eyes, and it is also regarded as an infallible remedy for the removal of warts. On the north side of the picturesque ruins of a church on the shores of Dublin Bay, there is a spring called St. Berach's Well, of an astringent nature is reputed as curathe water of which tive for affections of the eyes. On Church Island, in Lough Beg, near Toome Bridge, are the ruins of a church, and near it a tree, with a number of rags These are. votive offerings of the faithful, tied to its branches. who come to pray round a curious stone with a hollow in its " surface, lying beneath the shade of the Bag-tree." W. H. Maxwell, in Wild Sports of the West of Ireland, describes an extraordinary being named Bobby, who lived at the foot of Croagh Patrick, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, "accounted the first performer (religious) of his day in Connaught. He generally resided at the house of a neighbouring gentleman, and when a pilgrim-visitor was discouraged by the acclivity of the hill, or the quantity of prayers to be got over, Bobby, for a He was not consideration, undertook and executed the task. only a harmless, but as may be well imagined, a very useful
;
'
'
been
personage, and his death has left a blank which has never yet filled. The remains of poor Bobby, at his own request, were transported to the summit of the mountain and deposited on the apex of Croagh Patrick, where he had so often and so usefully " performed.'
'

The
patrick, are supplied
99
celebrated Struell wells, in the neighbourhood of Downby a considerable spring, which flows through four small and very rudely constructed houses, at each of which the water is supposed to possess different virtues. The waters are most potent on the eve of mid-summer's day, when at midnight, crowds of mentally, as well as physically afflicted people, used to struggle for a drink. The tree over the well at Cranfield, on the north shore of Lough Neagh, is decorated with rags, and at the well, near the old church of Faughart, there was formerly a skull from which visitors drank the waters of the spring. Cambrensis whom the romancer Keating describes as " an " when ineKTTaustible fund of falsehood writing, in his seventh " there is a. chapter, on the natural curiosities of Ireland, says, fountain in the province of Munster, which instantly makes the hair of the head grey when it is dipped into it and that there is another fountain in Ulster of a quite contrary quality, that, upon wetting it, restores the hair to its genuine colour"; though, observes " Keating, upon a survey there are now no footsteps, nor even in the traditions of the people remaining of such wells, nor were they in the days of Cambrensis, who imposes upon the world with his fabulous rarities, and amuses his readers at the expense of his
;
own
credit
and veracity."
In Aran, the wide-spread custom of praying and making offerings at the numerous holy wells on the Island, is still
very common. At one, prayers for the sick are efficacious at another, the water will not boil at a third, dead fish put into the spring come to life again. At St. Eaney's Well, women pray to the saint for children, and men go through the same performance at a well not far distant, in which may be seen buttons, fish-hooks, bent pins, bits of crockery, nails, &c. and around it innumerable rags flutter in the breeze. St. Conall's Well, near Bruckless, in the county Donegal, is situated, less than a mile from the sea, in a lonely part of the glen through which the Corker river flows. The spring is copious, and the overflow forms a small rill. No thorn overshadows the little basin, but the brambles which grow around it are decorated with rags and shreds of various colours. Loughharrow is described by a writer in the year 1886 as lying in the centre of a shaking bog, within six miles of Balla " To this lake in Mayo. they (the country people) bring large of butter, and throw them therein to the saint of the lake, pieces Here they have praying him to save their cattle that year.
;
;
pipers,
and
is
whiskey
whiskey.
and tents of every description in which and they dance round the lake and drink Here parties, and families, and parishes, come to
fiddlers,
sold,
100
fight
WELL WORSHIP AND
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
and quarrel; here all manner of debaucheries are committed, and young people are corrupted. In the end they all bring home bottles of the lake water, and shake it among their cattle and if any person become sick, some of it is spilled into his ears." The waters of a small tarn, covering about ten acres, lying
;
.
in the parish of Kilmichael, county Cork, are considered sacred. Devout people were in the habit of coming
.
in a
moory hollow
FIG. 32.
General view of Well and Altars at Tubbernalt, near Sligo.
on Saturday nights to perform rounds. The waters of the lake were then applied to such portions of the body as were crippled by rheumatism, for which complaint the water is a remedy.
The custom of carrying the water of celebrated holy wells to distant parts of the country, and then selling it, was a common trade. correspondent of. the Gentleman's Magazine mentions " that about the year 1750 this was done in connection with a

nalt
;
101
miraculous spring near Sligo," most probably the well of Tubberand that some years earlier the water of another sacred " was sold in the district where he lived, at sixpence, spring
eightpence, and tenpence per quart, according to the different success of sale the carriers had on the road." At the proper season devotees can still be seen making their tour round the Well of Tubbernalt, on the shores of Lough Gill, The spring is encircled by a not far from the town of Sligo. wall, access to it being given by a few uneven steps, and below this spring there is another (fig. 32). Against the overhanging Alt, or cliff, is built an altar, and on Garland Sunday, it is gaily decorated with flowers (fig. 33). /Camillas Sunday," in Irish Vomnach Crom Dubh, anglicised
us now look at one other leading nature-festival, viz., Lammas, on day of August, to discover what light it throws on our subject. The Church dedicated the opening day of August to St. Peter ad Vincula. A curious mediaeval legend arose to connect this dedication with another name for At the heart of this legend, was the the festival, viz., the Gule of August. Latin word Gula, signifying the throat. The daughter of Quirinus, a Roman tribune, had some disease of the throat, which was miraculously cured through kissing St. Peter's chains, and so the day of chains was designated the Gule of As a matter of fact, the word is derived from the Cymric Gwyl, a August. feast or holiday, and we have confirmation of the etymology in the circumstance In that, in Celtic lands, the time was devoted to games, and other recreations. Ireland, a celebrated fair, called Lugnasadh, was held at Tailtin (now Teltown), in Meath, for several days before and after the 1st of August and A third there was another at Cruachan, now Rath Croghan, in Roscommon. was held at Carman, now Wexford. Its celebration was deemed so important, that, as Professor Rhys tells us, in his Celtic Heathendom, Among the blessings promised to the men of Leinster from holding it, were plenty of corn, fruit, and milk, abundance of fish in their lakes and rivers, domestic prosperity, On the other hand, the and immunity from the yoke of any other province. evils to follow from the neglect of this institution, were to be failure and early In legendary accounts of Carman, the greyness on them and their kings.' ' If we go into the story of the fair of place has certain funeral associations. we are left in no doubt as to the Carman,' Professor Rhys observes, character of the mythic beings, whose power had been brought to an end at the time dedicated to that fair. They may be said to have represented the blighting chills and fogs that assert their baneful influence on the farmer's To overcome these and other hurtful forces of the same kind, the crops. prolonged presence of the sun-god was essential, in order to bring the corn to
the
first
; ' '
* " Let
Professor Rhys bears further witness to the maturity' (pp. 305-306). 'A connection of Lammas rites with our present subject when he says:
similar shifting from the 1st of August to the first Sunday in that month has, I imagine, taken place in the Isle of Man. For, though the solstice used to be, in consequence, probably of Scandinavian influence, the day of institutional of significance in the Manx summer, inquiries I have made in different parts the island go to show that middle-aged people now living remember that, when they were children, their parents used to ascend the mountain very early on the 1st Sunday in August (O.S.), and that in some districts at least, they were wont to bring home bottles full of water from wells noted for their
healing virtues'
"
James M. MacKinlay, M.A.,
Folklore of Scottish (pp. 308, 309). F.S.A., Scot.
Lochs and Springs, by
ALTAR AND WELL DECORATIONS.
103
Garland Sunday, was, in its origin, apparently a pagan festival, in honour of the earth, now about to yield its offspring. The farmer fed his family on first fruits no potatoes were dug before this time, and flowers and fruits were placed on the altars. In the Book of Lismore the word cpogam is explained as Lughasa
:
the designation of the first day of August. a great festival with the people from the most ancient times, and according to Lady Wilde, was devoted by the Irish to solemn rites in honour of their dead kindred. " The garland, or hoop, was decorated the night before with coloured ribbons, but the flowers that en-
Anglicized
Lammas,
Lammas Sunday was
cirelS'd
it,
were
not
plucked till the morning of the great day, and only unmarried girls were allowed to gather the flowers and wreathe the garland, for the touch of a mar-
woman's hand in was decorations deemed unlucky. Then all the company proried
the
^.
ceeded to the churchyard, the finest young man in the village being chosen to carry the garland. From the
V"-
topmost
hoop
some
apples were suspended
by their stalks, and if one dropped off during the procession, it was
considered
a lucky Tobermonia, near Lough Arrow. omen for the garland but if an apple bearer, a prophecy of long life and success in love fell after the garland was set up in the graveyard, it was looked on as a sign of ill luck and coming evil, especially to those who were dancing at the time; for a dance always closed the
;
FIG. 34.
festival."
On Garland Sunday, on either side of the altar at Tubbernalt, may be seen two small framed and coloured glasses. Can this
be a remnant of the pagan rite probably alluded to by the Apostle when he says "Now we see through a glass darkly." Fragments of cakes, pins and nails may be observed in the well
104
WELL WORSHIP AND

many
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
at certain periods,
with
fig-
and the locality is, at all times, festooned coloured rags, red, blue, green, white, black, tied up to denote a finale to the rounds and prayers. (See ante,
27).
Fig. 34 is a sketch of Tobermonia, a holy well picturesquely situated not far from Lough Arrow, in the county Sligo. Fig. 35 is St. Molaise's Well, outside the walls of the cashel on the
island of Inishmurray.
FIG. 35.
St. Molaise's (Molash's)
Well, Island of Inishmurray. Reproduced from the Journal of the present Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
probably the most pagan in character still exerwith a holy well, is that connected with " The Well of Assistance " on InishTobernacoragh, or murray. When tempestuous weather prevails, communication between the Island and the mainland is sometimes rendered On such occasions the waters impracticable even for weeks. of the spring are drained into the ocean, upon which (the charm rendered doubly certain by the repetition of certain
rite,
cised
in connexion
WIND WELLS.
prayers)
(fig*
105
of
holy calm
succeeds the
strife
the
elements
36).
Beranger, in one of his tours through Ireland, at the close of " Well of the eighteenth century, refers to this Assistance," and the inhabitants of Inishmurray " seem very further states that innocent, good-natured, and devout, but, at the same time, very They told us, as a most undoubted superstitious and credulous. fact, that during the most horrid tempest of winter, where a case happens when a priest is required, such as to give the Extreme Unction to a dying person, &c., they go to the sea-side, launch one of their little vessels, and as soon as it touches the water a perfect calm succeeds, which continues until they have brought the priest to the island, that he had performed the rites of the Church, that they have carried him back, and that the boat is returned to the island and hauled on shore, when the tempest will
again begin, and continue for weeks together.

often this miracle happened, and to which of them the care
of the priest
On
asking them
how
had
been committed, they were veracious enough to confess it never

their happened intil T i days, though the fact was true."
' ,
*-.
11
produce a la vour-
Well of Assistance, Island of Inishmurray.
JA<, Wind-well.
able breeze as well as allay a storm. When a strange boat was wind-bound on the Island of Gigha, the master of the craft used to give money to one of the natives to procure a favourable wind, and the practice, as here carried on, closely resembles the " A few feet above the ceremony on the Island of Inishmurray. well was a heap of stones, forming a cover to the spring. These were carefully removed, and the well was cleared out with a wooden dish, or a clam-shell. The water was then thrown several times towards the point from which the needed wind should blow. Certain words of incantation were used each time the water was thrown. After the ceremony the stones were replaced, as the district would otherwise have been swept by a hurricane." Philip Dixon Hardy, in Holy Wells of Ireland, recounts how, amongst the multitudes which resorted to the holy well of Aughawale, near Croagh Patrick, in the beginning of the nineteenth
106
WELL WORSHIP AND
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
" there be century, a very similar custom prevailed, for if any in war with their neighbours, they take up a flag which is called Columbkille's slate; this they turn upside down in the nameofthat saint, and then return home and fast fifteen days, taking nothing but bread and water once in the twenty-four hours this they do in honour of St. Columbkille and to induce him to put the person or persons who have injured them to death. But if that does not do, they return to the well again, and go round their station about it backwards, and turn the flag upside down. If stormy Aveather happen, either in spring or harvest, the whole country will say that it was because Columbkille's slate was turned, and they will even watch in harvest to prevent the people from turning it." O'Donovan describes a mysterious cursing-stone on Caher Island, esteemed, next to Inisglora, the most holy island in that part of Connaught, and which possesses a small church,
;
called Teampull na naomh by some, and Teampull Phadruig There are several penitential monuments around by others. " circumit, at which the pilgrims pray and go through their " gyrating round. To the east of the east gable of the church, there is a stone, inscribed with a cross, called Leabaidh Phadruiij,
which
is
prayed at during the station.
laid on the altar, is afar-famed stone called Leac na naomh, i.e. i\\Q flag of the saints. It is of a roundish form, about two feet in diameter, and composed of different kinds of stones, which appear as if they had been artibut the compound is, however, the ficially cemented together work of nature. Whenever persons on the west shore, or on the islands in the vicinity of Caher, find themselves aggrieved or scandalized openly and wrongfully, they have always recourse to the miraculous powers of this stone to elicit the truth. They first fast and pray at home for a fixed time, imploring that God, through the intercession of St. Patrick, and the other saints, who blessed this flag, would show that they were wronged on such occasions and, after the fasting and praying are over, they sail over to the Caher and turn Leac na naomh. After the flag is turned, the weather immediately becomes unfavourable, and storms and hurricanes most frequently ensue, to the great destruction of boats and curraghs, and some event is ere long brought about which shows clearly to the eyes of all the neighbours that the character of the person who turned the Leac had been unjustly and wrongfully attempted to be blackened. This may be shown in various ways, such as some great misfortune happening to the scandalizer, or, in case of theft, the real thief
; ;
"Within the church, and
being discovered, &c."
On
was formerly a small,
the island of Iniskea, off the west coast of Ireland, there flat stone, called the neeu-oge, or little saint,
WIND WELLS.
107
treated with great reverence, which used to procure favourable winds. It was usually kept enveloped in a cloth, yearly removed and renewed. Public attention having been directed to the fetish, the parish priest, it is stated, had it cast into the sea. The islanders allege they never knew misfortune or hunger, until after the disappearance of their neeicoge. The anvil of the blacksmith (the ancient caird) is still a most potent spell-worker, and appears to have possessed many of the The ceremony of " turning the properties of the cursing-stone. " anvil," like the ceremony of turning the cursing-stones," is not for the smith must rise before the sun, lightly to be attempted go naked to his forge, turn the anvil nine times, striking it a specified number of blows with his sledge each time he turns it. This he must repeat for nine consecutive mornings, when the desired result, generally violent rain-storms, or ill-luck to his neighbour, is produced. Fortunately there is nothing which makes the performance of this ceremony either easy or agreeable and further, as the postulant must keep strict fast during the nine days, the charm, like the use of the cursing-stones, is to some extent safe-guarded from impetuous malevolence. The name for God and that for wind are not unfrequently identical. Where the Authorized Version reads, " The Wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof,
;
but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth," the Vulgate reads, " The Spirit breathes where He will and thou hearest His voice, but thou knowest not whence He cometh and whither He goeth." In the Mosaic account of Creation, the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters; which the Targum of Onkelos paraphrases, "And a wind from before the Lord blew upon the face of the waters." The Creek Indians call their chief deity the " Master of breath," or " wind" and an Aztec god with an unpronounceable name meant "the wind of night." Odin, the Scandinavian god, signi;
fies, it is
stated,
"the raging gale."
sailors, of whistling for a wind a soft whistle for a breeze, a loud one for a gale is fast dying out in these days of almost universal steam. Scratching the mast on the side from which the breeze is wanted, or throwing a small coin overboard in the same direction, are apparently pagan survivals of the idea of propitiating the gods by a sacrifice, while the presence of a black cat on the ship is a positive invitation to the saints to send violent storms, shipwreck, and disaster. According to Herodotus, Menelaus sacrificed two young children
The well-known habit amongst
to procure favourable winds. Some of the natives of New
similar ideas, on this subject.
Guinea have strange, but very Favourable winds are carried on
108
WELL WORSHIP AND
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
if
board their canoes in an earthenware pot, and while on a voyage, a banana be eaten, the skin must, on no account, be thrown overboard for fear of offending the spirits of the deep, who would also be aroused if cocoa-nut shells, after the milk had been drunk, were tossed into the sea. The ceremonies attached to Irish wind-wells are but the remnant of druidical cult the druids appear to have also claimed the power to make or withhold rain, to dry up rivers, or to cause springs There is a good example of this in a tale in the to burst forth. Book of Leinster, of an expedition made by Cormac Mac Art against The scene is laid in the commencement of the king of Munster.
;
The king of Ireland consulted his druids as the third century. to the best and most expeditious means of bringing the men of Munster to terms. The druids informed the monarch that the
surest mode of reducing his enemies was to deprive them and their cattle of water, and forthwith, by their spells and incantations, they dried up all the springs, rivers, and lakes of the
district.
In this extremity the king of Munster called to his assistance a yet more powerful druid than any in the service of the Irish monarch. Upon receiving the promise of a large reward, this arch-druid consented to go to the king of Munster's relief. Upon his arrival the druid shot an arrow into the air, foretelling that water, in abundance, would spring up wherever the missile descended and a rushing torrent burst forth where the barbed head entered the earth. If anyone doubt this story he has but to visit the parish of Imleach Grianan, in the county of Limerick, where the well designated the " the well of the great spring " still
;
remains.
The strange spectacle of rival druids striving with each other to obtain a preponderating influence with the gods, finds repetition in many biographies of early Irish saints, where we often notice
that rival saints had, although on opposite sides, a sort of influence which could not be altogether ignored by the Almighty.
"Wells often contained trout, salmon, and eels. Trout were considered holy, and were not eaten but eels appear to have and salmon, under certain circumstances, were been eaten Holy trout, of peculiar form and colour, eagerly sought after. were confined to holy wells the hazel-tree and the salmon seem to have been indissolubly connected with certain larger springs the salmon watched the nuts on the hazel, and when they dropped into the water devoured them greedily. Their bellies became on spotted with a ruddy mark for every nut they had eaten this account the spotted salmon became an object of eager acquisition, for whoever eat one became, immediately, without the trouble of studying, a learned scholar, or an eloquent poet.
;
SA CRED FISH.
109
Dr. P. W. Joyce's account of the origin of " Finn's Tooth of Knowledge," exemplifies this curious belief regarding the magic properties possessed by some salmon. " It had been prophesied, of old, that a man named Finn would be the first to eat of the salmon of knowledge, which swam in the pool of Linn-Fee, in the Boyne (near the present and that he would thereby obtain the gifts of village of Slane) knowledge and of divination. A certain old poet, named Finn, knowing this, hoped that he might be the lucky man so he took up his abode on the shore of Linn-Fee and he fished in the pool every day from morn till night, in the hope of catching the salmon of knowledge. At this time, Finn, the son of Cumal, was a boy, from place to place, from his hereditary enemies, the fleeirrgv Clann Morna, disguised, and bearing the name of Demna and, happening to come to Linn-Fee, the old poet took him as his
; ; ; ;
servant.
"After long watching and waiting, Finn hooked the salmon, at last, and gave it to Demna to broil, warning him very strictly not to eat or even taste of it. Demna proceeded to broil the fish; and soon the heat of the fire raised a great blister from its side, which the boy pressed with his thumb, to keep it down, thereby scalding himself so severely that he, unthinkingly, thrust his thumb into his mouth.
" When the salmon was cooked, the poet asked Demna had he eaten of it but I scalded my thumb No,' replied the boy, on the fish, and put it into my mouth.' 'Thy name is not in thee has the Demna, but Finn,' exclaimed the poet prophecy been fulfilled and thou art now a diviner and a man
'
'
'
Finn obtained the gift of divination, so that, ever after, when he wished to look into futurity, he put his thumb under his tooth of knowledge, as he did when cooking the salmon There of Linn-Fee, and the whole future was revealed to him.
appears to have been some sort of ceremony used, however, and it would seem that the process was attended with pain, so that it
of knowledge.' " In this manner
'
was only in very solemn and trying occasions he put
his
thumb
under his tooth of knowledge." Fig. 37 represents the famous well and station of St. Keeran, The situate about two miles from Kells, in the county Meath. little stream, shown in the illustration, comes from the well, which is always bright and sparkling, and, remarks Mr. W. F. Wakeman, " Certainly, at times, contains lusty trout, whether ' enchanted or otherwise I cannot say. Some of these fish I have myself seen, and Sir William Wilde saw them also. He those describes them as being about half a pound in weight which I noticed were considerably smaller. The people look
' ;
110
WELL WORSHIP AND

sacred.
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
is
upon them as very

of its kind I
The
ash, over the well,
the largest
have ever beheld.
Some
sixty years ago
word was
passed through the country that it was bleeding, and thousands of people flocked to the well to behold the miracle with their own I believe that a reddish stain did actually appear, extendeyes.
FIG. 37. Well of

St.
Keeran, near Kells, celebrated
for its
sacred trout.
This was supposed ing from the lower fork all down the stem. to be owing to an overflow of decayed vegetable matter, which had been deposited in a cavity in its trunk." Many holy wells were formerly celebrated for their sacred
trout of peculiar form
and colour.
One
side of each fish
was
SACRED
FISH.
Ill
darker than the other, and on it might be observed strongly denned marks, which, according to tradition, were accounted for in the following manner The progenitors of these fish had been caught, by unbelievers, and placed on a gridiron to fry. No sooner, however, had they touched the iron than they were mysteriously transported back again into the cooling waters of the sacred spring, but they still retain marks of the fire and of the gridiron. Whether we regard the monumental slabs of the ancient palaces and temples of Babylon and of Nineveh, or the walls of the Catacombs of Rome, where the early Christians sought refuge from the fury of their persecutors, representations of the fish, an eurblem of fecundity, are alike prominent. The God of the Philistines of Ashdod evidently resembled the fish-figure on
:
Assyrian sculptures and cylinders " Diigon his nnme, sea-monster, upward man And downward fish."
:
The fish is stated, by Christian writers on the Koman Catacombs, to be a symbol expressive of the name of Christ, but the appropriateness of the symbol did not stop here, for Tertullian " The fish seems a fit emblem of Him whose observes spiritual children, like the offspring of fishes, are born in the water of baptism." Fish veneration is of Eastern origin, for it is known that, in certain parts of China, India, Persia, and Africa, there are wells attached to temples in which sacred fish are fed by the priests. Many travellers have been struck by this circumstance, and instances innumerable might be quoted however, one will Near Tripoli there is what is called a convent of sacred suffice. fish a large and lofty building with snow-white dome. A large sycamore stands by the edge of a tank filled with water, clear as Here may be seen a great number of Moslem boys crystal. assembled to feed the sacred fish, and the old guardian of the he says they are all place has great faith in his piscine charge
: :
inhabited by the souls of Moslem saints. In the well of Tubber Tullaghan, county Sligo, there is a brace of trout, not visible to ordinary eyes, but which people The well, near the summit still living declare they have seen. of a lofty rock, accounted one of the wonders of Ireland, is mentioned in the Dinsenchus and by Nennius, Cambrensis, O'Flaherty, and numerous other writers. The water, neither clear nor tempting, covered with an oil-like scum, and full of The country minute weeds, has a slightly brackish flavour. people assert that the water-level often suddenly rises and falls a circumstance not uncommon, however, in springs in a limestone district. That, like the Tubbernalt, Tubberkeeran, and Cong
:
112
WELL WORSHIP AND
ITS CONCOMITANTS.
trout, the Tubber Tullaglian examples were enchanted, is established beyond the possibility of doubt, if we credit current stories to the effect that they have been taken, cooked, and eaten without apparent inconvenience to themselves, as may be inferred from the fact that they were immediately afterwards observed as lively as ever in their accustomed haunt. In the present day, fish worship is believed to be almost extinct but within the nineteenth century a gentleman of the
;
county Sligo, who caught some sacred fish, was detected by the country people, and obliged to run for his life to escape from a mob of infuriated peasants. Not long ago women and children were observed throwing bread into the well of Tubbernalt near Inquiries as to their object in doing this elicited the Sligo. explanation that they were feeding the sacred trout in the well, which were, however, invisible except to the eyes of the faithful. Any person who will take the trouble to examine carefully a few holy wells will find pieces of bread in the water, thrown in as Lady Wilde in offerings to their sacred piscine inhabitants. Ancient Leycnds states that a man born blind recited, to attentive listeners, how he had been made to see, by using the waters of " this sacred well of Tubbernalt. Oh, look on me," he said " I was blind from and saw no light till I came to the my birth, blessed well now I see the water and the speckled trout down When his at the bottom, with the white cross on his back." auditors heard that he could see the speckled trout, which was invisible to them, they of course at once believed in the cure. In the commencement of the nineteenth century it was cus;
tomary for pilgrims to the sacred mountain of Croagh Patrick, in Mayo, after having performed a station, to enter the holy well of " in which are three trouts Aughawale, they pick up baits and throw them into the water, and it is the most lucky omen in the world to them if a trout come out and eat the bait, but if not,
;
If they do they cry out to St. Columbkille to send them out. not appear, there is some misfortune to come upon them, with
loss of friends
and relations." " There were, in former times, several " station days in the year at the sacred lake of Loughadrine, in the county Cork. The trout in the lake on being boiled, turned into blood. The devotees flung bread and biscuits into the water to these holy On such fishes, saying at the same time certain prayers. occasions one could take up basketsful of bread out of the lake. Cures of every kind were effected by the potency of the waters, and as usual, the period of devotion was always closed by
revelry.
fish,
Dion Cassius says the Caledonians of his time never tasted although their lakes and rivers furnished an inexhaustible
BELIEVED TO BE OF EASTERN ORIGIN.

"
118
was one of the contemptIn later times "fish eaters supply. uous epithets which the Scottish Highlanders applied to the Saxons of the Lowlands. In ancient times one of the greatest indignities a conqueror could inflict upon an Irish chief was the destruction of his
of Connaught, in the of the eleventh century, wishing to insult his vanquished foes, the O'Briens, caught and ate the sacred salmon in the well of Kincora.
holy
fish.
For example, O'Conor, king
commencement
In a climate so moist as that of Ireland, it hardly seems natural that water and water- wells should be objects of devotion and^fche many instances of the cult which even still exist seem a confirmation of the traditions which trace the early religion of for although not valuable in the the land to an Oriental source West, wells were extremely valuable in the East, and if some of the original population of this country came from oriental lands This they would carry with them the idea of well-worship. would account for the apparent incongruity of the worship of water in a country abundantly supplied, overspread with a sullen and it is only consonant sky, heavy and saturated with moisture with human nature that the after-guardians of these springs preferred turning them to gain, to turning the people away
; ;
from them
"
This
may
be superstition, weak or wild,
But even the faintest relicks of a shrine Of any worship, wake some thoughts divine."
Edward
Clodd, F.R.A.S.,
is
however
of opinion that the uni-
versality of water- worship is otherwise and more easily accounted " what seemed so full of for, as life, and therefore, to early man's To reason, so full of spirits, as rivers, brooks, and waterfalls ?
him
to be
was the water-demon that made the river flow so fast as dangerous in crossing, and that curled the dreaded whirlpool in which life was sucked."
it
The area over which well-worship extends
is of
surprising
magnitude, and it is impossible to believe that so singular a custom could have arisen independently in all these countries. Burton says it extends from east to west, throughout Northern he observed a Africa Mungo Park mentions it in West Africa tree which presented a " very singular appearance, being decorated with innumerable rags or strips of cloth." Baker speaks Burton also found the custom of it on the confines of Abyssinia in Arabia, during his pilgrimage to Mecca, where the holy-well Zem-Zem disputes, with the Black Stone in the Kaaba, the honour of being the most sacred thing in the holy city some
; ;
;
VOL. n.
114
WELL WORSHIP AND
ITS CONCOMITANTS,
it, rather than the Black Stone, is the original cause of Mecca becoming a holy place in the eyes of the The spring is perennial, and the water, like old heathen Arabs. the well of Tubber Tullaghan in the county Sligo, already mentioned, is slightly brackish, containing alkaline constituents, so
writers even hold that
it is an aperient spring the pilgrims thus combine hygiene with religion, as one of their chief duties is to drink freely of the holy water. In Persia, Sir William Ouseley saw trees covered with offerHanway mentions a tree he observed in the same ings of rags. country, in the immediate vicinity of a well, to which were affixed a number of rags left there, as health -offerings by persons afflicted with ague. In Ceylon, Colonel Lewis says that the trees in the neighbourhood of wells may be seen covered with scraps of
that
this practice as existing among the curious usage prevails among the Shokas, by which they arrange for the ascent of their prayer by wind-power, and the custom appears to resemble the Irish practice of tying rags on These Shokas' mechanical prayers are trees round holy wells. " A certain number of rags or pieces simply enough contrived of cloth, usually white, but occasionally red and blue, are fastened by one end to a string, and then hung across a road, pass, or On crossing a pass, for the first time, Shokas invariably path. tear off a strip of cloth and place it so that it will flap in the breeze, and when materials for a new dress are purchased or manufactured, it is customary for them to tear off a narrow strip While there is of the cloth and make a flying prayer of it. motion in the strips there is prayer, so that the natives tie them very fast to sticks, poles, or branches. Certain shrubs and trees in weird poetic spots in the mountains are covered with these religious signs. Moreover, on the top of nearly every shop, house, or habitation, similar little flags can be seen, and innumerable ones are secured near their shrines and at the outer gates of the village." Can this be the origin of the world's flags and standards, for " example the English flag, the cross of St. George, carrying the
clothing Tartars.
and Hue describes
and invoking Heaven by its fluttering?" World, Tylor observed in Mexico, an enormous cypress festooned with votive offerings of the Indians, hundreds
aid of St. George,
In the
New
of locks of coarse black hair, teeth, shreds of coloured cloth, rags It is thus seen that the custom of welland pieces of ribbon.
worship and of rag offerings, is of world -wide extent. Even though they but seldom effected a cure, holy wells in
Ireland retained, nevertheless, their popularity, and the countryThe people continued to believe in them, and sought their aid. secret of their continuance in power lay in their appeal to the
CONCLUSIONS TO BE DRA WN.
115
Eeason might suggest that it is absurd to expect imagination. that ailments could be thus removed, but imagination replied that there are many more things in heaven and in earth than The strict silence observed in all are at present dreamed of.
pagan mystic ceremonies, particularly in seeking treasure, silence was essential, for
"
. .
for
hidden
if
a word thou utter,
It vanishes again."
the rites to be gone through, the leaving of a gift to an invisible power, the restriction of the ritual to a certain defined season, all aj^pealed strongly to the imagination, and surrounded wellworship with a strange atmosphere of mysticism that acted on the great fund of credulity latent in human nature. In conclusion, may we not all echo the sentiment of the poet,
that
if
at these wells,
"
one holy thought In man's deep spirit of old hath wrought If peace to the mourner hath here been given, Or prayer from a chastened heart to heaven, Be the spot still hallowed while time shall reign, Who hath made thee Nature's own again."
;
i2
CHAPTER
Barrier between the brute and
link between
IV.
ANIMAL WORSHIP, BIRDS, AND AUGURY.

In popular tales the supposed kingdom hardly ever relegated to a subordinate position Ancient belief that certain families were endowed with The Were Wolf Wolf Lore the power of assuming the form of animals " The Master Otter" Witches assume the Watersprites appearance of Hares Supernatural Cats Cat Lore Cow Lore Swine Lore Magical " " The Boars Divining by the Blade Bone Augury Merry Thought Means adopted to obtain Magical Prescience Belief in DreamsOmens Auguries drawn from the appearance or flight of birds Rook Starling Raven Hen Cock Swallow Robin Crane Cuckoo Blackbird Water Wagtail Swan Barnacle-Goose Peacock Magpie Wren
is
man
language
man and
the animal
Various Ancient kinds of Divination
Omens regarding Sneezing.
LIKE many other pagan nations, tbe old Irish invested even the lowest forms of animal life with the power of influencing the This species of worship is an advance on the actions of men. veneration of trees, stones, or other inanimate objects. It endows animals, birds, and even fishes with thought and language, regarding them as somewhat like human beings, but under a different
then, in course of time, they are supposed to possess supernatural powers they become in the thoughts of their worshippers the ancestors of the tribe, and finally their protecting gods. Animal worship, in ancient Egypt, was probably a survival Traces of it are still apparent amongst the of this worship. aborigines of Australia, America, and many other localities. The natives of Australia look upon themselves as of one kind with their beasts, their birds, their fishes. In these are to be
exterior
; ;
:;:
* Professor Goldwin Smith is of a contrary opinion, he states that " in Egypt, Sacerdotalism was strongly developed. The natural phenomena were highly impressive, while the people apparently were weak and open to Up to a certain point the priests appear to have been ministers of impressions. they became reactionary, and were aided in the reaction by the progress; Animal symbolism degenerated into animal worship, isolation of the country. culminating in Apis. This probably was the true account rather than Fetishism, Conthe existence of which, apart from symbolism, appears to be doubtful." temporary Review, Xo. 420, p. 900.
. .
BARRIER BETWEEN THE BRUTE AND MAN.
117
found some of the most extraordinary forms of life that have struggled through, or more probably have escaped ordeals, that, in other parts of the globe, have weeded out the unfit. Just as this savage race is still in the Stone Age, which we have left thousands of years behind, so it is also, as we have seen, a race which has not risen above the most primitive ideas with regard to spirits in inanimate objects, as well as in animals, birds, and fishes. The aborigines of Australia show us what our remote ancestors really were like we represent what it is to be hoped the Australians' remote descendants may possibly become. Yet these savages, who seem lower than the beasts in improvidence, who live their entire life without a roof to shelter them, or clothing to cover them, who are higher only than the beasts in their use of articulate speech and of flint implements, have nevertheless evolved a most complex unwritten marriage law and the most elaborate religious ceremonies of almost any savage folk. Here, amidst a Tertiary survival, the legends of the aborig;
ines reflect what casual observers might describe as a childlike, or, shall we not rather style it, Pantheistic conception of Creation, a perhaps even Tertiary surviving form of worship of the Great
Unknown.
" There
lives
soul in all things, and that soul
and works is God."
A dim conception of this is at bottom of all mythologies which peopled nature with living spirits but the mind of primitive man could not conceive abstract notions the powers of nature were regarded by him as concrete objects, and were consequently
;
;
designated as persons.
the
is borrowed from the language of one of which lived around the region of Lake Superior for with North American Indians the meaning of the idea expressed by the totem is more clearly defined than among other people who use totemic emblems. It is impossible to say what
The term " totem "
many
tribes
governs the choice of a totem, but as a rule the animal, bird, or object so chosen, is considered sacred, and acts the role of a tutelary saint whose business it is to guard each member
fish, tree,
of the family carrying its representation. There are many evidences of the former supposed influence of the brute creation upon human life in Ireland, and of their
interference in human affairs. The peasantry were under the belief that animals, more particularly domesticated animals, were cognizant of all their affairs, and could even read their thoughts but it was fatal to ask a question of them for if they replied, the interrogator dropped dead. To the peasantry, as well as to most people, the position of animals in the great life-scheme is full of mystery gifted with intelligence, and yet dumb as regards
;
118
to
ANIMAL WORSHIP,
BIRDS,
AND AUGURY.
them intelligent modes of expressing their ideas, they seemed to contain imprisoned spirits, suffering punishment for some act committed in a former state of existence, and to be passing
through a cycle of expiation, at the termination of which they will be again promoted to human status. Scientists allege that the great barrier between the brute and man is language that man speaks, but that no brute, no bird has ever uttered a word (Balaam's ass, and parrots, &c., it is presumed, are excepted), and that language is the rubicon across which no brute has passed. This assertion of course depends on the definition which may be given to the meaning of the term language for horses, dogs, cats, and birds, &c., utter sounds which are akin to language, as they are purposely uttered, made by one beast or bird, with the specific intention of imparting to another beast or bird a particular meaning, and these sounds,
;
varied in the note in which they are uttered, are frequently made The border-land between to regulate the action of the auditors. man and the brute creation is therefore narrower than is generally allowed not that it can be crossed at will by superior intellect or supernatural will-power as was formerly imagined. In the popular tales of the peasantry the supposed linkbetween man and the animal kingdom is hardly ever relegated to a subordinate position, and in most stories animal transformation occupies a prominent place. There was, in Ireland, an ancient belief that certain races or families were endowed with the power of assuming the form of wolves whenever they pleased, and it is gravely recorded that, in A.D. 690, a wolf was heard speaking with a human voice.
;
When
flocks
thus transformed they committed depredations amongst and herds, after the manner of wolves if their human
;
;
which their spirits quitted on these expeditions were moved, the spirit would not be able to again enter them if wounded whilst abroad, the same wounds would be apparent on their human as on their wolfish bodies and, if killed, the raw flesh they had been tearing in the fields would be found between
bodies
;
Giraldus Cambrensis, who the teeth of the dead human bodies. only repeats older Irish legends, places one of these tribes in This idea was also held by the ancients. In a sentence Ossory. that might have boen penned by an Irishman, Herodotus thus " Still more remote are the mentions the Neuri Neuri, whose the north as far as I have been able to learn, is country, towards In later times Mela says of this people totally uninhabited."* (Book ii., 1), that they possessed the power of transforming
:
* Melpomene,
xvii.
"TOVTIIIV 5e KarvirepQe o'tKfovffi Nevpoi.

1
'
Nfvpcav 5e rb
irpbs ftopfiv &vtfiov fprjfj.os avOpcinruv, offov ripens tS/ufv.
PO WER OF A SSUMING THE FORM OF ANIMALS,

pleasure.'"
119
themselves into wolves, and resuming their former shape at In the strange pamphlet entitled Beware the Cat, the story is given in much the same words as those of Giraldus, and is to the effect that " there is also in Ireland one nation (tribe) whereof some one man and woman are, at every seven years' end, turned into wolves and so continue in the woods the space of seven years, and if they hap to live out which time, they return to their own form again. And other twain are turned for the like time into the same shape, which is penance (as they say enjoined that stock by St. Patrick for some wickedness of their ancestors) and that this is true witnessed, a man whom I left alive in Ireland who had performed this seven years' penance, whoE"wife was slain while she was a wolf in her last year. This man told to many men whose cattle he had worried and whose bodies he had assailed while he was a wolf, so plain and evident tokens, which showed such scores of wounds which other men had given him, both in his man's shape before he was a wolf,
and in his wolf's shape since, which all appeared upon his skin, that it was evident to all men, yea, and to the bishop (upon whose grant it was recorded and registered), that the matter was,
undoubtedly, past peradventure." The " were-wolf " was a human being with an uncontrollable craving for human flesh who, by magical arts, assumed at will the form of a wolf, in order, the more readily, to gratify this unnatural appetite possessed of the strength and all other powers This transof the brute, while retaining his human faculties. formation was, however (as already represented) in some cases Thus, Vereticus, involuntary, being the punishment for crime. a king of Wales, was changed into a wolf, through the curse of
on an
similar curse, by a saint of lesser degree, rested Irish family, each member of which, male and female, was subject to the horrible doom, that, at some period of life, he or
St. Patrick.
she was forced to assume the form and habits of a wolf, and thus remain for seven years ere resuming his or her place among fellow-mortals. Almost the same legend is related by Pliny, who recounts how, each year a member of a certain family was chosen by lot, and, on the festival of Jupiter Lycaeus, was led to the He was inbrink of the Arcadian lake, into which he plunged. transformed into a wolf, under which form he continued stantly for nine years, when he returned to his family somewhat aged in appearance, but otherwise none the worse for his lupine Ovid records another mythological instance, how experiences. Lycaon, King of Arcadia, presuming to test the omniscience of
Nenris statum singulis tempus est, eos qui fuere inutentur.
quo
si
velint in lupos, interumque in
120
ANIMAL WORSHIP,
BIRDS,
AND AUGURY.
Jupiter by placing before him a dish of human flesh (St. Patrick, in similar manner, had cooked cats and dogs set on the table for him to eat), was straightway transformed by Jupiter into a wolf a terror to his pastoral subjects. Herodotus tells of sorcerers who, once a year, had the power of assuming the semblance of wolves. Norwegian and Icelandic Sagas are full of references to lycanthropy, as this form of magic is called, and In some cases the treat of it in all its various developments. transformation was effected by merely assuming the skin of a real wolf; but, in general, a charm was employed which, while involving no actual change in the human body, caused all beholders to imagine that they really saw a wolf. In olden days, from the forest-clad hills and mountains of
Erin
" Cruel
as death and hungry sis the grave, Burning for blood, bony and gaunt and grim, Assembling wolves in raging troops descend."
Yet,
if
credence
is
A Sligo Androcles found a young race wolf lying on the ground moaning and in great apparent agony. On examination, he found in the wolfs foot a great thorn, which he extracted, and he then tended the animal till its recovery. One morning the man missed his patient, and heaped curses on the truant's head but, imagine his astonishment, when, shortly after, the grateful beast was seen re-appearing in company with another wolf, driving between them a fine fat cow, which they The finding of the placed, unharmed before the poor man's hut. cow was proclaimed at all the chapels but it is needless to add that the laudable endeavour to discover a lawful owner was unsuccessful, or that, finally, the poor man, by his own industry and the assistance of the wolves, became the wealthiest farmer in the district. The following legend, current in the county Sligo, is an ollapodrida of the supernatural of wolves and water-sprites. Near the Hill of Kesh, close to the village of Ballymote, was born Cormac Mac Art, the celebrated King of Ireland. His mother had been warned by a Druid that if her child were born under a certain planet, and at a certain hour, some misfortune would assuredly befall him. One day, her husband and his retainers being all absent at the chase, she suddenly remembered that there was no water to cook the spoils of the hunters on their return, and proceeded to the townland of Cross to draw water from a well, since called Tobercormac. She walked leisurely, but had scarce reached halfway to the well when, at the disastrous hour foretold, she gave birth to her infant, and had sufficient
were a
to be given to the following anecdote, wolves

:
much maligned
WOLVES AND WATERSP2UTES.
121
forethought to cut from the little toe of the infant's right foot a piece of flesh, as a private mark whereby to recognize her child. Whilst she was in a fainting condition, the child was taken from her arms by a were-wolf, and carried off to a cave, where, like a
second Romulus, he was suckled by the wolf till about twelve months old, at which time he was observed essaying to walk by The father of placing his hands on the wolf's back for support. Cormac's mother, with whom she then lived, caused some flesh to be roasted near the cave, when the wolves, attracted by the appetising scent, rushed to the spot, leaving the infant behind by this artifice the chief was enabled to capture the boy, and his daughter at once recognised him as her lost son, on observing the marff'on his toe. At the time that Cormac had grown to manhood, the head;
Mac Con, kept men to guard and watch over him during the night, and these guards were constantly found dead in the morning. At length it fell to the lot of Cormac to keep watch over his chief. Aware that
chief of the district, a great tyrant called
Mac Con was the reputed offspring of a water-sprite, and, consequently, unable to close both eyes at night unless near water, Cormac, on pretence of washing his hands, called for a basin of water, which he placed surreptitiously under the tyrant's bed, so that he slept soundly through the night. By this means Cormac was enabled to observe a vast multitude of water-sprites, who, being of like nature as Mac Con, were in the habit of paying him nocturnal visits and on these occasions, assisted as supposed by Mac Con himself, frequently killed the night-guards. Cormac, however, succeeded in slaying all the sprites, and on the following morning recounted the occurrence to Mac Con before witnesses, " half human." Mac Con was on the declaring that he was but of putting Cormac to death when, to save his innocent point Mac Con life, Mac Con's own mother acknowledged the truth. thereupon resigned his position as chief, was never more heard of, and was succeeded by Cormac, the rightful heir, who afterwards became King of Tara so runs the Sligo legend.
;
W. H. Maxwell, in his Wild Sports of the West of Ireland, states that the peasantry believe that animals of extraordinary formation and strange virtues inhabit the lakes and rivers of the
west.
"Among these the sea-horse and master-otter are preeminent. By a singular anomaly the first is said to be found in certain inland loughs, and his appearance is imagined to be fatal The latter, to the unfortunate person who encounters him. however, should be an object of anxious research, for he is endued with amazing virtues. Where a portion of his skin is, the house cannot be burned, or the ship cast away, and steel or bullet will
122
not
ANIMAL WORSHIP,
harm
the
BIRDS,
AND AUGURY.
man who possesses an inch of this precious Antony, indeed, confesses that in the course of his otter hunting he has never been fortunate enough to meet this valuable brute but he tells a confused story of one having been killed far down in the north by three brothers called Montgomery, who from poverty became immensely rich, and whose descendants are opulent to this very day. He says the masterAt Dim-hill he otter was seen twice in the neighbourhood. appeared about sixty years ago, attended by about one hundred common-sized animals, who waited upon the master like He was also observed by one of the loyal and dutiful beasts. O'Donnel family while passing through Clew Bay in a sailing boat. Requiring a supply of fresh water, O'Donnel landed on an island for the purpose of filling his keg, but found the spring After his already occupied by a strange and nondescript animal. first surprise had subsided, he returned to the boat and procured This he loaded carefully with five fingers and a-half a gun. for Antony is minute in all his narratives and then, and within a dozen yards, levelled at the "master." Thrice he drew the trigger, and thrice the gun missed fire. The otter wisely determined not
material.
;
to give him a fourth chance, and left the well for the ocean. Mortified at his failure, O'Donnel tried his gun at a passing gull it exploded without trouble, and finished the unfortunate bird thus proving beyond a doubt that the gun was faultless, and the And preservative qualities of the animal were alone to blame. he might have snapped at the master indeed,' quoth Antony, for if an inch of skin can save house, ship, and to eternity man, what a deal of virtue there must be in the whole hide ?
; ' ' ;
'
Witches assume the appearance of hares, and, whilst thus transformed, are subject to the same conditions as individuals indeed the connexion between witches changed into wolves and the lower animals, more especially cats, is very close.*
;
The Irish have always regarded cats as mysteriously connected with demoniacal influence. The house cat is excluded from a on entering a cottage the usual salutation being, blessing
;
"God
save
all
here, barring the cat."
It
is
unlucky
* Mr.
to take
away the house-cat when changing
considered very residence

;
F. T. El worthy, in his work on The Evil Eye (p. 29), states that " belief of transformation seems in all countries to have been closely allied with witches, and with those possessed of the evil eye. The idea is very common in the stories of ancient mythology, and from the Middle Ages down to the present time it has possessed the popular mind. The hare, the wolf, the cat and the sow seem nowadays to be the favourite animals, whose shape is assumed, though many others are believed in."
in the
power
CAT LORE.
123
consequently cats, especially in large towns, often suffer great privations, being entirely dependent on the sympathy of anyone
who may chance

Cats
to take
compassion on them.
unnecessarily be offended, as they are If you are going on a revengeful, treacherous, and cunning. journey, and a cat meet yon on the road and look you full in the face, give up your journey, and turn back, for a witch is in your
path. According to popular belief, cats understand everything that is said, and can assume various shapes at pleasure. They are special objects of mysterious dread, as many of them are believed to be men and women, metamorphosed into cats by demoniacal power. Cats have often great battles among themsehres on account of hidden treasures, of which they are appointed guardians, when demons, in the shape of enormous cats, lead on the opposing forces on either side, and gather all the cats in the country to take part in the fight. Numerous legends, relating to cats, have gathered around the earn of Heapstown, near Lough Arrow in the county Sligo, and may be taken as typical of those recounted by the peasantry elsewhere of this class of monument, for tumuli and earns are " as thought to be inhabited by enchanted cats large as a sheep," and having " a nail in the end of their tails." At night, lights are, at certain seasons of the year, seen to move round the earn, but woe betide the daring person who approaches it. In the
after this spectacle, smoke ascends, for some time, from summit of the earn.* Long ago the entrance to the inner chamber of the earn, where great treasure lies hid, was guarded by an enchanted animal, an enormous cat as large as a tiger, which killed and devoured everyone daring enougli to approach
should
not
morning,
the
the place after nightfall. This monster has not been seen for a lengthened period, and there are no lately recorded instances of anybody in the neighbourhood having mysteriously disappeared. This gigantic creature has, however, left numerous, but degenerfor not many years ago, a peasant who lived ate, offspring in the neighbourhood, accompanied by two dogs renowned for courage and daring, happened to pass the earn one night, when he was attacked by a vast number of cats, and compelled to run for his life. He succeeded in reaching his house, and closed and All night long, however, he heard the cats barred the door. around the place endeavouring to get in and in the morning the mangled remains of the two faithful dogs were found strewn in front of the house.
;
;
* Can this tale of smoke ascending from the cnrn be a faint reminiscence of the time when tires were, at certain seasons, regularly lighted on the summit ? See ante, vol. i., p. 280, footnote.
124
ANIMAL WORSHIP,
BIRDS,
AND AUGURY.
The oldest reference to Irish cat-lore is probably that contained in a rare little book in black letter, already quoted, entitled Ben-are the Cat, the first edition of which appeared about- the " year 1560. The author, William Baldwin, relates that upon a certain occasion there fell a controversy between Master Streamer and the writer, as to whether birds and beasts had reason, Master Streamer affirming that they had, and that as much as
man,
yea,
and
in
some
points,
more"; and he
thereupon., told
the story which is the subject-matter of the tract. He relates that about the year 1550, a "kern" of John Butler's, called Patrick Apore (probably Hore, an ancient Anglo-Norman Wexford family), made a raid, accompanied by one of his followers, on two lone houses, killed their inmates, and drove off all the four-footed beasts they possessed, which were but a cow and a sheep, and " got him to a church, thinking to lurk there till midnight was past, for there he was sure that no man would suspect or seek him." The rest of the story is better given in the words of the narrator, but the spelling has been modernized, and the contractions amplified. " While this kern was in the church, he thought it best to dine, for he had eaten little that day, wherefore he made his boy
and made a
(follower) go gather sticks and strake fire with his feres (steel),* fire in the church and killed the sheep, and, after
the Irish fashion, laid it thereupon, and roasted it. But when it was ready, and that he thought to eat it, there came in a cat, and set her by him, and said in Irish, sliane foel, which is, "give me some meat." He, amazed at this, gave her the quarter that was in his hand, which, immediately, she did eat up, and asked for more, till she had consumed all the sheep, and, like a cormorant,
not satisfied therewith, asked still for more. Wherefore, they supposed it was the devil, and, therefore, thinking it wisdom to please him, killed the cow which they had stolen, and when they had flayed it, gave the cat a quarter, which she immediately devoured. Then they gave her two other quarters, and in the meanwhile, after the country fashion, they did cut a piece of the hide, and pricked it upon four stakes which they set about the fire, and therein they set a piece of the cow for themselves, and with the rest of the hide they made each of them laps to wear about their feet, like brogues, both to keep their feet from hurt, all the next day, and also to save for meat the next night if they could get none other, by broiling them upon coals. By this time the cat had eaten three-quarters, and called for more, wherefore,
*
_
Feres
may mean
:
his
"
companion."
It is old English,
and
is
employed in
this sense
by Spenser
" Hath
won
the laurel quite from all his feres."
CAT LORE.
;
125
they gave her that which was seething and, doubting lest, when she had eaten that, she would eat them too, because they had no more for her, they got them out of the church, and the kern took his horse, and away he rode as fast as he could hie. When he was a mile or two from the church, the moon began to shine, and his boy (follower) espied the cat upon his master's horse behind him, and told him. Whereupon the kern took his dart, and, turning his face toward her, flang it, and stroke her through with it. But immediately there came to her such a sight of cats, that, after long fight with them, his boy (follower) was killed and eaten up, and he himself, as good and swift as his horse was, had much to do to escape. When he was come home, and had put off^lis harness (which was a corselet of mail made like a shirt, and his skull [iron helmet] covered with gilt leather and crested with otter skin), all weary and hungry, set him down by his wife, and told her his adventure. Which, when a kittling, his wife kept, scarce half a-year, had heard, up she started, and said, f Hast thou killed Grimalkin ? and, therewith, she plunged in his face, and, with her teeth, took him by the throat, and ere that she could be taken away she had strangled him."* In Shark Island a peasant, whose only boy was dying of fever, was warned by the ghostly apparition of the dead mother to " Batch a crowing hen, and kill her, and sprinkle the blood over the bed, and take ten straws and throw the tenth away and then lay them on the child, and he stir the blood with the rest
'
father did as advised, and his child was quite recovered the next morning. The sequel of the story is thus told by Lady Wilde. " Now it happened that about three months after, a child of one of the neighbours grew sick, and was like to die. Then the See now, our child is like to die, man's wife rose up and said but look how Dermot cured his son through the sprinkling of Let us do the like.' So they caught a crowing hen and blood. killed her, and sprinkled the blood over the sick child. But, lo,
will sleep
and do well."
The
'
* A somewhat
shire.
similar incident occurs in current tradition in South Lanca:
(Notes and Queries, 2nd Series, vol. x., p. 463), and is thus related by "A Mr. T. F. T. Dyer in English Folk-Lore, p. 1 10 gentleman was one evening he was interrupted hy sitting cosily in his parlour reading or meditating, when ' Tell the appearance of a cat, which came down the chimney and called out Dildrum Doldrum 's dead!' He was naturally startled by the occurrence, and when shortly afterwards his wife entered, he related to her what had happened, ' and and her own cat, which accompanied her, exclaimed, Is Doldrum dead immediately rushed up the chimney, and was heard of no more. Of course there were numberless conjectures upon such a remarkable occurrence, but the general opinion appears to be that Doldrum had been King of Catland, and A similar legend is current in Northumberthat Dildrum was the next heir.
' !
land."
126
ANIMAL WORSHIP,
'
BIRDS,
'
AND AUGURY.
a terrible thing happened, for the door was flung open, and in walked two monstrous black cats. How dare you kill my kitten ? '* said one of them my darling only kitten. But you shall suffer for it.' Ay,' said the other, we '11 teach you how to insult a royal cat again, and kill one of our great race, just to save your own wretched child,' and they flew at the man and tore his face and hands. Then the wife rushed at them with a churn-dash, while the man strove to defend himself with a spade. But all the same, the cats had the best of it, and clawed and tore and scratched, till the miserable pair could not see for the blood
'
'
streaming down their faces. " Luckily, however the neighbours, hearing the scrimmage, rushed in and helped to fight the cats, but soon they had to fly, for the cats were too strong for them, and not a soul could stand before them. However, at last the cats grew tired, and after licking their paws and washing their faces, they moved towards the door to go away, first saying to the man Now we have done
'
enough you for this time, and your baby will live, for death can take but one this night, and he has taken our child. So
to punish
is safe, and this we swear by the blood and by the power of the great king of the cats.' So they whisked out of the house, and were never more seen by man or mortal on the island of Shark." The traditional association of cats with old maids, and the belief that cats are connected with sorcery, or were the preferred companions of witches, are probably quite as much founded on fact, as is the old legend that cats were specially created by the Almighty to keep down the mice which swarmed in Noah's Ark, and threatened to consume the food allocated to the support of the passengers, human and animal.
yours
Mr. T.F. T. Dyer, in English Folk- Lore, states that" In Ireland considered unfortunate to meet a barking dog early in the morning, and, on the other hand, just as fortunate for one to enter a house the first thing in the day. Dogs are not without their weather -lore. Thus, when they eat grass, it is a sign of rain if they roll on the ground and scratch, or become drowsy and As in the case stupid, a change in the weather may be expected. of the cat, most of their turnings and twistings, are supposed to be prognostications of something."
it is
;
cattle.
multitude of places, throughout Ireland, are named after " cow lore " are current Legends upon the subject of the peasantry and stories relating to bulls, cows, and amongst calves are interwoven with Irish Fairy-mythology, and interest Several of the early chiefly from their topographical references.
;
Evidently a case of unexplained metamorphosis.
COW LORE.
127
like the Druids Irish Saints were credited with the possession of magical cows. Cattle raids and forays afford fruitful themes for early romances, the most celebrated production being the Tain bo Cuailyne, or the cattle raid of Louth, the so called It has been remarked that Nibeiunycn Lied of Irish History. even the celebrebrated abduction of Dervorgil partakes, when examined by the light of modern investigation, more of the nature of a cattle foray than a romance, or love passage, between an Irish Princess aged 44 and a King in his 62nd year. According to tradition the Druids held the bovine species in veneration. One of the traditional roads of ancient Erin runs not far from the village of Ballyvodock, near Cork it is called " tbtT'road of the white cow," a mystical animal that appears to have risen from the sea, walked one day through Ballyvodock on
;
to Foaty Island, and drank at Lough-na-bo. The road runs over the hill to Glaiimire, near Cork, and, according to tradition, off In popular folk-lore the origin of this, to the County Limerick. and other somewhat similarly named magical roads is described as follows Long ages ago as some fishermen were strolling along the strand at Ballycronen, in the Barony of Imokilly, they observed a mermaid asleep on the water's edge. She was captured and carried to a farmer's house in the immediate vicinity, where she lived imparting instruction and foretelling future events. On the May Eve next succeeding her capture she gave directions that she should be carried back to the strand, and a great concourse of She told them to people assembled to witness her departure. assemble again on the same spot on the following May Eve, as three magical cows Avould emerge from the ocean, she then plunged into the billows, and was never seen again. On that day twelve months all the inhabitants of Ireland gathered on the cliffs, and about an hour after midday three enchanted cows suddenly emerged from the sea at Imokilly. The first was white the second red, and the third black. They kept in company for about a mile; then the white cow went north-west towards the county Limerick, the red cow went westward, and passed around the coast of Ireland, the black cow going northeast towards the county Waterford. These roads are still pointed out in many places, and are known as " The White," " The Bed,"
:
and " The Black Cow's Road."
One celebrated cow, called Glasgavlen, is remembered in tradition all over Ireland ; and there is throughout the kingdom hardly a county which does not possess a lake, or well, in which
an enchanted cow which, at certain times, appears above the waters. According to tradition, Glasgavlen presented herself before every house in Ireland, giving to each a plentiful supply
lives
128
ANIMAL WORSHIP,
BIRDS,
AND AUGURY.
This continued for a lengthened period until an avaricious woman laid by a quantity for sale, whereupon the offended animal at once left Ireland, plunging into the sea off the A similar legend in the hill of Howth, on her way to Scotland. South of Ireland describes her as going to Wales. Another legend narrates that the cow was deceived by a greedy old woman, who milked her into a sieve, instead of into a milk pail, in consequence of which she left Ireland for ever.* It has been observed that avarice on the one hand, and imprudence on the other, are two failings frequently held up for reprobation in Irish folk-lore, whilst a blind reliance on supernatural powers, for daily sustenance, is strongly inculcated. In the county Limerick, on the banks of the river Dee, a legend is current of a cow which frequently emerged from the stream and grazed on the banks. A farmer who observed this intercepted her retreat to the water and drove her into his byre. Were she milked a hundred times a-day she would each time fill a can but after some time the woman who milked her died, and At the farmer put another, who was red haired, in her place. her first milking the cow was restless, kicked out, and spilled the " Bad luck to milk. ye for the same," said the red-haired female, whereupon the cow at once made off for the river, plunged in,
of milk.
;
and was never more
seen.
The following legend, recounted by Mr. W. F. Wakeman, seems

to point to the former sacred character of the cow: "Many years ago a native of Inishmurry, with envy and hatred in his
that
In Hero-Tales of Ireland, Jeremiah Curtin remarks (pages xliv-xlv), " In a short tale of Glas Gavlen, which I obtained near Carrick, county Donegal, it is stated that the cow came down from the sky. According to the in unlimited quantities to all people without exception. tale, she gives milk Time after time, the rich or powerful try to keep her for their own use Appearing first at Dun Kinealy, she goes finally exclusively, but she escapes. to Glen Columkil neat' the ocean, where a strong man tries to confine her but she rises in the air, and, clearing the high ridge on the northern side of the Since then, there is no free milk in Erin, and none but that glen disappears. In this name of which common cows give. (1'ages 549-500.) Glas Gainach. the celebrated cow, glas means ' gray '; gainach is a corruption of gaunacli, written gamlinach, which means a cow whose calf is a year old, that is, u cow Gamhitach is an adjective from without a calf that year, a farrow calf.
; .
gamhan, a yearling calf. " In Donegal, gavlen

informed
is used instead of gaunach and the best story-teller that gavlen means a cow that has not had a calf for five years. He gave the terms for cows that have not had calves for one, two, three, four, and five years. These terms I wrote down but unfortunately they are not The first in the series is gaunach, the last gavleti. accessible at present. The intervening ones I cannot recall. . (Page 554.) Balor and Glas Gavlen. If we This was a great tale in the old time but it is badly broken up now. could discover who Balor and his daughter were really, we might, perhaps, be able to understand why his grandson was fated to kill him. The theft of Glas Gavlen is the first act in a series which ends with the death of Balor."
;
me
COW LORE.
129
heart, stole out one night and feloniously slew by stabbing the cow, which was the chief support of a neighbouring family. The blood of the milk-giver, thus cruelly slaughtered, flowed, it is said, in every direction, and, upon congealing, instantly quickened and became transformed into mice. These animals ultimately proved a nuisance on the island."
Another legend recounts how a poor herdsman, in charge
of
his master's cattle, observed, one bright sunny day, high up in the heavens, a small black cloud, which descended rapidly, and he heard a voice saying, " This is the Tarv Connaire he will descend on one of the cows whoever drinks the first milk of that
; ;
The herdsman followed will have the gift of prophecy." the^dvice of the aerial voice, and being thus endowed with the his gift of superhuman knowledge, left his lowly employment fame ultimately spread all over Ireland, and lingers even yet This tale and that of wherever the Irish language is spoken. the Tain B6 Cualnge, vividly elucidates the great estimation in which cattle were held in Ireland in olden times. The plot
cow
;
The King and Queen of in rival exhibitions of wealth, the Queen enjoyed separate property, which consisted, amongst other things, of a large herd of cows. Against this the King showed a herd of equal value, and in addition a beautiful young bull, which could
of this story
is
roughly as follows
Connaught indulged
not be matched by his consort. The Queen thereupon despatched a trusty messenger to seek a bull of equal excellence, which at length was found in the possession of the King of Ulster, who, after some discussion, promised to send it to Queen Maeve. Unfortunately the messenger, exulting in the success of his negotiations, and excited by drink, boasted that if the bull had not been yielded peaceably it would have been taken by force this speech being repeated to the King of Ulster he recalled his The Queen of Connaught then invaded the northern promise.
;
Province, and its great hero Cuchullin (Coolin) defended it but the coveted bull was at length carried off. The similarity of the legendary lore of the East and West is, The Eamayana contains a long as before stated, very striking. narrative of a person, seeking to obtain possession of a wonderful cow, sending messengers with various offers and presents, in order to procure even a loan of the coveted animal, and with final instructions that, if these overtures were rejected, recourse was to be had to force. Negotiations, at first apparently successful, are ultimately broken off, and an endless number of
;
battles
and single combats ensue.
The
plot of the story tallies
with the Irish legend, except that the animal contended for is a cow and not a supernatural bull. In a play that, not long ago, was usually acted at wakes all K VOL. II.
130
the
ANIMAL WORSHIP,
men were
BIRDS,
AND AUGURY.
turned out of the room, as a preliminary proceeding,
and a young girl was dressed out with a cowhide thrown over her, and horns placed on her head, whilst girls formed a circle and danced round her. A loud knocking is heard at the door. " Who " wants to enter ? asks the master of ceremonies. A voice without " The guards demand admittance for the bull." Entrance replies is refused, the knocking continues, the door is burst open, and the bull, a young man with horns on his head, dressed in a The cow and cowhide, enters, followed by a band of young men.
:
her attendants affect great alarm the bull endeavours to seize the cow, who is defended by her maidens a mock fight takes and the scene place between the intruders and the maidens terminates in uproarious mirth and the capture of the cow. It is almost impossible to account for the legends about
; ; ;
cows or bulls emerging from the sea, from lakes, rivers, or springs, and wandering through the whole of Ireland, giving
names to lakes, islands, roads, and meadows (Clontarf, near

Dublin, for instance), or to the wonderful attributes ascribed to
certain bulls of early pre-Christian or early Christian tradition, without supposing that the
people who recounted the stories derived these strange fancies
FIG. 38.
Representation of Bovine Head in Bronze, in the collection of the R.I.A. Half real size. Reproduced from the Journal of the present Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
from
classic
an
oriental
is
mythology and many Greek

their
source, for filled with,
localities re-
ceive
names from, the
wanderings of lo, the beloved of Jupiter, who, on account of Juno's jealousy, was metamorphosed into a white cow. Before leaving the subject of cow-lore, it may be well to draw attention to a representation in bronze of a bovine head, to be
characteristic of this
seen in the collection of the Royal Irish Academy. The art ornament (fig. 38) appears to be late Celtic. The metal composing it is of fine quality and of a golden colour. It was formed by a process of casting great care seems to have been taken to spare and to economize the material. Only one eye-socket remains it is shallow but still sufficiently deep to have held an eye, composed probably of glass, vitrified paste, or enamel of some kind. The head is open at the back, and that it had been attached to some object is sufficiently clear from the
; ;
SWINE LORE.
fact that the sides are pierced
131
with a row of small apertures that held pins, by which the neck was secured. It is extremely probable that this antique belongs to a class of typical ecclesiastical ornamentation, and attention is directed to the case of St. Molaise's Gospel, R. I. A., on which this device appears, apparently as one of the four evangelical symbols.
In old Irish legends over the kingdom boars endowed with The black pig or boar is a legendary supernatural powers. animal whose deeds and death form a fruitful subject for the shannachies, or tellers of stories, of almost every county in In oral legends we mid the heroes of antiquity slaying Ireland. magical boars in various parts of the kingdom. There are strong indications, in tradition and folk-lore, that, in ancient times, the boar was held in great dread, or perhaps in great estimation. One writer even goes so far as to say that the prominence given to the animal, in topographical nomenclature and legendary tales, suggests the idea that the boar may be identified with that system of animal worship which, we have reason to believe, once existed in this country. Kemble states that, among the Germans and Anglo-Saxons, swine were sacred animals. A track styled "the " commences near Athlone, passes through road of the Black Pig the county Roscommon, and can be traced as far as the Curlew mountains in the county Sligo. It is said that there are many " other " roads of the Black Pig throughout Ireland. We are told that when the Firbolgs ruled the kingdom the land was overrun with swine, which committed great depredations indeed so great were their numbers that Ireland was but, on the conquest styled Muck Inis, or the Island of the Pigs of the country by the Dedanann, they extirpated all these animals with the exception of one herd, which continued to devastate the maritime districts of the county Clare by day and retired at To banish the herd from this, their last night to an island. retreat, was found to be beyond the human power of the Dedanann, who had therefore recourse to magic, and raised a violent convulsion of the elements which swept the entire herd into the sea. In the county Sligo, in the immediate neighbourhood of " The grave of the Black Scurmore, there is a tumulus styled The legend regarding the origin of the name is as Pig." follows Many years ago there was, in the north of Ireland, an enormous magical boar which committed great devastation throughout the country so much so, that all the hunters of the kingdom assembled, determined to pursue the animal until The chase was well sustained, and they succeeded in killing it.
Hercules slew the Erymanthean boar.
we
find
Finn slaying
all
K2
132
ANIMAL WORSHIP,
BIRDS,
AND AUGURY.
the boar, finding the province of Ulster uncomfortable quarters, off, but was overtaken in the Valley of the Black Pig, a little vale situated in the townland of Mucduff, in the county Here the boar turned at bay, and was slain on the spot Sligo. where he was subsequently buried his pursuers stood around leaning on their spears, viewing with amazement the huge proportions of the body, as also the length and strength of the bristles with which it was covered. One of the hunters incautiously stroked them the wrong way, thereby causing a venomous bristle to prick his
made
hand, and fell down writhing in agony, beseeching his companions to bring him water from a neighbouring well, which would not alone assuage his unbearable thirst, but would also effectually None succeeded in conveying the liquid to him for cure him. by some magical property attached to the spring no human being could carry water away from it. It is quite evident that this tale is merely a slightly modified version of the death of " The Pursuit of Dermod Derrnod, as recounted in the legend of " Finn Mac Cool, whose hunt of the magical boar and Grania by
;
in the county Sligo and is as follows

:
is
related yet
amongst the country people,
Finn, like many a modern gallant, paid attention to several of the fairest belles of his day without committing himself to any one in particular. Each lady imagined that she was the
chosen bride of the great chief; each, of course, cordially detested her rivals the result was an all-round quarrel, carried on with such acrimony as threatened to throw the entire kingdom into a Finn perceived that with him alone hopeless embroilment. rested the power of ending this but, as he wished to marry only one of the ladies, he found himself placed in an unpleasant predicament, to extricate himself from which some stratagem
:
must be
affection
devised.
He
accordingly
made
a declaration of equal
;
and admiration for all the numerous ladies but announced that, as he was not rich enough to marry them all, he would leave the decision of the question to the agility of their Finn himself stood at the summit of the hill chosen pretty feet. for the memorable race to receive the successful competitor. Amongst the bevy of beauties there was one whose charms had made an impression upon Finn's heart, and to her he whispered This advice, by adopting which she might be certain to win. lady was Grania, the daughter of Cormac, Monarch of Ireland and the counsel which Finn gave her was simply not to attempt to run too fast in the outset lest she should exhaust herself. Grania appeared to be left far behind by all the other runners, who at once put forth their utmost strength to breast the declivity. Soon, however, they lost breath, and finally sank down, one after another, completely exhausted, and had then the mortifica;
MAGICAL BOARS.
;
133
tion to see the princess pass by them. Several made a last despairing effort, but in vain for she alone reached the summit. The princess had now gained as firm possession of the chieftain's hand, as formerly she had of his heart, and a long life of happiness might have been anticipated for the distinguished pair, but the lady proved as frail and false as Finn was chivalrous and con The wedding dinner was prepared by Dermod O'Deena, ficling. one of Finn's celebrated warriors, as well as one of the best cooks of the Feni. On the neck of Dermod was a mole, which possessed the magical power of causing any woman who gazed on it to fall desperately in love with Dermod, who on this occasion, heated by his culinary work, loosened his throat-fastening, thus exposing to riew the magic spot. Grania, who chanced to see it, fell so In vain Finn desperately in love that she eloped with Dermod. pursued them through mountains and fastnesses. During a period of twelve months they eluded pursuit by sleeping in a different " Derplace each night, under the rude stone monuments called mod and Grania's Beds," erected by Dermod after each day's
journey. At length Finn decided to inaugurate a boar-hunt this plan he considered must be successful, as Dermod could not refrain from joining a hunt whenever he heard the music of the hounds. Finn obtained a wild boar, renowned for ferocity, which he placed in a pit, and put over him a large flagstone, giving orders that the boar should be kept thus confined until his rage, excited by the pangs of hunger, should enable him to burst through the impediment to his freedom. Finn stationed hounds in various places, at Killala, Jamestown, and all along the Shannon, so as to prevent the escape of the boar. Rendered frantic by hunger, the imprisoned animal managed to lift the confining flag. Finn pursued, with hound and horn, as far as Belagrania, near ColThe latter, hearing looney, where Dermod was then concealed. the baying of hounds, joined the hunt, despite the entreaties of Grania that he should remain. As Dermod emerged from his hiding-place the boar ran between his legs, carrying him away astride on his back. At last Dermod, who had not the advantage of being bound, Mazeppa-like, to his steed, giddy with the pace and exhausted by his exertion of holding on, relaxed his grasp, tumbled off, and was severely injured. The fall occurred at
;
Tobernabostul, near Benbulbin, where he was found by Finn, who was so moved at his lamentable plight that instead of then wreaking vengeance on his rival he asked if he could afford him relief. Dermod thereupon entreated Finn to go to a place indicated by him, there to pull up a bunch of rushes, when a spring would at once aris.e, three drinks of which would cure him. During Finn's absence on this errand the boar returned and
_
134
ANIMAL WORSHIP,
BIRDS,
AAD AUGURY.
attacked Dermod, who, though greatly disabled, managed by superhuman exertions to grasp the fore and hind legs of the boar, and to pull him to pieces, just as the dying animal had succeeded in ripping him up. On returning with the magic drink, Finn was agreeably surprised to find his enemy in his death agonies, and, in his first surprise, allowed the water, which he was carrying in the palm of his hand, to pour through his fingers. On the spot where it fell the Well of Tobernabostul sprang Finn was not as generous to his enemy in death as in life up. for he cut off his head, and brought it back to Belagrania as a When the beautiful but hapless present to his runaway bride. Grania rushed from her hiding-place to meet her husband, she saw but his freshly- severed head, and, in a paroxysm of despair, she fell dead, and all the hunters of the country wept tears of sorrow for the brave and the fair. Grania's corpse was carried to repose with that of her husband on the mountain slope, in the townland of Gleniff, in the parish of Eossinver, in a cavern in the face of a cliff, still called " Dermod and Grania's Bed."* There are other versions of the tale, as recounted amongst the country people, which differ slightly from the above. One of them states that when Finn found the runaway couple he affected to forgive them, on condition that Dermod promised never to hunt within the bounds of his territory; but, aware of Dermod's unconquerable love of sport, Finn caused the boarhunters to pass near Dermod's dwelling, certain that he would join in the chase, and thus afford him an excuse for taking his
;
life.
Another variant narrates that a cruel act of Dermod's was supHis infant son, by Grania, posed to have produced his death. was at nurse with a swineherd in a lake -dwelling on the lake of Dermod went to see it but, on perceiving that Templevanny. the swineherd's child was finer than his own, dashed out its brains. The swineherd seized a sucking-pig showing that even at that early date pigs shared the house with human occupants
;
and
killed
it,
fate of the pig
praying that the slayer of his child might meet the and on the following day Dermod was killed by
;
the boar.
There is a close resemblance between the Irish legend and the story of the magical boar of extraordinary size and ferocity which, according to Herodotus (Clio, 34, 35), appeared near Olympus, and did immense injury to the Mysians. Vainly they attempted to kill it, and finally despatched a letter to Croesus, imploring him to send his son with chosen hunters and dogs to The king, warned in a dream of danger threatening destroy it.
*
See ante, vol.
i.,
pp. 50, 51.
MAGICAL BOARS.
135
his son, at first refused, but afterwards relented, and permitted him to go in pursuit of the magical boar, when his son was
accidentally slain by one of own companions. The tale of " The Pursuit of Dermod and Grania " has been translated by Dr. P. W. Joyce from the Irish MSS., and published in Old Celtic Romances. The foregoing narratives are mostly taken
from letters, written at the period of the Ordnance Survey, in which are embodied many oral traditions of the peasantry as then recounted by them. There is a very curious story in various Irish MSS., styled The History of Mac Datho's Hoy. MacDatho, king of Leinster
in the first century of the Christian era, invited the kings of Counaught and of Ulster to a feast, where he caused to be served
up an enormous hog, the

to each chieftain
division of which, and the assigning his proper share, became a matter of fierce contention between the guests, as was intended by their crafty entertainer for the partition of the carcase of the animal had the same effect in Ireland, as had the presentation of the apple in classic mythology.
;
of Ireland,
" Brudins" the destruction of the public establishments styled most celebrated, that of the Brudin Da Derga, forms the subject of a curious tale. These institutions were large farm-houses, open to all comers. Each of them possessed a magical caldron, never taken off the fire, which yielded a proper share to every guest, and no matter what quantity of food was put into it to be cooked, there could be taken out only what was sufficient for the company.
:
In various late Irish MSS. it is narrated that in many parts up to the establishment of Christianity, there were
It seems strange that the introduction of Christianity should have been the means of abolishing these institutions, for if they were mere houses, providing free entertainment for man and beast, should we not, on the contrary, have expected to see them increase in number and in hospitality with the introduction of the new order of things, and the inauguration of the law of
love ?
Any person who studies the supernatural episodes attending the destruction of Brudin Da Derga will undoubtedly arrive at the conclusion that this establishment, at any rate, was a pagan religious institution. A hidden observer saw a person
going through an incantation, in which he failed. From this failure the unsuccessful performer knew that some unauthorized individual must be looking on, and he accordingly ordered another to mythical personage, who appears to have been a swine-herd, This his pig, and divine who was looking into the Brudin. slay incident is valuable as denoting the animal, or, at any rate, one and it is even of the animals, from which divination was made
;
more
instructive
in
another respect,
inasmuch
as,
on the
136
ANIMAL WORSHIP,
of battle.
BIRDS,
AND AUGURY.
Continent, the pig was sacrificed to Mars Sylvanus, the primitive
God
In the old pamphlet, already mentioned, entitled Beware the

It is as follows Cat, there is a curious reference to swine. "I cannot tell by what means witches (spelling modernized) do change their own likeness and the shapes of other things. But I have heard of so many and seen so much myself, that I
:
am sure they do it, for in Ireland (as they have been in England) witches are, for fear, held in high reverence, and they be so cunning that they can change the shapes of things as they list at their pleasure, and so deceive the people thereby, that an Act was made in Ireland that no man should buy any red swine. The cause whereof was this. Witches used to send to the markets many red swine, fair and fat, to see unto, as any might be, and would in that form continue long, but it chanced the buyers of them to bring them to any water. Immediately they found them returned either into wisps of hay, straw, old rotten boards, or some other such like trumpery, by means whereof they have lost their money, or such other cattle as they gave in exchange."" There does not appear to be any Act in the Irish Statute Book prohibiting the sale of red swine, to which our " Irish Munchausen " alludes but an enactment (2 Elizabeth, chap. 4) for the preservation of salmon and eel made the feeding or pasturage of swine upon any strand or the banks of any river, during certain periods of the year, an offence punishable by statute. A general Act against witchcraft and sorcery was passed at a somewhat late period (28 Elizabeth, chap. 2), but without
;
charms or enchantments. Swine have bequeathed their name to innumerable places the prefix muck, i. e. pig, is attached to upwards of eighty townland names throughout Ireland. In the late Celtic period the figure of the boar was used as decoration, and it is stated to have been a well-recognised Celtic symbol on the coins of every part of Gaul, as well as on those struck by the cognate races of Britain, Spain, Styria, and Galatia.f
particulars as to
;
* Mr. F. T. Elworthy quotes Higden, by Trcvisa, his translator, that in Ireland " olde wyfes and wymmen by crafts of nygromancie maketh fat and selleth hem in chepinge and in feires but anon these swyne swyne, water they torneth agen in to her own kynde. . . But these swyne passeth mowe not be i-kept by no manere craft for to dure in likneses of swyn over thre
. . . . . . ; .
Higden, Polychron. Rolls Series, i. 360. pigs running about with straws in their mouths foretells an approaching storm. t Mr. F. T. Elworthy, in The Evil Eye, pp. 333, 334, states that, in ancient Egypt, both the pig and wild boar were held in abhorrence as unclean animals unfit for food. "It was unlawful, says Herodotus, to sacrifice the pig to any gods but to the moon and Bacchus, and then only at the full moon. Except on this
days."
To
see
DIVINING
BY HE BLADE BONE.
'I
;
137
Kepresentations in bronze have been occasionally found in Ireland, but they belong to a very late period two in the collection of the Royal Irish Academy are here given (figs. 39, 40).
FIG. o9.
Representation of a Boar in Bronze, in the collection of the R. I. A. Half real
size.
FIG. 40.
Representation of a Boar in Bronze,
collection of the
size.
in
the
R.
I.
A.
Half real
Camden depicts the Irish of his time as in the habit of looking through the blade-bone of a sheep to try and discover a dark spot, foretelling a death. Drayton, in his Polyolbion, describes this
" practice as reading the speal bone."
"
A divination strange the Dutch-made English have Appropriate to that place (as though some power it gave), By th' shoulder of a ram from off the right side par'd,
Which usually they boil, the spade-hone being bar'd, Which when the wizard takes, and gazing thereupon,
Things long
to
come foreshowes, as things don longagone."
occasion the people were forbidden to eat its flesh. Even then they did not eat the pig, which was sacrificed before their door, but gave it back to the person from whom it was purchased. Plutarch considered the pig to be connected with the worship of Osiris, and it also appears in the legend of Horus. There were ' . . found, of a later period,' and many small porcelain figures of sows probably we may with reason consider them as amulets. The boar is represented In the judgment scenes, in a tomb at Thebes, and he was ' an emblem of Evil.' when on weighing the soul it is found wanting, it is condemned by Osiris ' to return to earth under the form of a pig, or some other unclean animal.' "In Greek mythology the pig, as an amulet, becomes clearer, and helps us further in the explanation of another important modern charm of which we
.
have yet to speak. " The pig was sacred

double,' Proserpine,
Demeter, and, of course, also to her daughter and have proved to be unam eandemqite. It came at length to be 'an embodiment of the corn-goddess herself; and at the Thesmoto
'
whom we
women, representing the descent of Proserpine into the lower world, it was customary for the women to eat swine's flesh, to throw pigs, cakes of dough, and pine-branches into the Megara, or chasms of Demeter and Proserpine. . . The Greeks could not decide whether the Jews worshipped swine or abominated them, ' for they might neither eat nor kill them,' so that if eating was forbidden on account of uncleanness, the unlawfulness of killing them tells still more strongly for their sanctity. Frazer believes that swine were rather sacred than unclean to the Jews, and that, in general, so-called unclean animals were originally sacred, and that they were not eaten because they were divine."
phoria, a festival confined to
.
138
ANIMAL WORSHIP,
The
BIRDS,
AND AUGURY.
bone"
;
practice of "divining by the blade

It still lingers, it is alleged, in
is
not ex-
tinct.
is
but little doubt that if may yet be found, particularly amongst the Irish-speaking portion of the Proofs that it did exist are numerous, and that it population. was practised in the same manner in Ireland, as it is at present in Greece, as well as amongst the Bedouins, and in most parts of Asia, as far as the island of Ceylon. The bone used for divining had to be the right shoulder-blade of a ram. Auguries were drawn from it by removing the flesh and looking through the semi-transparent bone. Another process of divining was to broil the bone, and divine by the cracks caused by the heat of the fire. The heat occasions the bone to crack in various directions these cracks generally vary greatly, but there are certain usuallyoccurring and principal lines of cleavage, and from these the result of the augury was drawn. Another method was to reduce the bone to a powder, then dissolve it in water, and swallow the mixture. One of the means adopted to obtain magical prescience of future events was of a strange character. The postulant, wrapped in the freshly removed skin of a ram, goat, or bull, slept near a stream, or waterfall, and in his slumber information regarding the future was revealed to him. Another receipt is preserved in Cormac's Glossary. It would not do to thus leave open the door of the temple of magic to the general reader, could it be for a moment supposed he would make use of the following rites " Through this the poet discovers whatever he desires to reveal. He chews a piece of the flesh of a red pig, or of a dog, or cat, and he brings it afterwards on a flag behind the door, and chants an incantation on it, and offers it to idol gods and his idol gods are brought to him, but he finds them not on the morrow. And he pronounces incantations on his two palms, and his idol gods are also brought to him, in order that his sleep may not be
;
:
remote parts careful search be made, it
and there
interrupted
and he lays his two palms on his two cheeks, and and he is watched in order that no one may interrupt or disturb him, until everything about which he is engaged is revealed to him. ... St. Patrick abolished this, and declared that whoever should practise it would neither enjoy heaven nor earth, because it was renouncing baptism." It must not be imagined that belief in dreams, as a portent of future events, as a message from the spirit world, or as a revelation from on High, is, or ever has been, confined to the illiterate and superstitious. On the contrary, some of the most eminent men of all ages have clung firmly to the belief in their A prominent feature in the Confessio supernatural character. of St. Patrick is his firm belief in certain dreams which he
;
thus
falls asleep,
DREAMS.
139
considered to be direct revelations from the Almighty, and it is to be observed that, as described by him, there appears to have been
nothing in them to distinguish them from ordinary dreams. What could be more natural than that, languishing for years in slavery, he should have his waking thoughts occupied about flight, and that he should subsequently dream of his escape. It was not then observed that many dreams arise from an overheated imagination, a too full stomach, or are influenced by acts and occurrences of past life, but now analysis of deductions from
dream-incidents, known as Oneirology or Oneiromancy, practised in all ages and in all classes, dethroned from its position as a science is relegated to the custody of charlatans, although we mig-ht seem to possess the warranty of Holy Scripture for its orthodoxy as well as for its genuineness, at least under certain circumstances. The ancient Greeks imagined that a certain class of dreams were a revealment of the future, and that their fulfilment could not be averted but by expiating ceremonies. One method of frustrating the effects of a menacing vision was to relate its purport to the Sun, who was credited with the power of safeguarding the postulant from evils threatened by the night. James Sully, in his work on Illusions, remarks that " The earliest theories respecting dreams illustrate very clearly the perception of the remoteness of dream-life from waking experience. By the simple mind of primitive man, this dream-world is regarded as similar in its nature or structure to our common The savage conceives that world, only lying remote from this. when he falls asleep his second self leaves his familiar body and journeys forth to unfamiliar regions, where it meets the departed second selves of his dead ancestors, and so on. From this point of view, the experience of the night, though equal in reality to that of day, is passed in a wholly disconnected region. " A second and more thoughtful view of dreams, marking a higher grade of intellectual culture, is that these visions of the night are symbolic pictures unfolded to the inner eye of the soul
by some supernatural being. The dream experience is now, in a sense, less real than it was before, since the phantasms that wear the guise of objective realities are simply images spread out to the spirit's gaze, or the direct utterance of a divine message. Still, this mysterious contact of the mind with the supernatural is regarded as a fact, and so the dream assumes the appearance of a higher order of experience. Its one point of attachment to
the experience of waking
life lies
in its symbolic function
for the
view assumes is that the dream is a dim prevision of coining events. Artemidorus, the great authority on dream interpretation (oneirocritics) for the
this supernatural
common form which
140
ANIMAL WORSHIP,
BIRDS,
AND AUGURY.
'
ancient world, actually defines a dream as a motion or friction of the soul in a diverse form, signifying either good or evil to come '; and even a logician like Porphyry ascribes dreams to the influence of a good demon, who thereby warns us of the evils
which another and bad demon is preparing for us. The same mode of viewing dreams is quite common to-day, and many who pride themselves on a certain intellectual culture, and who imagine themselves to be free from the weakness of superstition, are apt to talk of dreams as of something mysterious, if not disNor is it surprising that phenomena which at tinctly ominous. first sight look so wild and lawless, should still pass for miraculous interruptions of the natural order of events."
The peasantry were formerly very particular in their observance of omens. If a countryman, about to start from home on a journey, or about to undertake a particular work, observes a bad omen, he abandons the journey, or relinquishes the work, at least for the time or he abandons it altogether, in many instances, if the omen be very inauspicious but if from sheer necessity he must proceed, it is with the full impression that his doing so will
;
result in failure.
To meet a flat-footed or a red-haired man the first thing in the morning is unlucky red-haired people are, in many districts, almost savagely disliked, are treated as foreigners, and should never be trusted. Red-haired men are bad enough, but to meet a red-haired woman, as you start on important business, is such a terrible omen, that the man who will not at once turn back must have " nerve enough to face the devil." Though considered very unlucky, in actual everyday life, yet, on the other hand, the red-haired man, or the red-haired woman, generally, in the fairy world, enacts the role of a benevolent personage, and rescues, or points out the means whereby the unhappy mortal, who finds himself helpless under fairy spells, can extricate himself from
;
their power.
Peeling an apple in a long, thin, narrow strip from core-end to core-end, swinging the peel three times round the head and then throwing it over the left shoulder married or single life being foretold by the peel remaining entire or breaking and finding in the coils of the peel so cast, when on the ground, the initial or initials of their coming sweetheart is a semi-superstitious,
semi-humorous custom common
all
over Ireland.
A singular survival of augury by birds is still practised by " children on the " merry-thought or wishing-bone of a chicken. This, when pulled asunder, denotes good luck to the one in whose
THE "MERRYTHOUGHT."
;
141
possession the larger portion of the bone remains again, when the " merry thought" is drawn as a lot it gives a wish to the fortunate drawer of the lucky portion. The belief in the peculiar luckiness of this bone is evidently derived from the ancient use of the cock in divination. know that the cock was the usual sacrifice offered to unfriendly spirits and to the fairies. Burying a live cock is described as a remedy for insanity, and even in late years this cure has been resorted to for epilepsy, and witches were accused of sacrificing cocks. Amongst other means used by the Druids to foretell future events was observation of the movements of birds. Many auguries are drawn from the appearance or flight of birds on New Year's morning. A rook perched on the housetop portends a death in the household if perched on the cattle byre some of the inmates are certain to be afflicted with disease during the oncoming year. The peculiar whistle of the starling is regarded with especial trepidation by the peasantry as they are supposed to be communiTo hear a blackbird sing, or to see a cating with the fairies. robin approach the doorstep, betokens a severe spring. Whoever " the robin kills a robin will never prosper, for (in Irish, the spiddoge) is, as is well known, a blessed bird, and no one, no matter how wild or cruel, would kill or hurt one, partly from love, partly from fear. They believe, if they killed a robin, a large lump would grow on the palm of their right hand, preventing them from working or from hurling." Many curious anecdotes are on record concerning the appearance of the robin, which is sometimes thought to augur approachIn the account of the death of Dr. Doyle, as given ing death. in the Life, Times, and Correspondence of Bishop Doyle, Vol. n., " p. 496, Mr. Fitz-Patrick says Considering that the season was mid-summer, and not winter, the visit of two robin redbreasts in the sick room may be noticed as interesting. They remained fluttering round, and sometimes perching on the unThe priests, struck by the novelty of the circumcurtained bed. and the robins stance, made no effort to expel the little visitors hung lovingly over the Bishop's head until death released
We
him." Should the robin enter a house in autumn it is said to prognosticate approaching hard weather, frost, and snow. A good omen is to see a crane, as, whenever this country was scourged by war, these birds always mysteriously disappeared.
of spring," as it is poetically for designated, is a wandering voice and a wandering mystery while you pause, in a futile attempt to locate the sound, it has boxed the compass. It is doubtless this ventriloquistic characteristic which has made it the subject of strange fancies and of
;
The cuckoo, the " harbinger
142
ANIMAL WORSHIP,
BIRDS,
AND AUGURY.
wild fables. The cuckoo is associated with ideas of divination, for the first time, in spring, that the listener hears it, towards whatever quarter he is then looking, in that quarter he will live during the next year and if he has money in his pocket he will never be without it during the year. There is a rhyme current alike in Ireland and Great Britain, respecting the cuckoo
; :
"
You may
on a bare thorn, your cow and buy corn But if she sits on a green bough, You may sell your corn and buy a cow."
If a cuckoo sits
sell
;
Classic antiquity
shows
the
parallel instances, for
as Churchill
says
"
Among
Romans not
a bird
;
Without a prophecy was heard Fortunes of empires often hung
On the magician magpie's tongue And every crow was, to the State,
sure interpreter of fate."
birth of
The New Year was sometimes poetically reckoned from the summer, the 1st of May, for an ancient Irish rhyming
:
augury says
"
white lamb on my right hand, So will good come to me But not the little false cuckoo, On the first day of the year."
;
Toland, in his History of the Druids, recounts the following anecdote to illustrate the manner in which omens regarding the " When I was in raven were looked on in his time Dublin, in the year 1697, I walked out one day to the village of Finglass, and overtook upon the way two gentlemen of the old Irish stock, with whom I had contracted some acquaintance at the coffee-house. They told me they were going a good way further, about a business and not many minutes after one of 'ern of some importance See, cousin, by heaven, matters cry'd out with joy to the other will go well,' pointing at the same instant to a raven feeding and hopping hard by, which had a white feather or two in the wing The other appear'd no less transported, that was towards us. nor would they stir till they saw what way the raven flew, which being to the south of them, and with a great noise, they were Upon fully confirm'd about the success of their business.
:
'
putting some questions to those gentlemen, they said it was certain, by observation of all ages, that a raven having any white in its wings, and flying on the right hand of any person, croaking at the same time, was an infallible presage of good-luck."
my
OMENS.
Spenser
"
143
calls it
;
The ill-fac'd owle, death's dreadful messenger The hoarse night raven, trompe of doleful dreere."
Shakspeare, in Othello, describes its harsh croak, when illness of any kind is visiting a house, as an inauspicious sound
:
"
0,
it
comes
o'er
my memory
As dotli the raven Boding to iill."
o'er the infected house,
Brooches with bird-head ornamentation have been found on the sites of Lake DwelPetrie states that it is observable on lings. Fig. 41 represents a very early croziers. curious bronze instrument found, about the year 1829, in a bog in the townland of Dunaverney, within two miles of Ballymoney, county Antrim, together with fragments of wooden vessels, a large bronze pin, and some This curious antique is made stone hatchets. in three parts (A, B), joined by pieces of oak inlaid with thin layers of bronze. At one extremity is a double hook, at the other a The superior movable ring.
portion of the instrument, as seen in the engraving, is perforated at unequal distances with seven holes, through each of which a wire passes, terminated on one side by a bird and at the other by a ring.
This portion is hollow and contains a bronze wire with a

e
.
.
FIG. 42.
zigzag * pattern (see fig. 42). Pa " rn of Bronze Wire running At E and F (tig. 41) are two through centre of 6g' 4I> holes about one-eighth of an p ^ The repreinch in diameter. sentations of birds, on this curious relic, point to the workmanship not being earlier than the sixth century. Another instrument five inches longer than the foregoing, but of similar make, was FIG. 41. discovered, in the year 1851, in the townronze instrument, with land of Lurgy, three miles from Dungannon, uira ornaments. Uncfourth real s KC- county Tyrone. It possesses neither rings, nor birds, but was otherwise perfect. Petrie,
,.
1
144
ANIMAL WORSHIP,
notice
totally
BIRDS,
the
first
AND AUGURY.
described antique, adform even a rational
who brought under

mitted that he
was
unable
to
Another antiquarian was of conjecture as to its probable use. opinion that it was employed either for divination as by a little sleight-of-hand the birds could be moved to suit the design of the officiating priest or for sacrificial purposes. A hen in the farmyard that can crow like her spouse, is in some localities considered to bring bad luck to the household We have the well-known, it is even regarded as a death herald. and to the fair sex, uncomplimentary rhyme
; :
"
whistling maid and a crowing hen, Are good for neither God nor men."
" it is a sure sign that it is fairy struck." once caught, its head cut off and flung on the floor, or one of the inmates of the household will die within the twelvemonth. A clocking hen should never be lent. It is lucky for a hen if a cock comes to the and chickens to stray into the house
roosting in a cabin,
It
good for mortals, however, that the cock should crow, by his voice all respectable ghosts are regulated, and at the first sound of his morning notes, they cease to trouble the If a hen crows when living and return to their proper abode.
It is
for
must be
at
threshold and crows, visitors are coining. If anyone is sick in a cabin, and a cock turns his head to the hearth and crows, the patient will recover, but if it turns its head to the door whilst crowing, the sick one will die. Neither destroy, remove, nor rob the nests of swallows that build about the house they bring luck, and if you injure them, " that saves a swallow you will certainly suffer. It is fear alone from injury, for it is equally well known that every swallow has in him three drops of the Devil's blood." He is thus sometimes called the " Devil's Bird." There is the strange belief that on everyone's head there is a certain hair, which, if plucked by the swallow, dooms the unfortunate loser to irretrievable mis;
fortune.
If
if
swallows
fly
:
they
fly low, they are said to foretell approaching rain Thus high, they announce continued fine weather.
;
Gay
says
"
When swallows fleet soar high, and sport in He told us that the welkin would be clear."
air,
A water- wagtail near the house man was lying ill with a virulent
fever,
heralds bad news. Whilst a a water-wagtail came
OMENS.
145
regularly and pecked at the window pane, and even after his death, the bird still returned each morning and tapped at the glass as before. Then the family knew that further misfortune was in store, and the evil came as foretold another person was suddenly
;
taken
ill
and
died.
superstition occurred in
friend of O'Donovan's gave the following account of the The incident which regarding this little bird November, 1820, was the death of a water- wagtail
:
which killed itself by flying against one of the windows of the bedroom in which lay a dying person. " This trifling event was made curiously interesting by a sister of the sick person, who was living in the house, stating over and over again, from day to ckiy, that she felt sure her brother would live till after a bird of this kind should kill itself at the window, for one had done so in several previous cases, where members of our family had died in that room. Indeed she went so far as to maintain, that it was always the case, and was preserved as a tradition in the family. I certainly gave little heed to what she said, till I was startled from my reading at the window indicated, by a bird of this kind striking the window with great force, and falling on the window stool stunned, and thence rolling off on the roof of a pantry or office beneath, off which I, in a few minutes after picked up the bird dead, and brought it to the lady who had actually predicted the fact. It satisfied the family that the time was at hand, that all had been looking to for some weeks." Sir Thomas Browne remarks that " Few ears have escaped the noise of the death-watch, that is, the little clicking sound heard often in many rooms, somewhat resembling that of a watch and this is conceived to bean evil omen or prediction of some person's
;
death wherein, notwithstanding, there is nothing of rational presage or just cause of terror. For this noise is made by a little sheath-winged, grey insect [Ancibium tessellatum) found often in We have often wainscot, benches, and woodwork in the summer. taken many thereof, and kept them in thin boxes, wherein I have seen and heard them work and knock with a little proboscis or trunk against the side of the box like a Picus martius, or It worketh best in warm weather, woodpecker, against a tree. and for the most part giveth not over but under nine or eleven strokes at a time. He that could extinguish the terrifying apprehensions hereof, might prevent the passions of the heart, and many cold sweats in grandmothers and nurses, who, in the sickness of children, are so startled with
;
these noises."
It is strange that so many people should, despite the very obvious origin of the noise, even still regard the tapping made by Dean Swift wrote the this little insect as an omen of death.
VOL.
II.
146
ANIMAL WORSHIP,
:
BIRDS,
AND AUGURY.
charm
to avert the fatal
following amusing, as well as practical,
omen
"
A wood worm
That
in old wood, like a hare in her form ; With teeth or with claws it will bite or will scratch, And chambermaids christen the worm a death-watch
lies
Because like a watch, it always cries click Then woe be to those in the house who are sick For as sure as a gun they will give up the ghost,
:
If the
But a
maggot cries click when it scratches the post. kettle of scalding hot water injected, Infallibly cures the timbers affected ;
The omen is broken, the danger is over, The maggot will die, and the sick will recover."
some
In early days in Ireland the swan was doubtless the totem of tribe, as an Irish saying, thus translated, demonstrates the
:
intensity of belief in its sanctity

"
Then was
Decreed
'
it Erin's sons, listening to that cry, that man who slays a swan shall die.'
"
Lir was an ocean-god common to Ireland and Britain, and, as already narrated (vol. i., pp. 147, 148), his children were, by " and the men of Erin were so enchantment, turned into swans, at their departure, that they made a law and proclaimed grieved it throughout the land that no one should kill a swan in Erin, from that time forth. In Welsh histories he appears as Lear."* In modern days in Ireland, the prohibition is " more honour'd
in the breach, than the observance." The movements of swans are regarded as heralding good or bad " weather. They are also supposed to sing before they die," and
on
this superstition Coleridge wittily
"...
remarks
'twere no bad thing, Should certain persons die before they sing."
of the country people in the county Sligo and, doubtelsewhere still firmly believe that the barnacle goose, which breeds in the high northern latitudes, i.e. Iceland, Lapland, &c., but is a winter visitant to our sea-coast, is really propagated from the cirriped marine shell-fish so often found adhering to wooden piles and hulks of vessels but, in this idea, they are not singular, for, in former times, even learned writers gravely affirmed the same. Probably the delusion first " arose from the designation, barnacle," being common to both. It was long, however, before truth prevailed, and the absurd doctrine of the generation of these sea-fowl was finally refuted.
less,
;
Some
* The Evil Eye, F. T. Elworthy,
pp. 89, 90.
SWAN, PEACOCK, MAGPIE, AND WREN.
147
Giraldus Cambrensis, as early as the twelfth century, promulgated this view in his Topographia Hibernice. Sir John Maundeville, and Gerarde, in his Herball, both allude to it. Du Bartas describes the various transformations of this bird, on which Meyer wrote a treatise, and which Sir Eobert Murray
describes in Philosophical Transactions. The possession of peacocks' feathers brings ill-luck. When peacocks make a loud shrill and discordant noise they are said to predict rain, and the more they scream the heavier the downpour This is an imported item of folk-lore. that is coming. It seems very strange that the folklore pertaining to the magpie accompanied it, on its introduction into Ireland, late in or early in the eighteenth century. Thus tj>e. seventeenth,
we have amongst us the English popular rhyme regarding the appearances of magpies
:
" One
for anger,
Three
for mirth, for a wedding, Four for a birth,
Two
Five for
rich,
Six for poor, Seven for a witch,

I
can
tell
you no more."
:
Derrick who, in 1581, wrote the Image of Ireland, says " No Pies to the thatch from house,
plucke
Are breed on Irish Grounde: But worse than Pies, the same to burne, A thousand maie be founde."
Chattering Pye" Moryson, writing in 1617, states that the was not present in Ireland; and Smith, in 1774, in his History of Cork, states that "the magpie, or piant, was not known in
Ireland seventy years ago, but they are now very common." Many other instances of the importance attached to the appearance and movements of birds might be given that of the wren, an object of superstitious veneration amongst the Pagan Irish, shall here suffice. In Cormac's Glossary, the word dram, i.e. wren, is explained as " Draoi-en, a Druid bird, a bird that makes a prediction." From hence is probably In a life of derived the saying, " a little bird has told me." St. Molaing, it is recounted that, as the saint was reading a book, the Mayiis Avium,, so-called " because to certain indiA bird viduals it furnishes auguries," came flying to him. which was an object of respect to the Druids became, almost of and necessity, an object of aversion to the Christian priesthood the triumphant religion signalised its ascendancy by endeavouring
; ;
"
148
to
ANIMAL WORSHIP,
BIRDS,
AND AUGURY.
extirpate any object which appeared to resist it ; for in striving to effect the destruction of "the king of all birds," the priests wished to deal a death-blow to the superstitious
" For some weeks preceding Christinas, crowds of village boys may be seen peering into the hedges, in search of the tiny and when one is discovered, the whole assemble and wren In the give eager chase to, until they have slain the little bird. hunt, the utmost excitement prevails shouting, screeching, and rushing all sorts of missiles are flung at the puny mark and, not unfrequently they light upon the head of some less innocent From bush to bush, from hedge to hedge, is the wren being. pursued until bagged with as much pride and pleasure as the The cock of the woods by the more ambitious sportsman. stranger is utterly at a loss to conceive the cause of this hubbub, or the motive for so much energy in pursuit of such small gear. On the anniversary of St. Stephen (the 26th of December) the Attached to a huge holly-bush, elevated on enigma is explained. a pole, the bodies of several little wrens are borne about. This bush is an object of admiration in proportion to the number of dependent birds, and is carried through the streets in procession, by a troop of boys, among whom may be usually found children of a larger growth, shouting and roaring as they proceed along, and every now and then stopping before some popular house where they hope to obtain money" (fig. 48), and at the same time singing (fig. 44) the following rhyme
' ' ; ; ; ; :
science of augury.
" The wren, the wren, the ting of all birds, St. Stephen's day was caught in the furze,
Although he
I pray you,
is little, his
family's great,
treat.
good landlady, give us a
"
And two
or three shillings would do it no wrong, Sing holly, sing ivy; sing ivy, sing holly, A drop just to drink, it would drown melancholy.
My box would speak if it had but a tongue,
" And if you draw it of the best, I hope in Heaven your soul will rest But if you draw it of the small, It won't agree with the wren boys at
all."
legend narrates that some soldiers of the army of William were awakened by the noise of a wren pecking on the drumThe drummer beat to arms, and an intended surprise by head. the Jacobites was thus frustrated. Hence, the little bird was a favourite with the Williamites, and was persecuted by the Jacobite This legend is even carried back to Danish times peasantry.
III.
;
THE WREN.
149
but both accounts appear to have been manufactured with the object of accounting for the prevailing custom. According to another account this singular practice was founded on a tradition that, in days gone by, a beautiful but
malignant fairy some say Cleena (see vol. i., p. 372) exercised such fascination over young men, that she induced numbers to follow her to the seashore, where they were
drowned in the ocean, into which she enticed them. This

lengthened length one young man discovered the charm for counteracting the arts of the enchantress, and not only evaded her spells, but laid a plot for her dewhich she only struction, escaped by taking the form of i''io. 43. a wren. It was decreed that, "The Wren Boys." as a punishment for her From Mr. and Mrs. Hall's Ireland. crimes, she should resume this form on each succeeding Christmas Day, and that she should ultimately fall by mortal hand. Hence, it is alleged originated the barbarous practice of hunting the wren.
period,
until
at
continued for
r J
ll.
FIG. 44.
The Air sung
1'X
" the
Wren
Boj-s."
From Mr. and Mrs.
Hall's Ireland.
for the
Another legend, by no means confined to the Gaelic, accounts importance attached to the tiny wren in the following manner The birds desiring to have a king to rule over them, assembled to discuss the matter. It was finally agreed that the
:
bird who could fly highest should be elected. The eagle felt sure of the kingly honour, as he of all the birds could go nearest the sun, when, to the astonishment of the assembly, the wren
came forward and asked permission

eagle,
to compete.
Up
soared the
and when he could not attain a higher position and had
150
ANIMAL WORSHIP,
BIRDS,
AND AUGURY.
commenced
;
his descent, he scornfully exclaimed, " where are you " now, little wren ?" The answer was prompt ; here, up above " for the wren had hid itself in the feathers on the eagle's you
So its cunning prevailed over superior strength, and it was Even in the present day to dream of the awarded the crown. to dream you kill little bird is considered to herald good fortune In the Isle of Man, a feather taken one is a portent of evil. from a wren was formerly considered a most efficacious protection against shipwreck, and Manx fishermen would seldom put to sea without knowing their boat to be thus safeguarded. In an ancient poem, attributed to St. Columbkille, and translated by O'Donovan, it is evident that the saint alludes to various
back.
;
kinds of divination
"
It is not
with the Sreod our destiny
is,
Nor with the bird on the top of Nor with the trunk of a.knotty
the twig,
tree.
I adore not the voice of birds,
Nor the Sreod, nor a destiny on the earthly Nor a son, nor chance, nor woman,
world,
My
"
Druid
is
Christ, the Son of God."
Sreod is stated, in Historia Britonum of Nennius, to signify " as an omen here enumerated in conjunction with sneezing other omens, this translation of the word seems to be a very likely solution of the enigma. The superstition regarding sneezing is of almost world-wide distribution. Amongst the Singalese, as well as amongst the Malabarese, if a person sneezes suddenly, when anyone is about to commence work, to take food or drink, or start on a journey, the hearer allows a short interval to elapse before he resumes the intended occupation. The act of sneezing was, under certain circumstances, conwe find sidered an auspicious omen amongst the ancients
;
;
Penelope regarding
" She spoke
it
in this light
Telemachus then sneez'd aloud ; Constrain'd, his nostrils echoed through the crowd The smiling queen the happy omen bless' d So may these impious fall by fate oppress'd."
;
Pliny says that sneezing in the morning was unlucky at to sneeze to the right hand was also lucky, but to When anyone sneezed sneeze to the left hand the reverse. " salvere amongst the Eomans they cried jusserunt," or, as we " save us." The idea being that sneezing was occasioned by say,
;
noon lucky
OMENS REGARDING SNEEZING.
151
Aristotle states that sneezing is " a motion of the some demon. brain, which through the nostrils expels what is offensive, and in some degree demonstrates internal strength," and adds, " that medical people, if they were able to provoke the act of sneezing from their patients who might be thought dangerously indisposed,
conceived hopes of their recovery." Amongst the Irish, sneezing was a proof that an evil spirit was attempting to gain access to the body, so an invocation was necessary to drive it away on the other hand, a child that never sneezes is regarded as under a spell. According to an old Jewish the custom of saying "God bless you," when a person story, Before sneezes, dates from the days of the Patriarch Jacob. This fragility of his time, whoever sneezed died of the shock. primitive man was, at the intercession of Jacob, remedied by the Almighty, on condition that a sneeze should universally be hallowed by the formula, " God bless you."
;
CHAPTER
V.
TREE WORSHIP HERBS AND MEDICINE.

Worship of Trees
at one time almost imiversal Solitary growing Trees held in Sacred Trees The Tree an Emblem of Life great veneration by the Irish The Alder The Willow Properties ascribed to the Rowan The Thorn
Knowledge
of the Medicinal Properties of Flowers, Herbs,
and Roots,
possessed by the Druids The Primitive Surgeon
Weapons Poisoned with Vegetable Decoctions The Primitive Physician The TTse of Poisons
The Science of Medicine Tfre Treatment of the Insane Medicine Men Witch Doctors Wise Women They possessed a large Pharmacopoeia "Witchcraft The Treatment of Witches Clergy opposed to Progress in Medicine Enumeration of Remedies employed by Witch-doctors The
Fairies the Guardians of Healing Herbs Precautions taken circumvent them Unlucky to cut Finger-nails or Hair without certain Ceremonies The idea wide-spread The Elixir of Life The Magic Caldron The ancient physician diagnosed disease by the character of the groans emitted by the sufferer Paid on the principle of " no cure no
use of Saliva
to
pay."
TREE worship is usually, if not indeed always, linked with, but overshadowed by, other cults, such as the adoration of the sun,
of water, of animals, or of stones, all enshrining or symbolising a divine principle ; but no other ritual, save perhaps that of water, has been so widely distributed, or has left behind such prominent marks to guide our footsteps in the murky twilight of To us, as to the men of old, the tree is still primitive thought. the emblem and cause of fertility; as those who, in any country, have pared the forest to the stump, have, but too late, discovered to their cost. At some very early period of the world's at present unwritten history, the worship of trees appears to have been almost universal, for the further back we go the more multiform become the mythological interpretations of the world ; everything was personified in a manner common to animal and human consciousness alike, and it does not show much judgment to subscribe " to what a recent writer terrfls the literary heresy," that the worship of nature was one of the discoveries of the Kenaissance.
TREE WORSHIP ALMOST UNIVERSAL.
158
Lorrg ages before, the genius of the Greek for personification placed but a thin veil of mythology between the gazer and nature, for he saw not natural objects but beautiful things. In Apollonius Rhodius, a hamadryad is represented as beseeching a woodman to spare a tree to which her very existence was
'
bound up
" Loud through the air resounds the woodman's stroke, When, lo a voice breaks from the groaning oak, Spare, spare my life a trembling virgin spare Oh, listen to the Hamadryad's prayer! No longer let that fearful axe resound Preserve the tree to which my life is bound. See, from the bark my blood in torrents flows " I faint, I sink, I perish from your blows.'
!
'
This idea of tree

of the ancient
life
Komans. Thus
frequently occurs amongst the literature Virgil, in the JEneid (Book viii.)
:
" These woods were first the seat of sylvan powers, Of nymphs and fawns, and savage-men who took Their birth from trunks of trees and stubborn oak."
In ancient Babylonian or Chaldean religion there figures a most important object, the sacred tree, the Tree of Life. If we turn to the Bible we read of the trees of life and of knowledge, and in later times of sacrifices under trees. The Pentateuchal laws condemned the high places of Israel with their associated symbol of the sacred tree or pole, in Hebrew ashera, unfortunately translated yrove in the authorised version of the Old Testament. Sacred trees are frequently mentioned in the Pentateuch. Amongst the old Norse, life was figured as a tree. Edward " The warm climate of Clodd, F.K.A.S., remarks that Europe at the close of the great Ice Age favoured the growth of vegetation, and the whole of the northern part became covered with dense forests, in which oaks of large size abounded, the wooded region This, in large degree, stretching beyond the Arctic circle. explains why, amidst the varied objects of their worship, which included stones as well as living things, that of trees played so relics of it survive all over leading a part among the Aryans Europe, in the groups of customs and festivals connected with All through nature there are the agriculture and the seasons. ever recurring events of birth and death, of fruitfulness and decay, of destruction for the sake of reproduction, every grave being the cradle of another form of life. Hence all the festivals rich in flowers and fruits, and the offerings of these to the gods of fruitfulness hence, too, the ceremonies of weeping over the Treedeath, and of rejoicing over the birth of nature-gods." worship, like all nature-worship is based upon the old belief in
;
154
life spoken of above. Trees and plants grow, " bleed when cut (sounds issuing from them sometimes when wounded), wither, become old and die. So they are credited with a life like that of man." The life, apparently locked up in the
all-present
tree during the long winter, bursts out in spring, in summer, in autumn, in bud, in leaf, in flower and fruit. The leaves and branches murmur in the zephyr, moan in the breeze, and shriek in the gale. Was not this all irrefutable evidence of an
indwelling spirit, that slept and awoke, that died and came to life again. Solitary-growing trees were held in great veneration by the old Irish under some of them their chiefs were inaugurated, or periodical games celebrated, and they were regarded with intense " there exists abundant evidence of the veneration, for fact," remarks W. F. Wakeman, " that in ante-Christian days natives of Erin, in common with those of the British Islands generally,
;
were wont to worship certain trees."

signifying a large tree, was the term used by the Irish describing sacred trees now anglicised bell and bellow trees, and absurd stories, founded on these designations, may be heard recounted of their origin. Tree worship was probably the same in Erin, as that practised elsewhere, and which Grant " I do not mean for a moment to assert, Allen sums up thus or even suggest, that every individual sacred tree grows, or ever grew, on the grave of a dead person, but I do mean to say that, as far as I can see, the notion of the sanctity of trees, or plants, could only have arisen, in the first place, from the reverence paid to trees or plants which actually sprang from the remains of the dead, and so were regarded like everything else that came out of the tomb as embodiments, or avatars, of the dead man's spirit." In the parish of Ockley, some graves had rosetrees at the head and foot, and it is stated that in former times the parishioners thought the soul of the deceased passed into the In the Scottish ballad of " Fair plant growing on the grave. " it is related, that after -their Margaret and Sweet William
Billa
when
death
" Out of her breast there sprang a rose, And out of his a briar They grew till they grew unto the church top, And there they tied in a true lover's knot."
;
The Pantheist
showed a readiness
probably not so far from the truth. St. Paul to meet the philosophic pantheism of the Greeks, whilst addressing them on Mars Hill, when he .said that in God " we live and move and have our being, as certain
is
also of your own poets have said, we are also His offspring." And, again, in writing to the Colossians, he says, God " is above
THE TREE
all things,
AN EMBLEM
;
OF LIFE.
155
and by Him all things consist." Nature seems everywhat was once thought special to where endowed with life animal life is now found to be common to it and to plant life, and there is a "series of fundamental correspondence between plant and animal which points to the merging of their apparent
differences in oue
common
" The by Mr. William Watson, entitled unknown God," is seemingly a plea for pantheism in it he introduces the pantheism which appears to permeate one of the newly discovered logia (placed in italics)
origin."
A poem
lately written
****"
" The God I know of, I shall ne'er Know, though He dwells exceeding nigh. liaise thou the stone and find me there,
Cleave thou the ivood
and
there
to
am
1,
Yea, in mj
flesh
His
spirit
doth flow,
Too
near, too far, for
me
know."
The idea of the tree as an emblem of life may be seen in a heraldic representation of the descent of a family from some remote ancestor; and Edward Clodd, F.R.A.S., utilises the same simile when he states that " The only true mode of presentment, both of the life that is, and that was, is that of a tree with short trunk, indicating the common origin of the living from the non-living, and divided into two trunks representing plants and animals respectively. From each of these start large branches representing classes, the larger branches giving off smaller branches representing families, and so on with smaller and smaller branches representing orders and genera until we come to leaves, as representing species, the height of the branch from which they are hanging indicating their place in the growth of the great life tree." The rowan or mountain ash is still popularly supposed, in country places, to have a peculiar virtue against the attacks of When the dairy-maid fairies, witches, or malign influences. churns for a long time without making butter, she will stir the cream with a twig of rowan, and strike the cow with another, thus breaking the witch's spell. Bishop Heber, in his " passed a fine tree of the Journey in India, states that he mimosa, resembling greatly, at a distance, the mountain ash. A sprig of this tree, worn in the turban or suspended over the
bed, is supposed to be a perfect security against all spells and ' the evil eye.' The superstition which, in the British Isles, attaches to the rowan tree is here applied to a tree of nearly similar form." According to all tradition the mountain ash was a favourite tree with the pagans, and with it are still associated many The old Irish believed that the first man popular superstitions.
156

first
woman from a mountain ash. endowed with mystic properties. On May Eve withes, made of the branches of the mountain ash, are tied round the horns of cows temporary hoops, formed in the same way, are placed round churns, as a spell to counteract the power of witches and fairies, always busily engaged before sunrise on May morning, in endeavouring to steal the butter of
sprang from an alder, the
Both
trees are still believed to be
poor hard-working farmers.

"
Some of its many properties are alluded to in the Dermod and Grania," where the eating of three of its
tale of berries,
fasting, in the morning, preserves from all diseases. Those thus feeding feel as it were the exhilaration of wine, and, however aged, become rejuvenescent, for the centenarian again resumes the prime of manhood. Many of its virtues have been already enumerated, but it may also be mentioned that crosses, formed of twigs of mountain ash, are still placed over the doors of the houses of the peasantry, attached to the thatch, as a protection against witchcraft and fairies.
The white-thorn, according

:
to
Aryan
tradition, sprang ori-
hence it acquired a wide reverence, ginally from the lightning and became invested with many supernatural properties. It was, The amongst other things, associated with marriage rites. Grecian bride was, and still is, decked with its blossoms, and the torch which lighted the Eoman bridal couple to their nuptial chamber on the wedding-eve was formed of its wood. " It is evident, therefore, that the white-thorn was considered a sacred tree long before Christian tradition identified it as forming the Crown of Thorns a mediaeval belief which further enhanced the It is not surprising, therefore, that the sanctity attached to it. Irish consider it unlucky to cut down this holy tree." When it grows alone near the banks of streams, or on forts, it is considered to be the haunt and peculiar abode of the fairies, and as such is not to be disturbed without risk, sooner or later, of personal danger to the person so offending. "Don't tamper with the 'lone bush is rustic warning everywhere in the remote parts of Ireland. From the custody of the fairies the thorn trees are sometimes " transferred to that of the saints. Skeagh Padrig," or " Patrick's an aged thorn growing out of a cleft in a Bush," rock, from under which a stream of water flows, is situated near Tinahely, in Wicklow. Devotees attended on the 4th of May, rounds were duly made about the well, and shreds were torn off their garments and hung on the thorn. One daring man, who had uprooted a few hawthorn bushes in a fairy circle, was found next morning paralysed in his bed. The fairies often visibly protect their property. A sacrilegious farmer, bent on clearing a large earthen fort from a well;
'
'
THE THORN THE ALDER
2 HE
WILLOW,
157
developed growth of bushwood, when proceeding to cut down the first bush, was politely entreated by a mamrikin to spare it, and to try the next. At the next bush he was encountered by another pigmy who repeated the same request. He was thus sent from bush to bush, and in the end was found wandering about the fort
quite distraught. first digs within
terrible
"
judgment
falls
fort," particularly
on the person who one on which these
bushes grow. Sir Walter Scott, with a mind imbued with Celtic thought, thus apostrophizes the thorn and other mystic trees
:
" Yon lonely thorn, would he could
tell
The changes
of his parent dell.

tell
Would he
could
A thousand mingled branches made How broad the shadows of the oak, How clung the rowan to the rock,
And through With narrow
how deep
the shade,
;
the foliage showed his head,

;
What
What
It is
leaves, and berries red pines on every mountain sprung, O'er every dell what birches hung, In every breeze what aspens shook,
alders shaded every brook
' '
both unlucky as well as dangerous to meddle with any During a severe winter a farmer cut off some branches from an alder that overshadowed an ancient holy well. Whilst thus engaged he happened to look towards his house and saw it in flames. Hastening home he found no appearance of fire, so he returned to his work of desecration, when again the flames rose high over his cottage, and again he hastened to extinguish the conflagration, but with the same result, all was safe at his home. Determined not to be disappointed a third time in procuring fire wood he returned to the tree, lopped off as much as he required from the sacred alder and carried the bundle home, when, to his dismay, he found his cottage was this time, in reality, burned to the ground. With us the willow is associated with the idea of sorrow and
tree regarded as sacred.
mourning, but, by the Irish, it was believed to possess the gift of To produce inspiring an uncontrollable inclination to dance. this effect a willow wand, pared to a quadrangular figure, having cut upon it some mysterious spells, and placed over the lintel of a door, caused all the inmates of the house incontinently to dance. The Irish scholar, O'Donovan, goes so far as to state that every place in Ireland bearing the name of Greece had originally
a sacred tree, of widely extending branches, planted for the purpose of inauguration, or to commemorate the death of some famous personage. Sacred fires were no doubt often kindled
'
158
under these trees, as there are many localities named Billatinny " or " sacred tree of the fire." or the " old
its
The sacred tree may be likened to the tree of Ygdrasil, with roots in Heaven, or to that tree whose hoary branches .Eneas saw at the entrance to Avernus
:
" Ulmus opaca, ingens, quam sedem Somnia volgo Vana tenere feient, foliisque sub omnibus haerent."*
Fig. 45 represents a sacred tree in the parish of Clenor, county Cork, generally known as Crann a India. It is a stunted ash, growing in a lofty, bleak situation, and has been estimated as not much over three centuries old. It is most probably a seedling or offshoot from the parent tree which it has replaced.
Sacred Tree
in
the parish of Clenor, County Cork. Reproduced from the of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society.
Journal
" and fuel must have been Although the tree is unprotected, exceedingly scarce in the locality, no turf-bog being nearer han *
" Full
in the midst a spreading
cast a
elm displayed
;
His aged arms, and
Each trembling
And
mighty shade with some light visions teems, leaves impregnated with airy dreams."
leaf
THE ASH TREE.

seven or eight miles,"
off.
159
still as much as a branch was never lopped There was also in the neighbourhood, in the townland of another tree sacred to St. Craeblmat but the treatment Killura, meted out to it was quite different from that accorded to Crann a
;
hulla.
The
no one who was in possession of the least portion of it could be drowned. Emigrants, far and near, accordingly provided themselves with chips or twigs, until at last the tree entirely disap" I have peared. This occurred about thirty years ago. not heard," " how this remarks Mr. James Byrne, M.R.C.S., legend arose that this tree possessed those but it is life-preserving powers very probable that St. Craeblmat had some extraordinary escape from drowning, or he rescued some drowning person." Fig. 46 depicts the remains of a huge ash called the Big Bell Tree, growing in the neighbourhood of Borrisokane, county Tipperary, as it appeared in the year 1833. At first sight it looks as if there were two
;
properties distinctive of the Killura tree were, that
separate trees, but it is in reality all that had sur-
vived of a trunk formerly

at
least
30
feet
in
cir-
It is tradicumference. tionally recorded that in whatever house the small-
est portion of this tree
burned
that
house
was was
ultimately also burned. " Fitzgerald, in his VesBig Hell Tree at Borrisokane, Co. Tipperary, as it appeared in the year 1833. Reproduced tit/L's and Relics of Youghal, from the Dublin Penny Journal. speaks of sacred trees. One, he mentions, stood at Crownahulla, or Anakisha, near Doneraile, the branches of which, it was asserted, could not be burned. The townland of Billa, in the parish of Ballysadare, and a locality called Crannmore, in the town of Sligo, probably both derived their name from some sacred tree. " " Honey tree is the remarkable designation of an old sycamore in the townland of Coollemoneen, parish of Killadoon, and is so It stands on a mound styled on the Ordnance Survey maps. surrounded by stones, some of which are so disposed as to simulate the form of a rude altar. Like many other and solitarygrowing trees, it has legends and traditions attached to it, some of which are yet current among old people in the neighbourhood. Another remarkable tree in the parish of Kilmacteige is styled
160
TREE WORSHIP HERBS
AND
MEDICINE.
" the fern tree." Dr. P. W. Joyce remarks that " one of the could achieve over their enemies greatest triumphs that a tribe was to cut down their inauguration tree, and no outrage was more keenly resented, and, when possible, visited with sharper
retribution."
Knowledge of the medicinal properties of the flowers, herbs and roots of the country,* was probably possessed by the Druids to a greater extent than is generally supposed, and weapons poisoned
with vegetable decoctions were,
it is alleged, employed. Keating, in his fabulous History of Ireland, recounts how, many centuries before the Christian Era, a king of Leinster, hardly pressed by enemies armed with poisoned weapons, consulted his Druid, who
have a magical bath prepared before the next were wounded they were plunged into the caldron, from which they emerged perfectly cured. Again in the third century, in the days of Corniac
counselled
battle.
him
to
As
fast as the king's warriors
Mac
" weapon, and from possessing it he was styled Aengus of the In an Irish MS. entitled " The Adventures of poison spear." Seven Irish Champions in the East," the Sea-God Mananan Mac Lir is represented as instructing Cuchullin in the use of a sting extracted from a piast or serpent that infested a certain lake, and this myth would appear to have some bearing on the
use of poisoned weapons in Ireland. In The Dialogue of the Safies, a tract in the Book of Lismore, there are several passages referring to the use of these deadly " arms for instance, a warrior possessed a lucky poisoned spear," the venom with which it was coated being of such fatal character that it never wounded a person who did not immediately die of the effects of the poison. The large average size of Irish flint arrowheads militates The size against the supposition of their having been poisoned. of arrowheads gives a faint indication towards the solution of the question, for if missiles are diminutive (a few might have been fabricated, say for killing small birds) and are found in abundance, there is the more likelihood of their having been originally envenomed. A heavy weapon launched by the hand, or by a powerful bow or slinging stick, would stop a wounded man or animal by its mere weight, and the shock occasioned by it ; whilst the lighter and less effective missile would require some other
;
Art, a Leinster chief
named Aengus owned
a celebrated
agent to render
it
effective.
times dyes for colouring homespuns were obtained from indigenous Ibe ragweed gives a yellow dye, whilst heather and water-lily roots brown and dark colours. yield
plants.
Iii later
THE PRIMITIVE SURGEON AND PHYSICIAN.
161
The primitive surgeon and physician were of the most rough and ready type, If the patient was bruised or wounded, the part affected was rubbed or sucked. Hence "massage" was one of the very earliest modes of treatment of painful affections. If you "bark" your shin, you mechanically commence rubbing the part affected, unconsciously practising primitive "massage" By slow degrees the budding Esculapius learned that it was better
for his patient to lose a limb than for him to die in trying to retain it. Trepanning was actually practised in the Neolithic ages, and if it was performed with the object of freeing an imaginary demon which held possession of the subject where the modern operator lectures on the effects of pressure or of the 'presence of bacteria, the difference is, after all, mainly one of terms. Long words do not create new diseases, neither do they create new panaceas. The use of poisons and the science of medicine, in their earliest professional stages, are closely connected with religion. The most eminent and successful cultivators of these sciences, in various countries, were, in ancient times, after their decease, raised to the rank of divinities by their grateful admirers. It was so in the case of Esculapius, Chiron, and the Irish Dianket. To the disciples of the latter belonged, in late pagan times, the carefully elaborated machinery of oracles, omens, auguries, exorcisms, dream-interpretations, visions, as well as the knowledge of the qualities of plants useful for medicinal purposes, the
proper times and seasons for collecting them, together with all the ritual ceremonies proper to their use and application. " To the " medicine man of America we owe the discovery of " the properties of many drugs. An American "medicine man has some knowledge of human and animal anatomy, and an Irish Druid was probably equally skilled. Simple ailments are relieved, as was the case formerly in Ireland, by the heat of the " sweat-house." Irish sweat-houses were of two kinds, the permanent erections built of stone in bee-hive form, and those formed merely of wattles and scraws. The hot-air bath, now-a-days designated the " Turkish Bath," itself but a degenerated imitation of the luxurious edifices of ancient Greece and Imperial Kome, was in common use amongst the ancient Irish, and lingered on until the middle of the nineteenth The late Professor H. Hennessy, F.R.S., states that century. what are called " Turkish " baths in Ireland and Great Britain " baths in are styled " Roman-Irish Germany and Bohemia. He saw baths designated lidmischc-lrische Bader in the year 1879 at In Ireland, a small, miPrague, as well as at Nuremburg. cemented stone structure, erected for the purpose of being utilized
VOL.
II.
162
TREE WORSHIP HERBS

a
AND
MEDICINE.
by the natives Teach-an-alais, "sweat-house"; many of them yet remain (fig. 47). They were generally of beehive shape, covered with clay, and having a low entrance. The manner of heating the chamber appears to have consisted in filling it with turf, igniting the fuel, and when consumed, the ashes were cleared out, and as soon as the floor and sides of the interior had sufficiently cooled down, the floor was strewed with green rushes the person or persons intending to take the bath entered the heated chamber, and the door was closed by means of a temporary screen. This hot-air bath was
as a hot-air bath, is designated
i.e.
;
used down to recent times, not only for pleasure, but also as a cure for rheumatism, for which latter purpose it would seem to have been eminently successful. In some cases it is stated that a pool of fresh water, if in the immediate vicinity, was utilized as a plunge-bath for the perspiring bather who, having remained in the heated interior as long as practicable, would then cool himself in the water, and again return.
much
FIG. 47.
"Sweat-house," Island of Inishmurraj'. Reproduced from the Journal of the present Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
Mr. S. F. Milligan, M.R.I.A., writing on the ancient Irish hot" Up to comparatively recent times the hot-air bath was known over many parts of this country as a cure for rheumatism. In the localities where the English and Scottish settlers were in the the majority it fell into disuse but
air bath, states
:
amongst
Irish-speaking inhabitants its value was fully known and apWhilst exploring the country lying between Blackpreciated." lion, county Cavan, and the borders of Leitrim, he accidentally discovered a " sweat-house," and inquiry elicited the information that it had been frequently used by people suffering from rheumatism, and but two weeks previously to his visit it had been occupied by people who had come from some distance for the
S WEA 7 -HO USES.

;
163
there was another similar structure in the towncure (fig. 48) land of Toani, about three miles distant. In the village of Cappagh, near Pomeroy, in the Highlands of Tyrone, an old man remembers a sweat-house in constant use, in which he took baths himself. In this place a tank was attached to the sweat-house, about five feet in depth, into which the person plunged after leaving it. Several dips into this pool, followed by a good rubbing, was the mode adopted. Near Maghera, county Derry, Mr. Milligan found another " sweat-house " situated in a secluded glen off the ordinary track and locally known as the "sweat-house" even by people who had no knowledge of its original use. There is a small hole in the roof, into which a stone fits like a cork into a bottle. This
FIG. 48.
Sweat-house," in the neighbourhood of Blacklion, County Cavan. Reproduced from the Joutnaloiihe present Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
"
stone can be taken out when the fire is lighted, and replaced when the interior is heated, and free from smoke. There were five stone seats placed around inside, on which sods were placed. At a short distance outside there is a pool of water forming an In the county Monaghan, people still excellent plunge bath. "A number of take the hot-air bath in the following manner: bricks are heated to redness in the fire; they are then placed under a creel the person who wants to induce perspiration sits on it, with a pair of blankets fastened round his neck enclosing all a good sweat is procured in this way." Special herbs were put under the creel, in some places, to give the patient the benefits
; ;
of inhalation
and fumigation.
164
TREE WORSHIP HERBS
AND
MEDICINE.
:
Mr. Patrick Shields, of Altmore Lodge, county Tyrone, gives the following interesting information regarding sweat-houses He states that they were common up to fifty years ago. The last remaining one has not been used for twenty years, and the ruins have now almost disappeared. Fifty years ago there was
one in a glen near Altmore Chapel, to which people came to get cured of rheumatism. It Avas built like a beehive, seven feet wide and seven feet high and was roofed with large flags, exThe door, four feet high, cept a very small opening on the top. was closed by a stone flag kept for the purpose.
;
Fio. 49.
Sweat-House
at Assaroe, Ballyshannon.
Series).
Reproduced from the Ulster Journal of Archaeology (Second
coals, ashes, &c.,
"It was heated by fires of turf; when sufficiently hot, the were removed, and some cool thing such as
upon.
sods, rushes, or stones put in for the person or persons to stand When men used it as many as six or eight stripped off and
went
little
openings were closed except what afforded a person remained outside to attend to these matters. When they could suffer the heat no longer, the flag was removed, and they came out and plunged into a pool of water within a yard or two of the sweat-house, where they washed, got well rubbed, and put on their clothes. In case of women, they
in, all
when
ventilation.
put on a bathing dress whilst using the bath, and generally omitted the plunge or cold bath. People had to be careful not to lean against the walls inside, otherwise they would get
.V
WE A T-HO USES.
165
The plunge pool was always used here. The conwas a cooper. He once come to me on crutches, having contracted rheumatism from lying on a damp bed. After four sweats he was quite well again, and continued so until his death which took place fifteen years ago. This was the last one used in this part of the country. My father remembers when there were three or four of them in the immediate vicinity. One was in a glen where I had a plantation. A stream of water runs through this glen, and on either side are rocks. The rock formed one half of the structure, either shaped by nature or by excavaThe front was built up with stones no mortar was used tion.
burned
structor
;
Sweat-House at Kinlough, Co. Leitrim. Reproduced from the Ulster Journal of Archaology (Second
it
Series).
was partly covered by the rock itself, and partly by flags, and The stream was heated by burning heather and brambles in it. was dammed up, and formed the bath."
A sweat-house at Assaroe, near Ballyshannon, described by Mr. F. W. Lockwood, was built on a somewhat smaller scale than the foregoing. In plan it is an irregular circle, having an
inside diameter of a little over three feet with a height of six feet. The structure, covered with elder bushes and ivy, bears the on the stones in appearance of age (fig. 49). Water was poured when heated, thus converting it into a vapour- as well the inside, as a sweat-bath. Another sweat-house at Brookhill, a mile from the village of has an internal diameter of Lei trim
Kinlough, county
(fig.
50),
166
TREE WORSHIP HERBS
AND
MEDICINE.
four feet and a height of six feet. There is a small rivulet close at hand. Access to both structures was had by small creep-openings, with sloping jambs, about one foot seven inches in height by one foot ten inches in breadth. Sweat-houses excavated in the ground or in banks of turf
have long ago disappeared.

his account of the parish of Errigalin the county of Tyrone, written at the commencement Keroge, of the nineteenth century, states " Among the mountains the country people make use of
The Rev. John Groves, in
sweating-houses in several cases of sickness. These small hovels are partly scooped out of the side of a hill, and finished with rods, In one of them, when heated like with a very small entrance. an oven with charred turf, the patient stretches himself upon some straw, and the entrance is closed up. He there lies in a state of violent perspiration, caused by the close heat, so long as This operation is, as usual, he or his physician thinks proper. among the ignorant, considered a sovereign remedy against almost every disorder, but is chiefly used for rheumatic pains." Another site in the county Tyrone is described as excavated out of a bank of turf, five feet high by five feet wide, with a The opening was closed with a bundle of heather, flagged floor.
dog-grass,
and
ferns.
Russian baths, as used by the peasantry, bear a close resemblance to the Irish method. They usually consist of wooden houses situated, if possible, by the side of a running stream. In the bath-room is a large vaulted oven which, when heated, makes
the paving-stones lying upon it red hot, and adjoining to the oven is a kettle fixed in masonry for the purpose of holding boiling water. The heat in the bath-room may be much increased by throwing water on the hot stones in the chamber of the oven. The Russian baths, therefore, are also vapour baths and it appears as if most of the tribes of American Indians are acquainted with this plan. Lewis and Clarke, in their voyage up the Missouri, observed a vapour bath-house consisting of a hollow square about eight feet deep, formed in the river-bank, by damming up with mud the other three sides, and covering the whole completely except an aperture at the top about two feet wide. The bathers, taking with them a number of heated stones and jugs of water, descend by this hole, and, after seating themselves round the room, place the stones in the centre and throw water on^them until the steam becomes of a temperature suffi;
ciently high for their purpose.
The sweat-lodge
almost universal
' '
,
among Indian
tribes
is,
.
like the Irish "sweat-house
When
usually built on the margin of a stream the Indians bathe in the steam rising from water sprinkled
MEDICINE MEN.
167
upon the heated stones, they generally sing religious songs, for the bath seems to be a semi-religious act of purification, as both danger and disease are believed to be averted through its agency. In diseases of a graver type the "medicine man" falls back
his power as an exorcist. With drum, rattle, and chant, he seeks to expel from the sick man the malignant spirit which has seized upon him, and in one form the drum is still employed with us in religious ceremonies, in the use of that drum of metal now styled a bell.* The seat of pain is then ascertained by the " medicine man," and the after-treatment exactly resembles that of the present Irish herb-doctor." Suction acts as cupping relieves congestion. The Irish " medicine man " sucks the spot affected by the pain with such severity as to raise blisters, and these often, by the counter-irritation so excited, effect a cure but if this fails, he next pretends to spit out of his mouth frogs, thorns, stones, or anything the credulity of the sick man or his friends may accept as the origin of the disease. For inflammation in the head, severe counter-irritation on the crown of the head has long been used and with great success by Irish "medicine men." The head is shaved, and a plaster
upon
Treatment applied, which is left on till a blister rises. counter-irritation has, however, always been much employed
the medical profession.
by by
A Statistical Account of the Union of Kilrush, written by " the Kev. John Graham in the year 1815, states that quack doctors abounded in all directions who, beginning their operations on swine, cows, and horses, proceeded in their medical career, from drawing teeth and boiling herbs, to the more arduous tasks of reducing ruptures, amputating limbs, and managing fevers. Such practitioners could not fail to find abundant employment, creating it as they went along, and often disseminating One of this variolous infection of the very worst description. lion-hearted tribe was known in the year 1802 to adopt an He was called to the relief of Alexander the Great.
;
experiment
when, finding some difficulty in an inguinal hernia, he cut the Gordian-knot, and gave reducing his patient a summary discharge from the troubles of this
of a labourer in Carnacolla,
life."
From a pagan, as also from a Christian point of view, the lunatic or idiot was regarded as one whose body had become the abode of an evil spirit, or the temporary home of a god. In the first instance, the only cure was to frighten the demon away by
* The use of bells is not a custom of the early or mediaeval church, but in of vol. i., p. 197) very ancient date. It was adopted from heathendom (see ante, into Christendom, though afterwards rejected by Mahomed.
168
TREE WORSHIP HERBS
AND
MEDICINE.
as portentous exorcisms, in the second instance with every uncivilized race all the world over the idiot was would no regarded with reverential awe, and the country people more think of intentionally maltreating such, than they would of injuring a little child, owing to the deep-rooted belief that and irresponsible simpletons or idiots are in close contact with, under the direct protection of God and the saints. In this there Yet with all is a striking point of similarity to oriental custom. their reverence for the idiot they seldom refrained, should occasion arise, from perpetrating a practical joke on such a one, care being, however, taken to avoid injuring the subject of their
torture or
wit. to paganism, with its concomitant and Christianity with its madmen formerly caged and treated like wild beasts, modern science takes up a humane It regards madness as a mere form of brain disease, standpoint. and it its victims as objects for compassion, not for persecution considers gentle treatment far more likely, than harsh treatment, to effect restoration of reason. Many traces of the old rough and ready method yet survive. A person suffering from an ulcerated sore throat is taken, by the country people, by the two ears until the operators " shake the devil out of him." Governor Eyre, in his work on Australia, describes a similar performance, by native
In
contradistinction
cruelty,
man" or witch-doctor, were expensive operations, as a plentiful supply of whiskey was always administered as well to the adept as to the spectators. Lady Wilde thus describes the performances " When any person in the village showed signs of madness this man (the witch-doctor) was sent for, and after a good pull at the whiskey, the caster-out of devils began his exorcism by pouring forth a torrent of gibberish in a loud voice, which he called Latin prayers, while at the same time he dashed holy water all over the room and the patient. Then, taking a stout blackthorn stick, he proceeded to thrash the demented person most vigorously, the patient being held firmly all the time by three or four of the friends or neighbours. When the poor victim was half stupefied, and unable even to yell any longer, the operator announced that the devil had gone out of him but as the evil
:
sorcerers, in attempting the cure of this ailment. Exorcisms and incantations by an Irish "medicine
lurking somewhere about, he must be expelled by force or magic. Whereupon he commenced to whirl the blackthorn stick round in all directions, striking everything animate and inanimate, that lay in his way, as if crazed with fury especially beating the doors, by which he said the devil might escape, and he was determined to have a good blow at him and all the time, during the process of beating, he kept on respirit
still
; ;
was
WITCH DOCTORS.
efforts at
' '
169
A young man named Davy Flynn became suddenly raving mad, or elf-stricken, as the people say, and the great witch -man of the place was sent for one Sunday morning in all He found him bound hand and foot, and foaming at the haste. mouth, while five or six strong men were trying to hold him down and a great crowd was gathered round the door, who declared that the wretched man was not Davy Flynn at all, the handsome Davy, once the pride of the village for beauty and So the #ttength, but a fairy demon who had taken his shape.
common.
;
citing the gibberish Latin, in a loud strong voice, fortifying his exorcism by frequent appeals to the whiskey jar. singular case of attempted cure took place lately in Ros-
witch-man having examined him, and performed sundry strange rites and invocations, pronounced his opinion that the lunatic was certainly not Davy Flynn, but an old French charger, belonging to a French general, who came to Ireland long ago in the times of the troubles, and to keep the real man alive, who was now in fairyland, the substitute must be well fed with the
proper food for a horse. " On hearing this, the friends ran for a sheaf of oats and crammed the straw down the wretched maniac's throat, after which the exorcist prepared for his mortal combat with the devil, aided of course by the poteen, five kegs of which were brought in for the general strengthening of the company. " The operator first tied a white apron over his shoulders, then, with a wave of the hand in the form of a cross, he commanded silence. After which, he began the invocation by a volley of gibberish Latin, thundered forth between the occasional draughts of whiskey, while poor Davy had only a bucket of cold water thrown on his head, to which he responded by terrible
cries.
work, and one of them which held the supposed French charger, while the witch -man was busy over the poteen. if ho Davy, thus finding himself free, sprang at the doctor as would tear him to pieces, on which a panic seized the crowd, who rushed from the house, the witch-man following, while the At maniac leaped after them with hideous yells and curses. the maniac was secured and tied down by a strong rope length
last the people got tired of the
" At
secretly cut the cord of the halter,
till
the magistrate arrived,
common
who ordered him off to the RosLunatic Asylum, whither he was at once taken, and
where he eventually
died, to the great relief of his friends, believed that he was the old French charger, and that till really the death of the demon-substitute, poor Davy had no chance of being relieved from the bondage he was under in fairy land."
who
170
TREE WORSHIP HERBS
AND
MEDICINE.
As already stated* there is a valley in Kerry styled Glennagalt, the Glen of the Lunatics, and it is believed that madmen, no matter how far from the locality they live, would, if left to themi.e.
wrote Dr. C. Smith in 1756, Why " rather than any other should be frequented by lunatics, nobody can pretend to ascertain any rational cause, and yet no one truth is more firmly credited here by the common people than this
impertinent fable." He, however, says that having regard to the appearance of these desolate glens and mountains, none but madmen would dare venture into them. On the other hand a visitor to this valley in 1845 writes "We went to see Glennagalt, or the 'Madman's Glen,' the place, as our guide sagely assured us, to which all the mad people in After pursuing for the world would face if they could get loose. miles our romantic route we came to the highest part of the road and turned a hill which completely shut out Glen Inch; and lo before us lay a lovely valley, sweeping down through noble hills to Brandon Bay. The peak of the mighty Brandon himself ended one ridge of the boundary, while high, though less majestic mountains formed the other and this valley so rich and fertile, so gay with cornfields, brown meadows, potato gardens, and the brilliant green of the flax, so varied and so beautiful in the bright Madman's mingling of Nature's skilful husbandry, was the
:
selves, find their way to the Glen. " " this place (Glennagalt),
'
Glen.' I felt amazed and bewildered, for I had expected to see a gloomy solitude, with horrid crags and gloomy precipices. Not
at all
since
the finest and richest valley which has greeted my eyes we entered the Highlands of Kerry is this smiling, soft,
;
and
We took our leave of fair Glennagalt, and assuredly if any aspect of external nature could work such a blessed change, the repose, peace, and plenty of this charming valley would restore the unsettled brain of a poor unfortunate."
The late Professor Eugene O'Curry, in his work on the Manners and Customs of the Ancient Irish, published in 1873, makes no reference to madness, idiocy, or possession. He refers to a sort of witchcraft under the head of divination, where he gives an instance of a trance produced by magical arts of the mad rage of the hero, and of how, in the midst of that rage, he was caught, as it were, by the hands and feet, through Druidical
;
"
lovely.
incantations.
But few
will agree
with Dry den, that
" There
is a pleasure in being mad Which none but madmen know ";
Vol.
i.,
p. 357.
See also p. 356, Aynia, the Goddess of the insane.
ST.
FILLAWS WELL.
171
but we should. have a fellow-feeling for the insane; for does not the poet state that every body is more or less mad, and the experience of two thousand years has not altered the aphorism of the Eoman satirist
:
" Quisnam
igitur sanus
?
Stultus et insanus.
Continue sanus
qui non stultus. ? si quis non Miuiine. . ."

?
Quid avarus
sit
Quid
avarus
very night bound to the holy stone in confidence that the saint would cure and unloose them before morning." Sir Walter Scott alludes to this practice in
late occurrence lunatics
SL Fillan was a Scottish saint of great reputation, and it is stated that, though the surrounding population is Protestant, yet the country people retain some of the superstitions connected wfilh the wells which bear his name, and there are in Perthshire several dedicated to him still much frequented. These springs " are held powerful in cases of madness, and in instances of
have been
left all
Marmion
"
St. Fillan's
Messed well,
dispel,
Whose spring can frenzied dreams And the crazed brain restore."
"Mr. A. W. Buckland, in Anthropological Studies, states that a curious use of St. Fillan's bell for the cure of madness was long employed in Scotland. It would appear that the bell (belonging to the Monastery of Glendochart) was left for generations in the " at the end of the open air on a tombstone, but eighteenth it suddenly disappeared, and was at last found in the century house of an English gentleman in Hertfordshire, who had written in his diary his reasons for taking it away, which are quaint enough. He said that in August, 1790, he rode from Tyndrum to the holy pool of Strathfillan, which, towards the end of the first quarter of the moon, was resorted to by crowds of the neighbouring peasantry, who expected to be cured of their diseases by bathing in it. Amongst those he saw was an unfortunate girl out of her mind who had been brought there for
moons without effect. When mad people were bathed they were thrown in with a rope tied round them, after which they were taken to St. Fillan's Church and placed in a stone trough (probably a coffin) in the open churchyard, and fastened down to a wooden framework and there left for a whole night with a covering of hay over them, and St. Fillan's bell placed over their head. If they were found loose in the morning the I was told,' he says, saint was supposed to be propitious. 'that wherever this bell was removed it always returned to a particular spot in the churchyard before morning,' so in order to test the truth of the story he carried it off to England, and
several
'
172
TREE WORSHIP HERBS
AND
MEDICINE.
accustomed
we suppose the distance presented an insuperable barrier to its nocturnal peregrinations, for it remained in this
gentleman's house for seventy years."
Down to the close of the eighteenth century, deeply-rooted belief in the reality of witchcraft was universal, and obtained in Christendom and heathendom alike whole hecatombs of victims
;
were
at the altar of a superstition which now only exists, as an established institution, amongst some of the most degraded tribes of Africa. In the old and the new world alike, persecution was based on texts of Scripture which asserted, or rather
sacrificed
were alleged to assert, the existence of the power of witchcraft, and contained an imperative command for the extirpation of old, or sometimes young and beautiful women. Witchcraft and supposed demoniacal possession are complementary ideas. The treatment of supposed witches was even more cruel than the treatment of lunatics, and in this persecution all sects of Christians outvied with each other in the grossest cruelties, but now, as the late Professor T. H. Huxley remarks "The phraseology of supernaturalism may remain on men's lips, but in practice they are naturalists. The magistrate who listens with devout attention to the precept, Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live,' on Sunday; on Monday
:
'
dismisses, as intrinsically absurd, a charge of bewitching a cow brought against some old woman the superintendent of a lunatic asylum who substituted exorcism for rational modes of treatment would have but a short tenure of office." The Act against witchcraft for the United Kingdom was only repealed in the year 1736, and its cancelling was regarded by many religious people with serious misgivings. John Wesley, in 1768, enters in his journal that "the giving up witchcraft is in effect giving up the Bible.""If the value of the Bible really
;
* Having quoted from Wesley's belief in "Witchcraft, it may be as well to give the context, i.e. his confession, in full. He writes: "It is true that the English in general, and indeed most of the men in Europe, have given up all accounts of witches and apparitions as mere old wives' fables. I am sorry for it, and I willingly take this opportunity of entering my solemn protest against this violent compliment which so many "that believe the Bible pay to those who do not believe it. " I owe them no such service. I take knowledge these are at the bottom of the outcry which has been raised, and with such insolence spread throughout the nation, in direct opposition, not only to the Bible, but to the suffrage of the wisest and the best of men in all ages and nations. " They well know, whether Christians know it or not, that the giving up witchcraft is, in effect, giving up the Bible. And they know, on the other hand, that if but one account of the intercourse of men with separate spirits be admitted, their whole castle in the air deism, atheism, materialism falls to the ground. I know no reason, therefore, why we should suffer even this weapon to be wrested out of our hands. Indeed, there are numerous arguments besides which abundantly confute their vain imaginations but we need not bo hooted out of one neither reason nor religion requires this."
_
WITCHCRAFT TREATMENT OF WITCHES.

errors,
173
depended, in any degree, on belief in witchcraft and its concomitant it would, perhaps, in that unlikely case, be better to give up the Bible. Sir T. Browne believed in witches, and helped to swear away the lives of some, as an " expert. "* Yet he wrote a " very learned work on Vulgar Errors," and a very learned and
logical one, too
!
In the year 1578, Sir William Drury, Lord Deputy of Ireland, when in Kilkenny, ordered thirty-six criminals to be executed, of whom "two were witches and condemned by the law of nature, for there was no positive law against witchcraft in those days." Sir Eichard Cox, who mentions this occurrence, had been Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and it would appear that he really believed tffat these two unfortunate persons who were executed were
actually guilty of witchcraft. The benefit which modern education has conferred, in freeing the majority of the people from the bondage of old ideas, can only be properly appreciated when the fatal consequences of beliefs in ancient superstitions in Ireland are brought to the light of day. Notwithstanding the sympathy which the fate of so numerous an array of unfortunate victims is calculated to excite, it must not be forgotten that, although the vast majority were innocent of any offence against the law of the land, yet that some of these persons were in the habit of boasting of their supposed art in order the more readily to extract from their dupes whatever they desired, and in a few instances they were vendors of poison, furnishing their customers with the means of gratifying either their avarice or their revenge. Ireland has had a liberal quota of troubles, but very few pro-
ceeded from witch-finding and witch-burning on a large scale. There have been but slight innovations in the rites of sorcery, the gradual evolution from paganism to modern Christianity having caused but little change. As evidence of this it will be sufficient to quote the ceremonies which Lady Alice Kyteler of Kilkenny, her son William, and their accomplices, were alleged to have employed about the year 1500. Lady Alice Kyteler was accused of sweeping the dust of the street to the threshold of her son, muttering this charm the while " To the house of William, my son,
:
llie all the
wealth of Kilkenny town."
Lady Alice and her accomplices were also accused of renouncin which time they ing the Christian faith during certain periods, would not attend Mass, say a prayer, or discharge any religious
* and their evidence, nowadays appreciate at their true value experts for accordingly. given, in most cases, as it is wanted and paid
We
174
TREE WORSHIP HERBS

They were accused
the
AND
MEDICINE.
employing it against sundry parties to whom they bore ill-will. They were accused of sacrificing to demons the intestines of cocks, mingled with worms, baleful herbs, nails, the hair of dead men, and the clothes and portions of the bodies of unbaptized children, and of having boiled these and other ingredients in the skull of an executed criminal. They had also compounded magic powders and magic candles from hellish mixtures, to excite love in some and procure lingering death in others. Lady Alice, especially, had held conferences with the beforementioned devil of low degree, when he appeared to her in the She also shapes of a black cat, a black dog, and a black man. had sacrificed to him at a certain stone bridge, nine red cocks, and nine peacocks' eyes and on more than one occasion she had anointed a coulter, and performed long aerial journeys on it. Lady Alice very wisely managed to escape to England her son William, a man of influence, submitted to imprisonment but one of her alleged accomplices, poor Petronella, was burnt, it is probable that she conafter having been flogged six times
; ;
;
of killing certain animals, and of dissevered portions about at cross-roads, as an flinging They were offering or sacrifice to a devil of very low degree. accused of mimicking the ceremony of excommunication and
function.
fessed to being present at the magic rites, to escape a repetition of fresh torture. The trial of eight women for witchcraft occurred so late as
the year 1711, at Carrickfergus. These women were accused, by a young girl of eighteen years of age, of having attempted her life by means of hellish spells. One judge gave it as his opinion,
;
" that the jury could not bring them in guilty upon the sole testimony of the afflicted person's visionary images" but from this the other judge dissented, and thought " the jury might, from the evidence, bring them in guilty," which they promptly
did.
At the commencement of the nineteenth century one of these " witches, or fairy women," lived near Eed Hills, in Kildare. to the Eev. John O'Hanlon, " her reputation as a According possessor of supernatural knowledge and divination drew crowds of distant visitors to her daily, and from the most remote parts of Ireland. In various instances they were furnished with a
bottle containing
return
bottle
some supposed curative liquid, and directed to homewards without falling asleep on their journey. This was filled with water, darkly coloured by a decoction of
herbs, gathered with certain incantations near a rath that afforded the customary materia medico, of fairy doctors for the cure of a special disease, on which consultation was required.
The most accomplished and
skilful
member
of the medical faculty
WITCHCRAFT TREATMENT OF WITCHES.
175
seldom received a more remunerative fee for his services on behalf of a patient, than the wise woman of the Eed Hills pocketed from her credulous dupes. At one time a young woman had been directed to return with the magic draught to her sick relative's house, she was especially cautioned to keep her eyes open along the way overcome with fatigue, however, and
;
bably feverish with anxiety and excitement, the young person was obliged to rest by the roadside. Wearied nature soon began to claim her usual requirement of balmy sleep.' No sooner had the girl dozed off into dreamy unconsciousness, than one of the ugliest beings imagination had ever created appeared to her disordered fancies and with wrinkled visage, the spectre seemed ready to clutch her in his extended arms. With a loud scream she bounded to her feet, and through terror would doubtless have left the curative potion behind, had she not already taken the The rude monitor precaution of securing it within her bosom. of her obligation was supposed to have been a friend among the sheeogues. I knew the person thus supposed to have been warned, and who, in old age, related this adventure. After the death of Moll Anthony her daughter followed the same profession, but never enjoyed a like celebrity." Towards the commencement of the nineteenth century the Eev. John O'Hanloii had also the opportunity of witnessing the mysterious quackery practised by a noted sheeoyue or " fairy doctor," known as " Paddy the Dash," and sometimes as " Paddy the Cow Doctor." He was believed to hold friendly intercourse with the He received his fairies, as his cabin adjoined one of their raths. " cognomen of The Dash," from a peculiar stammering or defect in articulation, that obliged him to jerk out words at irregular
'
pro-
intervals, accompanied by violent gesticulations. Paddy's process of treatment was considered desirable in the case of an old woman, who had fallen into decline, and some of Paddy's young friends were, by especial favour, admitted to the patient's
chamber
to observe operations.
at the time,
and have only an
were but wee-bit bodies,' indistinct recollection of Paddy
"
We
'
drawing out of his cota more pocket a large black bottle, with two or three packages of brown paper, containing dried herbs and a bunch of boughelaunu or boliauns, on which the fairies are The herbs and tops of said to ride occasionally through the air. the boughelawns were put in a porringer filled with water, that had been left simmering on the kitchen fire afterwards followed
;
woman, then some and forehead with three shakes. Holy water had, I think, been used during this sort of necromancy, and sprinkled on the sick person. The patient's face, hands, and feet were finally bathed with the warm mixture contained iu
some unaccountable
strokes on her back
flourishes over the sick
.
. .
a porringer."
176
TREE WORSHIP HERBS

district,
AND
MEDICINE.
some old hag, who half believed in line like dealer in charms Children were brought to her to bathe the credulity she excited.
their eyes with concoctions, and to fasten slips of witch-hazel round their necks, so that the evil eye could not rest on them. the dew she gathered on May morning, in Maidens
Formerly every
almost every village, had some sybil-
purchased
"
collect themselves. preference to any they could
The
fair maid who, the first of May, Goes to the Meld at break of day, And washes in dew from the hawthorn Will ever after handsome be."
tree,
Young women about

would apply
for
to
become mothers
;
for the
first
time,
charms
to keep the fairies
away
for the nine
days after the birth of the infant and people going on journeys bought charms against the powers of the air, of the water, of the
earth,
of the fire until their return home. stock in trade of a witch, or wise woman, who pursued her calling at the commencement of the nineteenth century on the lines " herb doctors " or " medicine men," a class of quacks practised by who, however, in most cases really believe in the efficacy of their charms) may be thus described Over her cabin door a horse-shoe Beneath the salt -box is a bottle of holy water is nailed for luck. for crickets are to keep the place purified and to ward off crickets the supposed harbingers of bad luck, and one should never kill them as their comrades will avenge their death by eating the woollen clothes.* A bunch of fairy flax lies on the top of the saltbox sown into the folds of the wise woman's scapular is a fourleaved shamrock, an invaluable specific for rendering fairies visible to the human eye. Over the door, over the beds, over the cattle in the byre hang branches of withered yew, and when the cows calve the wise woman ties a red woollen thread about their " elf shot " tails to protect them from being either overlooked or the fairies, who, as we have seen, possess a peculiar power by over females, of every species, during the period of parturition. In the garden grow house-leeks a specific for sore eyes
and
The
tansy, rosenoble, Solomon's Seal, bugloss, bogbane, and numerous other herbs, each for some medicinal purpose, and various charms
* As early as possible on the morning of the feast of St. Fintan (3rd January) housekeepers appear to have been absolved from this prohibitioii, and were in the habit of performing a very practical exorcism against crickets. This consisted in pouring boiling water into the holes and crevices frequented by them, whilst repeating the couplet
" If you have come for luck,"stay
If not, I
;
warn you away
WISE WOMEN.
for toothache, headache, for
Ill
removing warts and taking motes out of the eye. Many condiments are kept in stock. Seal oil for sprains and rheumatism, the tongue of a fox for a poultice to extract thorns, needles, &c., dandelion for liver complaints, eomfrey as a styptic, samphire boiled in milk for heartburn; its leaves are also employed in urinary diseases. This use is not peculiar to Irish "physicians," for we find mention of it in many ancient writers. Bryony, with its scarlet berries, sometimes mistaken for red currants, produces death in a most painful form. There was also another plant kept in stock whose English
name
'
sufficiently indicates its deleterious qualities
" Fair
Lut by the smell Unprized, the henbane's straw-ting'd hell With danger pregnant."
to the sight,
mistaken for parsnips, and are eaten breaking in two the stalk of the common crowfoot, milky juice will be observed to hang on the upper part of the stem. If this be dropped on a wart by the wise woman, the wart will fall off. Bags or wool steeped in nettle juice and put up the nostrils stay bleeding at the nose, where all other remedies have failed, even including the application of the key of the front door to the nape of the neck. (The cold of the iron generally effecting a cure.) A "wise woman" would also have
Its roots are liable to be
with fatal results.
On
belladonna, heartsease, ground ivy, or mountain sage for palpitations or for coughs, bog bark or parsley boiled in milk for gravel, nettles with ginger, for wind in the stomach, horehound as an expectorant, mullein as a cough mixture, ivy leaves for a scald
head, and furze tops, broom and carageen moss combined for a cough mixture so there was within easy reach a good pharmacopoeia. One need not laugh at this pharmacopoeia, for some herbs and some of the treatment would really have had the effect desired, and until a comparatively recent period the system of The medicine was a vast farrago of empirical absurdities. favourite Court physician to three kings, James I., Charles I., He preand Charles II., administered fearful abominations. scribed pulverised human bones in great quantity his celebrated " " gout powder contained raspings from a human skull, but his sweetest composition was "balsalm of bats," into which entered bats, adders, sucking-whelps, earth worms, hog's grease, the marrow of a stag, and the thigh bone of an ox. It must be honestly admitted that many of these old medical superstitions and medical treatments before enumerated have some justification, though not always that advanced by their It is an undoubted fact that the mind exercises practitioners.
; ;
VOL.
II.
178
TREE WORSHIP HERBS
AND
MEDICINE.
bodily the only merit of a plant lay in the charm formula attached to ensured relief to the patient. it, the due utterance of which there can be no doubt that such verbal forms were Originally prayers, since dwindled into mystic sentences.' Parsons, at any rate, cannot certainly afford to sneer at such so-called medical treatment, for a philanthropic divine anathematised that greatest of all modern discoveries, chloroform, on its "a first introduction as decoy of Satan, apparently offering itself " harden to bless women," and alleging that its use would society and rob God of the deep earnest cries which arise in time of A witty surgeon answered the clerical fool trouble for help." according to his folly, and retorted by quoting his own Scripture against him to prove that the Almighty Himself was the first to
'
'
Thus if an invalid of a superstitious carries about on the person what he or she considers temperament a talisman, belief in the charm reacts in a greater or less degree " condition of the patient. Oftentimes, in truth, on the
great influence on the body.
set the
example
of
performing an operation under anaesthesia,
century, its introduction was strenuously resisted by the clergy. A similar opposition was exhibited when Jenner introduced vaccinaA hundred years ago it was almost an exception to see a tion. face unpitted by small-pox ; now it is the exception to see one so marked. Thus, though not without bitter resistance on the part of the clergy, people began to think for themselves, and came to
when he cast Adam into a deep sleep before removing his rib. Again, when the discovery of inoculation was brought from Constantinople to England, in the commencement of the eighteenth
understand .that pestilences were not punishments inflicted by the Almighty for religious shortcomings, but the natural consequences of neglect, filth, and wretchedness. Watercress, boiled with whiskey and sugar, is taken as a cure for bronchitis. Pounded flag-root is used for dressing cuts
and wounds.
erysipelas.
Crowfoot, pounded up
with butter,
is
used for
In the irritating cutaneous eruption, which like a girdle gradually encircles half the body (hence its English designation, shingles], the country-people believe that if the rash meets, and thus forms a complete girdle, the patient will die. A common cure for the disease is the blood of a black cat smeared on the
parts affected.
" " Love are even now frequently given potions they are compounded by a "wise woman," but must be administered to the man by the woman who wishes to inspire the tender passion. The giving of a love potion is considered a dreadful act, as the result is always dangerous and often fatal to the recipient. Noxious beasts or mad dogs can do one no harm provided a
;
REMEDIES EMPLOYED BY WITCH-DOCTORS.
179
" bit of columbine provided by a " wise woman be carried about the person, or the skin be rubbed with it. If another plant, the Shepherd's Purse, is hung under the necks of sheep they become invisible to dogs. This herb possesses, therefore, the same properties as the fern (Filex minor long ifolio), which made human Threlkeld adverts to this subject when he beings invisible. " A great splutter has been made about fern seed, and says
:
several sauntering stories feigned concerning its collection on St. John's Eve, or the summer solstice, which are mere trumpery." But nevertheless the country people still believe that the roots of bracken and the roots of lilies gathered on rfr John's Eve, if cut after certain incantations, will disclose to a young woman her true lover's name, and if fern seed be carried on the person that those so carrying it become invisible. Ben Jonson alludes to this superstition
:
"I had No medicine, sir, to go invisible No fern seed in my pocket

'
'
as does also Shakspeare in 1 Henry IV. "
Gadshill. . have the receipt of fern seed, we walk invisible. . Chamberlain. Nay, by my faith, I think you are more beholding to the night than to fern seed for your walking invisible."
We
" sinking of the heart," Depression of spirits, called in Irish cured in the following manner: The "fairy" or "herb doctor" holds a cup of meal, of which a certain quantity is set aside for the purpose, close to the patient, saying in Irish " Ease to the heart, ease to the heart," and muttering an invocation. This is done three times on three separate occasions, and each time the meal in the cup is cast into the fire. When the last of the three performances is terminated a cake is made of the
is
flour that is over, the patient sitting by, taking care that no animal or human being passes between him and the fire until it
is
baked. It is then eaten with nine sprigs of watercress, and if any be left it must be thrown into the fire. " cases of acute of According to John Knott, M.D., catarrh^ the lining membrane of the stomach are, necessarily, fairly common among the potato-fed peasantry. This condition is accompanied by pain and tenderness at the pit of the stomach,' and when scrutinised by the specially knowledgeable elder of the locality is diagnosticated with the announcement that the The cure is carried out by a spool of the breast is down.' series of three Monday-Thursday operations, in each of which the painful part is dry -cupped.' This is done by making a small a couple of lucifer piece of dough, in which a piece of candle or N2
' '
'
'
'
180
TREE WORSHIP-HERBS
may be comfortably
AND
MEDICINE.
anchored, and then lighted. A large the part, closely ap(tumbler) is then inverted on drinking-glass exhaustion of the air proves very plied to the skin, and the rapid effective indeed in production of a vacuum, and consequent The cupping-glass is solemnly left in position for a cupping.' is strictly enjoined to mainquarter of an hour, and the patient The tain the horizontal position for an hour after its removal. relief obtained is very obvious." Quite recently a Protestant clergyman who suffered from some obscure affection of the palate was persuaded to consult a " knowledgeable elder," who, however, did not acknowledge him After a careful and lengthened examias his spiritual adviser. " nation the quack stated that his patient's palate was down," and to draw it back in position suspended the sufferer for a He then pronounced that short time by the hair of his head. the palate had been replaced. Strange to narrate, the gentleman declared that he had been greatly relieved by the process. It is still a very prevalent idea that toothache is caused by a little worm, like a diminutive eel, which gnaws a hole in the
matches
'
" cure " recently practised in the county Sligo is of certain families are noted for their healing powers, as also for the healing property of their blood. The suffering person goes to the " wise man " or " wise woman " with a gift; if it is not acceptable, the postulant is told what must be brought. The charlatan then opens a vein, and allows a if the certain quantity of his or her blood to drop on the sore ailment is internal, the blood must be swallowed in either case certain rhymes and incantations are muttered whilst the cere-
tooth.
terrible
:
as follows
Members
mony
is being gone through. Another very similar case occurred in the county Tipperary. " I It is thus recounted by a physician now residing in Sligo heard of the following remedy and I know the anecdote to be
:
authentic
'
Anthony's Fire (erysipelas or nettle-rash). any member of a family called Cahill,' applied to the part affected, was supposed to be a specific, and the lady who told me the story knew the woman Cahill, who used to 'bark her shin with a fir-stick, and apply the blcod with her finger to the patient's skin. The old woman died only a few years ago." For inflammation or disease of the eyes, or for disorders of the stomach, Pagani vero oculorum morbo affecti urina qua oculos lavare solent, vel eandem, ut alii morbos sanent, bis quotidie potana. Quas quidem mihi experto bene cognita sunt. Nempe medicus in hac regione versus eos, qui sibi ita male conSt.
for the cure of
'
'
The blood
of
'
suluerunt saepe
refscerat.
Nee non
et
urinam vulneribus
et
REMEDIES EMPL O YED B Y WITCH-DOCTORS.

plagis
181
solent
commixtum
infundere quibus emplastram pecudam stercore
iniponunt.
;
It was recommended, by the oracle of Butos, to Pheron, son of Sesostris, as a cure for the restoration of his sight the anec-
dote
is
most amusingly recounted by Herodotus, and
is
well
come under notice. A physician in Sligo case in which I saw cow-dung used was one of, I It think, eczema or erysipelas of the face, I forget which. A stout, well-to-do farmer, occurred in the county Tyrone. appeared with his face partly washed, clean about the nose and eyes, but crusted round the ears and forehead with a black, foul looking substance, which he said was cow-dung the neighbours had applied as a cure. He had undergone the treatment for some days, and did not smell exactly like a rose. In time the crusts were removed, and a lotion healed the whole thing up in
&c., has frequently
nations (Herodotus, Melpomene, clxxxvii.). A labourer in the employment of the writer injured the back of his hand, and a cancerous growth developed. This was excised, and the wound healed. Congratulated on the recovery the workman replied " It was no thanks to the surgeon, quia de die in diem micturire irt vulnus solibam." In non nullis Hibernicis MSS. de medicina usuminternum humani etcanini quoque excrementi ut remedium morbis quibus dam proscriptum invenimus. Cow-dung applied as a specific for skin disease, cuts, wounds,
:
worthy of perusal, as it is written in quite a Eabelaisian vein of humour.* That of goats, as well as cows, was employed by other
writes
"
The
a few days."
0at
e\eyov
TT\V jScKnATjfrji'
rbv vaiSa
ol
avrov &ep<af
4ir'
rbv airo$eaff9at
fj.ff
ovSen'iav arparrj'iriv,
ffvvtvfix&rivai 8e
/J.f.yiffra
$$1
Kare\d6vros rvct>\bi> yevfffdai Sia roi6vSe irp?iyp.a' rov irora/jLov

oKTWKaiSeica.
&
rort
7r^x*> us
virepef}a\e
TOS apovpas,
/3ao~i\ea
-ras
irv*vp.a.ros
4fj.ir(a6vros,
ara.ffda\'iTi
irorafj-'os
tyevero' r'bv Se \afi6vra. at'xM^" Bd\fftv 3s
\tyovffi
rovrov
f^ftras
SiVos rov iroranov' /uera 8i,

Se'xa fifv Sr;
^vra avrbv rovs o(pda\fnovs

SfKaTCji Se
f-rf'i
rv(p\tadfii>ai'
Irea flvai
ft.iv
airiKfffdat ol âvT^'iov
'
K BOVTOVS Tr6\tos, &s
"
ltf\Kti
povos
/col
T-rjs
Cw'l s
Ka^ ava@\tyfi,
yvvaixbs
o&p<?
vt^dntvos
TO&J
iovffa.
%TIS irapa
ritv ea>in-fjs
irpta-rns
rbv
rrjs
'irefjs irafffaiv irt,ipaaOa.ir<?
&v$pa povvov irf<poirr]Kf, &\\wt> ctvtipuv iwvrov ywatKos irtipuffdaf /j.fTa S, us OVK avaft\fâvra 5e avvayayt'iv ras yvva'iKOis
(s p-'w
otipy vi^dfievos avtp\etyf,
*6\iv
r,
vZv
/caAe'eraj
TToAi'
avaOT)/J.ara 5f, airofyvyitiv
rrdffas ffvv airfj rp 'EpvBp^ /3wAos 3s ravrv)v frvva.\tffai>ra, vifoirpriffai 5^ Ix* avrbs yvvatK*. rijj 8e vifyd/jievos rf otipc? a/t)8Ae^6, ravrr)v re ava ra. Ipa trdvra ri ri]V iraldi\v ruv o^Qa\p.S>v, &\\a
-
To; 'HA/ou ri iffn x"'' Aoyi/xo wfOriKf, KO), rov ye \6yov nd\iffra aî6v Svo \iOivovs, t irts tovra. ifcdrcpov \iOov, Iplv o|jo07jT avteriKf tpya o0f\ovs
fKarepov vr\\t<av fxarbv fvpos Sf.oK
182
TREE WORSHIP HERBS

The County Surgeon
laid
AND
MEDICINE.
man whose arm was
from a hedge knife was ment. Examination showed that the entire cut had been filled with cow-dung. The man's neighbours had advised this very strange application, which, however, it is needless to say, protracted his recovery.
M.A., in his great medical work and sold at all his "Preaching- Houses" the following as a cure for " a (7th edition, 1776), recommends " Rupture in children: "Warm Cow-Dung well. Spread windy it thick on leather, strewing some cummin-seeds on it, and apply It commonly cures a child (keeping his bed) in two it hot.
of Sligo states that a very bad case open from wrist to elbow by a blow brought into the infirmary for treat-
The Rev. John Wesley,
entitled Primitive Physick,
days." A cure for cancer (the opprobrium medicorum] in the breast (according to the same authority) is to " apply goose dung and celandine, beat well together, and spread on a fine For films on rag, it will both cleanse and heal the sore." the eye, the sufferer should " take the white part of hen's dung, carefully dried, with an equal quantity of burnt alum, and double-refined sugar, sift these, and blow a little into the
eye at going to bed." In a communication to the writer,
ity
on medical
folklore,
John Knott, M.D., an authorremarks that, " one of the most prevalent
of the popular surgical notions among the peasantry apparently is that the organ of vision, when badly injured by the lodgment of dust, fragments of stone, &c., must be taken out of the head,'
'
washed, and replaced before
functions can be perfectly reThe brilliant appearance of the tissues of the eye of stored. glassy structure in front and porcellaneous over the rest of surface probably gave origin to this notion. China and glass are, of course, the articles which are washed everywhere. It requires, as all will agree, a very clever doctor to take the eye out of the head, lay it on a plate, brush and wash it, wipe it with a silk
its
An handkerchief, and put it in its place again properly. ordinary botch' would damage the sight, or put it in crooked' which was often done, and produced many a permanent squint. " It is well known that in many of the more remote districts of Ireland, even up to the present day, the dung of animals is often applied as a poultice to an ulcerated or abraded surface. That of cows and of pigs is most frequently chosen. " The symptomatic conditions of jaundice are, of course, very obvious, and, necessarily, very repulsive to the uneducated eye.
'
'
Its very varying causes,
and correspondingly varying degree
of
obstinacy, must have suggested various modes of treatment; but the leading characteristic of most would appear to be their phenomenal degree of loathsomeness. Patients in this condition
REMEDIES EMPL O YED B Y WITCH- D O C2 OKS.

have been made
to drink a tumbler-full of their
1 83
own
urine in the
morning, fasting, for nine days in succession. Another specific was to obtain 'nine couples of lice,' from the person of the boil them in a porringer with some sour patient, if possible butter-milk, and get the sufferer to swallow the whole with care. Nevertheless, it must be noted, that such forms of medication were by no means so monstrously absurd as they may at first sight appear to be, as the extreme nausea which was necessarily produced by their means had a decidedly salutary effect on the circulation in the liver, and thereby on the excretion of
;
bile.
The urine of the cow has been dignified by the application of the epithet of ' all-flower water.' The reason is obvious the animal eats all the flowers, as well as other herbs of the field,
:
"
of the kidneys contains their superfluous juice. " Some of the Irish peasantry at least as lately as twentyfive years ago used to dose their children, in all their bodily ' all-flower water,' taken ailments, with copious draughts of fresh from the source. The reason for its use was highly logical. The Creator had undoubtedly, in his mercy, placed the materials for the relief of all human ailments in the herbs of the field but the sinfulness and negligence of man have hitherto prevented him from investigating those remedies individually. But allflower water contains the essence of all herbs therefore, &c.
; '
'
and the evacuated secretion
Q. E. D."
Although there is apparently not the remotest connection between extreme heat and hydrophobia, yet popular belief rules otherwise, and associates it, in some manner, with the dog days. The malady is rare in all hot climates, and in the European area the months in which hydrophobia is most prevalent are not July and August, but April, November, and December. People who showed symptoms of hydrophobia were formerly smothered between two feather beds, a merciful way of putting an end to their sufferings. However, some country people believe that madness may be cured by administering to the " three substances not afflicted person, procured by human means, and not made by the hands of man. These are honey, milk, and salt and they are to be given him to drink, before sunrise, in a sea-shell. Madness and the falling sickness are both considered hereditary, and caused by demoniacal possession." Various plants were, in days gone by, used for the bites of mad dogs, and to cure hydrophobia. Angelica, madworts, and The root of several forms of lichens were favourite remedies. with storax, cypress-nuts, soot, olive-oil, and wine balaustium,
;
was the
receipt, according to
Bonaventura, of Cardinal Richelieu.
184
TREE WORSHIP HERBS
AND
MEDICINE.
Among other popular remedies were beetroot, box leaves, cabbage, cucumbers, black currants, digitalis, and euphorbia. A family named MacGowan, in the county Cavan, claims to have a cure An inquiry was instituted by the Irish Local for hydrophobia. Government Board, and the subject was also brought before Parliament, by the member for North Leitrim, P. A. M'Hugh. Lady Wilde, in Ancient Cures, Charms, and Usages of Ireland,
gives the legend relating to the origin of the discovery of this cure. Nearly two centuries ago two brothers named MacGowan, "living at opposite sides of the lake, used frequently to cross over in their boat to visit each other. One day a strange dog came swimming towards them, and was lifted into the boat, but he instantly bit one of the brothers severely, and showed all the The young man gave himself up for signs of decided madness. lost, and wandered about the fields all night, till at last, overcome by fatigue, he lay down in his own garden and fell asleep. Then and there a dream came to him, that under his head grew a herb that would cure him, if prepared in a certain way revealed to him as in a vision. On awakening, he at once sought for the herb, and having found it, to his great joy, set about the preparations for the potion exactly as it had been shown to him in the dream. The result was his perfect restoration from the fatal disease and the strange story having got abroad, the MacGowans became famous throughout the country for the cure of hydrophobia, large sums being paid to them for the exercise of their skill and
;
knowledge."* Dr. Knott states that a fellow-student of his attended a case

* Thus they amassed a deal of money, for the wonderful herb seldom failed to cure the terrible malady ; but no amount of money could tempt the brothers to reveal the name of the herb or the mode of preparation. This great secret remains, therefore, a mystery to this day, known only to the head of the MacGowans, who preserves the tradition, and will transmit it only to his eldest son. But to ensure a perfect cure, certain rules and orders must he rigidly
observed. First, the patient must be brought under care within nine days after the attack, before the hydrophobia has become virulent ; secondly, he must not cross water during the progress of the cure. " Quite recently a curious case happened, which tested the power of the MacGowans, and excited the greatest interest throughout the country. cat belonging to a farmer's family suddenly showed signs of savage pet Six of the children were ferocity, and flew at everyone, inflicting severe bites. laid up, and even the farmer himself was attacked before the animal could be killed. Evidently the beast was mad, and, in terror of the consequences, the family sent an urgent request to the MacGowans to come and help them. " Three brothers of the name were living at the time, and the eldest agreed to go and try the cure if This fifty shillings were paid to him before starting. was a large sum for the farmer to give ; but as six of the children were lying half dead from fright, he consented, and paid the money. " MacGowan at once set forth on his mission of mystic healing, bringing
"
"A
with him two kegs of liquid, each containing about five gallons, also a large

of hydrophobia
185
which had been treated after the bite by the case, a genuine one, ended fatally, of course. Another charm, as a protective against hydrophobia, in the case of a person bitten by a dog, is to take a few hairs from its tail, and place them upon the wound in a poultice, or swallow them. This practice is most unmistakably the origin of the toper's advice to any one suffering from headache in the morning from imbibing too much alcohol the night before
MacGowans.
The
" Take a hair
of the
dog that
bit
you."
" If the ingestion of a single hair of the domestic cat is not feltowed by its evacuation per vias naturales, the unhappy subject of the accident pines slowly away, and surely dies as a direct
If the hair becomes deposited on the liver, the are said to be more rapidly progressive. It is said that a very skilful doctor can sometimes diagnosticate the source of the complaint from the complexion of the patient. It will then be no matter of surprise that so skilful a practitioner always knows the exact spot at which he must make an opening which at once reveals the mischievous hair to the eye. It need hardly be added that in so skilful hands the patient always survives the operation, and rapidly recovers from the progressive emaciation which had been hurrying him to his grave."
consequence.
symptoms
Formerly hound's-tongue (Cynoglossum) was employed by country "medicine men" as a cure for external and internal cancer. Strange to say, cynoglossum powder has recently been John advertised in the newspapers as a " new cancer cure." Knott, M.D., drew attention to the resuscitation of the old recipe as
The fluid was of a green colour, and very stock of garlic and liazel-nuts. nauseous to the taste. The people said it was made of the Atherlus (ground-ivy), which has singular mystic properties ; but MacGowan kept strict silence on the subject, and no one dared to ask him a question as to the nature of the ingredients. " The family, meanwhile, were ordered to provide two stone of barley meal and three pounds of butter, and with these cakes were to be made, moistened with the fluid from the keg, of which also the patients were to drink copiously ; and during the three days appointed for the cure they were to have no other sustenance save the barley cakes and the green fluid. " then the patients If, at the end of that time, the cure was not effected, would surely die their only chance was over, nothing more could be done to The children help them. Happily, however, the cure was quite successful. were all restored, and, consequently, the fame of the MacGowans increased, and no end of presents and money were sent to them in addition to the sum paid
:
" Still the head of the race resisted all entreaties to reveal the name of the herb or the secret of the green fluid, and to this day no man nor mortal, nor even the priest himself, has ever obtained u knowledge of the mystery, save of the only the eldest son of the eldest son in each successive generation
down.
MacGowan
family."
(Pages 44-46).
186
a
TREE WORSHIP HERBS
AND
MEDICINE.
:
" in the Medical Press (7th Nov., 1900), and says cure not seen the original advertisement, but having regard to "I have the fact that the only authority cited is that of a manuscript found in the monastery of Mount Athos, I take it that the apostles of this new remedy look upon its introduction to the public as an The soundness of the foundation upon which absolute novelty. this item of doctrine is built can easily be tested by a cursory the materials of glance at the contents of our early herbals, which are, perhaps, too systematically neglected by scientific of advanced organic chemistry and practitioners in these days
"new
bacteriological pathology." Dr. Knott then traces the botanical

of the hound's-tongue
:
and therapeutical history from its employment by Dioscorides, the household physician of Antony and Cleopatra, down to the " Its efficiency as a local dressing of all types of present day Cancerous foul ulcers was universally taught and recognized.
ulcers are necessarily included in its category. Personally, the present writer (Dr. Knott), as an enthusiastic lover of his profession, is extremely glad to greet every attempt to prove the desiraof any of the old herbal bility of procuring the resurrection remedies. He is thoroughly convinced that too many valuable And items among them have been long forgotten or ignored. although his devotion to truth impels him to show that the cancer cure,' in question, is anything rather than neic,' he will be none the less pleased to learn that experiment has demonstrated that its efficacy may yet be proved true." Not many years ago, in a remote village, in the county Cork, there died an aged woman named O'Sullivan, who is stated to have possessed the secret of a vegetable cure for both internal and external cancer, but the secret died with her. There are at present some herb-doctors in Ireland who still claim to possess a cure for this disease in its external form one of the best known resides in the county Sligo, and should be prosecuted by the Crown. Some dreadful cases, easily amenable to modern surgery, and ignorantly treated by him, leaving hideous deformities, have come under notice. He uses arsenic and chloride of zinc, both violent caustics. The country people still have themselves bled by him for diseases in general, often for weakness, which, of course, only increases the debility from which they are suffering. Consumption was treated in olden days by vegetable decoc'
' ;
which mullein and carrageen moss were predominant components, but the secret of the preparation is also lost. Snails are still esteemed good for chronic coughs and for consumption. Half a dozen boiled in a quart of barley water and then strained should be administered in every liquid taken by the invalid.
tions, in
REMEDIES EMPLOYED BY WIICH-DOCTORS.
187
Pounded or incinerated snail-shells are also administered " as a cure for consumption. They may be of use," writes a " physician, especially when incinerated, supplying the system with the salts of lime, potash, and magnesium and thereby repairing the waste of the tissues in chronic disease, such as consumption, comparing favourably with the present method adopted in Germany, of giving sickly children finely powdered
egg-shells
to harden their bones." In the manual of Primitive Phi/sick by John Wesley, M.A., already quoted, he recommends, as a cure for consumption, In the last stage suck a healthy woman daily. Tried by my
Spiders are very much used in the cure of certain ailments. Tied in a small bag and suspended round the neck, they ward off attacks of fever and of ague a black spider eaten every morning is a cure for consumption another cure is to wrap a living spider in its own web, place it in a lump of butter and swallow it whilst yet alive. It is believed by the country people that jaundice is produced by yellow flies, or fly-like grubs, that introduce themselves into the body, and that the introduction of spiders and their eggs is a very efficient antidote. According to Lady Wilde, two remedies employed by the " Take the cowslip, country people for deafness are as follows roots, blossom and leaves, clean them well, then bruise and press them in a linen cloth, add honey to the juice thus pressed out, put it in a bottle, and pour a few drops into the nostrils and ears of the patient, he lying on his back. Then, after some time, turn him on his face, till the water pours out, carrying away whatever obstructives lay on the brain. This must be " fold up two repeated for three days." The other remedy is to eels in a cabbage leaf, place them on the fire till they are soft, then press out the juice and drop it into the ear." Lady Wilde also quotes the following recipes from an old Irish MS. of about the year 1450, in the Library of the Royal
; ; :
Academy as certain cures for epilepsy " Put salt and white snails into a vessel for three nights, add 7 Ibs. woodbine leaves, and mix them to a paste a poultice of this applied for nine days will cure. "' Or, the heart of a crow, beaten up with his blood, and drank for nine days, will relieve the disease. "' Or, a plaster made of mandragore and ground-ivy, boiled If the patient sleeps he will do well, and laid upon the head.
Irish
: ' ;
not, he will not. Or, a band of the fresh skin of a wolf worn round the body as a girdle, and as long as the patient wears it he will be free from the falling sickness.
if
'
and
"
188
'"
TREE WORSHIP HERDS AND MEDICINE.

let it
'
Or, pour wine upon a pound of hemlock, fresh gathered, be drank while the person is in the fit. " Or, three hairs of a milk-white greyhound to be tied up and worn on the neck as an amulet. This keeps the fit away.' " The scribe who I copied these receipts says of himself am Conlan Mac Liagh, son of the doctor, and in the Monastery of Tuam I am this 14th day of the moon's age, and a thousand " years four hundred years, and nine years of age of the Lord.'
and
'
still
also gives other modes of treatment for epilepsy, practised by the country people; as follows: " No one should touch the person in the fit, only the man who He first takes a bundle of unbleached linen works the charm.
Lady Wilde
round the patient, then cuts his hair, and the these clippings he gathers together and burns with the linen yarn. The ashes are then divided into two parts, after which the patient is laid flat on the earth and two into these holes are made, one at his head the other at his feet are poured the divided ashes, while a harrow-pin is placed over all. So they leave him for a day and a night. And thus the falling sickness is buried for ever in that spot, never to rise up again while the ashes and the iron remain untouched." " By the wood of the Cross, by the Man that overcame death, be thou healed.' These words are to be said in the left ear while the fit is on the patient, and he is to be signed three times with the sign of the Cross, in the name of God and the blessed Lord, when by virtue of the charm he will be cured." " Burn the patient with a red-hot church key along the Should he fall in the fit, put the head, and he will be cured. juice of absinthe, or fennel juice or sage juice into his mouth, and he will get well at once."
yarn, and ties
finger
it
and
toe nails
'
best cured by the hand of a priest. But it first attack the person's shirt be taken off and thrown into the fire and burned, his hair cropped, and his nails pared, and the hair and the parings buried, together with a young cock put down into the grave alive, then he will never have another attack while he lives." In the county Sligo, and presumably elsewhere, it was formerly believed that a certain cure for epilepsy consisted of the first verse of the Gospel of St. John, written on a small slip of paper, sewed up in a piece of cloth, and worn suspended from the neck of the afflicted person. This charm was believed to be not oniy a cure, but a preservative from the malady, as a protection from the power of demons and witches, who are supposed to have still as they are related to have in anteChristian, Gospel and early Christian times the power of afflicting persons with convulsions, madness, and similar afflictions.
is is
" The sickness

if
said that
on the

A
189
dispensary doctor, in the county Sligo, relates that, some years ago, he was called to attend a country woman after confinement, and found the poor creature in a dying state, pale and
bloodless from post-partum hemorrhage. The local nurse, totally ignorant of midwifery, was known, as the country people say, to work " the charm." " When I entered the room I The doctor states
:
found this
not attending to her charge, but, standing at the door, shaking a mixture of oatmeal, pepper, and salt over the patient. I demanded what she meant, and she answered that it was the charm.' My language was not parliamentary, and, pushing the
'
woman
immediately set to work, and made my patient all After all was finished, I re-entered the kitchen, where a number of neighbours had collected, and, in their presence, I was thus addressed by the midwife Doctor, you are not saying half enough for me did I not save the woman with the charm ?' " The doctor's reply cannot be recorded. A certain cure for whooping cough is to pour milk into a what it does not drink is saucer, and place it before a ferret given to the sufferer. Another cure is to keep the child fasting for some time, then catch a trout, put it in the infant's mouth, and replace it in the stream alive. Another remedy is to draw water against the current from a south-running (desiul) stream, give it to the sick child to drink, then throw the unconsumed this must be repeated every mornliquid away with the current Another remedy is ing before sunrise, until the child recovers. to pass the suffering child three times under a female donkey, the ass must then be fed on oaten bread, and what the animal Some of the animal's does not consume is given to the patient. milk is procured, of which the child is made to drink on this and the two following days. A most strange performance for the cure of sick cattle is recounted by Lady Wilde. The exorcist mounts astride on the afflicted animal, holding a bannock (or oatmeal cake), a lump of butter, and a bowl of cream, and " A a bite, a sup if it be so ordained, let bite, a sup says the beast get well if not leave it to its fate but the bannock I
nni'se aside, I
right.
'
'
will eat."
Another novel remedy
for the
hooping-cough
is
to lift the
child rapidly into a mill-hopper and out again three times in succession. Any improvement in an ailment occurring on Friday or Saturday is unlucky, and not likely to be permanent if a person is ill, his bed ought to be placed north and south, not east and west. A dried fox's tongue draws thorns from the flesh a robin's breast rubbed on the sore cures "the evil"; the touch of ft
; ;
posthumous child heals a sore mouth.
person
who never
190

his (or her) father breathes into the affected mouth three and (2) of the Son, and (1) in the name of the Father,
:
saw
times
the Holy Ghost. In the reign of Charles II. several eminent persons became " Strokers." Of these the most conspicuous under the name of Valentine Greatrakes, an Irish gentleman, of renowned was one whom " the Lord Bishop of Derry declared that he had seen dimness cleared and deafness cured, pain drawn out at some extreme part, grievous sores in a few days healed, obstructions and stoppages removed, and cancerous knots, in breasts, dissolved. It is easy to gather from perusal of contemporary records, that these private manipulators were considered, by some, to trench upon the kingly prerogative. Thus Dr. Thomas Allen dissuades persons from applying themselves to seventh sons of these but these seem to have found much favour neverstrokers
(3) of
;
Some quality, in their times, seemed to favour the transmission of influence through manipulation." Nor was this manipulation peculiar to the Old World, according to Dr. Cotton Mather, who, in his Magnolia Christi Americana, states that it was no rare thing for the old set of Quakers to proselyte people merely " This, surely, stroking them, or breathing upon them." by anticipated latter-day hypnotism. " Properly investigated, a complete distinction is established between these cures by private individuals and the cures effected by sovereigns. In the former case the cure was exhausting always needing effort, expenditure of vital force in the latter On this point accept the testimony of Leverett case, otherwise. the gardener: 'I am more exhausted by stroking thirty or forty people, than by digging eight roods of ground,' said he whereas the circumstance has already been noted, that Charles II. stroked, on an average, twelve per diem for twenty years, thus making up a sum-total of ninety-two thousand one hundred and seven a sufficient proof that the kingly operation of stroking should not have been exhausting." Lady Wilde states that there are " certain wise men amongst the peasants who keep pieces of paper transmitted from their fathers which, they say, have been steeped in king's blood. And if the paper is rubbed over the patient, in the name of the Trinity, he will be cured."
theless.
; ;
The following paragraphs have also been communicated by Dr. John Knott " The for the cure of king'spractice of the royal touch evil by the sovereigns of Great Britain and of France is so well known as to require no lengthened account in this connection. In Ireland, it need hardly be said, that there existed for the afflicted peasant hardly the remotest
;
'
'
'
'

'
191
chance of royal contact. But where needs must,' and appreciative emotion is so strong, something by way of proxy is sometimes made available. In the county Roscommon, some twenty-five to thirty years ago, there lived an elderly woman who possessed the royal blood and remains. Patients afflicted
evil paid the usual consecutive Mondaythree in number and were said to be touched with a blood-stained rolled-up rag. There were mysterious prayers muttered at the same time, and the reports of the results were usually very favourable. "The chronic glandular enlargements which are so charactejistic of the scrofulous constitution in the young is essentially afti unsatisfactory condition to treat medicinally, especially in remote parts of the country; and surgical interference, in the
Avith
the
king's
Thursday
visits
pre-antiseptic days, gave still worse results. Accordingly, the unhappy patient usually underwent a series of Monday-Thursday visits three consecutive to the seventh son of the locality, who
touched, and stroked, and blew upon the tumour.
Some
prayers
were also
"
said.
'
seventh son in a family (of one father and one mother) gifted with, at least, some powers of a docthor,' even if a daughter, or daughters, had intervened. He was better still if there had been no feminine interruption. But he was practically infallible if his father had also been a seventh son. " The pathology of all these tumours was explained by the The future surgical efficacy of the presence of a specific worm. seventh male baby was sometimes tested directly after birth by sending out the father with his loy to the garden, with instrucThese were washed, and tions to bring in seven earth-worms. placed by the attendant in the right hand of the new-born. The stronger hand of the attendant, of course, enveloped the whole ; and the efficacy of the cures of the future disciple of Êsculapius was directly calculated from the limits of the period of survival I have heard it stated that the of the imprisoned earth-worms.
was always
instances, perished instantaneously. the locally recognised physical ills which appear the specially to affect the labouring peasantry of Ireland is head-fever (see ante, p. 70). It is characterised by violent head and general malaise, and follows prolonged severe physical It obviously begins in intense exertion in the stooping posture.
latter, in
some
"
Among
'
'
congestion of the intra- cranial blood-vessels, which, when not promptly treated at the time, becomes chronic, and so, like other analogous conditions in other parts of the body, leads to perUnder such circumstances the manent structural changes.
headache also becomes permanent.

"
The
individual so afflicted
is
brought to the person
who
192

'
on Monday or Thursday only, and no intervening Monday or Thursday can be missed without losing the efficacy of the around the remedy. It is sacred a string is tied horizontally head of the sufferer, with many prayers, and left there till next
:
possesses the
cure.'
series of three visits is essential,
always
visit."
In one instance, which came under notice, the wise woman measured the head in two ways. She then declared the head to be swollen, and she set to work to make it the right size again. The child so treated died of epileptic convulsions. The mother implored those who knew not to tell the doctor what the wise woman had done, and went to a neighbour's house sooner than The doctor declared he could not account for see her child die.
the death of the child. "In the treatment of 'strains' (Hibernian for sprains) the Even if he is, local medical practitioner is seldom consulted. the after-effects of such injuries are too chronic in their course to bring him any special credit. Accordingly the aged, skilled devotee of the locality is visited on a Monday or a Thursday, and a thread is securely knotted around tlie injured joint, after this ligature has been consecrated by the mysterious repetition of The patient generally feels certain formulated prayers over it. there is undoubtedly great power in siujtjestion among so relief intensely emotional individuals as the Irish peasantry, who, on such occasions, are devotedly desirous of being deceived. [See
:
ante, pp. 70-74.]
delicate children are very frequently explained
" The obstinately-recurring abdominal symptoms of many by the presence of worms. For the cure recourse is sometimes had to the possessor This is another of the Monday-Thursday operaof a charm.
tions, requiring three consecutive applications.
The
child
is
presented, fasting, on placed sitting by the
Monday
or
Thursday morning, and
is
operator in a bolt-upright position. Absolute silence is now observed, while the charmer produces two pieces of tape, which he places across the vertex of his These are arranged at right angles to one another, so patient. as to form a cross. Their relative position is changed from time to time, while the worm-docthor repeats to himself, in The silence, the mystic formulae of his awe-inspiring cure. Three visits are operation lasts about a quarter of an hour. necessary, Monday-Thursday-Monday, or Thursday-MondayThursday, as the case may be. No interruption can be allowed
'
'
in this order.
"Griping pains in the abdomen, whether

* See
also vol.
i.,
of
man
or beast,
p. 79.
7 HE
USE OF SALIVA.
193
are very frequently attributed by the uneducated peasantry to the irritating presence of worms. A popular form of treatment, ' wormespecially, indeed, in the case of quadrupeds, is to tie the knot on a piece of string over the body of the affected animal (or human being), and then loose the same by the instantaneous snap which the peculiarity of this knot makes possible. This or, in bad cases, three-times 1 operation is repeated three times three (nine) times. Each operation is enforced by the aid of a
'
;
muttered blessing. (See ante, p. 73, 74.) " One of the beautiful crosses in the churchyard of Monasterboice is specially patronised by the neighbouring peasantry when hooping-cough visits the family. The moss which grows on the jHirface is carefully picked off, and boiled on new milk, of which the affected youngster is then made to drink at regular intervals. It is said by many to be the best of all cures for this troublesome malady." " " In the abbey (at Dromahaire) writes a correspondent, "a was buried many years ago. He was such a very good priest holy man that the very clay works cures it is sent for even from America, and people get it from far and near. There is an iron spoon provided to lift it with, and it is generally taken away
;
in a rag. The cure will not work until the rag, or paper in which the clay was carried away, is returned. Some years ago many old rags were to be seen at the grave, and some are still to be observed there. The grave has been filled in more than once The country people even mix the clay with in recent times. water and drink it it is put on sores as well."* A very renowned cure for hemorrhoids, a cure really believed in, and practised by many in Sligo, who possess greater faith in it than in the leading physician of the place, is the application of a very common lichen, the Stricta pulmonaria, called also the Tree Lung-wort, Hazel Kag, and Crottles. Pile-wort receives its popular name from its supposed efficacy in the cure of this ailment. It can be made up into a jelly, and possesses also a
;
bitter principle
used sometimes in beer making.
it
Saliva is used for many purposes. Lady Wilde states that was formerly used in baptism. Button scurvy is treated by spitting on the ground, and rubbing on the mixed saliva and useful dust with the right thumb. Spittle of a fasting person is In some places, for the cure of warts and of many diseases. immediately after birth, the infant is spat on by the father for luck whilst in other parts of the country, the father on such
;
occasions,
is
carefully kept out of the way.
When
old crones
*
VOL.
II.
See also
vol.
i.,
pp. 296, 297-
194
TREE WORSHIP HERBS
AND
MEDICINE.
on the ground, in a gather round a baby to admire it, tbey spit circle all round, to keep the fairies away and neutralize the " danger of the evil eye," an interesting but disagreeable custom. A. cow is spat upon for luck bargains are concluded by spitting " on the hand or on the luck-penny." If an animal is ill, the Arabs spit into the water before giving it to the sick beast to drink, and parents make their children the custom is due to the belief that it affords prospit at them
;
;
tection against evil spirits. A very ancient Irish pagan charm, in which spittle appears to be the principal or indeed only emolient, used for wounds or
:
" The poison of a serpent, the poisons, is translated as follows venom of a dog, the sharpness of the spear, doth not well in man. The blood of one dog, the blood of many dogs, the blood these I invoke. It is not a wart to of the hound of Fliethas which my spittle is applied. I strike disease I strike wounds
; ;
the disease of the dog that bites, of the thorn that wounds, of the iron that strikes. I invoke the three daughters of Fliethas against the serpent. Benediction 011 this body to be benediction on the spittle healed benediction on him who casts out the disease." If so unlucky as to meet a weasel, early in the morning, you should at once spit at it for if it spits at you first, a great misfortune will befall you. If a person comes unexpectedly on a bad smell he incontinently spits.
I strike
;
; ;
certain remedy for a person suspected of being bewitched, watch at the door until a stranger passes, as a stranger is considered to have more power over the fairies than a neighbour. If he spits on the face of the possessed, the power of the evil In fact, spirit is broken, and the afflicted restored to reason. the most effective way of neutralizing the machinations of the fairies is to spit on the object, animate or inanimate, and say, " God bless it "; and people often refuse, fearing to anger the
is
to
fairies
by interfering with their work.
Even
cine
For
at the close of the eighteenth century, the terms "medi" and " clergyman " were, in some cases, synonymous. example, in the carious manual of medicine, entitled Primitive
man
Pliysick:
Diseases,
or,
An Easy
Eev.
and Natural Method of Curing
most
John Wesley, M.A., already quoted, the treatment of a patient by an Irish "wise woman" would compare favourably with some of the abominations recommended
by the
by
this
"
amateur physician.
is
spittle
On the last page the use of "fasting prescribed as a cure for almost all diseases
:
"Fasting spittle, outwardly applied every morning, has sometimes relieved and sometimes cured blindness, contracted sinews from a cut, corns and (mixed with chew'd
bread,
applied
THE USE OF SALIVA.
195
every morning), cuts (fresh), deafness, eyelids, red and inflamed, scorbutic tetters, sore legs, warts. Taken inwardly, it relieves or cures asthmas, cancers, falling sickness, gout, gravel, king's evil, leprosy, palsy, rheumatism, scurvy, stone, swelled liver." When a man or beast has just been smitten by the otherwise fatal glance of an " evil eye," the effects can be neutralized by getting the owner of the mischievous optics to spit on the " victim three times in succession (1) in the name Father, and of the Son, and (3) of the Holy "Ghost." (2) A favourite poultice for wounds, or chronic sores, is composed of scrapings of tallow candles and cabbage leaves boiled Another very simple, but unpleasant remedy for an together. ulcerated leg, was recommended by a " wise woman," to an old man, who carried out her directions with the greatest exactness, and sat with his leg immersed in the water of a bog-hole all In the morning his leg was perfectly healed, but as he night. died of bronchitis, occasioned by the exposure, within a few days, " is somewhat doubtful. the value of the " cure The following charm for cramp in the leg is, to say the least,
:
very peculiar
" The Devil
is
tying a knot in
my
Mark, Luke, and John, unloose
it,
leg I heg,
Crosses three are made to ease you,. Two for the thieves and one for Christ Jesu."
The author of this verse appears to have had little belief in the Evangelist Matthew, or possibly the apostle's name had to yield the thieves also come in for a to the exigencies of the metre large share of notice. In Folk-Lore of Plants, Mr. T. F. T. Pyer states that an old name for the devil's bit (Scabiosa succisa) in the northern counties " is ' cuiiof England, in Scotland, and in the North of Ireland doddy from the resemblance of the head of flowers to the curly pate of a boy, this nickname being often used by children, who thus address the plant
;
'
'
Curly-doddy do my biddin', Soop my house, and shoal my widden.'

stalk, and, as it slowly untwists in
In Ireland, children twist the the hand, thus address it

: '
Curl-doddy on the midden,
Turn round,
an' take
my
bidden.'
"
officinalis]
According to the same writer the" wall peniterry (Purietana is known in Ireland as peniterry," and is thus
o2
196
TREE WORSHIP HERBS

"
AND
MEDICINE.
"Father Connell," by the O'Hara Family (chapter called, locally at least, peniterry, to which the terrified (schoolboy) idler might run in his need, suddenly the following grasping it hard and threateningly, and repeating
described in
xii.):
A weed
'words of power'
'
Peniterry, peniterry, that grows by the wall, Save me from a whipping, or I '11 pull you, roots and
all.'
"
Young girls were in the habit of gathering milfoil, or yarrow, upon May and All Hallow's Eve, and placing the plant under their pillows, and so dreaming about their future husbands. The herb also banishes evil spirits from those who carry it about their person, and if placed inside the shoe, beneath the foot, endows them with temporary fluency of speech. Yarrow is called, in " the herb of the seven cures," from its many virtues. Irish,
Girls dance around
"
it
singing
Yarrow, yarrow, yarrow, I bid thee good inorrow,
And
tell
me
Who my
before to- morrow true love shall be."
Even to dream that you are gathering yarrow, denotes that good fortune will be yours. In Folk-Lore of Plants, Mr. T. F. T. Dyer states that in
Ireland the puff-balls of Lycopodium are styled the devil's snuffbox, the nettle his apron, and the convolvulus his garter. A vast amount of legendary lore is connected with " fairy " little circles of vivid green frequently observed in the rings darker green of old pastures, and within which the fairies dance on moonlight nights. This curious phenomenon of a very distinctly formed ring, however, "is, owing to the outspread propagations of a particular mushroom, the fairy-ringed fungus, by which the ground is manured, for a richer following vegetation." These fairy rings have, time out of mind, been held in great reverence by the country people, and when May dew is
gathered
by young girls to improve their complexion, and enhance their charms, they carefully avoid trespassing on the " magic circles for fear of offending the good people," who would be avenged on them by causing them to lose their
beauty.
The common foxglove was one of the most potent herbs used by the Druids to increase the efficacy of their charms. It is said by some that the term foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) applied to the deadly but beautiful wild flower, is a Saxon survival from the
times
when the people who so named it, really believed "good folk": for its red flowers were then the "good
in the
folk's
FAIRIES,
"
;
GUARDIANS OF HEALING HERBS.

:
197
now shortened like everything else in this prosaic gloves " This idea is of classic origin for age into foxglove."
" To keep her slender fingers from the snn, Pan through the pastures often times hath run, To pluck the speckled foxgloves from their stem,
And on
these fingers neatly placed them."
The
fairies
to mortals, since they
do not unresistingly resign their power over herbs may, in some instances, be used against
themselves, and they therefore vigorously punish those who lay unhallowed hands on them. Thus the rnandragora or mandrake, supposed to possess animal life and to shriek when uprooted, must be drawn from the soil in which it grows, by means of a dog, as the fairies visit their displeasure on the creature actually Shakspeare thus alludes to the superabstracting this plant.
stition
:
" And
shrieks like mandrake torn out of the earth, That living mortals hearing them run mad."
As does
also the poet
Moore
" The phantom shapes oh, touch them not, That appal the maiden's sight, Look in the fleshy mandrake's stem, " That shrieks when plucked at nigbt
And
again " Such rank and deadly lustre dvrells, As in those hellish fires that light The mandrake's charnel leaves at night."
:
Ben Jonson, in the Masque of Queens, makes one of the hags gathering it say
:
"
I, last night,
lay all alone

;
On the ground, to hear the mandrake groan And plucked him up, though he grew full low."
Amongst the Eomans, various precautions were adopted when " digging for it. According to Pliny, when they intended to take the root of this plant, they took the wind thereof, and with a up sword describing three circles about it, they digged it up, looking towards the west." The mandrake has a fleshy root, forked and often in form in great resembling the human body ; its juice which was held All parts of the repute, was used for love" potions or philters. a patient was plant are narcotic, and if placed under the head of that supposed to produce sleep. The Irish and others believed the herb was found only under a gallows, nourished by the
198
TREE WORSHIP HERBS
AND
MEDICINE.
old botanist, drops which fell from it. The quaint and amusing Caleb Threlkeld, in his Synopsis Stirpium Hibemicarum, states that it must be pulled with prayer, otherwise the fairies will but this, he gravely assures his readers, carry off the puller "is an abuse of God s holy ordinance of prayer." In an Irish MS., said to have been compiled in the thirteenth from century, various herbs are enumerated which protected As in the case of the fairy influence those who possessed them. mandrake, to extract them from the ground was highly perilous, inasmuch as they, also, were all carefully watched over by the " Good People." Many are the virtues of these herbs, and having some about the person is a protection against disease. For their extraction it is necessary that the aid of a cat, a dog, A strong cord is tied or some living creature be requisitioned. to one of the animal's legs, and to the root, and it is made then A farmer desirous of procuring a to act the role of herb-digger. particular herb, borrowed a large dog from a neighbour, drew up the plant he required, in the above manner, and cured a person The dog, attacked with afflicted with the "falling sickness." convulsions, was incontinently hanged, but the next day appeared at his master's door. The dog fell ill a second time, was hanged, left for dead and recovered ; but again suffering from convulsions, a neighbour advised that it should be allowed to recover from the fit, and then be killed. The advice was acted on, and the dog reappeared no more. A cure for consumption is an herb styled crov-darrig, or " red hand." It must be pulled by tying the root of the plant to the leg of a dog, otherwise its extraction from the soil is fatal to the mortal who pulls it. The leaves are then squeezed after which they are burned and the previously extracted juice drunk by the patient on an empty stomach. Amongst the Eomans it was deemed prudent that some herbs, when gathered for necromantic purposes, should be drawn up by the roots, as in the case where Horace describes Canidia requiring, for her unholy purpose, that the wild fig tree should be pulled up from the earth. Marsh marigold is considered a plant of great power, and on "May day garlands are made of it to put on cattle, and to hang on the door posts to keep the fairies away. The young buds of the briar are used in spring, and its roots in winter time as medicine. They are boiled for twelve hours, in an earthenware vessel ; a cupful of the decoction is administered, at intervals, to the sick person, who falls into a profound slumber, from which he awakes cured. Great efficacy is attributed to^the briar, especially in cases of sprain, or dislocation the species bearing a reddish flower, being considered the best.
;
,
FA IRIES, G UA RDTA NS OF HEA LING HERBS.

A
from end
1 99
strong twig of this about a yard long is taken, and split evenly to end, the pieces being then held by two men, about three feet apart, the " herb doctor " reciting an incantation, and waving his hands. When the twigs touch, a piece of the briar is cut off at the point of contact and bound firmly over the sprain. This ligature is left on for three days, when the sprain is perfectly cured. Inflammation of the eyes is removed by the application of an amber bead, or of any article of gold either material should be heated by friction before application. Another remedy is to pierce with a thorn the shell of a living snail, and the fluid that exudes is an unfailing remedy for anything affecting the eyes. For a stye in the eye, pluck ten gooseberry thorns, throw the first away, then point each of the other nine successively towards the stye, and cure will follow infallibly. The tail of a black cat, if rubbed over the eyelid, will effect a rapid cure. For braises, burns or sores, heat limestones in the fire, then throw them into water until the latter is hot, and bathe the affected parts once a day until they are healed. Select a small stone, The following charm is also practised smaller than a boy's marble, for each wart you possess, tie them up in "a clean linen bag, and throw it out on the highway ; then find out a stone in some field or ditch with a hollow, in which rain or dew may have lodged, and wash the -warts seven times therein, and, after the operation, whoever picks up the bag of stones will have a transfer of the warts." Verbena officinalis, or vervain is esteemed, in many cases, a When this plant is pulled a peculiar incantasovereign remedy. tion is used, which is translated as follows
;
:
"
Vervain, thou growest upon holy ground, In Mount Calvary thou wert found,
Thou curest all sores, and all diseases, And in the name of the holy Jesus
I pull
you out
of the ground."
to the superstition of the ancient cult is here transferred for the groundwork of the charm has present professed religion, ritual have been apparently been retained, but words of Christian substituted for the invocation of the ancient deities of the land. It is alleged that vervain was one of the plants held sacred by the Druids, and was, in consequence, adopted into Christian in their Although gathered by witches to do mischief usage. on the other hand, it can be employed against incantations, yet, " hinders witches from their will." their machinations, and it Vervain has long been in repute as a love philtre. In Germany
The
a wreath of vervain
is
bride. given to the newly-married
In
200
TREE WORSHIP HERBS AXD MEDICINE.
France, as in Ireland, it is gathered under the different changes of the rnoon, with secret incantations, and is then supposed to possess remarkable curative powers. Virgil describes it as a charm used by an enchantress
:
"
With
Bring running water, bind those altars round fillets, with vervain strew the ground."
Mint is used as a plaster for wounds. a sure remedy for disorders of the stomach. The juice of carrots is employed for purifying the blood. A cure for the mumps is to tie a halter round the neck of the sick child and lead it to a stream in which it must be bathed three times.
The wood anemone

round the waist
is
tied
The Irish peasant carefully hides or burns the cuttings from if he loses a tooth he his hair, or the clippings from his nails throws it away over his left shoulder or into the fire a mother will not permit the nails of her infant to be cut until it attains a
; ;
certain age.
tion, says
is,
:
Sir
"
Thomas Browne, commenting on

set
the supersti-
The
cutting hair is To the perhaps, but the continuance of ancient superstition. Bonians, it was peculiar to pare their nails upon the Nundinae observed every ninth day ; and it was also feared by others in certain days of the week." Clippings of the hair and nails of a child, tied up in a linen cloth, and placed under the cradle of a sick infant will cure convulsions. Here the disease is supposed to be absorbed in a representative portion of the body of a stranger. In old Norse belief the nails of the dead were always cut, as otherwise they hastened the completion of the Death Ship which is to announce the end of the world. According to the Jewish Talmud nails must be cut in a certain order, and the parings burnt or hidden. The custom is still observed in the East. In one of the sacred books of the Parsees there is a prayer to be said over nail parings lest the evil demon turn them into weapons, and use
and statutory times for paring nails and thought by many a point of consideration, which
them against their former owners. This apparently inexplicable custom is elucidated by the practices of the Hindoos and South Sea Islanders, who make little figures of hair, nail clippings, or any article belonging to a person they wish to injure or bewitch, and then pierce, distort, or burn the figure so made, hoping thus
to compass the death of their enemy. The same superstition was, in England, embodied in this couplet " He that cutteth hair or
:
horn, Shall rue the day that he was horn."

is effected
Another certain cure
by some part of the clothes and
CEREMONIES REGARDING CUTTING HAIR.
201
hair being buried with a harrow-pin at the site of the first fit of Whoever digs them up will get the disease. falling-sickness. However, it is permissible, and even lucky, to cut the hair at the new moon, and by the light of the moon but it should never be attempted on a Friday night. From observing the very visible effects of the moon upon the level of the ocean, mankind in all ages have imagined its influence to extend not only to human affairs, but also to the state of the human body. Travellers in the East draw attention to the fact that the natives prefer to commence a journey at the time of the new moon and a similar custom obtained amongst the Jews in
;
ajrcient times
" For the goodman is not at home He is gone a long journey He hath taken a bag of money with him; He will come home at the full moon."
:
Proverbs
vii. 19,
20.
And
self in
" So David hid himagain in Samuel xx. 24, we read the field, and, when the new moon was come, the King sat
:
to eat meat." Mr. T. F. T. Dyer states that, " according to Vallancey, the Irish, on seeing the new moon, knelt down, repeated the Lord's Prayer, at the conclusion of which they cried, May thou leave us as safe And even still they make the sign of the as thou has found us cross on themselves (Notes and Queries, 5th series, Vol. v., p. 364), In the name of the Father, and repeat the words of the blessing
'
' !
him down
'
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,

sions, they fancy that they will obtain for." to point
Amen
'
!
On
these occa-
anything they
may wish
for
At the new moon, it is not an uncommon practice with an iron knife at the moon and say
:
people
"
New
That
moon, new moon, be true unto me,

I ere the
morrow
my
true love
may
see."
The knife then is placed under the pillow, and strict silence observed, or the charm is of no effect. Hair was an emblem of virility, baldness was the natural antithesis. This will account for a lock of hair being considered the representative of the owner's self, when life through it is sought to be taken or blasted by magic. The idea at the root of the construction of the similitude of an animal, or of a human being devoted to destruction, varies
somewhat in different countries, but it is of world-wide practice, and is as old and general as any primitive religious idea. After other completion the image is pierced with pins, thorns, or
202
TREE WORSHIP HERBS

;
AND
MEDICINE.
like substance it is slowly pointed instruments or if of wax or roasted before a fire in the belief that each prick inflicted on the image will occasion a mortal pang in the human being it represents, and that melting before a fire, or burning, will ensure gradual dwindling and pining of the original, or sudden or violent death, according to the treatment to which the similitude is
subjected.
curses,
prayers, offerings, and however numerous, were not sufficient for the purpose of compassing the death of the victim. Ellis, in Polynesian Researches, explains that it is necessary to secure something conThe nected with the body of the object desired to be destroyed.
Amongst the South Sea Islanders
parings of the nails, a lock of the hair, the saliva or other secretions from the body, or even a portion of the food which the person is to eat any one of these was considered as a vehicle by which the demon entered the person, who thus became " pos;
"It was called tubu, i.e., growing or causing to grow. procured, the tara was performed, the sorcerer took the hair, saliva, or other substance that belonged to his victim, to his house, or mara, performed his incantations over it, and offered his prayers the demon was then supposed to enter the tubu, and through it the individual who suffered from the enchantment. If it was a portion of food, similar ceremonies were observed, and the piece of bread-fruit, fish, etc., supposed by the process to be impregnated by the demon, was placed in the basket of the person for whom it was designed, and, if eaten, inevitable destruction was expected to follow. The use of the portable spittoon by the Sandwich Islander chiefs, in which the saliva was carefully deposited, carried by a confidential servant, and buried every morning; and the custom of the Tahitians in scrupulously burning or burying the hair when cut off, and also furnishing to each individual his distinct basket of fruit, originated in their dread of sorcery by any of these means. When the tara had been performed and the tubu secured, the effects were violent and death The most acute agonies and terrific distortions of the speedy. body were experienced ; the wretched sufferer appeared in a state of frantic madness, or, as they expressed it, torn by the evil spirit, while he foamed and writhed under his dreadful power."
sessed."
When
Many legends yet recount the miraculous cures effected by the " medicine men " of great Irish physicians or pagan times. The most widely known of all their celebrities was Dianket of the Dedanann race, who was afterwards regarded as the God of At the second battle of Moytirra he prepared a medicinal physic. bath, and endued it with. such sanative powers that the wounded warriors who were plunged into it emerged healed and restored
THE MAGIC CALDRON.

to
203
strength. Many ages before the Christian era a king of Leinster was hardly beset by a neighbouring and hostile tribe which used poisoned weapons. His Druid advised him to have a bath prepared before the next battle, consisting of the milk of one hundred and fifty white and hornless cows. As fast as the king's men were wounded they were plunged into the fluid, from which they arose perfectly healed. It is thus apparent that the idea of the existence of an elixir of life is of very ancient date in Ireland.
FIG. dl. Bronze Caldron found in the townland of Raffery, parish of Killinchy, county Down. Extreme outside diameter twenty-two inches. Reproduced from the Ulster Journal of Archceology.
bronze caldrons are mentioned as the chiefs to those of superior rank, and in mediaeval times, if the fact happened to be recorded by the annalists of an Irish chief pillaging the territory of his neighbour, an enumeration of the number of copper caldrons carried off is In the Book of
Rifjhts,
tribute of
inferior
sometimes given. The scene in Macbeth, with Hecate and the witches around the seething caldron, is a good description of
British superstition.
" And now about the

Like elves and Enchanting
all
fairies in
caldron sing a ring,
that
you put
in."
204
TREE WORSHIP HERBS
AND
MEDICINE.
Irish magical caldrons appear to have been used, not for destructive so much as for healing purposes. Healing herbs were decocted, incantations were pronounced, and wounded warriors carried from the battlefield and plunged into the
magical liquid, were immediately healed and enabled to return for the Druids. to the fight
:
"
By force of potent spells, wicked magic, And conjurations horrible to hear,

Could
set the ministers of
Hell at M ork,
r
And raise a slaughtered army from the earth, And make them live and breathe and fight again."
A fine bronze caldron (fig. 51) was found in a bog long used for supplying fuel (at one time at least forty feet higher), in which numbers of bronze implements have from time to time
come
The vessel, of very superior workmanship, is to light. formed of golden coloured bronze, as thin as writing paper the thinness and evenness of the plates, and the ingenious mode of
;
as to equalize the strain in lifting the are proofs of advanced technical skill. There is a curious reference in the Book of Lismore to the magic caldron or bath. Caoilte, at the earnest entreaty of two " high-born ladies, brought the full of his right hand of potent fairy herbs with him, such as he knew were used by the chief women of the Fenians, and he gave them to the women and they made a bath thereof, and bathed therein, and this brought back the love of their husbands on them." Camden also mentions this custom as existing in his time. The ancient physicians were indeed clever at their profession. They diagnosed the nature of disease, not by pulse, temperature, and general symptoms, but by the character of the groans emitted by the sufferer. .A chief, grievously wounded in battle, had poisonous matter placed, by a treacherous attendant, in his hurts. The wounds closed, but the agony suffered by^the
affixing the handles, so
caldron
when
filled,
patient
was excruciating.
terribly learned doctor, styled
" the
prophetic physician," from his great skill in diagnosis (though from the story, it would appear that his pupils, not so much as he himself, possessed this valuable gift), arrived with his three apprentices, and found the chief lying prostrate, groaning loudly from the effects of intense pain. " " What groan is that ? inquired the doctor of his first " It is from a apprentice. poisoned herb," replied number one. " And what " demanded the doctor of number groan is that ? two apprentice. " It is from a hidden reptile," replied number two. " And what " groan is that ? inquired the doctor of the third
PRINCIPLE OF "NO CURE NO PA F."

apprentice.
three.
205
" It
is
from a poisoned
seed,"
replied
number
cauterized
Then the whole four set to work on the unlucky sufferer, the wounds with red-hot irons, after which the
poisonous substances were extracted from beneath the skin, and the chief not only survived the operation, but was actually cured. If one may judge from mediaeval MSS., these " medicine men " of the pagan era were paid on the principle of "no cure no pay." When in attendance on a patient, "the doctor" was " entitled to his " coshering board and lodgings), (i.e., free with that of his apprentices or pupils but if he failed together to-.êstore the patient to health, he could be made refund his fee and the cost of the keep of his assistants.
;
"
Physicians
mend
or end us,
;
but although we sneer In health, when sick we call them to attend
Secundem artem
Without the
us,
least propensity to jeer."
CHAPTER V
I.
STONE WORSHIP.
Pillar-Stones
erection
is
The most ancient

attributable
of
Monuments
Various causes to which their
fluence over
women
Traditional legendary belief regarding their inand men Pagan Pillar- Stones Reconsecrated to the
Religion The Worship wide-spread Instances cited St. Patrick overturns Pillar-Stones Human Beings metamorphosed into Pillar- Stones
New
by Druids, Magicians, Witches, and Mermaids Speaking Stones Stones to which Offerings of Food were made Hungry Stones Holed Stones The larger-sized apertures used for the cure of disease The ailment left behind by the act of transit Hence the idea of regeneration and the remission of sins These ideas adopted
By
Irish
Saints,
Divination Stones
by the Christians Anecdotes regarding their adoption Creeping or passing under certain objects, or passing through a cleft sapling, &c., graduHoled Stones with diminutive ally substituted for the original rite
apertures
Adopted into Christianity Their wide-spread use Connected with marriage rites, and with women Alignments of Stones Druid's, Inauguration Stones The Stone of Brehon's, and Hag's Chairs or Seats
Destiny, or the Coronation Stone, in Westminster Stone Rocking Stones.
Abbey
The Blarney
A
to
SENTIMENT
all races of
common to human beings in all ages, and among men, is an ardent desire to leave behind something perpetuate, amongst succeeding generations, the memory of
their existence. This sentiment, doubtless, led primitive man to plant erect in the ground the rough pillar-like stones he found
In corroboration of this we lying prostrate on the surface. notice that these hoary monuments are found in almost every
country throughout the globe in Ireland they may have been mere cenotaphs, but were doubtless erected for a variety of other These rude monoliths, or pillar-stones, though found purposes. in Great Britain and on the Continent, are not very numerous in Ireland. They are by some antiquaries supposed to be idols, lithic monuments in commemoration of the death of some renowned warrior, or to have been erected on the spot where some celebrated combat, or battle, took place. In support of this it is " stated that in Scotland they are styled cat-stones," derived
;
PILLAR-STONES.
207
from cath, " a battle." There is, for example, a stone monument called the " Cat's Stone," in the county Westrneath. Also it is possible they may have been employed for the prosaic, but useful
purpose of landmarks. Some writers have even suggested that they were erected for, and used as sundials, and that, like the pillars of the temple of the sun at Balbec, these
"...
lonely columns stand sublime,
Flinging their shadows from on. high, Like dials, which the wizard Time, Had raised to count his ages by."
pillar-stones are still popularly considered to exemplify th&t worship of generative power which prevails in many other lands, and traditionary legendary belief regarding their influence over women for obtaining favourable results during their confinements, and over men in securing progeny, is, if not very widespread, at least far from extinct. There are numerous authenticated examples of the widespread custom, adopted by Christians on the Continent, especially at Rome, of devoting to Christian uses monuments, such as temples or tombs, that had been anciently pagan, and this system was in primitive times extensively followed in Ireland. Thus pillar-stones were consecrated to the new faith by simply engravIf we are to believe ing on them the sign of the Greek cross. the later written lives of St. Patrick, he found the people worshipping pillars, some of which he caused to be overthrown, but the majority appear to have been reconsecrated to the new worship. Traces of the survival of the worship of standing-stones are extremely interesting. There are many examples from ancient Greece similar instances occur in almost all early religions, and they are still preserved in folk-lore. The Kaffirs, a tribe of the Hindu Rush, say of the stones they " " This stands for God but we know not His shape worship and therefore they leave the rock untouched by chisel. Ages before the appearance of Mahomet people flocked annually to Mecca to worship at the Kaaba, and to adore the sacred Black Stone. The astute reformer perceived that the custom was too firmly rooted to be easily eradicated, so he grafted it on to his remodelled religion, and made the performance of a pilgrimage The Hindoos allege that the to the Kaaba a religious duty. Black Stone in the wall of the Kaaba is no other than the Linga of Mahadeva, one of their gods, and that when the Kaaba was rebuilt it was placed in the wall to withdraw it from public adoration but the Prophet's new converts would not relinquish its worship, and the Mollahs were at length forced to connive at, and finally to tolerate, and even encourage the cult.
;
:
208
STONE WORSHIP.
In a passage in the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick a comparamodern MS. the demolition of an idol styled CennCruat'ch " with or Crom Cniach, " the chief idol of Erin," ornamented gold and with silver, and having twelve other idols ornamented with brass around him," in the plain of Mag Slecht, near Granard, is described. St. Patrick, of course, destroyed or overthrew the chief idol, and " the earth swallowed the other twelve idols to their heads." It appears as if the legend was a current popular story committed to writing from the vernacular, at a compara" to a " late and and its
tively tively
period,
relating
standing-stone
FIG. 52.
Rows
of pillar-stones at Carnac, in Brittany.
Crom or Crum signifies, accordsurrounding circle of boulders. ing to some authorities, a maggot, so Crom Cruach is literally the " Bloody Maggot." Another idol, in the west of Connaught, was styled Crom Dubh, or the "Black Maggot," and, in the province, the name is still intimately connected with the first Sunday in August. There seems to be, in these names, and in their connection with the first day of autumn, some indistinct reference to death and its accompanying corruption. In many localities a conspicuous standing-stone, placed in a prominent position, either by the hand of nature or that of man,
PILLAR-STONES,
209
so as at a distance somewhat to resemble the human figure, is called by the Irish-speaking peasantry Jar-breaga, a false man. In the same way the writer has heard the term applied to a " scare-crow."
When primitive traditionary tales, and mythology, were converted into religion, it was taught that the gods possessed the power of transforming human beings into pillar-stones, for instance, Lot's wife and the giant Ardfind, are examples from Hebraic and Norse belief. The standing-stones at Carnac (fig. 52) are said to be one of Caesar's armies metamorphosed, by Celtic magic, into stones but a much earlier belief relates that they were erected by diminutive supernatural beings who carried the biocks with them from a far distant East, and set them on end at Carnac, with the object of confusing seekers after a great treasure, which they buried under one of these numerous monoliths. O'Curry gives an extract from an Irish tale, in which a Druid transforms three of his enemies into rocks. When life and magical powers were attributed to inanimate objects nothing was more natural than to suppose that stones and trees might be converted into men and women, and conversely men and women were turned into trees and stones. Even with the Greeks it meets us in the well-known fable of Deucalion and Pyrrha re-peopling the earth by casting stones behind them, which changed into men
;
and women.
The
tale of stones
turning into
human
beings meets
us, at the present day, in almost every myth of creation collected by anthropologists in Africa, Polynesia, and America. In some cases trees take the place of stones, and transformation of men
among the commonest occurrences, as wherever natural objects present a resemblance to the human figure such like myths sprang up. Daphne is transformed into a laurel, Lot's wife into a pillar of salt, and the Cornish maidens and the Sligo mermaid's children into a circle of stones. In the south of Cork, there is a pillar stone, which bears, in the imagination of the peasantry, a rude resemblance to a female The natives of the locality suppose this to represent figure. a woman, who, for her misdeeds, had been petrified by a magician. The legend is especially interesting, as the magician
into both are
was
in this instance, according to popular tradition, an Irish
saint.
Very little of the old church of Fernagh in the county Kerry remains, except a fragment of the east wall. The saint after whom the church is named had a large tract of pasturage The woman in charge of his cows, adjoining the sacred edifice. stole and sold the saint's butter, whereupon the holy man turned the dishonest woman into a pillar stone, the butter rolls into
VOL.
II.
210
STONE WORSHIP.
them near the church, where they are still pebbles, and placed The churn and other vessels used in the butterto be seen. The woman happened to making were also turned into stone. be pregnant at the time, which is shown by the stone to the She also had a rope with which she used to tie present day. cross cows, and the stake to which it was attached grew into a The rock in which the cavities occur appears to rest on tree. level with the its natural site on a sloping bank, the north side earth (fig. 53), and the south side (fig. 54) about three feet and a half above it. Upon its surface are eight depressions,
FIG.
"
53.
The Butter Rolls " (probably
cursing-stones), north side, Fernagh old Church,
county Kerry, from a photo.
varying in
size.
size, three of
them being
slight,
and
five
of good
cavity contains a worn oval pebble, locally known The surface of the rock is about seven feet as a butter lump. square, the larger basins are thirteen inches in diameter, by about six inches in depth. In the centre of the rock surface is laid the upper half of a quern, found not long ago in a
Each
neighbouring field, but it has otherwise no connection with the other stones or petrified " meskins." When the devotees arrive at this rock, they pray and turn these stones. It is firmly believed
BELIEF REGARDING PILLAR-STONES.

that they could not be taken away.
211
Indeed several persons have tried to do so, but have always failed, the stones being found again in their places next morning. A young lad not long ago attempted to steal one of them, but his horse would not cross the bridge out of the parish, so he deemed it wiser to There can be little question leave the sacred stone back again. as to this site having been formerly a " cursing place," and that these stones were at one time used for maledictory and other
purposes.
FIG. 54.
" The Butter Rolls " (probably cursing-stones), south county Kerry, from a photo.
side,
Fernagh old Church,
The
saints
appear
to
have
thus
inherited
from
the
Druidical priesthood, the art of turning people they disliked into One of these holy men was persecuted by a malignant stone. *
" * Toland's'Jffiôry of the Druids. (Ed. 1814, pages 130-131). There are in or the highlands of Scotland and in the adjacent iles numberless Obelises, stones set up on end; some 30, some 24 feet high, others higher or lower; and this sometimes where no such stones are to be dug, Wales being likewise of England, full of them ; and some there are in the least cultivated parts of this last kingdom, the common In most in Ireland. with
very
many
places
P2
212
hag,
STONE WORSHIP.
who
followed him about, hindering the completion of the The saint in the act of he was engaged in erecting. his superintending the work on a round tower, perceiving opponent at the base of the building commencing her incantations, leaped to the ground and struck her on the head with his The country people show the witch metamorphosed hammer.
edifices
stone by the blow, lying close to the foundation, and This round bearing the mark of the holy man's hammer. tower was never finished, for one day, when the architect was at the top completing the cap, the saint, who strongly objected to the sum of money the builder was demanding for his fee, had the scafolding removed, and thought that he could then dictate "It is easier to pull down than his own terms to the designer. to build," was the sole comment of the latter, as he commenced On seeing the tables thus turned, to throw down the masonry. the saint begged him to desist, and the price he had demanded would be paid, but the architect, like a wise man, would not again trust himself in sacerdotal power, and declined either to repair or complete the work, so the round tower remains unfinished to
into
still
this day.
Crofton Croker recounts a legend of human beings, metamorphosed by magic into stones, and in the townland of Scurmore, parish of Castleconnor, county Sligo, there are some
;
" Children of the large boulders, bearing the singular title of Mermaid " to them is attached a legend which accounts for their origin. It is as follows In olden days, a man walking along the sea shore, discovered amongst the rocks, a mermaid Now, everybody, or at least everybody in that lying asleep. locality, knows that if possession be obtained of an article of a sea nymph's costume, she at once loses her aquatic nature, both as regards form and disposition, and degenerates into an ordinary mortal.* The man therefore approached became the possessor of the magic garment, stealthily, and led the metamorphosed nymph home as his bride. ReHis seven children tribution, however, finally overtook him. were nearly grown to maturity, when one day his youngest born saw him abstract the magic garment from its hiding-place, to
:
people believe these Obelises to be men, transform'd into stones by the magic of the Druids. This is also the notion the vulgar have in Oxfordshire of Rollwright stones, and in Cornwall of the hurlers ; erect stones so call'd, but belonging to a different class from the Obelises, whereof I now discourse. And indeed, in every country the ignorant people ascribe to the devil or some supernatural power, at least to giants, all works which seem to them to exceed human art or ability. Thus among other things (for recording their traditions will have its pleasure as well as usefulness), they account for the Roman camps and military ways, calling such the devil's dykes, or the like." * For the story of the capture of another mermaid, see ante, p. 127.
METAMORPHOSED INTO PILLAR-STONES.

deposit
it
213
where he imagined
off to describe
it
would be
still
more
to his
secure.
mother, who seized with a sudden yearning to return to her native element, resumed possession of her property, and bade her children follow her to the sea-shore. Being now re-endowed with all the attributes of a mermaid, she touched each in succession, changed them into seven stones, and then plunged into the ocean, and has never since been seen, but the boulders, seven in number, still stand on the circumference of a circular rampart surrounding a fine tumulus called Cruckancornia. Ît appears to have been a very prevalent belief throughout Ifeland, that some of the large stone circles were human beings, or giants, metamorphosed by magic into rocks. In one of Crofton Croker's fairy legends, a mermaid is secured by the A story very much resembling abstraction of an enchanted cap. the Sligo legend of the Mermaid, is told by Mr. Hibbert, in his The mermaid, after redescription of the Shetland Isles. sumption of her long discarded skin, said to the deserted " Farewell, I Shetlander, as she dived into depths unknown loved you very well when I remained on earth, but I always loved my first husband better." In Denmark, there are families who believe themselves to be descended from such mixed
marriages, and similar tales existed in the county Kerry, relative to the families of 0' Flaherty and 0' Sullivan, whilst the Macnamaras, of the county Clare, owe their name it is said, to a Mermaids are described by Irish tradition of the same nature. fishermen as " women with fishy tails," thus unwittingly mulier plagiarising the lines from Horace, Desinit in piscem formosa superne,* i.e. a woman beautiful above, ends in the tail of " The Irish word a fish. merrow,' correctly written mornadh, or mornach, answers exactly to the English mermaid,' and it It is also is the compound of muir, the sea, and oii/h, a maid. used to express a sea-monster, like the Armoric and Cornish morhuch, to which it evidently bears analogy." According to " born of " " Ussher, signifies, in the ancient British, " " morgan the sea and " Morgan is, at present, a very common name
' ;
The youth ran
what he had seen
in Wales.
the foot According to Crofton Croker, St. John's Well lies at of a hill about three miles from Ennis, and the water is believed to possess the power of restoring the use of the limbs and curing defective sight. Near the well there is a small lough, said to be the abode of a mermaid, which used to appear very frequently. " This of the lake was observed resorting to the cellar of
lady
Newhall, the seat of Mr. M'Donall.

*
The
butler, perceiving the
of style. Figuratively, a description of bad taste, and incongruity
214
STONE WORSHIP.
wine decrease rapidly, determined, with some of his fellowservants, to watch for the thief, and at last they caught the mermaid in the act of drinking it. The enraged butler threw her into a caldron of hoiling water, when she vanished, after uttering
three piercing shieks, leaving only a mass of jelly behind. Since that period her appearances have been restricted to once in every seven years." There are but few freshwater mermaids they are only plentiSome fisherful in the sea, and their singing heralds a storm. men still believe in the real existence of mermaids a man declared he had actually seen one on the rocks combing her hair, but on his approach she took a header into the deep. But how can we blame these simple folk, when, in the Irish annals, under date A.D. 807, a dead mermaid is chronicled as having been cast by the waves upon the sea beach, and details are given of her dimensions which almost rival those of the sea-serpent of the nineteenth century. At a later date, in the year 1118, it is gravely recounted that two mermaids were caught by fishermen. Mermen are not as attractive creatures as mermaids ; their hair and teeth are green, their noses red, and their eyes sunk, resembling those of a pig, so that there is little cause of wonder at
; ;
mermaids occasionally allowing themselves
to be captured by good-looking fishermen. The following was recounted by a countryman, a native of Kilross, county Sligo Long ago there lived a celebrated magician who possessed a cow that brought wealth and prosperity to her owner. One of his neighbours, with the assistance of his son, succeeded in driving it off for the purpose of stealing it. The magician, soon discovering his loss, pursued and overtook the thieves. In his hand he bore a magical wand, and, overcome with passion, struck with it the cow, the boy, as well as the thief, thereby metamorphosing them all into stone. In the centre stands the thief, represented by a pillar-stone more than six feet high near him is the boy, of lesser proportions, and a slab, lying Another countryman prostrate, represents the cow (fig. 55). stated that the magician was the celebrated witch Vera. He styled the pillar-stone Clochtogla, i.e. "the lifted stone," a fairly conclusive proof that it is all that remains in position of a former cromleac. As already recounted (ante, vol. i., pp. 360 and 361), Vera, according to one legend, met her death on the
:
Slieve-na-Cailleach hills according to another legend, Vera was drowned when trying to cross Loch-da-ghedh, in the mountains above Kilross, where her "house" is still pointed out. Lochda-ghedh, i.e. Lough Dagea, the Lake of the Two Geese (see
;
p. 271), has, even at the present day, the reputation of being the deepest in the county Sligo. One countryman stated that
216
STONE WORSHIP.
!
there is an underground outlet from it, and if anything were " thrown into it, " it would coine out at the bridge of Denmark He would not say, however, whether Vera's body did so or not. Another countryman recounted that it was once essayed to drain
the lake for the purpose of recovering the treasure at the bottom,
which was guarded by a huge monster but when the workmen commenced operations they imagined they saw their homesteads on the plain in flames, and, going down to extinguish them, found it was the good people who had deceived them (ante, p. 157). When they returned to their work the trench they had made, to draw off the water, was filled up. Kuno Meyer found many references to the Protean character of Vera in Irish MSS. He quotes one in which she is styled " The old woman of Bcare." The reason " was that she had foster-children in Beare. She had seven periods of youth, fifty one after another, so that every man reached death by old age before her, so that her grand-children and great grand-children were tribes and races," before she finally succumbed to old age and debility and sang what may be styled her death song,
;
commencing
"
My life ebbs from me like the sea, Old age has made me yellow."
:
The
antithesis of
Wordsworth's well known lines

"... An old age serene and bright And lovely as a Lapland night
Shall lead thee to thy grave."
"a
would appear from this Irish poem that Vera had been famous hetaira in her time." In it she compares her preIt
:
sent life with that passed by her in her younger days
" It
is
riches
:
That you
love, not men In the time when we lived,
It was men we loved. " The maidens rejoice When Mayday comes to them: For me sorrow is meeter, For I am wretched and an old woman. " I hold no
sweet converse, wethers are killed at my wedding, My hair is all but grey, The mean veil over it is no pity.
No
" Once I was with kings Drinking mead and wine I drink whey-water To-day
:
Among
withered old women."
In the same MS. Vera is also described as the mother of St. Fintan, and in another as the wife of a well-known poet
MAGICIANS, WITCHES,
AND MERMAIDS.
217
of the eighth century, or more probably of an ancient mythical personage a kind of denii-god of similar name to the poet. Kuno Meyer states that the denii-god was certainly one of Vera's lovers as appears from the title of a now lost tale entitled Sere He also cites other MSS. Caillige Berre do Fhothad Canainne. in which a quatrain, translated as follows, is ascribed to Vera:
" I have an increase of sight, a keenness that does not One seems to me to be two, two seems to me three."
It
. .
.
is not, however, explained as to whether Vera thus gave expression to her feelings after one of her drinking bouts.*
The above quoted poem has recently been literally translated by Kuno Meyer in Otia Merseiana. The lyric appears in two
of the sixteenth centuries respectively, but on grounds of structure and language the Professor is inclined to date back its original composition to the eleventh century. The poem of thirty-six four-lined stanzas, abridged by Mr. Stephen Gwynn in his metrical rendering to sixteen stanzas (as several of the transitions were very abrupt) appeared in the Fortnightly Review (March, 1901) under the heading A Specimen
MSS., in the Library, Trinity College, Dublin,
and
seventeenth
of Irish Medieval Poetry, and is here reproduced by kind permission of the Author and of Mr. Courtney, the Editor of the Review. Mr. Stephen Gwynn observes " that except for the rearrangement of the order and some slight expansions of the magnificent image which recurs throughout, my version is very close to the original and at times almost identical with the literal rendering," and again " the conflict between the formal protestation of a late assumed religion and the real cry of the heart is true to nature and it is frequently present in the Ossianic
enough
literature."
"
Ebbing, the wave of the sea Leaves, where it wantoned before,
Wan and naked the shore, Heavy the clotted weed : And in my heart, woe is me !
Ebbs a wave of the
sea.
* For u vol. i.,PP- 360-364. description of the attributes of Vera, see ante, The Vision of Mac Conrjlinne, pp. 6, 131-134, 208-210 Otia Merseiana, vol.1., in Scotland a proverb pp. 119-128. Professor Whitley Stokes states that is ascribed to her
; :
" Chuala mi 'chubbag gun bbiadh ambhroinn, Chunnaic mi 'n searrach 's a chulaobh num. Chunnaic mi 'n tseilcheag air an lie luim, 'S dh 'aithnich mi nacb ruchadh a' bhliadhn' ud
learn.
" From this it is evident that Vera \ras no ordinary witch," but a goddess of the Elder Faiths and whose worsbip was not restricted to Ireland.
218
STONE WORSHIP.
" I am the Woman of Beare. Foul am I that was fair Gold-embroidered smocks I had,
:
Now in
"
rags
am
hardly clad.
Anns, now so poor and thin, Staring bone and shrunken skin, Once were lustrous, once caressed Chiefs and warriors to their rest.
the sage's power, nor lone Splendour of an aged throne, Wealth I envy not, nor state
:
" Not
Only women folk
I hate.
cold,
;
" On your heads, while I am For me, every month

:
Shines the sun of living gold Flowers shall wreathe your necks in
is
May
gray.
fire,
" Tours the bloom but ours the Even out of dead desire.
Wealth, not men, ye love
Life was in us,
;
but when
we
loved men.
" Fair the men, and wild the manes Of their coursers on the plains Wild the chariots rocked, when we llaced by them for mastery. " Lone is Femen vacant,
;
:
bare,
And
Stands in Bregon Konan's Chair. the slow tooth of the sky Frets the stones where my dead lie.
:
" The wave of the great sea talks Through the forest winter walks. Not to-day by wood and sea, Comes King Diarmuid here to me.
"
know what my king does. Through the shivering reeds, across Fords no mortal strength may breast
I
He
rows
!
to
how
chill a rest
" Amen Time ends all. Every acorn has to full.

Bright at feasts the candles were. Dark is here the house of prayer.
"
I, that when the hour was mine, Drank with kings the mead and wine,
Drink whey-water now, in rags Praying among shrivelled hags.
"
Amen Let me
And, as upon God
Let my drink be whey, do God's will all day,

I call,
to
Turn my blood
angry
gall.
WITCHES AND MAGICIANS.

" Ebb,
219
And the second ebb, all tbree, Have they not come home to me
" Came tbe
I know flood, and ebb Well tbe ebb, and well tbe flow,
:
flood that had for waves Monarcbs, mad to be my slaves, Crested as by foam with bounds Of wild steeds and leaping hounds.
tide
" Conies no more that flooding To my silent dark fireside.

Guests are
many
in
**
But a hand has touched them " Well

is
my
hall,
all.
How
"
with the isle that feels the ocean backward steals But to me my ebbing blood
Brings again no forward flood.

Ebbing, the ivave of the sea Leaves, ivhere it wantoned before, Changed past 'knowing the shore,
Lean and
And far and farther from me

Ebbs the ivave of the sea."
lonely
and gray
bull called Conraidh.
The witch or goddess Cailleach Vera possessed a celebrated One day it strayed away from its pasturage and swam across a creek, which Vera jumped over. She was
so enraged that she struck the animal with her magical rod and turned it into stone. The bull-shaped rock is to be seen to this
very day. At Moytirra, near Highwood, overlooking Lough Arrow, in the county Sligo, there is a huge rectangular block of limestone, nearly 18 feet in height, a little over 7 feet broad on two of its It conveys, at first sides, and 11 feet 6 inches on the others. sight, the idea of being a pillar-stone, but examination shows
to be, in reality, an erratic boulder, placed in its present It was originally of greater position by the hand of nature. bulk, for two immense pieces have, through the agency of frost, or other natural causes, been torn from its sides, and now lie " This huge block is called the " Eglone prostrate at the base. (fig. 56), and the country people explain its origin by recounting that the boulder represents a giant, who had a dispute with a magician, and sought to kill him, but the latter was too powerful, and metamorphosed the giant into stone by a blow of his magical wand. It is stated that there is a reference to this
it
legend in the MS. notes of the Ordnance Survey. " The Crofton Croker, in his Killarney Leyends, describes It consists of a Druid's Circle," situated near Killarney.
220
circular
STON
WORSHIP.
embankment, within which stand seven upright stones. At a distance of about forty feet from the southern side of the enclosure are two upright stones of much larger dimensions. The following legend about the monument was related by a " A long time ago there were peasant of this neighbourhood
:
FIG. 56.
The "Eglone," near
the Village of
Highwood, Co. Sligo

into stone.
a giant
metamorphosed
two
and they had seven sons and these two big stones and the seven little ones are their children and they thought to conquer the country, and take all before them so they made war upon Donald Egeelagh (Daniel of the Lake), who lived down at Boss then a mighty great prince he was,
giants,
;
are the giants,
HAGS, WITCHES,
AND MAGICIANS.
221
and a great enchanter. So when he could not get the better of the giants, and their seven sons, by fair fighting, he went to his enchantments, and turned them into stones and there they are from that day to this." Many years ago the island of Inisbofin was unknown, being rendered invisible through enchantment but one day two fishermen, in a currach (a boat formed of wickerwork, covered with horse or cow hide), were lost in a dense fog and drifted on to a rock, on which they landed and lighted a fire, but no sooner had the flame touched the rock than the fog suddenly lifted and the fishermen found themselves on the solid land of Inisbofin, which hasTever since remained. On one side of the shingly beach, on which the discoverers found themselves, was the ocean, on the Close to them they perceived a other side a fresh water lake. hag, or witch, driving a white cow into the lake, and as it entered the water she struck it with a wand that was in her hand, when One of the fishermen, angry at what he it turned into a rock. saw, struck the old witch, and at once both he and the hag were
;
the All three are still to be seen transformed into stone. white cow, the hag, and the fisherman in stone. Formerly when any great event was about to happen the cow used to emerge from the lake and walk round the island but a long period has now elapsed since she was last seen. From this
;
magical cow
i.e.,
it is stated that the island takes its name Inisbofin, the island of the white cow. According to Cormac's Glossary the Fe, or magical wand, was made of aspen, an unlucky tree, and the wand was of such a purely pagan character that in Christian times it could be kept " the cemeteries of the heathen." It had sometimes only in symbols, in ogham, cut upon it, and baleful effect was supposed to be wrought by striking with it whatever was an object of deThis is a clear explanation of the wands testation to the striker.
described in present day popular folk lore as carried by hags, witches, and magicians, and it takes us back to a period when paganism still existed in Ireland.
wand, formed of different material, appears to have been also used for healing purposes, for in a medical MS. of the year 1509 it is recommended, as a cure for a man rendered impotent by elm wand, and magic, to cut the patient's name in ogham on an to therewith strike the sufferer.
The connection between these Druidical wands (Slatnan the divining-rod, is not Druidheacht) and that strange survival, to define, yet it may be taken for certain that the superstieasy tion attached to them is, in both cases, cognate with the adoration of sacred trees, and that the idea underlying belief in the were animated by powers of both wands is the notion that they
STONE WORSHIP.
tree
some species of in-dwelling power from which they were cut.
the spirit or qualities of the It is strange that there are
otherwise be styled fairly well educated, forked hazel stick, about eighteen inches in length, shaped like the letter Y, in the hands of a specially endowed person, possesses the magical power of revealing the mineralogical secrets of mother earth, and the faculty of disThe diviner grasps the covering unsuspected springs of water. prongs firmly between the thumbs and two first fingers of each hand, the straight part held downward. He then walks over the ground where minerals or water are being sought for. As he approaches a hidden lode or spring the divining rod commences
to rise
many people who may who still believe that a
When he apparently without collusion on his part. arrives directly over the lode or spring it will complete a half turn upwards, breaking or bending the twigs forming the fork held between his fingers, until the straight part of the divining
rod is uppermost. The quality and copiousness of the lode or the water supply is to be judged by the force with which the A writer remarks that, " the rod is repelled upwards from it. of the divining rod and table turning are of prephenomena cisely the same character, and both are referable to an involuntary
' '
muscular action resulting from fixedness of idea." Mr. R. A. S. Macalister states that by the strange
title of
" Gates
of Glory," the older generation of inhabitants of Corkaguiney, in Kerry, describes two standing- stones, situated in a field on the
right-hand side of the road leading from Dingle to Ventry (fig. 57.) The meaning of the quaint appellation is at present undecipherable, but is most probably an allusion to the resemblance of the stones to a pair of gate-posts, as they stand some five feet apart. One of the stones is upwards of seven feet in height, the other is slightly smaller; both are triangular in section and taper to a
point.
Some standing-stones were used by the peasantry for purIn the townland of Farranglogh, county poses of divination. Meath, are two remarkable pillar-stones from whence the " the locality derives its name. These are called speaking-stones," and were formerly consulted in cases where either man or beast had been " overlooked " by the " good people." At these shrines it was forbidden to ask the same question twice, and this condition having been broken by some unbelieving or forgetful inquirers, the " speaking-stones " have since become voiceless. had
been
They
breaking the spells of the fairies, in curing the effects of the evil eye, and they named, with unerring accuracy, the individual, or individuals, by whom malicious acts were perpetrated. Were cattle or other valuables stolen or lost, the directions given by the stones were certain to lead to the recovery of
infallible in
SPEA KING-STONES.
the!
223
district
missing property, but alas, evil-disposed persons in the may now act with impunity, the stones are dumb Mr. and Mrs. Hall state that between Dungarvan and Kilmacthomas, in a glen at a short distance from the road, is a
!
:
large insulated rock, called by the country people Cloughlourish, " At some of which they tell the following legend period, by a dispute arose between two gossips, a thing them undetermined, in that part of Ireland formerly of rare occurrence, as they considered the affinity of sponsorship bound them more closely together, than even the closest ties of consanguinity, so that it
FIG. 57.
" The Gates of Glory." Standing-stones near the road leading to Ventry. Reproduced from the Journal of the present Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
would be considered a more heinous crime to wrong a gossip than a father or a brother. This dispute arose out of the accusation of a man, for some base purpose, that his female gossip had been unfaithful to her husband. There are no people on earth more tender of female honour than the Irish, and the slightest
lowest degraimputation subjects the unfortunate accused to the It was usual, in such cases, dation, neglect, and banishment. to refer to the priest of the parish he, being supposed to have a of local affairs than any other person, would greater knowledge best judge of the character both of the accuser and the accused,
:
224
STONE WORSHIP.
and have no by-interest to serve that would hinder him from giving a fair and impartial judgment on the point referred to his In this instance, the woman bore untarnished fame. decision. attended by their Pearly in the morning all the parties assembled, friends and relatives, and set off for the chapel, where the cause was to be examined before the altar, it being considered imNothing possible that any person would there pronounce a lie. particular occurred until the party arrived at the stone, where some altercation ensued between the accuser and the husband of
the accused, when the former, falling upon his knees, called upon the stone to bear witness to the truth of his allegation. At the moment, a loud crash was heard, the earth shook, and the stone was rent from its summit to its base, while the words were distinctly spoken from the cleft in the rock, Asminic een eirin a The truth is bitter sometimes.' short?,' which is Englished by (See page 280.) And it is a common saying, when a doubt hangs Asminic over any allegation made to the prejudice of a person, een eirin a shoriv, arsa Clous/Mourisk a taloubh The truth is " bitter sometimes, says the stone speaking in the earth.' There can be but little doubt that Clogher, in the county Tyrone, like many other places in Ireland, anciently possessed some remarkable stones, gifted by the credulous with linguistic powers. According to legend, a hero of antiquity, Connor Mac He was told to proceed Nessa, consulted the oracle at Clogher. to the Isle of Man, and there get a noted caird, or artificer, to make for him a sword, spear, and shield, and the supernatural power possessed by them would be instrumental in gaining him the sovereignty of Ulster. It is needless to add, that the predic' ' ' '
' :
tion of the oracle proved true. In the Island of Guernsey, there is a
Cromleac styled La the stone that rings, probably on account of its emitting a ringing sound when struck. This title may be " the easily paraphrased into speaking stone." In somewhat the same fashion, the celebrated statue of Memnon, when first warmed by the rays of the rising sun, is stated to have emitted vocal sounds
"
Eoche qui sonne,"
i.e.
" As Menmon's marble
By
harp, renowned of old, fabling Nilus, to the quivering touch Of Titan's ntys, with each responsive string
Consenting, sounding through the air
Unbidden strains."
In pre-Christian times, on the Continent, statues supposed to be gifted with human voices were not uncommon. A magical stone at Altagore, county Antrim, is styled " the old Shanven, i.e. woman;" the owner kept it in his garden.
OFFERINGS OF FOOD TO STONES.

and food was always
"
225
left on it for the Grogan," as a fairy is The food designated, in the north of Ireland, as already stated. consisted of butter and oatmeal cakes this, it is needless to
:
say, disappeared during the night. stone, not knowing it to be enchanted,
pier ; next morning, however, it position. With regard to offerings of
niason once took this built it into a gate was found back in its original
and
food, there is a very strange
custom practised on Twelfth Day, and apparently of pagan On the eve of this day a ,large loaf, baked some days origin. " Christmas loaf," is laid, with great previously, and called the on the table. The doors and windows are then closed, solemnity, and one of the family, generally the housewife, takes up the loaf, and pounding it against the barred door and windows, repeats
three times, in Irish, the following lines
:
"
We
And
warn famine
to retire,
To the country of the Turks, Form this night to this night twelvemonth,
even
this
very night."
The introduction of " the Country of the Turks" is evidently a very modern substitution for some more ancient phrase. There are fear-yorta, or "hungry man" stones, upon which, if you unwittingly tread, or touch in any way, you are instantly seized with an unappeasable hunger which is fatal if not at once satisfied. Should you climb the mountains with a peasant, and
some particularly green and sheltered spot, propose to he will appear frightened, make some excuse, hurry you away and conduct you to another place. He will then inform you that the first locality was covered with "hungry grass," and that staying there would have been fatal to both. W. H. Maxwell, writing at the commencement of the nineteenth century, remarks that this mysterious disorder is in reality nothing but simple exhaustion, consequent upon hunger and
finding
rest,
" The lower classes are particularly liable to this attack. They eat but seldom, and at irregular seasons and commonly labour for many hours before they break their fast. Want of food produces faintness and exhaustion and a supernatural cause is sought for a simple malady, which is only the natural conOne would sequence of dyspepsia and an empty stomach. imagine that the specific for faragurta would at once point out its origin. Bread, or even a few grains of corn, are believed to cure it instantly but any kind of food is equally efficacious. I have seen,' said my kinsman, ' many persons attacked by Some faragurta, and have myself been patient and physician. years ago, a fine active boy, called Emineein (synonymous to VOL. II. Q
fatigue.
; ;
' ' ; '
226
STONE WORSHIP.
the moors, and one day he Neddy), commonly attended me to was suddenly taken ill in the very wildest part of the hills. He lost all power of limb and lay down upon the heath unable to and proceed a step. We had no grain of any kind to administer,
emergency tried that universal panacea, a glass of the boy rather whiskey. After he had swallowed the cordial, him to the got worse than better, and we were obliged to carry On our arrival, fortustill-house at nearly two miles distance. round a nately for Emineein, we found the operators collected After eating one or two, the skibb (a basket) of potatoes. patient was able to join the party, and next morning proceeded In my own case, the predisposing cause was no stoutly home. enigma. I had been one of a knot of fox-hunters who, on the preceding night, had indulged in a desperate jollification. Findin this
ing a disinclination for breakfast, I repaired, contrary to my I had exercised severely habit, without it to the mountains. for several hours, when at once I became helpless as an infant, and sank upon a bank incapable of motion. My pony and some food were speedily obtained, and the faragurta banished. But, assuredly, if unassisted, I must have lain upon the heath, " for I could not make the slightest exertion to get forward.'
Holed-stones, which may, in most instances, be regarded as found in Ireland they occur also in Scotland, England, and France, and from thence can be traced to India. It is stated, that in India the perforations are used by devotees, as a means of obtaining forgiveness of sins, or for regeneration if the hole is large enough, the suppliant creeps through, but if it be small the hand alone is passed through. A curious religious ceremony is depicted in fig. 58. " Here we see a well-known South Indian Missionary, endeavouring vainly to struggle through a small hole in a big stone slab. This slab is at the top of a hill, about three miles from Kollegor.
pillar-stones, are
; ;
The Hindus
actually squeeze themselves through this hole, in order to acquire for themselves merit and the favour of the gods. Now it is obvious that this squeezing is a painful business, and
it is impossible for our missionary to get through the " opening in the penance stone.' In the original use of the large apertures they seem to have been a literal, as well as a symbolic means, whereby an ailment, disease, or sin, might be left behind, or got rid of they were also symbols by which a compact could be ratified, or an oath The postulants, at first taken, by a well known and public act. then when it, through probably crawled through the orifice change in custom, became diminished in size, they probably passed a hand, or if a compact was to be made, clasped hands-
clearly
'
HOLED-STONES.
through
it.
227
The
wedding ring may be but a survival of the ceremony, when the woman would have had to crawl through an aperture in a sacred
In one place in England, this observance, it is stated, " St. Wilfred's Needle," in tha occasionally occurs, i.e. at crypt of Eipon Minister.
stone.
still
act of a bride passing her finger through her
Fio. 58.
" Holcd-stoiie" near Kollegor,
Iniiia.
Photo from Strand Magazine.
Some of the sacred stones dedicated to early British female saints were peculiarly sensitive of evil. Howden was honoured with a powerful patron-lady, St. Osuna, who evidently possessed a keen sense of humour. " The rector of the parish kept household with a north-country damsel after a fashion which St. Osuna was determined to reprove at the earliest opportunity. This occasion presented itself when the rector's arch-hussey one
day came to church. The saint's tomb was there, projecting from the wall like a wooden seat. The reverend gentleman's lady,' out of contempt, or fatigue, sat down thereon, and she
'
Q2
228
STONE WORSHIP.
;
She was unable to get up again. Her cry for never forgot it. and if they at last a host of villagers to her aid help brought their strength, but because pulled her away it was not through St. Osuna chose to let her go, after the flaunting minx had sworn she was sorry for the past and had promised amendment for the future. But, even then, St. Osuna did not let her loose from the seat the girl had sacrilegiously assumed, without making her leave a token behind her, which consisted of something more
than fragments of the wench's dress. No Howden lass, after on St. that, cared to hear any reference being made to sitting Osuna's bench." An instance where substantial gains attendant on the ritual of creeping through a holed-stone were early annexed by the Church is that of St. Michael-la-Riviere, in the diocese of Bordeaux. A similar practice obtained wherever, in the diocese, was a church dedicated to St. Michael. In the seventeenth century the results, both in honour and gain, were considerable, if we may judge by the bitter quarrels arising between churchmen connected with the localities. In the church of St. Michael-larequired to pass through a hole at the which he left offerings to the church A similar observance was according to his worldly means. retained in the Walloon Church of Nivelle, where there was a Between the wall and a pillar, close by, was a hole crypt. through which, as the people believed, no one in a state of mortal In a North German example the object of sin could pass. veneration was an aged and time worn oak, where the postulant, after creeping, in the prescribed manner, through a hole in the decaying trunk, completed the rite by burying a silver coin in the ground under the roots of the tree. At one time as many as a hundred sick folk are said to have visited it daily. In this instance the Church had sadly neglected her opportunities. A most remarkable stone, which was undoubtedly, in olden time, used for the carrying out of some pagan rite, marks the
Iliviere the sick
man was
after
end of the apse,
point of junction of the three parishes of the district formerly, and still by the country people, designated Cuilirra, near the town of Sligo. In the Brehon Law Tracts, vol. iv., p. 143, a monument of this class is called "a stone mark," i.e. a district which is marked by a stone of worship or an immovable stone. It is a thin limestone flag set on it measures ten feet edge
;
by nine feet in height above ground. The little stream which issues from Tobernavean, i. e. the " Well of the Warriors," laves its base. Towards the east side the flagstone is pierced by an oblong perforation three feet in length by two feet in breadth (fig. 59). A very old person, living
in breadth
^
formerly
in the vicinity, but
now
long dead,
stated to the writer that
HQLEb-STONES.
229
children suffering from measles and other infant maladies were passed through the aperture for a cure. From its mottled appear" ance this slab is called in Irish the " speckled and also the "grey stone." (See Frontispiece.} Without doubt most, if not indeed all of the "holed" and " bullaned " upright stones, as also the same class of crosses, were originally pagan pillar stones, which, owing to their hold on the primitive mind, were consecrated to the new worship, and still
V|t
Fiu. 59.
Holed-stone," called Clochbhreac, "the Speckled Stone," and Clochlia, or " the Gray Stone," at Tobernavean, Woodville, near Sligo. Reproduced from the Journal of the present Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
"
assert a powerful influence on the imagination of the peasant The early missionaries despite 1500 years of Christian effort.
were diplomatic, tolerated their use, and made the most they
could of their converts
; ;
converts resembling those made in our for the sake time-servers, changing belief, in many instances, day of worldly gain, who did not give up all their old heathen ideas and customs, but accommodated themselves to the fashion of the a deal of the old order into the new, of
day, by bringing
good
230
STONE WORSHIP.
are, undoubtedly, the superstistill
which the most marked survivals

tions
existing regarding stone worship. It is difficult to believe that the perforations in rude pillarstones, and in those bearing Christian symbols could possibly have been derived from any point of belief or ceremonial of the
Christian Church. In a field situated in the parish of Aghade, county Carlow, It projects, in there is a " holed-stone," called Cloch-a-Phoill. a semi-recumbent position, seven feet six inches above ground, is five feet eight inches in width, one foot six inches in its thickest part, and it is pierced, nearly equally distant from the sides and top, with a round hole eleven and a-half inches in diameter.
either
Formerly children were passed through
this aperture
as a cure for or a preventive against the malady called rickets. * Near St. Madron's Well,f in Cornwall, there is a block of
as
* There is still a tradition amongst the country people that a son of one of the Irish kings was chained to this stone, but that he contrived to break his chains and escape. One of the contributors to the Ordnance Survey Reports, and who evidently had a firm and unshaken belief in ancient tradition, states " There are marks left, caused by the friction of the iron on the stone. would at once conclude that it was a bull, or some other animal, that was chained here, and not a human being, were not the tradition confirmed by written history, the verity of which we are not disposed to contradict." This is a reference to a legend in the Book of Ballymote (fol. 77, p. b, col. b), in which this stone is mentioned, as well as the name of the district (now parish) in which it is situated, i.e. Athfada The following is (Aghada), the long ford. a literal translation, as taken from the Ordnance Survey correspondence " The of Eochaidh, son of Enna Cennsealach (King of Leinster). punishment Eochaidh, the son of Enna Censealach, on a time repaired to the south to his own country. He determined on going to the house of the poet of Niall of the Nine Hostages, to ask for victualls, i.e. to the house of Laidginn, son of Baircead, who was Niall' s poet. The youth was refused entertainment in the poet's house. He returned back again from the south, and burned after being as a hostage from his father in the hands of Niall of the Nine Hostages the poet's residence,
:
We
and killed his only son. The poet, for a full year after that, continued to satirize the Lagenians, and bring fatalities on them, so that neither corn, grass, or foliage grew unto them to the end of a year. "Niall made an expedition to the Lagenians, and vowed that he should not from them until Eochaidh should be depart given up as a hostage, and they were compelled so to do. And he was carried to Athfadat, in Fothartaibh Tea, on the banks of the Slaine, where he was left after them with a chain round his neck, and the end of the chain through a perforated rock. Then there came to him nine champions of the champions of Niall, for the purpose of killing him. " Bad, indeed,' said he, and at the same time he gave a sudden jerk, by which he broke the chain. He then took up ihe iron bar that passed through the chain (at the other side of the stone), and faced them. He so well plied the iron bar against them that he killed the nine. The men (i.e. the Hy Niall) retreat before him to the Tulach (now Tullov,-), the Lagenians press after, slaughtering them, until they had left the country." " Mr. R. C. Hope, in 'his Holy Wells,' refers to a block of stone near bt. Madron s We Spring, in Cornwall, locally known as St. Madron's Bed.
' '
CREEPING-STONES:^
231
" granite called the creeping stone," pierced in the centre by a hole. Through this aperture sickly children were formerly passed, in the belief that the ceremony would effect a cure. If a man crawls through the hole in the centre of the Maenan-Toll, muttering a certain incantation, he will ever afterwards
Holed-stone." The
Maen
an
Toll,
Cornwall. Photo,
by Frith & Co.,

Reigate.
complaints,
cure.'
be free from rheumatism, while babies will be freed from spinal if passed through the hole (fig. 60). are told that on it impotent folk reclined when they came to try the cold water
'
In the same parish
is
it.
with a hole in the centre of
a pro-historic relic in the form of a granite hlock It is known in Cornish as Mean-an-Tol, i.e.,
the Stone of the Hole. Its name in English is ' The Creeping Stone.' Sickly children were at one time passed through the hole a certain number of times in the belief that a cure would follow. This superstitious custom recalls what was at one time done beside St. Paul's Well, in the parish of Fyvie, Aberdcenshire. Close to the well were the ruins of an old church. One of its stones was sup' ported on other two with a space below. It went by the name of The Shargar Stone,' shargar signifying a weakly child.' The stone, in this instance, got its name from the custom in the district of mothers passing their ailing children through the space below the stone, in tho belief that whatever hindered their growth would thereby be removed." Folklore of Scottish Lochs and Springs,
'
James M. MacKinlay,
M.A., pp. 80, 81.
232
STONE WORSHIP.
In the parish of Fyvie, in Aberdeenshire, close to St. Paul's Well, there was a large stone supported on two others, thus Through this space leaving a space between it and the ground. ailing children were passed, in the belief that the sickness, from which they were suffering, would be removed. At Minchen Hampton, in Gloucestershire, there is a holed " stone, called the Long Stone." At its lower end is a perforawhich children used to be passed for cure, or tion, through prevention of measles, whooping cough, and other infantile ailments.
FIG. 61.
"
Holed-stone" Luristan, Persia, on the grave of a valiant warrior which cowards are passed to cure them of cowardice. From a photo, from The Wide World Magazine.
through
Fig. 61 is the reproduction of a photograph taken during Mrs. Bishop's journey in Upper Elam, in Luristan, Persia. It depicts a native of the country on horseback, and a rude representation of a stone lion erected on the grave of a warrior. " cowardice Mrs. Baker states that amongst these people
is
treated as a disease, and in those cases in which fervent prayers to cure the sufferer, he is taken out on the night of a full moon to the tomb of a valiant man denoted as such by one of
fail
HOLED-STONES FOR CURING DISEASES.

these
283
is
stone lions on his grave
and the inveterate coward
made to pass seven times under the lion's body." The special artist of the Graphic, Mr. W. T. Maud, writing from the Atbara Camp, during the advance of the Egyptian army " The natives look on Khartoum, in 1898, says that upon the and stand in awe of it. The sapper engine as a sort of god, officers who built the line, have many amusing yarns to tell about their reception when first the locomotive came along. At
:
Gennanetti, an Arab approached the officer in charge, and asked if his wife might creep under the engine. The reason for #tts extraordinary request, was that the lady was anxious to have a child, so permission was at once given. Not content with crawling under the engine once, she asked if she might do it again, and her husband explained that this would ensure her having twins."
him
A custom which prevailed at Ardmore, county Waterford, greatly resembles this Eastern rite, as in this instance there is no aperture in the stone, the passage being
underneath, between it and the rock upon which it rests.
The
Cloch-Xfive-Defjlane lies
amongst the boulders on the strand at Ardmore (fig. 62).
The pilgrims, after performing their rounds, squeezed themselves under it three times. This stone is noted
for cures, especially for pains in the back. It is a belief
The Cloch-Nave-Deglane,
or " St. Declan's Sacred Stone," at Ardmore, under which pilgrims squeeze themselves. From Mr. and Mrs. Hall's Ireland.
that no one with borrowed This is the rock or stolen clothes can pass unharmed under it. which navigated itself on the surface of the sea from Rome (see St. Brendan ran his "ship" (a huge rock) vol. i., p. 217).
Near Kilnamarbhe, on Scattery off the Donegal coast. there is a graveyard half washed away by the sea, and on Island, the beach lies the large stone slab on which St. Cannara sailed about. In the year 1833, a writer thus describes the rites as seen by " Devotion had commenced at him at the stone of St. Declan But it is only at low water the stone previous to my arrival. that the people can go under the stone to perform these devotions On the take advantage of the tide. there. must
ashore
:
They
always
Saint's day (22nd December) it is always necessary to some of the sand which accumulates under the stone, to
remove
make
STONE WORSHIP.
sufficient passage for a large man or woman, as the little rocks on which the stone rests, form irregular pillars, it is necessary to have the surface under the stone lower than the front or rere."
" In order to begin here, the men take off hats, coats, shoes, and stockings, and if very large, waistcoats. They turn up their breeches above the knee, then lying flat on the ground, put in hands, arms, and head, one shoulder more forward than the
other, in order to
work
their
way through more
easily,
and
coming out from under the stone on the other side (from front to rere perhaps is four feet), they rise on their knees and strike their backs three times against the stone, remove beads, repeat aves, etc. They then proceed on bare knees, over a number of little rocks to the place where they enter again under the stone, and thus proceed three times, which done, they wash their knees, dress and The women take off proceed to the well (ante, fig. 30, p. 96). bonnets, shoes, and stockings, and turn their petticoats up above I saw but one the knee, so that they may go on bare knees. woman who put her petticoat under her knees a little boy took off The women proceed in the same manner as the his breeches. men, excepting indeed, that they appeared less careful of saving I their knees from being hurt by the rocks than the men. should have observed that the number of females who went under the stone could not have been in a greater proportion than one to ten men." Near Durrow there is a singularly marked limestone flag, also famous for curing " pains in the back." The same idea, as is apparent in the habit of creeping under St. Declan's stone, under a railway engine, or through the " Lion-stone," is present in the apparently ridiculous custom of passing children, afflicted with the whooping cough, three times under an ass or a cow (see
;
ante, p. 189).
Creeping through, or under certain objects, seems to have been considered, in later times, as efficacious as creeping under a sacred stone, or passing through a holed stone. For instance, if an Irish peasant, on Hallow Eve, creeps under the long trailing branches of the blackberry briar, he will have his wish granted, and be free from malign influence, but the words he must use, and the rites he must perform, are only known to
the initiated.
times.
these charms, date back to pagan natives, merely substituted the names of the persons of the Trinity, or of distinguished Biblical, or Hibernian Saints, for their ancient gods and goddesses. No amount of argument will shake a peasant's faith in these ancient formulae, for above all things, fervent faith is necessary, or the charm will not be efficacious.
Some,
if
not indeed
all of
The newly converted
CREEPING UNDER ARCHED BRAMBLES.
235
Mr. T. F. T. Dyer, in English Folk-Lore, statesthat, " inDevonsliire, a curious charm, consisting in creeping under an arched
used to cure blackhead or pinsoles, as they are A contributor to the Transactions of the Devonshire Association (1877, vol. ix., p. 96) tells us that the person affected by this troublesome malady is to creep on hands and knees under or through a bramble three times with the sun that The bramble must be of peculiar growth is, from east to west. that is. it must form an arch, rooting at both ends, and if it reaches into two proprietors' lands, so much the better. Thus, if ;i bramble grows on the hedge of one owner, and a branch, of which the end takes root, extends into the field of another, the best form for working the charm is provided." There is, in Ireland, something sacred with regard to this, the blackberry briar. To dream you are passing through a thicket of these brambles, portends trouble if they scratch or prick you, it is bad, but much worse if they draw blood. In some rural districts in England a usage still exists in which a sapling is employed instead of the aperture in a stone. When a child is taken ill, it is brought before sunrise by a " wise woman " to a place where a young ash sapling grows. The child is undressed, the sapling is split towards its centre, the severed portions being held far enough' asunder to allow the infant to be " wise woman," while certain mysterious passed through by the The cut in the sapling is then carefully words are pronounced. If the bound together, and plastered over with mud or clay. tree lives, the child will certainly recover, but if it dies, the
bramble,
is
sometimes
called.
disease from which the child suffers will prove incurable. A case of passing a child through a cleft tree, as a curative process for physical ailment, was observed in the year 1888 in Not long ago the practice was by no means unliio Janeiro. common in many parts of England, but in comparison with the observances in India there was a considerable difference, in India the process being regarded as spiritual, while in England it was More than a century ago Cullen, in his exclusively corporeal. " I may mention a custom Antiquities of Haivstead, writes which I have seen twice practised within a few years, namely, For this purpose a that of drawing a child through a cleft tree. young ash tree was each time selected, and split longitudinally about five feet. The fissure was kept wide open by my gardener, while the friend of the child, having first stript him, passed him As soon as the operathrice through it, always head foremost. tion was performed the wounded tree was bound up with packThe thread, and as the bark healed the child was to recover. first of these young patients was to be cured of the rickets, the second of a rupture. About the former," continues Cullen, "I
:
286
STONE WORSHIP.
had no opportunity of making any inquiry, but I frequently saw the father of the latter who assured me that his child, without any other assistance, gradually mended, and at last grew perfectly well." Another writer says that when walking through a plantation with his bailiff he observed a young ash, and perceived that
him
it
rather minutely inspecting

scar,
had a straight seam or
On inquiry the bailiff told him that three feet or more in length. a child had been passed through the tree, split and opened for the " The tree is now as thick as one's purpose, to cure its rupture. wrist, and was not, when the ceremony was performed, above an inch in diameter. The impression is, that as the tree heals of its wound, so will the child's ailment be removed. Great confidence seems to be placed in the mysterious efficacy of the process." A writer in the Report and Transactions of the Devonshire " Association (vol. viii., p. 54) says: Passing lately through a wood at Spitchwich, near Ashburton, a remark on some peculiarity in an ash sapling led to the explanation from the gamekeeper that the tree had been instrumental in the cure of a ruptured infant, and he afterwards pointed out four or five others that had served the same good purpose. With evidently perfect faith in the story, he related that when a young infant is afflicted with rupture a small maiden ash is split for a length of five or six feet down the middle, as it stands growing in the wood, The split halves being forced asunder, the naked infant, squalling as becomes him, is passed three times in the same direction through the opening, and thenceforth the defect is cured. The tree is then restored to its natural shape and as it thrives so this child thrives. My informant instanced several well-known young men of the neighbourhood who had been subjected to the process in
their babyhood, and had grown case in which the tree had
up strong and healthy. In one evidently suffered from the experiment, he referred to the deformity and sickly growth of the
youth who had been passed through it." White, in his Natural History of Selborne, describes also, very "In a farmyard, near the middle of the fully, this practice: village, stands, at this day, a row of pollard ashes, which, by the seams and long cicatrices down their sides, manifestly show that, in former times, These trees, when they have been cleft asunder. young and flexible, were severed and kept open by wedges, while ruptured children stripped naked were pushed through the apertures, under a persuasion that, by such a process, the poor babes would be cured of their As soon as the operation infirmity. was over, the tree, in the suffering part, was plastered with loam and carefully swathed up. If the parts coalesced and soldered together, as usually fell out when the feat was performed with any adroitness at all, the party was cured but where the cleft
;
SECONDARY HOLED-STONES.
continued to gape, the operation,
ineffectual.
237
it was supposed, would prove Having occasion to enlarge my garden not long since, cut down two or three such trees, one of which did not grow
together."
In Folk-Lore of Plants, Mr. T. F. T. Dyer mentions that, "in Somersetshire, the superstition still lingers on and in Cornwall the ceremony, to be of value, must be performed before sunrise but the practice does not seem to have been confined to any It should also be added, as Mr. special locality. Conway has pointed out, that in Saxon countries, in the Middle Ages, a hole formed by two branches of a tree growing together was esteemed
;
of highly efficacious value. ... It is noteworthy also, that the Indian belief which describes the holes in trees as doors through
spirits of those trees pass, reappears in the superstition, that the holes in the oak are the pathways for elves ; and that various diseases may be cured by contact with these holes. Hence some trees are regarded with special
which the special
German
and persons of a particularly the lime and pine may often be seen carrying sickly superstitious turn of mind children to a forest for the purpose of dragging them through
veneration
'
such holes.'
Napier,
''
and rite obtained in Scotland also. James quotes the following from the Presbytery " Piecords of Lanark, 1664 Compiers Margaret Eeid in the same parish (Carnwath) suspect of witchcraft, and confessed she put a woman newlie delivered, thrice through a green hulshe, and that she carried a sick for helping a grinding of the bellie " Such child thrice about one aikene port for curing of it." means," continues Napier, "of curing diseases were practised within this century, and many things connected with the oak (and ash) were held potent as curatives." " In instances of the " holed-stone class in Ireland the earliest perforations appear, as already stated, to have been the largest ; they gradually dwindled down to such as would little more than admit a finger. These may be termed " secondary holed-stones." In connection with ecclesiastical buildings, instances occur Cross-inscribed holed-stones may, in localities widely apart. probably, have been so sculptured by the earliest missionaries amongst the Irish, with the object of thus diverting the prayers of the pagans into supposed Christian channels. About a mile from the village of Doagh, county Antrim, " Holed-stone." It is stands a large slab called the upwards At a height of about three feet of five feet above ground. there is a round hole perforated through it large enough to admit an ordinary sized hand (fig. 68). Whatever other uses it may have been erected for, there can be little doubt, but that it was
The same
belief
F.R.S.E.,
FIG. 63.
Secondary Holed-stone," near the village of Doagb, county Antrim, connected with aphrodisiac customs. From Welch's Irish Views.
HOLED- S2 ONES
AND MARRIAGE RITES.
239
connected with aphrodisiac customs. Marriage contracts are still ratified at this spot, as country couples go there to signify their It is said that not betrothal clasping hands through the hole. a large stone, with a hole through it, stood on a hill near long ago Cushendall in the same county. There is a stone of this class in the churchyard of Castledermot (fig. 64).
64.
"Secondary Holed-ston""
at Castledermot. called "The Swearing-stone," evidently i rom a Photo. formerly connected with apii.odisiac customs,
at
" this hole-atone stands Lord Walter Fitz Gerald states that the head of a modern grave (belonging to a family named
;
Abbott) on the south-east side of the churchyard

'
it is
locally
called the swearing-stone,' though the use it was formerly put It is of granite, a class of stone which to is now
abounds
forgotten. in this district.
" In the beginning of 1889, as the stone had,
m course of
240
years,
S2ONE WORSHIP.
and become greatly sunk in the ground, I had it raised, half of it alone had been above ground found that just about made for it, to prevent Before replacing it I had a bed of cement and at present only six inches of it are hid it again sinking, The full length of the stone is 3 feet, its width 1 foot from view in the photo) 2 in and its thickness 5 in. The hole (as is shown the arms of a raised cross, and is 5m. in is at the junction of The back, or west side of the stone, is plain. There diameter. this side, which runs down the is a peculiar vein in the granite on from it) from top to the bottom. middle of the stone
(projecting
Another holed-stone
is near the church of Kilmalkedar, about a mile from Smerwick Harbour, county-
Kerry.
On A ran
Islnnd there is a perforated stone inscribed with a

curiously shaped cross 0' Donovan (fig. 65). states that there were
rites superstitious held in connection
with it, but he does not specify their nature. According to a correspondent who
lately
:
visited
the
when women place are sick their linen clothes are sometimes the pulled through
hole.
It
seems to
FIG. 65.
"
Secondary Holed-stone,"
Mainister.
Aran
Island,
the ornamentatioii under the perforation seems to partake of the characteristics of a crux ansata. Fig. 66 is from a sketch by Mr. W. J. Fennell, of a weatherworn and much mutilated cross of red sandstone in the old
of the present Society of
connected with aphrodisiac customs. Reproduced from the Journal
possess more of a sacred character to FIG. the peasantry than Secondary Holed-stone." the other crosses on Weather-worn and mutilated Cross, at Layde, the Island. It stands
co. Antrim.
Reproduced
of Archeology.
from the Ulster Journal (Second
about
the
five feet
above
soil,
Antiquaries of Ireland."
illustration
pointed out by Lord "Walter Fitz Gerald, an erroneous description and of this stone appeared in General Vallancey's Collect, -de rebus Hiber., 1804; in the Gentleman's Magazine, 1864; in Marcus Keane's Towers and Temples of Ancient Ireland; in Waring' s Stone Monuments in the Dublin Penny Journal, 1832 and lastly, in the author's Rude Stone Monuments of Ireland, p. 104, fig. 84, taken from the engraving in the Dublin Penny Journal.
; ;
* As
FIG. 67. connected with aphrodisiac customs. Secondary Holed-stone," at Glencolumbkill, Views. From Welch's Irish
VOL.
II.
STONE WORSHIP.
It appears to have in the county Antrim. graveyard of Layde been quite lately replanted in an upright position, as on it is a but recently deceased. No newly cut inscription to a person regarding it could be gathered. legend The holed-stone, at Glencolumbkill, county Donegal, is the most venerated of all the crosses at this station. At it women block of white quartz, to the right pray for children. The large The presence of this of the cross, is to be noted (fig. 67). material forms a characteristic feature at most ancient stations, and indeed at many modern pagan holy wells, pagan sepulchres, world over (see ante, vol. i., pages 329religious sites all the There are holed-stones at Killbary, on the Shannon, at 331). Devenish (close to a saint's "Bed"), in Lough Erne (fig. 68)
drawn to the manner in which the stone is pierced), (attention is and at Inishmurray, off the Sligo coast. The two holed-stones " praying stones." on this island are styled by the natives The perforations are not similar to any
described as occurring elsewhere in Ireland. One face of the slab is perforated near the edge by two holes of a size sufficient to admit only the insertion of a thumb, and, the orifices extend through the stone and open out at the sides into apertures cut to receive the fingers of the hand. One pillar-stone stands on the southern side of the " Church of the Y 1G 68. Men" (fig. 69), and the other near the Secondary Hoied-stone," " Devenish, Lou K h Erne," " Church of the Women (fig. 70). with aphrodi- -p, connected T -i siac customs. From a Both monuments are cross-inscribed, one sketch by w. F. Wakeo f them on its western, the other on its num. Near the pillar-stone, at eastern, face. the "Church of the Men," is a second slab, but unperforated. Women about to add to the number of the inhabitants of the island offer up prayers for their safe recovery before these two " perforated stones." By placing the fingers in the side and their thumbs in the front holes, they are enabled to rise with more ease from their kneeling position. The prayers thus
' .
,-,
offered
up appear to be efficacious, no deaths taking place on the island under these circumstances. At the holed-stone of Clocnapeacaib, county Cork, women were in the habit of drawing some of their clothes through a
hole,
when their confinement was approaching, to secure a favourable result, and a similar practice is followed in many other localities of women similarly situated drawing clothes through the
perforated arms of ancient Irish circular-headed stone crosses. According to John Knott, M.D., the great cross near the-
HEALING POWERS OF
CROSSES.
243
rums of the famous monastery of Clomnacnoise possesses a peculiar power in the domain of healing, for if a man spans it with his arms, and is able to make his finger-tips meet, the application of the palms of his hands to the abdomen of his wife
will bring
immediate
relief in dystocia.
Secondary Holed-stone," at
of the
"
The Church
of Inishraurray, connected with aphrodisiac customs. Reproduced from the Journal of the resent Society of Antiquaries of Ire-
Men," Island
" The Secondary Holed-stonc," near Church of the Women," Island of Inishmurray, connected with aphrodisiac customs. Reproduced from
the Journal of the present Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
Eud.
for the
Another famous stone at Ardmore has been buried, probably purpose of putting an end to its attendant ceremonies. It must also be classed among relics connected with rites of days long " Cloch-Daha," which is said to gone by. It was called the " the stone of signify Daghdha." It was about two feet long by
R2
244
STONE WORSHIP.
in breadth, and the same in depth, hollowed into eighteen inches an oval trough-like shape, probably an old pagan bullan or rockIts centre was pierced by a hole, in which, on Ash basin. a Wednesday, the young unmarried men of the village inserted of tow. They wattle, on the top of which they tied a quantity then brought with them all the unmarried maidens they could muster from the village and vicinity, and made them dance round the " Cloch-Daha," holding the pendant tow, and spinning it The ceremony terminated by the young men whilst dancing. the maidens through the village seated on logs of wood.
dragging
So jcondary Holed-stone," formerly at IVUKWUU, rkney, diciuns, Stennis, near Kirkwall, Orkney, connected with aphrodisiac customs. from the Journal of Reproduced the present Society of Antiquaries
of Ireland.
"
Secondary Holed-stone," at Loch-
From the gilphead, Argyllshire. Sculptured Stones of Scotland. from the Joui-nal of Reproduced the present Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
At the foot of the round tower near Inniskeen, a small village in the county Monaghan, there was a large stone of porphyry with a hole in the centre, large enough to thrust the arm through. It was once used for superstitious purposes in more modern times
;
a pole was placed in the hole, to climb at Easter for prizes.
up which the country people used
Near Kirkwall, Orkney, at a place called Stennis, there was a The site on large pillar-stone with a hole through it (fig. 71). which it stood was deemed a place consecrated to the meeting of
Cross, with bullan on either side, connected with aphrodisiac customs. From Welch's Irish Views.
THE WITCHES' STONE.
247
lovers, and when they joined hands through the stone, the pledge of love and truth then given was held sacred. In his tale of The Pirate, the stone circle of Stennis is specially mentioned by
himself an antiquary as well as a to the old Scandinavian gods was sworn by persons joining hands through the hole in this stone, and the ceremony was held sacred, even amongst modern Christians.
novelist.
Sir Walter Scott,
who was
The oath
" may have been intended for a "holed-stone was found by Mr. Eugene A. Conwell in his examination of the ancient sepulchral earns on the Loughcrew hills, county Meath, also in con" No. 8 nexion with a stone circle. It is thus described by him contains a circular hole GJ inches in diameter, cut vertically, with much precision and smoothness, to a depth of 3 inches. For what use this may have been intended it would be difficult to conjecture, if we do not suppose that this stone itself had been unfinished, or not completely pierced through."
that
:
text ; it is not merely holed but also cup-marked," position is close to an apparently sepulchral stone circle.
There is a "secondary holed stone" at Lochgilphead in Argyllshire represented by fig. 72 from the Sculptured Stones of Scotland ; no description of it, however, could be found in the " " "
and
its
slab
It is quite possible that this may be merely a bullan. The cross at Boho, near Emiiskillen, has a bullan at either
side of the base.
Men
are reported to resort to this stone in cases
where they have no children
after marriage (fig. 73). " The "Witches' stone," near Antrim Eound Tower, from its name evidently originally a cursing site, is a rock bullan. The " tower, according to current tradition, was erected by a hag" who, when it was finished, as the readiest way of descending, took a 120 yards flying leap and alighted on this stone, situated about She stumbled little wonder from the base of the structure. on landing, and struck the rock with one elbow and one knee, which accounts for the cup-like depressions seen in the illustration These, as is usual, are stated never to be without (fig. 74). The largest cavity is 15 inches long, 12 inches wide and water. 9 inches deep the smaller depression is 6 inches wide by 3 inches The rock itself is 6 feet long by about 4 feet broad. in depth. It lay originally by the side of a brook, but many years ago the stream was diverted, a wall was built between it and the stream, and the enclosed area converted into a garden. In the graveyard of Kilchouslan, on the northern shore of Campbelltown Bay, Kintyre, there was a flat, circular shaped of stone, the centre pierced with a hole, large enough to permit to tradition, if a the hand being passed through. According this aperture, they couple, who had eloped, joined hands through were regarded as lawfully married, and beyond pursuit.
;
248
STONE WORSHIP.
There are two holed-stones at Bolleit, figured in the Gentleman's Magazine for the year 1864. One was then employed for Thei'e was a third holedthe utilitarian purpose of a gate-post. stone not far distant. The apertures in these average but six inches in diameter. Fig. 75 represents stone rings, which have been lying for ages in the churchyard of Kirk Braddan, in the Isle of Man. In times gone by, it was the custom for the brides and bridegrooms during the wedding ceremony to clasp hands through the holes in the stones, but though this ancient Manx custom has fallen into desuetude, these old waifs of antiquity remain ready for use by any bewildered bridegroom, who may have forgotten to bring the ring for his bride.
Secondary Holed-stones," connected with aphrodisiac customs. Extraordinary htone Wedding Rings, in the Churchyard of Kirk Braddan, Isle ol Man. From a Photo, by Mr. H. Knowles, Great Harwood.
An inscribed stone, bearing upon it a Latin, and a more recent Arabic inscription, is situated at Chila, near Eabat, in northern Africa. It acts as a sort of confessional stone, and is supposed to possess miraculous powers. Women who seek to obtain forgiveness of their sins, place their hands in the hole, which is in the centre of the stone (fig. 76).
monuments have not hitherto been found in Ireland, but are by no means of rare occurrence in Great Britain, on the Continent,
"Holed-stones" forming portion
of pre-historis
sepulchral
and throughout the East, where, particularly in India, they are very numerous. Colonel Meadows Taylor, in his account of the
FIG. 70.
A Roman "Secondary
The woman
is
inserting her
at Chela, near Rabat. Hole.l-stone," with Arabic inscription, hand in the stone to pain forRivcness of h
Reproduced from
The. G><ij>hn
250
sepulchral "
STONE WORSHIP.
monuments
of the
" holed Deccan, describes one 12 feet by 10 feet 6 inches, and as having a top slab dolmen 1 foot thick, the side slabs being upwards of 12 feet broad by about 9 inches thick (fig. 77). The apertures almost invariably on the south side appear, however, to have been left more for facilitating
the supply of food, or other offerings to the manes of the departed, as well as to allow free exit and entrance to the spirit inhabiting " holed-stones " the tomb, than for any of the purposes to which dedicated. in Ireland were Eude boulders, placed in parallel lines, extending from a few been found in Great Britain yards to even miles in length, have and on the Continent (fig. 52). These arrangements of stones " have been styled " alignments," avenues," and by a variety
names. No alignment, it is thought, has yet been One antiquary found distinct traces of discovered in Ireland. These extended for a considerable several in the county Sligo.
of learned
monument, at Rujunkolloor, in the Deccan. After Colonel Meadows Taylor. Reproduced from the Journal of the present Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
or sepulchral
"Holed Dolmen,"
distance.
Unfortunately, however, for the theory, the country people recollected the demolition of stone fences in the locality and it was the traces of their foundations that represented the supposed Druidical remains. Itrnust be said, however, that W. F. "Wakernan a reliable authority claims to have discovered alignments of stones, at Cavancarragh, in the county Fermanagh (fig. 78). At the same time this writer states that, " it is not too much to assert that works of this kind, even from the days of Stukeley, have presented the most difficult problem, which it has been the task of many British and Hitherto, foreign antiquaries to solve.
; ;
we have had little beyond conjecture referring to their uses. They seem like galleries that lead to nothing tombs, temples,
or processional avenues they could not have been, yet their construction affords unmistakable evidence of organised labour and deliberate design."
INA UG URA TION CHA IRS.

Some
by antiquaries
251
good example of this latter class is a chairwhinstone, seemingly a freak of nature, for it is The seat is lower than that of evidently unchiselled. an ordinary chair the back being more high and narrow. This chair was stated to have been, during a long period, the seat on which the O'Neills of Castlereagh, near Belfast (fig. 79), were
like block of
installed in office.
curiously shaped masses of rock have been named " Druids' " Brehons' Chairs," Chairs," and " Inauguration Chairs," according as it was imagined that they had been used by the Druids when giving instruction, by the Brehons when laying down the law, or by chiefs when being
common
;
O
Plan of Alignments of Stones and
Reproduced from the Journal
Cams at Cavancarragh. of the present Society of Antiquaries oi Ireland.
On the downfall of that family, in the reign of inaugurated. I., the chair was overturned, and so remained until the year 1750, at which time the sovereign as the mayor was then designated of Belfast caused it to be removed to the Butter Market. On the demolition of the old market-place the chair, mixed up with other debris, was about to be broken up, when it was rescued, purchased, and used as a garden seat by a gentleman of antiquarian tastes in the county Sligo. It has lately been sold by the purchaser's grandson, and is now back again in Belfast. Facing northward, and set about four feet inwards from the circumference of one of the largest and most conspicuous earns which crown the summits of the Loughcrew Hills, there is a huge
James
252
STONE WORSHIP*
boulder, weighing about ten tons, and popularly called, "the Hag's " Chair (fig. 80). The name is derived from Vera, the celebrated The legend current goddess, sorceress, or hag, of ancient days. in the neighbourhood, is to the effect that she came one time from the North to perform a magical feat in the neighbourhood,
Chair-like block of whinstone, on which the O'Neills of Castlereagh, near Belfast, were, it is alleged, inaugurated. , luced from the present Ulster Journal of Archaology. Welch's Irish Views.
'
by which she was to obtain great power if she succeeded. She took an apron full of stones, and dropped a earn on Carnbane from this she jumped to the summit of Slieve-na-cally, or Hag's Hill, a mile distant, and from dropped a second earn there thence she made a jump, and dropped a cam on another hill,
;
"THE HAG'S CHAIR."

about a mile distant.
253
If she could make another leap, and drop the fourth cam, it appears the magical feat would have been accomplished, but she slipped, fell, broke her neck, and was The immense block of stone, buried in the neighbourhood. constituting the Hag's chair, is ten feet long, six feet high, and two feet thick it has a rude seat, hollowed out of the centre. The ends are elevated nine inches above the seat. It perhaps should be stated that the cross carved upon the seat of this chair, and others on the upright marginal stones, were cut for trigonometrical purposes, by the men engaged in the survey; but the seat also bears traces of real pagan ornamentation, In front of, and round notakly zigzags and concentric circles. the base of the chair, considerable quantities of quartz, broken into small lumps, were strewn about.
;
FIG. 80.
" The Hag's Chair," Loughcrew group of Cams. Reproduced from the Proceedings of ihe Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.
Mr. E. Con well imagined that he had identified in bench of no less a personage than Ollamh " Ireland's famous monarch and Fodhla, whom he describes as thousand years ago." It is needless law-maker upwards of three to add that he has not convinced antiquarians, of any standing, that his supposed identification of the stone-seat is worthy of
The
late
this boulder the judicial
serious consideration.
A very curious looking stone, formed somewhat like a chair, situated on the shore of Lough Derg, county Donegal, facing the island supposed to be the entrance to Purgatory (fig. 81). By some of the natives it is called St. Dabehoe's Chair, by others
is
254
that of St. Brigid
;
STONE WORSHIP.
all,
however, agree that
it
was used by both
FIG. 81.
"
St. Brigid's
Chair," on the shore of Lough Derg, county Donegal. From a sketch by W. F. Wakeman.
saints.
It
somewhat resembles the chair of the
O'Neills, a seat of nature's formation, and in size is about as large as a
modern armchair. The so-called Brehon's
or
Druid's chair at Glensouthwell, near Holly Park, county Dublin, was in reality a very tall cromleac or dolmen (fig. Beranger described it 82).
(the cromleac) as a judgment seat, and says that close by stood a (second) cromleac, in
which the Brehon or Druid was probably buried. This supposed cromleac was suggested by the presence of a
large
the stone, evidently covering block of the monuslipped off. Fig. 83 shows the position of this stone, which has now,
stated, disappeared.
ment which had

FIG. 82.
" Brehon's Chair," county Dublin. From a sketch by W. F. Wakeman.
it is
DRUID S JUDGMENT-SEAT.
1
255
A pile of stones styled the Druid's Judgment Seat stands near the village of Killiney, county Dublin. The entire structure
FIG. 83.
" Brehon's Chair," county Dublin.
From a sketch by
\V. F. "Wakeman.
:
bears the unmistakable impress of very modern fabrication is a mere clumsy attempt to gull the public (fig. 84).
it
Û
..
//-^TS
*^*1&?r~-
*7"-'^4
FIG. 84.
" Druid's Judgment Seat," Killinoy.
A modern
fabrication.
From a
sketcli
by
W.
F. \Vakeman.
Whatever they may have been used for, these seats were chairs, for legend and certainly not employed as inauguration
256
WORSHIP.
history both inform us that Irish chiefs were installed in office by being placed on mere undressed flag-stones, on which, however, the impression of two feet were sometimes observable. Spenser alludes to the custom, and also to the mode of election of chiefs " and tanists, as follows They used to place him, that shall be their captain, upon a stone always reserved for that purpose, and placed commonly upon a hill. In some of which I have seen, formed and engraven, a foot which, they say, was the measure of their first captain's foot, whereon, he standing, receives an oath to preserve all the ancient former customs of the country inviol:
and to deliver up the succession peaceably to his Tanist, and then had a wand delivered unto him by some whose proper office that is after which, descending from the stone, he turned himself round thrice forward and thrice backward."
able,
;
In the parish of in the Templemore, county Derry, there was

formerly a gneissose slab called St. Columbkille's
Stone, which exhibited the impressions of two feet, right and left, ten inches in length. Ac-
cording
to
tradition
it
of the inauguration stones of the ancient Irish chiefs of the district.
was one
FIG. bd.
St. Columbkille's Flagstone.
Reproduced from the Ordnance Memoir of Londonderry.
That a stone consecrated to this purpose anciently existed appears from a passage in the
Tripartite
Life of St. of the monument should weigh but little against this conjecture, as the slab might have been, and very probably was, subsequently consecrated by St. Columbkille. It should also be borne in mind that, when their local history was lost, it has been the constant practice of the peasantry to connect ancient remains with the name of the patron saint of the district (fig. 85). Ancient as well as modern beliefs are full of this idea of weird markings made by the hands or feet of either gods or supernatural have the gigantic footprints on Adam's Peak in beings. Ceylon, and the stone at Jerusalem, on which is to be seen the impression of the fingers of the angel Gabriel. The best example which can be cited of this class of "
Patrick.
The present and
traditional
name
We
inaugu-
"
ration stones
is
THE STONE OF DESTINY."
257
is the Lia Fail, or Stone of Destiny, of which it recounted that the Dedanann race brought it with them to In Christian times it was, of course, given a Scriptural Ireland. and was styled Jacob's stone. Consecrated stones, so origin, often mentioned in the Old Testament, where the authorized version imfortunately renders the expression images, are at least " who set as old as the time of Jacob, up and consecrated the memorial stone that marked Bethel as a sanctuary. It was the necessary mark of every high place, Canaanite as well as Hebrew, and is condemned in the Pentateuchal laws against the high
"
places."
The Lia Fail was held in the highest veneration, and on the head-kings of Ireland were
installed.
it
stone,
which roared
This supposed magic like a lion
when
it,
was, it is Scotland in the order to secure on the throne,
a legitimate king stood upon alleged, sent to ninth century, in the then dynasty an ancient Irish distich, of which the following is a free translation, having induced the belief that the Scotic race should rule only so long as the magic stone was in their possession
:
"
If fate's decrees
be not announced in
is
vain,
"Where'er this stone

shall reign."
kept the Scots
was preserved with the greatest On it care at Scone, in Perth. the monarchs of Scotland were crowned till the year 1296, when
It
FIG.
The Lia
Edward, King
placed under England, having From a in Westminster Abbey. sketch by W. F. Wakeman. overrun Scotland, carried off from the cathedral at Scone, as a trophy " Stone of of victory, this Destiny," (fig. 86) which he placed under the English coronation chair, where it still remains in Westminster Abbey, and on it all our monarchs have since been crowned. The stone is enumerated in an inventory of the choice and is described as petra possessions of King Edward I.,
of
" Stone of Fail, or _Destiny," the Coronation Chair
<Ûna coronari." magna, super quam Reges Scociae solebant the greatest empire Such is the history of the stone, which on earth preserves as a sacred relic in the most venerated of her
VOL.
II.
STONE WORSHIP.
line of her Such is the stone on which the long temples. in any other have received their crown. Is there sovereigns historic and prehistoric antiland a coronation seat so hoar with be remembered that, although this quity ? Nevertheless, it must veneration, it must not waif of the past commands our deepest in origin like many of a less valued class also be forgotten, that, of Christianity was a mere " fetish," adopted by the pioneers
,
it
into the
new
religion.
It
Petrie, whose lead has been on Irish antiquities much in the
by appears to have been followed by a host of other writers way that one sheep follows
first
advanced
on one another through a gap-that a large pillar-stone standing Lia Fail or Stone of Destiny. of the mounds at Tara, is the real
FIG. 87.
Pillar-stone at Tara, alleged, by some antiquarians, to be the true Lia Fail, or " Stone of
Former
position of the
FIG. 88. "
Kissing the Stone.

\V. F.
From a
Blarney Stone." sketch by
Wakeman.
From a sketch by Destiny." \V. F. Wakeman.
for in
This monolith does not, however, occupy its original position, 1798 it was removed from its former site on " The mound of the Hostages," to mark the trench into which were thrown the corpses of some peasants who had fallen in a skirmish with the troops. The Irish kings, like the present-day urchin (fig. 87), would have had a very uncomfortable seat if perched on the top
of this pillar. Irish and Scotch accounts, however, show great lack of agreement as to the history of the " Stone of Destiny." There is another celebrated stone endowed by tradition with
magic powers, the famous Blarney Stone
(fig.
88),
which has
ROCKING-STONES.
its name to enrich the English language, attributes are thus described by Father Prout
259
given
and whose
" There
!
is
a stone there
That whoever kisses, Oh he never misses To grow eloquent. 'Tis he may clumber
To a lady's chamber, Or become a member Of Parliament."
Eocking-stones although by some antiquaries considered as evidences of Druidical worship, may be looked upon as natural phenomena, which can be explained by a course of denudation. The boulder after having been dropped into its present position by the action of ice, the subsequent agency of water would suffice to account for the gradual removal of the earth originally sur-
FIG. 89.
Kocking-stone at Carrickard, county Sligo.
of Ireland. Reproduced from the Journal of the present Society of Antiquaries
on a rounding these stones, until the blocks are left balanced natural rock-bed, on pretty much the same principle that, the surrounding ice having been melted away by the action of the sun, it leaves rocking stones on the surface of glaciers. The ice covered by the stone is, to a great extent, protected from the of the sun, and does not melt to any coninfluence of the
rays siderable extent, whilst the general surrounding level of the but for a short glacier sinks, and the stone remains eventually, good balanced on the summit of a pedestal of ice. period, of the origin of the exemplification of the denudation theory
s2
260
STONE WORSHIP.
of rocking stones is afforded by a boulder in the townland Carrickard, county Sligo, where on the slope of a hill, there is a " " which sometimes rocks and sometimes so-called rocking-stone
FIG. 90.
Rocking-stone, Highwood, county Sligo. Reproduced from the Journal of the present Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
immovable. The stiffness occurs after heavy rains when clay washed down the slope and rests in the socket in the rock on which the boulder is balanced (fig. 89). Not far from this stone, near the village of Highwood,
is
is
there
is
another rockvery
ing-stone,
swayed
side
is
from
easily side to
There (fig. 90). one also on Island
Magee (fig. 91). Above Blacklion, not

far
from
may
Enniskillen, be seen a rocking-
stone, weighing several tons, which can be set in motion by the hand.
It is a great subject of
wonder
FIG. 91.
Rocking-stone, Island Magee. Reproduced from The Dublin Penny Journal,
to the country
regard it as having been placed in

people,
who
its present position, and used as a plaything, by the giants of long ago. Rocking-stones have been found in almost every country in Europe, and also in parts of America. These freaks of nature's handiwork are in Ireland by no means rare. In Irish, Carrickna-
ROCKING-STONES.
buggadda or Cloghnabuggadda
92).
261
"
In the north of Ireland they are styled " Shugling" and Logan Stones." In good examples, a slight push produces
" " signifies the rocking-stone (fig.
an oscillation, not fitful or irregular, but like the beating of a pendulum, and in proportion to the force applied. It is to be
particularly noted that these groups, and also seem to be formations than in others.
phenomena appear to occur in more frequent in some geological
FIG. 92.
" The Rocking-stone," near Wellmount Lod Carricknabuggadda. or Cloonacool, county Sligo.
CHAPTER
VII.
THE SEASONS CERTAIN NUMBERS, DAYS, COLOURS, AND PROVERBS.

The Year divided
of
two parts First day of May looked on as the beginning day of November as the commencement of Winter The two Divisions representing the Birth and Death of Nature The Four
into
Summer
the
first
Seasons
after
The
its
first
of
May
considered as the awakening of the Earth to life
the
long
attached to
death-sleep of Winter Ceremonies and Superstitions celebration Hallow Eve regarded as the end of Summer
of gloom and mourning for the dying Year Ceremonies and Superstitions attached to its celebration Days of the Week Lucky and Unlucky
Superstitions attached to each Superstitions attributed to Numbers the numerals two, three, seven, nine, and ten Superstitions attached to Colours To black, white, red, &c. Proverbs They form a Synthesis
A time
Days
To
of National Character
examples
On women
Much used by Irish Speaking On the Evil Eye.
peasantry
few
into two equal divisions. of the summer half year, was by the Irish speaking population, and is yet, called Beltany. The first day of November, the beginning of the winter half year, called Sowan, was, like Beltany, a day devoted to various
THE pagan Irish divided their year The first day of May, the beginning
ceremonial observances. These divisions of the year were each subdivided into two equal parts, or quarters of the whole. Aragh, spring, began on the first day of February Sowra, summer, on the first day of May Fowar, autumn, on the first day of August and Gevra, winter, on the first day of November.
;
May-day represented to the Irish the awakening of the earth and beauty, after the long death sleep of winter, for they, like most other races, when advanced to a certain thought-stage, expressed their belief in another and invisible world by mystic
to life
symbolism.
Demons and fairies must be very advanced radicals, as the best preventive against their power, is to scatter primroses on the threshold on May morning, for no spirits can pass over these
THE FIRST DA Y OF MA Y.
flowers.
268
Primroses also protect the inmates from the evil-eye of a stranger, and all strangers during the first three days of May are looked upon with great suspicion. The familiar story, typical of the more morose character of the Saxon, told of one rustic, who inquiring of another regarding a person passing by, and being informed that his comrade did not know the stranger, " 'eave a brick at his 'ead," is quite paralleled by the ejaculated, anecdote recounted of a young student, who was mobbed and nearly killed by the inhabitants of a small village. They had noticed him walking backwards and forwards on the grass, on jtfay-morning, while he read aloud from a book in some strange
language, and therefore imagined that he was bewitching the herbs, which are especially powerful at this time. Fortunately a priest was able to rescue him, and to inform the excited crowd that the young student was simply reading the language that St. Patrick had brought to Ireland. On the 1st of May a large bunch of gorse in fall bloom, or of marsh marigold, may be seen suspended over every door. Some " " others say it is for the purpose of pleasing the good people that it is " to keep luck in the house." The bunch of gorse or marigold is afterwards either buried or burnt. In the year 1890, a person who walked through a street of thatched houses in the town of Sligo on the 1st of May could, only in two instances, note the absence of the customary emblem. A common practice, on May-morning, was for a lover to search for a snail, bring it into the house, and make it crawl amongst the ashes of the extinct fire, where it would trace the The poet Gay, thus initial letters of his fair lady's names.
;
describes
this
quaint
superstition,
as
also
the
concluding
ceremony
of the desiul.
" Last May-day

That might
fair, I
searched to find a snail
secret lover's name reveal ! Upon a gooseberry bush a snail I found, For always snails near sweetest fruit abound.
my
vermin ; home I quickly sped, the henrth the milk-white embers spread. Slow crawl' d the snail, and if I right can spell, In the soft ashes marks a curious L.
I seized the
And on
Oh, For
may
is
this wondrous omen lucky prove, found in Luberkin and Love

;
With my sharp heel I three times mark the ground, And turn me thrice around, around, around."
If a girl wishes to retain a beautiful complexion, she face in dew, just before sunrise, on May-morning.
must
wash her
" another custom Crofton Croker remarks that, prevalent on is the painful and mischievous one of stinging with May-eve,
264
nettles.
SEA SONSS UPERSTITIONSPR O VERBS.
In the south of Ireland it is the common practice of to school-boys, on that day, to consider themselves privileged run wildly about with a bunch of nettles, striking at the face and hands of their companions, or of such other persons as they think they may venture to assault with impunity." It was a general practice, in most villages, to erect MayThe Maypoles, but the custom gradually fell into desuetude. pole in the village of Finglas, near Dublin, stood until the year
1847, when the May games were finally suppressed. In a Statistical Account of the parish of Maghera, county Derry, written by the Rev. John Graham, in the year 1814, the writer states that " on the first day of May, from time immemorial, until the year 1798, a large pole was planted in the market place at Maghera, and a procession of May-boys, headed by a mock king and queen, paraded the neighbourhood, dressed in shirts over their clothes, and ornamented with ribbons of various This practice was revived last year." colours. There was also, in many localities, a pole erected at midsummer, on St. John's Day, dressed with considerable taste, with flowers, silk handkerchiefs and ribbons. It was of considerable height, and on the top a small basket of cakes, or ginger-breads, and a large bunch of parti-coloured worsted
The best musician was always selected to garters were tied. perform at the foot of the pole, whilst the dancers vied with one another for the honour of winning the ginger-breads and the
garters.
The young men competed

for the cakes.
for the garters, the
women
young
Lady Wilde was of opinion that in the May-day processions, the sun was figured as a hoop, wreathed with rowan and marsh" marigold, and bearing, suspended within it, two balls to represent the sun and moon, sometimes covered with gold and silver paper. This emblem of the hoop and the balls is still carried on May-day by the villagers. ... At the great long dance, held on May-day, all the people held hands and danced round a tall May-bush, erected on a mound, the girls wearing garlands, while the pipers and harpers, with gold and green sashes, directed the movements."
There is perhaps no very direct proof that the Irish regarded the May-pole as a type of Phallic worship, but there is strong inferential evidence that they so understood it. Study of ancient customs demonstrates the evidence of
many
apparent
absurdities, as for example in the distribution, as before mentioned, of prizes from the mid-summer May-pole, as Avell as the covert obscenities in superstitious observances relating to the
^
procuring of destined husbands of the seeds of the common fern.
by women, and the gathering
MA Y-DA Y MUMMERS.
From
late as the
265
the diary of Joshua Wight, a Quaker, we learn that so middle of the eighteenth century, propitiatory rustic The observer processions took place in the south of Ireland. records, that about noon in the month of May, 1752, there passed through the streets of Limerick many thousand peasants marshalled in companies, representing various branches of First of all came the ordinary labourers, " the men agriculture. in their shirts, in ranks the women also with green corn and straw the plough driven along and the harrow the mowers with their scythes, the reapers, the gleaners, a great number of women, and a great number with their flails, walking in a great procession to congratulate the probability of a good ensuing These country people made a second appearance harvest. the next day, at which time the country (people) of Clare and
;
Limerick joined together, and were very
particular in their representation of personating the several orders of husbandry in all the branches of it."
Bands
of
mummers
seasons, but
rite, is
May-day was
used to make their appearance at all their favourite and proper festival.
troop of May-day mummers consisted of a number of girls and of the village and neighbourhood, usually selected for their good looks, or their proficiency, the females in the dance, " the youths in hurling and other athletic exercises. They march in procession, two abreast, and in three divisions, the young men in the van and the rear, dressed in white or other gay-coloured hats and jackets or vests, and decorated with ribbons on their sleeves. The young women are dressed also in light-coloured garments, and two of them bear each a holly bush, in which are hung several new hurling balls, the May-day present of the girls The bush is decorated with a proto the youths of the village. fusion of long ribbons, or paper cut in imitation, which adds rural appearance of the greatly to the gay and joyous, yet strictly The procession is always preceded by music, sometimes Avhole. of the bagpipe, but more commonly of a military fife, with the A clown is, of course, in addition of a drum or tambourine. attendance he wears a frightful mask and bears a long pole, with shreds of cloth nailed to the end of it, like a mop, which ever and anon he dips in a pool of water or puddle, and besprinkles such of the crowd as press upon his companions, much to the delight of the younger spectators." In this procession we find a tree or holly bush decorated with ribbon, a clown with a pole, probably representing Phallic Thus it a water-rite. worship, together with the introduction of will be seen that, from a review of the whole subject, stone, water, tree, and animal worship are intimately connected.
This strange custom, a relic evidently of some pagan processional described by Mr. T. Crofton Croker in his Fairy Legends.
young men
266
SEA SONS SUPERSTITIONS PRO VERBS.
" Lady Wilde states that Whitsuntide has always been confor the sidered by the Irish as a very fatal and unlucky time people hold that fairies and evil spirits have then great power over men and cattle, both by sea and land, and work their deadly spells
with malign and mysterious efficacy. Children born at Whitsuntide, it is said, are foredoomed; they will either have the evil eye, or commit a murder, or die a violent death. Water, also, is very dangerous no one should bathe, or go a journey where a stream has to be crossed, or sail in a boat, for the risk is great of being drowned, unless, indeed, a bride steers, and then the boat is safe from harm. Great precautions are necessary, likewise, within the house and no one should venture to light a candle without making and young the sign of the Cross over the flame to keep off evil men should be very cautious not to be out late at night, for all the dead who have been drowned in the sea round about come up and ride over the waves on white horses, and hold strange revels, and try to carry off the young men, or to kill them with their fiery darts and draw them down under the sea to live with the dead for evermore. ... At this season, also, the fairy queens make great
; ; ;
efforts to carry off the fine stalwart young of the country to the fairy palace in the cleft of the hills, or to lure them to their
men
dancing grounds, where they are lulled into dreams by the sweet, subtle fairy music, and forget home and kith and kindred, and never desire to return again to their own people or even if the spell is broken, and they are brought back by some strong incantation, yet they are never the same for every one knows by the dream-look in their eyes that they have danced with the fairies on the hill, and been loved by one of the beautiful but fatal race, who, when they take a fancy to a handsome mortal lover, cast their spells over him with resistless power."
:
in olden times, the period of greatest rejoicso the first day of November was a time of gloom and mourning for the dying year, the two divisions representing the birth and death of nature.
As May-day was,
ing,
Hallow Eve, considered the end of summer, is a weird period of dread and ill-omen. The peasantry avoid the neighbourhood of a churchyard on that night. They do not then willingly leave home, or if obliged so to do, should they hear footsteps following them, must beware of looking behind, for it is the dead who are on their track. Should they behold them face to face the earthly gazer will assuredly die. Food should be left out of doors to If the offerings disappear the propitiate the wandering dead. spirits are friendly, and have eaten them, for of course no mortal dare carry off the food devoted to the ghosts of the departed. After midnight many pagan customs are even yet observed ; young men and girls try to peer into the secrets of the future.
THE FIRST DA Y OF NO VEMBER.
267
The girls hang a garment before the fire, then hide and watch for the shadowy apparition of their future husbands, or they
throw a ball of yarn from the window. One end of the skein is retained by the thrower and an apparition takes hold of and commences to wind the other end. It is also customary to place three plates before a blindfolded One contains water, the person, who is then led up to them. second earth, the third meal. If the blindfolded person puts his hand in the water it indicates that he shall live beyond the year if in the earth, he must die before the year if in the meal, it betokens long life and attainment of wealth. In the incantation scene before a looking-glass the face of the Sometimes features appear so girl's future husband is reflected. appalling that the beholder becomes insane or is found dead, with face and limbs horribly distorted, and the mirror shattered into a
; ;
hundred pieces. There seems something weird in glass, for it is considered unlucky to see the reflection of the new moon in a looking-glass, and you should never look through the glass of a window at it. If you do so inadvertently you should go out of the house, bow nine times to it, raise your hand nine times, and if you have money in your pocket turn it each time, then you will never want during the year. A remedy against certain disorders is to go out the first night the new moon is visible, wave an object nine times round the head towards the moon, and in the morning the patient will be
perfectly cured. A girl who desires to conjure up the apparition of her future husband must gather certain herbs by the light of the first full moon of the new year, repeating the following rhyme while she
is
collecting
them
"
Moon, moon,
tell
unto me,
When my
true love I shall see ? What fine clothes I am to wear ? How many children I shall bear? For if my love comes not to me
Dark and dismal
my
life will
be."
Then she must cut three small pieces from the sward with a black hafted knife, tie them up in her left stocking with her right and whatever she garter, place the parcel under her pillow,
will come to pass. contributor to the Scotsman of December 27th, 1889, states that " when living a few years ago in Ayrshire our housekeeper used to make obeisance several times to the new moon when first she observed it, looking very solemn the while and when I asked that she did so she her doing so she would be sure
dreams
why
replied
by
to get a present before the next
moon
appeared.
She wished me
268
SEA SONS SUPERSTITIONS PR O VERBS.
and when I told her it was (then a very young girl) to do so too, nonsense she fired up and said her mother had done so, and she would continue to do so. I rather think this is no uncommon same thing, and neither practice, for our previous servant did the The same observance of them was older than forty or fifty." was formerly in vogue in many parts of Ireland. A description must not be omitted of a remarkable rustic
all
procession, which, not very long ago, used to perambulate yearly the district between Bally cotton and Trabolgan, on the eve of Samhain, i. e. the 31st of October. The processional rite is undoubtedly of pagan origin, and announces facts in a manner
which, at present, is barely intelligible. The principal characters " Muck Olla," in whose posed as messengers of a being styled the name they levied contributions on farmers. The procession was led by a man enveloped in a white robe or sheet, bearing a rude representation of a horse's head, accompanied by a number of youths blowing cows' horns. This personage, called the Lair " the white fihan, i. e. mare," acted as master of the ceremonies. At each house where the procession halted a long string of verses was recited in the second distich two expressions occurred, savouring strongly of Paganism, and which would not have been the other verses recited tolerated if publicly uttered elsewhere by a messenger of the "Muck Olla," set forth that, owing to the goodness of that being, the farmer, whom they addressed, had been prosperous, that the prosperity would continue as long only as he was liberal in donations in honour of the "Muck Olla," and the verses concluded by giving a very unfavourable description of the state into which the farmer's affairs would assuredly fall should this being visit him with the vengeance certain to follow any illiberal or churlish treatment of his followers. Whether owing to the charm of the poetry, or the cogency of the appeal, contributions were, in general, on a very
; ;
liberal
scale every description of agricultural product was A rural bestowed, milk, butter, eggs, corn, potatoes, wool, &c. retailer awaited the return of the procession and purchased the The share of each person in the offerings at market value.
;
procession was then distributed according to previous arrangement. These scenes were enacted at night. The question arises, could the original " Muck Olla " have been a deity exhibited, as in Egypt of old, as a living animal ? Can the rural merchant be a representative of some druid who maintained his ground long after the establishment of ChrisTo enter fully on an analysis of this strange procestianity ? sional rite would lead to a too long digression.
It is
unlucky to move into a new house on a
Monday
ANCIENT SUPERSTITIONS.
209
Friday is the most propitious day. To build an addition to a house on the west side is believed to be always followed by misfortune, and this will continue until the new building is removed. Two days in the week, Wednesday and Friday, are considered by the country people most unpropitious for commencing any important affair of life, such as setting out on a journey or enterShould the ancient superstitions ing into the matrimonial state. be disregarded the project will assuredly have a disastrous termination.
There also exists a popular rhyme enumerating the days of the week and their supposed influence on the dispositions of children born on each, and these two unlucky days are depicted as affecting the characters and after-life of those infants so unfortunate as to enter the world upon either day
:
"
child fair in the face, fair of grace, Wednesday's child lone and sad, Thursday's child mei ry and glad Friday's child must work for a living,
Monday's
Tuesday's child
is Godly given, but Sunday's child will go straight to heaven."
Saturday's child
On the other hand, the most favourable days for charms and incantations to take effect are the unlucky days, Wednesday and
Friday.
An
old legend relates that the blackbird, the stone-chatter,
and the grey cow bid defiance to March after his days were over, and that to punish their insolence March begged of April nine of his days, three for each of his insulters, for which he repaid nine of his own hence the first nine days of April are called the
;
borrowing days
" Tri
la lomartha an loinn Tri la sgiuthanta an chlaibhieain, Agus tri la na bo riabhaighe."
" Three days for fleecing the blackbird, Three days for punishment of the stone-chatter, And three days for the grey cow."
" I writer in Notes and Queries gives a different version remember when a child in the North of Ireland to have heard a of March and very poetical explanation of the borrowing days Give me,' said March, three days of warmth and April. sunshine for lambs, while they are yet too tender to
'
'
my poor bear the roughness of my wind and rain and you shall have them " There is also a Scotch proverb repaid when the wool is grown.' on the three borrowing days still current in Ulster.
270
During examination of Irish names of places, Dr. P. W. constant occurrence of the Joyce was greatly struck with the numbers two and three, but the number two is met with more Many of the triple combinations frequently than any other. have been given in later times in honour of, or with some may reference to, the doctrine of the Trinity; but from whatever " certain it is, that there existed in the cause it may have arisen, minds of the Irish people, a distinctly marked predilection to designate persons or places, where circumstances permitted it, by of duality, the epithet being epithets expressive of the idea founded on some circumstance connected with the object named, and such circumstances were often seized upon to form a name, In many in preference to others equally, or more conspicuous." of the legends current amongst the North American Indians, the this may be merely a number two plays a prominent part curious coincidence, but it is also probable that it may be the result of some half-remembered superstition connected with numbers. Since the above was written, a most interesting paper by the Rev. T. Olden, D.D., entitled, Remarks Supplementary to Dr. Joyce's Paper on the Occurrence of the Number Ttco in Irish Proper Xames has appeared in the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, and throws a flood of light on the subject. If, as the author supposes, the Irish speaking colonists were but flint-using
;
on their first arrival, it is easy to gather what this implies, for according to Mr. Tyler, the New Hollanders, and the aborigines of Victoria (all in the Stone Age when first known to
folk
Europeans) possessed no names for numbers beyond two, and "In connexion with this fact, the the writer further observes
:
It preceded existence of the dual number is of great interest. the plural, and it continued to survive with the plural for a long time. . According to Dr. Wilson, in his work on prehistoric man, it preserves to us a memorial of that stage of thought when all beyond two was an idea of infinite number. Hence, he adds, the tendency of higher intellectual culture has been to discard it as inconvenient and unprofitable, and only to distinguish singular
. .
and plural. The earliest use of the dual was to express things Avhich occur naturally in pairs, as the eyes, the ears, the hands or artificially in pairs, as the horses of a chariot. When things are thought of in pairs they are regarded as a unity, and in the
;
classical
lar.
may be followed by a verb in the singuthat a pair is regarded in Ireland, at the present day, and this explains the habit of speaking of one foot as half a foot, or a cow with one horn as a cow with half a horn. These are idioms in the Irish language, the pair being regarded as a whole. If we apply these observations to the class of names we are discussing, I think we can understand how they came
languages they
It is in this
way
SUPERSTITIONS ATTRIBUTED TO NUMBERS.

into existence.
is
271
en, that The place was probably place of two birds. frequented by flocks of aquatic birds, and naturally would derive its name from that fact but our primeval ancestors had no way of expressing a number beyond unity except by the word two. Hence, they called the spot the swimming place of two birds, which, translated into modern language meant, the place where flocks of water-fowl congregate (see ante, p. 214). So Dromahaire, or Drumdd-ethiar, the ridge of two demons, means the haunted ridge for the country people, far from limiting demons to two, are of . . opinion that the whole atmosphere is swarming with them.
Thus, to take the instance of snamh dd
the
swimming
Tha.Irish people it thus appears retained, down almost to modern times, a custom which had its origin in the remotest antiquity. Elsewhere it died out, under the influence of hostile invasion and social changes but the Irish dwelling, in their island home, apart from the intellectual life of Europe, and cherishing the traditions of the past, handed on from age to age the immemorial customs of their race." Another writer on this subject observes that: "In many parts of Africa there is considered to be something malefic in the number two, and the birth of twins is regarded as a most grievous calamity though, doubtless, many will contend that the unsophisticated black women are by no means unique in this respect. But the reason for the display of disgust at a double event is due to a different cause the white mother only taking into account the extra care, attention, and expense entailed while the black mother, attaching no importance whatsoever to these matters, is only influenced by the possible punishment which will be inflicted upon her for having so flagrantly insulted and offended some mysterious power by giving birth to two, and to obviate the difficulty it was customary to suffocate the weaker
;
'
'
of the twins."
With regard, however, to the predilection number three, it must be again mentioned
of the Irish for the
that the idea of a in many much Trinity is not confined to Christianity, but occurs In classic mythology older religions (see ante vol. i., p. 105). we find the three Graces, the three Fates, the three Furies. An article may twice be lost, and twice recovered, but if lost the A man may twice pass third time it has disappeared for good. a great danger scathless, but the third time he will through
succumb.
Seven appears to have been regarded as a magical number. of a seventh son is dowered with miraculous When such an infant is born, the nurse places a worm powers.
The seventh son
272
hands enclosed in a piece of muslin. The hands up until the worms die, the dead worms are then thrown away. When the boy grows to manhood he is endowed with great healing and other miraculous powers (see ante, p. 191).
in each of its are kept tied
There is something most extraordinary in the number nine, a trinity of trinities, a perfect plural, and more credited with mystic properties than any other number. Amongst people, at a certain stage of culture, juggling with numbers forms a special branch of magic of which the Jews and early Christians present typical examples, as it was characteristic of their mysteries that numbers had in them, or are supposed to have had in them, a very deep meaning. A good example is presented by the Book of Daniel in the Old, and the Book of the Eevelation in the New Testament. The number nine, it is stated, was especially sacred amongst the primitive Germans, and their week originally consisted of nine days. Be that as it may, the number nine was, amongst them, held in peculiar reverence. To cure warts cut a potato into ten slices, count nine, and throw away the tenth, rub the warts in rotation with the nine slices which you then bury, and as they decay, the warts disappear.
Another remedy is to take ten stalks of barley-straw, knot them, count nine and throw away the tenth, rub the wart with the remaining nine, roll them up in paper, throw theni on the road over which a funeral is passing, and the warts will
vanish.
To cure a stye on the eye, take ten gooseberry thorns, throw the tenth away, point the nine, one by one, at the stye, then throw them away, and the stye will be cured. When going on a journey pull ten blades of yarrow, keep nine, throw the tenth away, place the nine under the heel of the right foot, and evil spirits will have no power over you. Pull ten leaves of the male crowfoot, keep nine, throw the tenth away, pound them on a rock with salt and spittle and apply the poultice. It is a certain cure for most diseases in either man or beast. According to the old rite performed at St. Patrick's Purgatory, Lough Derg, the Prior, on the ninth day of the probation of the pilgrims, placed them in the cave or purgatory, where they were shut up, stark naked, and were released on the tenth day, at the same hour they had entered the cave. On Christmas Eve pick ten berries from the mistletoe, keep nine and throw the tenth away put the nine to steep in a liquid
;
composed in equal proportions
of wine, beer, vinegar
and honey,
SUPERSTITIONS ATTRIBU2ED TO NUMBERS.

swallow them
like pills
273
on
retiring to rest,
dream
to
and you are sure to
A country girl, when shelling green peas, will, if she chances open a pod containing nine peas, lay it on the lintel of the door, and the first unmarried man who enters, it is believed, will be her future husband. This superstition is described by Gay
:
of your future.
" As peascod once I pluck'd, I chanced to see One that was closely filPd with three times three Which, when I cropp'd, I safely home convey'd,
And
o'er the door the spell in secret laid.

first
The latch mov'd up, when who should But in his proper person Lubberkin."
come
in,
If you walk nine times round a fairy rath at the full of the moon, the entrance into the underground fairy mansion will become visible, but if the adventurer enters he must abstain from eating, drinking, or kissing a young fairy wench if he does
;
he will never be able to return to earth, or leave the enchanted

palace.
A cure for inflammation is nine handfuls of mountain moss, dried on a pan before the fire, mixed with nine pinches of ashes from the hearth. Nine pinches of this mixture to be drunk in whey twice a week, until a cure is effected. Nine hairs plucked from the tail of a wild colt, and bound on the ninth day after birth round the infant's ankle, will make him swift and sure of foot. A cure for jaundice is to cut nine fibres from the roots of an ash tree, bury them carefully in the ground, and if they remain undisturbed the patient will recover, but if they are exhumed, or
any way interfered with, the
sick person will
in
most probably
die.
of throwing the evil eye on a person is effected by fixedly at the object of detestation through nine fingers. gazing On Lettermore Island, in southern Connemara, the father, immediately after the birth of a child, throws nine articles of clothing over the mother, counting as he does so, and the number
is
The process
never varied.
A
for
piece of worsted, with nine knots tied in
it, is
a great
charm
a sprained ankle.
It is to be noticed that in all the first enumerated cases with number regard to the mystic properties of the number nine, the the various articles are ten is deemed an unlucky number it is a curious fact counted and the tenth is cast
;
away.
Now
that in many parts of Africa if a negress has a tenth child tho Here also there seems to be an infant is at once destroyed. After idea that there is something unlucky in the number ten. T VOL. II.
274
SEASONS SUPERSTITIONS PROVERBS.
that long investigation the writer has come to the conclusion amongst the Irish the uneven numbers 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 are considered lucky, the even numbers 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 are considered unlucky. According to Lady Wilde the number 2 was esteemed the most unlucky of all numbers. The second day of November was accordingly set apart for sacrifices to the dead, and for the incantations used to bring forth the spirits from the
grave and compel them to answer when questioned. To accomplish this, blood must, in addition, be spilled, for the spirits delight in blood, as its colour and odour give them, for the
moment, the sensation
of life.
Black seems to have been considered a magical colour. If you procure possession of one particular bone of a black cat you To do this the cat must render yourself invisible at pleasure. The bones must, one by one, be boiled alive and then dissected. be held in your mouth, and you must observe closely whether When you at last thus the bone is reflected in the looking glass. hold a bone that is not reflected in the mirror the mystic article
is
in your possession. The blood of a black cat laid

it
on a wound with a raven's
feather will heal
on the instant.
round the part affected with the blood
of the sufferer should be written of a black cat, one that does not possess a single white hair. Again, the first egg laid by a black hen, if eaten the first thing in the morning, will not only
erysipelas the
To cure
name
cure fever, but prevent the eater from taking any infection for the remainder of the year. To see a black snail the first thing in the morning is deemed very unlucky.
To see a white snail the first thing in the morning heralds good fortune. A white lamb to the right hand is also a good omen. The milk of a white cow, milked by a maiden's hand,
will cure
headache.
Eed is also a magical colour. Eowan berries, strings of red worsted, or other such coloured material, tied round the tails of cows after calving, ward off witches and fairies. A red cord is tied around each of the patient's fingers as a cure for post partum " red rash " is healed haemorrhage. The by the application of the blood of a hare on a red rag when the cure is effected the rag must be buried. A lock of hair tied up in a piece of red cloth worn round the neck cures the whooping cough the rag must then be buried. A red-coloured cat, or a red cock, or a red pig, are stated to have been often immolated in magical rites.
;
;
S UPERSTITIONS
was held sacred
to Thor,
A TTA CHED TO -COL O URS.

is
275
a regard for the colour red. It has been suggested that it was 011 this account that the robin acquired its sacred character. Irish and Highland women use the colour red as a charm against witches women in Esthonia put red thread in the babies' cradles as a preservation against evil, and in China, as in Ireland, red thread is tied round children's wrists to keep off evil spirits. With regard to the probable signification of the variously coloured stones and pebbles deposited with the dead, in prehistoric interments in Ireland, the reader is referred to vol. i.,
All the world over there
and
it
pp. 328-333.
Irish proverbs treat of the most miscellaneous subjects so that perhaps, on the whole, the best name that can be applied to them is that by which they are known to the Irish -speaking population, " Old i.e. Sean Rdite, sayings." Proverbs form a synthesis of national character, and contain information concerning human actions and tendencies far more reliable, and certainly more amusing, than the best of Irish MSS. The review of proverbs is a true archaeological investigation, for old sayings are as much relics of days gone by as are the weathered
and moss-grown covering-stones of crornleacs. peasants rarely discourse on any subject in which
Irish -speaking
their interest is
deeply roused, without emphasizing their opinion by the quotaThe peculiar veneration in which ancient lore tion of a proverb. was held is evidenced in the Irish saying
:
" It
is
impossible to contradict a proverb."

:
Or again
"
true."
It
Though the
old proverb
may
:
be given up,
it is
not the less
has been well said that
"
proverb
is
the wit of one and the wisdom of many."
Even Christ, in His teachings, sometimes cited proverbs, or old sayings well known to His listeners, to give point to His The habitual use of proverbs or of doctrine or argument. shows, however, a certain poverty of language proverbial phrases in the individual, for he employs a particular expression with a general application which his hearers, nevertheless, perfectly understand. Thus a country man cannot inform you that " but perseverance overcomes the most formidable obstacles," he says, " a constant drop wears a hole in a stone." His to say, "attach vocabulary hardly furnishes him with terms
T2
276
SEA SONS-SUPERSTITIONSPRO VERBS.
the blame to the culpable individual," he therefore says, "put When desirous to express " the the saddle on the right horse." he says, "it takes no butter circumstance does not affect
you,"
off
contain many allusions to pagan beliefs, a few on foresight, caution, and and customs have their exact equivalents prudence, which do not appear to in English, and others which have distinctive Irish characFor the original teristics and colouring, may be of interest.
superstitions,
;
your bread." Irish proverbs
of the Ulster Irish, the reader is referred to the vols. 5, 6, &c., Journal of Archaology The Irish proverb, " He that has the quickest hand, let him have the white hound and the deer," is equivalent to the " First come, first served," and seems to refer English saying, to an incident which occurred in some old hunting expedition. There is another proverb generally applied to persons, who are constantly talking about doing a thing, but never set about " That is like the intended it, journey of the hens to Scotland," and children when they hear the hens cackling at night, say they are talking about going back to Scotland, where they came There is also an old Irish tune called Triatt na g-cearc go from.
\
h'Albainn.
The raven is believed to predict future events, hence the " A black raven " The knowledge of the raven's head." saying, in autumn, and a scald-crow in spring," i.e., signs of good weather. An enumeration of bad omens is conveyed in the following " I heard the cuckoo when I had no food in the belly I saw a first snail that I saw was creeping on a bare stone
:
my
black
ram with its hinder parts towards me, so it was easy for me to know that I would not prosper that year." " No man ever went to Hell without sixpence at the time of
his death," a relic of a pagan burial custom (see vol. i., p. 240). " What did Goll say ? that it is hard to take breeches off bare
hips."
As hard
is
"
He
as to take them off Highlanders. as great a liar as Orarn," a common saying in

:
Louth
and Meath.
Origin unknown. " The three wonders of a mill without a stream, Ballyore a hermitage, and a monastery in a wilderness." Ballyore is in the county Louth. The mill is driven direct from the lake without a mill course. The reference to a hermitage is not at It is proverbial that monasteries were present decipherable. generally built in the midst of the very best land.
" There were four things that Finn (MacCool) hated A worthless hound, and a slow horse, A chieftain without wisdom,
;
And
a wife that does not bear children."
PROVERBS.
"He
is
277
so wise that he would decide between Conall and referring to the well-known dispute which ended in the division of Ireland between these two chieftains. If a woman at a funeral rubbed the earth of a off
Eoghan,"
her foot,
it
was believed that her next
graveyard
child
or reel-footed, hence the saying, " He has a churchyard-crook in his foot." But the clearest allusion to paganism occurs in the " The front of proverb, everything to the south," alluding to the ceremony of the desiul. Formerly even ploughmen used to turn their horses' heads to the south when yoking or unyoking
would be deformed
them.
" Four priests that arc not greedy, Four Frenchmen that are not yellow, Four shoemakers that are not liars,
These are twelve men not in the country ":
demonstrates, amongst other things, the popular opinion of the peasantry with regard to the fondness for money of their Se a leanbh fein a bhaisteas a sagart air tiis, spiritual advisers. " a priest christens his own child first," is a world- wide proverb that needs no comment; but the saying, " white breeches are a good indication of a Christian," is enigmatical, but may point to the fact that the old Irish pagans did not wear these, at present,
necessary articles of clothing. Another Irish proverb equivalent to the saying, "throw a sprat to catch a salmon," is Faisiun mnd na cille le mnd tuaitJie, alpdn chuca a's millin uatha, alluding to the usual custom of the nuns with country-women, they receive a great lump, and they give a small one in return, applicable to ecclesiastics in general, who were in the habit of giving presents of small value, in the
expectation of receiving greater. " Blow before you drink," alluding to hot broth, which may burn the mouth if eaten incautiously or to a drink, lest flies or insects should be floating on the surface applied as a warning against over haste in anything. "Cut the gad nearest the throat," transports us back to a time before hemp ropes were used, when criminals were hanged by a twisted gad or withe, made of willow rods, and meant that if one wished to save the life of a culprit one should cut the gad
;
or if a horse had fallen, entangled in this harness, and was in danger of being strangled, the primitive same advice would suggest itself. It now signifies, "Do the thing first that is of the most pressing need." " Praise rod your gad and not your rod for many a beautiful will not twist," an allusion to the general use of willow rods (gads) for a variety of purposes.
nearest his throat
278
"
SEA SONSS UPERSTITIQNSPR O VERBS.

It is
time for you to be softening the gads."
It is time to
to prepare for departure.
" She never sells her hen on a wet day," a hen with wet
feathers looking much smaller than when dry, a recommendation to be cautious in our dealings with knowing people. " It is better to turn back from the middle of the ford than " better to stop in time than to lose to be drowned in the flood ; all, said when one repents of a thing, and draws back at the last moment. Several Irish proverbs refer to fords in rivers, which were naturally very important places before bridges were
built.
There is also the proverb " Let every man praise the ford as he finds it," i.e. ~Let every one speak of the place, object, or individual, as he finds them. Let every man praise the bridge he goes over." He that waits long enough at the ferry will get over at
:
last
"
Blue are the
hills that are far
away."
until the
However great the flow, it will ebb." Listen to the wind of the mountains
ebb
i.e. let
waters
It is
the storm blow by. the shallowest water that

is still."
makes the
greatest noise."
Deep water
On an unknown path every foot is -slow." Face the sun turn your back to the storm."
;
;
Though the day be long, night comes at last." Good luck comes in tricklets ill luck comes
;
;
in rolling
torrents."
A misty winter brings a pleasant spring brings a misty spring."

"
;
"
a pleasant winter
-
A wind from the south hrings heat and produce A wind from the west, fish and milk A wind from the north, cold and flaying
;
And
a wind from the east, fruit on trees."
" Red in the south means rain and cold, Red in the east, rain and frost, Red in the north, rain and wind, Red in the west, thawing and sun."
" Lie
down with the lamb, and rise with the bird, From the time you see a harrow and a man behind
it,
Until you see stacks of turf and cocks of hay."
"
to
The man
anyone who remains too long from home for instance, to Rorke, who was on a pilgrimage, wlien his wife ran away with
;
that stays out long his dinner cools."
Applied
PROVERBS.
of Ireland.
279
Dermot MacMurrough, and brought about the English invasion

"
thatch
for
The windy day is not the day for fastening the thatch " is fastened down by a number of wattles or pointed rods
;
of willow, called
sr/olbs.
such work, and the proverb

is
' '
boisterous day is not the proper time is applied in all cases where fore-
necessary. a time the man with ten has overtaken the man with forty," refers to an Irish game of cards won by marking fortyfive. A player who at the commencement of a deal has only marked ten, while his opponent has marked forty, may still 'overtake him and win the game. The proverb is intended as an encouragement to persons engaged in business, to prosecute the trade undiscouraged by their first want of success. " " By degrees the castles are built (Rome was not built in a day) a proverb which no doubt took its rise when the Irish saw the Anglo-Norman strongholds rising, one after the other, around the English Pale. " You have the foal's share of the harrow." You are an idle spectator. While the mare draws the harrow the foal walks beside her doing nothing.
sight
Many
Friday and (God prosper them !) they do not hear the fairies, as the peasantry are averse to naming them directly. Some say the fairies have no power over mortals on a Friday. " A Friday's fast is not better for you than to burn a dardaol." The dar-daol, a small species of jet-black beetle, is superstitiously feared as unlucky and poisonous, and is always thrown into the fire whenever found. In Notes and Queries, vol. ii., 4th Series (1868), there is an extraordinary note on the
is
" This
us," alluding to
subject of the dar-daol. " What the Pooka writes let him read it himself." " It is true as that there is a Pooka in Kells."
"He got off betwixt hurdle and door-post." In former times the doors of cottages were made of wattled hurdles. The that proverb signifies that he had a narrow escape, or perhaps he escaped secretly, as the hurdle-door in shutting made no
noise.
''The blind man's shot at the tub."
reference to the
threw an apple at story that Ossian, the blind warrior-bard, rations. St. Patrick's housekeeper, because she gave hin^ scanty The expression means a random hit, a blind man's cast. " Though you have broken the bone you have not sucked out the marrow." You have done the most difficult part of the
work, but not finished it. " The end of every old curse
is
an old white horse," meaning
280
that the finishing stroke of ill luck is being served with a law The white horse is apparently an allusion to the arms process. of Hanover. " He is like a he never makes a noise till his bag-pipe
:
belly's full." " The closing in of an autumn evening is like the running An autumn night comes on quickly. of a hound on a moor." " poem ought to be well made at first, for there is many
a one to spoil it afterwards." " Do not build the sty before the litter comes." Do not count chickens before they are hatched. your " The door-step of a great house is slippery," alluding to the uncertainty of the favour of great men. "Many a sudden change takes place in a spring day," a metaphor applied to the fickleness of youth. " He thinks that he himself is the very stone that was hurled at the castle." He was the one that bore the brunt. " You would be a good messenger to send for Death," said of a slow messenger when he delays long on the road. " A slow hound has often luck when a swift hound has not," sometimes the hare, by a sudden alluding to dogs coursing a hare turn, causes the foremost hound to run past her, when she is caught by a slower dog. It signifies that often he who plods steadily at home succeeds as well as he who roams about looking
for business.
too
" After misfortune the Irishman sees his He sees profit." late what he ought to have done. " Truth is often bitter," (see ante, p. 224). " Cows far from home have long horns." We value things at a distance, or out of our reach, more than they deserve. " He got it from nature, as the pig got the rooting in the ground." He inherits the quality, or vice, from his parents.
" The Leinster-man
is
sprightly,
The Munster-man boastful, The Connaught-man sweet tongued,
And
the Ulster-man impudent."
" He that lies down with the dogs, will rise up with You cannot touch pitch without being defiled.
the fleas."
" If you are fond of dung, you see no motes in " The end
it."
And And
The end
of every ship is drowning, the end of every kiln is burning of every feast is wasting, the end of every laugh is sighing."
;
There
is
an end to everything.
With regard
to the application
PROVERBS.
of the
281
term " drowning
220.
relics
Under
Danes and shrines." " Say little, and the

"
to inanimate objects, see vol. i., pp. 219, date, A.D. 922, the Irish Annals record that the " drowned its ravaged Iniscaltra, in Lough Derg, and
little you say, say well." will not cure mischief," i.e. sorrow will
"
Kepentance
pay no
debt.
heaviest head of wheat hangs its head lowest," merit is modest. " That is like taking the axe out of the carpenter's hands," said when an incompetent person takes any business out of the kands of one more fit to do it. " He has got the two ends of the rope, and leave to pull." He has it all his own way. He is master of the situation. " The hen going to seek for the goose," said when people give small presents in expectation of receiving greater ones. Throw a sprat to catch a salmon. " The leisure of the smith's helper (that is) from the bellows to the anvil," i.e. no rest at all. "He that is not in the habit of riding forgets the spurs." This proverb has many applications. Sometimes it means that a man not used to good company is at a loss how to behave. " Out of her head the cow is milked," signifying that, according to the manner a cow is fed, she gives better or worse milk. You may expect to be served by a man according as you treat him. " A fight between hornless sheep," i.e. a mock fight; said of persons appearing to be very angry with each other, but not so
i.e.
"The
in reality.
(that
tree and the bark," i.e. do not intermeddle in a family quarrel. "The tree in the hedge remains, but not so the hand that planted it." " Take your thirst to the brook, as the dog does." " Li3t every herring hang by its own tail." " she brings all creatures home." Night is a good herd " Dry soles won't catch fish." " Honour cannot be patched." " It is hard to take the twist out of the oak that grew in the
:
happened to him? bad luck). " Do not go between the

is,
"What
What was
at
the hen's foot"
sapling."
"
He who
has his choice and chooses the worse
is
to be
pitied."
" Losing the bundle, gathering the wisps." " Ignorance is a heavy burden."
282
SEA SONS SUPERSTITIONS PRO VERBS,
is
" Lazy is the hand that ploughs not." " He that ploughs not at home, ploughs not abroad." " For whom ill is fated, him will it strike." " He that does not knot his thread loses his stitch." " Better knot straws than do nothing." "A thing is the bigger of being shared." "A promise is a debt." " A friend's eye is a good looking-glass," i.e. the best mirror an old friend. " A wise man keeps his counsel the fool reveals his." " A king's son is no nobler than his company." " He that lives longest sees most." " Fear is worse than
;
" He that conquers himself conquers an enemy." " Every foot treads on him who is in the mud." " From hand to mouth will never make a wealthy man." " Friendship is as it is kept." " He that flees hot will be fled from." " Love hides ugliness." " What is the good of a pipe if it is not played on." " Courtesy never broke one's crown." " Choose your speech." " Correct counting keeps good friends." " Assurance is two-thirds of success." " " Marriage comes unawares like a soot drop.' " is the beauty of women." Modesty " Take a bird from a clean nest." " Choose your wife as you wish your children to be." " Choose a good woman's daughter though her father were
'
fighting."
the devil." " A man's
The
:
wife is his blessing or his bane." ladies of ancient Erin are not complimented in the pro;
verbs " Wherever
there are women there is talking and wherever there are geese there is cackling." " Women, priests, and poultry have never enough." " A woman has an excuse readier than an apron." " There are three things that do not bear nursing an old woman, a hen, and a sheep," i.e. who are not thankful for being nursed.
:
:{
all,
The secret of an old woman's scolding," i.e. for a scolding woman will let it out in her rage.
" Do not believe- the scald-crow, or the Nor any false deity of the women Whether the sun rises arly or late,
;
no
secret at
raven,
It is according to
God's will this day will be."
PROVERBS ON WOMEN.
The
first,
288
second, and third lines of this distich consist of an pagan omens observations on the movements of the scald-crow or Bav, of the raven reliance to be placed on female deities, or the rising or setting of the sun, declared to be of no utility and vain as compared with the acme of primitive Christian and Mahometan teaching there is no one to be
enumeration
of
relied
on but God alone, and there
is
but one God.
" The yellow cows
are milked, and their milk is drunk ; "While the white cows come back from the fair and no hid for them."
Yellow cows are believed

therefore, sell better. hints that a girl with
to give better
milk than white cows and,

applied to
The proverb
one.
is
women, and
a better
an uninviting exterior
may make
A hen's age can never be pullet's head on an old hen." by her head. The proverb is applied to an elderly womnn dressing herself with a showy cap or clothes more suitable for a
told
girl.
wife than a " A
handsome
"
said of a
" She has She knows how got the length of his shoe." to manage him. " He Sometimes used (or she) has washed his (her) shoes." Kuno Meyer quotes as a term for "making oneself at home." a poem ascribed to the dethroned King Diarmait mac Cerbaill, in which it is employed in this sense
:
You would not do that if you had any flax on your woman spending her time foolishly.
distaff,"
"
was the lawful hridegroom Of the heautiful daughter of Erimon

I
(Erin).
;
Clerics
have thrust
me
Fotla (Erin)
From the rule of highland Young unlawful kings
Will wash their shoes in her house."
i.e.
" She is a good wife, but she has not taken off her shoes yet," she has not been proved yet speaking of a newly married
;
woman.
"The old hag is the better of being warmed, but the worse of Some being burned." We ought to be kind but not over-kind. that the proverb refers to the burning of witches. say " " The woman has neither excuse nor rest who has not a pipe or a child." " Women are them from refusing shy, and shame prevents
the men."
" It
you
is nothing but folly to treat an old woman to a dram," will get no return for it. " It is the Meath women to yellow prestwgh that brings the
284
SEA SONS SUPERSTITIONS PR O VERBS.
The wild kail, called in Irish preshagk, was made use of harm." The proverb alludes to the practice of as a kitchen vegetable. the women who, in going out in the evening to gather it in the fields, made this an excuse for meeting their lovers. bad wife takes advice from every man but her own
"A
husband."
" It was not her mother's feet that she washed," said when a girl turns out badly, i.e. she was not a good daughter and will
have no luck.
" The daughter of an active old woman makes a bad housekeeper," i.e. an indulgent mother makes a sluttish daughter. " She burnt her coal and did not warm herself,'' said when a woman makes a bad marriage. "Never take a wife who has no fault," because there is no such thing. " Every man can control a bad wife but her own husband." " She has only as much regard for him as a two-year-old dog has for his mother." "A blanket is the warmer of being doubled," said when
relatives marry.
" The husband of the sloven
is
known
in the field amidst
a crowd."
"A ring on the finger and not a stitch of clothes on the back," an extravagant woman and a bad housekeeper. " She has put a bioran suain in his head" (his hair) said of a profound sleeper. The bioran suain was a magical pin supposed to possess the power of throwing a person into a deep
:
sleep.
" No trial until one " No worse gets married." thing exists than a bad-tempered woman." " There are three without rule a mule, a pig, and a woman." In fact, the gibes of the Irish old-world wits may be summarised in the words of the popular
:
nineteenth century poet:
" Down
He
to Gehenna, or travels the fastest
up
who
to the throne travels alone."
" Reference to the superstition of "the evil eye is in the warning, " Take care lest cast the evil eye you
conveyed on him."
When
praising anything, animate or inanimate, one should say, it," for expressing admiration of the object without accompanying and qualifying the praise with a blessing, is an act of overlooking by the evil eye. On May eve the evil eye possesses more than usual malignity, and the mother or the nurse that would carry her infant charge in her arms anywhere outside the house would be regarded as devoid of affection, and reprobated as a monster.
" God bless
PROVERBS ON THE EVIL EYE."

;
285
" Youth and loveliness are thought to be especially exposed to therefore not one woman in a thousand will then show peril herself abroad. Nor must it be supposed that conscious ugliness is any protection on the contrary, neither grizzled locks nor the brawny hand of the roughest from the ploughman
;
exempt
blast."
The ancient Jews were also firm believers in the power of the evil eye, if we are to judge from Proverbs xxiii. 6, 7
:
" Eat thou not the bread of
him that hath an

;
Xeither desire thou his dainties For as he reckoneth within himself, so
evil eye,
:
is
he
Eat and drink,
But
he to thee ; his heart is not with thee."

saith
When
as to
damage
a country-woman seeks the good offices of charlatans, inflicted on her property by the evil eye of one of
her neighbours, or as to an unaccountable decrease of milk from the cows, she is advised to place three bronze articles, half-pence for choice, on the bottom of a tin can, and ask the suspected neighbour to milk three streams from the cow upon them, and the spell is thus dissolved. This is a curious superstition, as it may be said to have the date of its origin attached. Bronze being regarded as partaking of the supernatural, shows that while it was known, it was far from common. Virgil says the notion among his contemporaries was that evil resulted from the glance of an envious eye whilst Pliny records his testimony as to the efficacy of spittle as a preserva;
Even in the eye. present day a labourer before commencing work, spits on the palm of his hand, a pugilist often does the same before commencing a fight, and in buying cattle at a fair the purchaser " spits on the luck-penny," and in olden days the faction-fighter on his black-thorn. spat A practice to be observed amongst the peasantry between
tive against ill-luck, witchcraft, or the evil
The parting friends is supposed to propitiate good fortune. right hand is passed across the mouth, a sharp sound, somewhat resembling thup is emitted the hand is held out, after a similar observance, the offered palm is met by that of the other person, and hands are heartily shaken. You should not shake hands with " a curse with the left hand, for the Irish have the old saying, the left hand to those we hate, but the right hand to those we
;
honour." There are exceptions to the useful property of saliva; for instance, the Four Masters relate that, in A.D. 784, an Irish chieftain died, and they account for his decease by the fact that wicked people used' to eject spits in his face, in which they had put charms.
286

Thomas
Dinely, in the Journal of his tour in Ireland, in the of Charles II., thus further explains the singular custom reign " for of spitting, by their custom they are never to bless, praise, or commend anything, without spitting thereon, for fear of When opening the eyes of the blind man, by witchcraft."
mixing clay with
the finger, spittle, and then applying it with not Christ have wished to teach the Jews a lesson by utilizing a prevalent and apparently widespread superstition ? On this subject " Maimonides states that the Jews were expressly forbidden by their traditions to put fasting-spittle upon the eyes on the Sabbath day, because to do so was to perform work, the great Sabbath crime in the eyes of the Pharisees which Christ committed when he moistened the clay with his spittle and anointed the eyes of the blind man therewith on the Sabbath day." To Greeks and Romans alike fasting spittle was a charm Persius Flaccus against "fascination" or the "evil eye." "A grandmother, or a superstitious aunt, has taken baby says from his cradle, and is charming his forehead and his slavering lips against mischief by the joint action of her middle finger and her purifying spittle." Here it is not the spittle alone, but the conjoint action of the The spittle and of the middle finger which works the charm. middle finger was believed to possess a favourable influence on sores, or rather it possessed no malign influence, while all the other fingers, in coming in contact with a sore, were thought to have a tendency to inflame or poison it. The restoration of sight to a blind man with fasting spittle is attributed to Vespasian by both Suetonius and by Tacitus. In Ireland, to obtain a perfect result, saliva should be used only after a " black fast," when mixed with dust, it is most effectual as a cure for sore lips, and other disorders, internal as well as
may
external (see ante, pp. 193-195). Mr. F. T. Elworthy remarks that this strange custom of spit" for not ting opens up a wide field of inquiry, only is it practised in the hope of obtaining good fortune, but in all ages, and almost among all peoples, it has ever been considered as an act to safeguard the spitter, whether against fascination or other evils. Among the ancient Greeks and Romans ' the most common remedy against an invidious look was spitting ; it was hence ' called despuere malum.' According to Theocritus it is necesto spit three times into the heart of the sary person who fears
fascination.'
"
describing a hurt or wound, if a countryman should, with a view of illustrating his verbal description, touch the corresponding part of his own or another person's body, the
When
PROVERBS ON " THE EVIL

touch
Y."
287
is ominous of ill, is in fact as bad as the glance of the evil eye, and a sure precursor of similar mischief to the person, or part so touched, unless the narrator, or some other individual " God bless the " mark," or God present, immediately ejaculates, as a charm to avert disaster. save the mark." This acts An
exactly similar superstition prevailed amongst the Romans, as we learn from a passage in Petronius, where Trimalchio recounts a marvellous adventure in which a man thrust his sword through the body of a sorceress. In describing the incident, Trimalchio points out, on his own person, the exact locality of the wound, " Salvum sit by laying his hand on the part and exclaims, " Safe be what I touch," exactly corresponding quod tango," The to the Irish saying, " God bless (or God save) the mark." mere touch is deemed to possess equally malign influence, whether applied to the naked body itself, or to the garment covering the part indicated, and the Eoman idea seems to have been precisely the same as the Irish, for it is hardly to be presumed that Trimalchio exposed his naked body, since that
circumstance
is
not mentioned by Petronius.
CHAPTER
VIII.
TRANSITIONAL ARCHAEOLOGY, AND THE CONTINUITY OF

RELIGION.
CHAOS presented by the
past of ancient Erin
Evolution
Religion in Ireland,
Reasoning of the savage regarding body and soul Similarity between death and sleep Soul after death assumes the form of a butterfly Gradual amelioration in religious ideas Three stages in their development Rude flint-using man vanished without leaving a trace of his religion Polished flint-using man His
as elsewhere, progressed
by gradual development
religion
Ancestor worship
Belief in a life after death
Curious evidence
yielded
by
fractured
funeral
urns
Important
Goddesses
nation
The
individual
man
creates a
God
position ascribed to after his individual imagi-
came
Irish belief a colourless religion No great All-Father Christianity with a superior civilization Its long-continued struggle with
Paganism
medicine
the other
practice,
men
Early Irish Saints take the place of the more ancient tribal In religion, as in material matters, one custom glided into No hard dividing line Primitive rites banished from public
superstitions Superstition a rudimentary Unsympathetic treatment of it therefore unscientific have retarded the proper study of superstitions Times changing rapidly The present an epoch of religious deception On the other hand the men of the Eld believed firmly in their creed Truth must eventually triumph over Error We should hold fast to nothing but that which is certain.
kept alive in local
religious instinct Absurd theories
THE student
is
puzzled by the chaos presented by the past
life
vastness, and half fears, as he gazes despairingly into it, that he will never be able to master its details and produce order out of confusion. should essay, however, to read the past in the light of the present. As the distance increases details tend to disappear, or resolve themselves into mere outlines, which in turn vanish in the dim perspective of innumerable ages ; yet, if an uninterrupted view be finally
of ancient Erin, oppressed
by
its
We
obtained, it will probably change many preconceived ideas as to the state of society in the Eld. ourselves are in the transition period, and are passing from an age of mere ideas and theories to one of careful observation and classification of facts. Great results cannot be at
We
EVOLUTION.
once achieved
step.
;
289
we must be content to advance as we walk, step archaeological genius does not suddenly rise up he is the outcome of many more or less successful attempts, for in the literary limbo, amidst a veritable " Sahara of mediocrity," there are to be found many meritorious writers. The mind of
by
An
the master must grasp the whole subject his precursors have succeeded only in branches of a science which he must treat in its entirety for a number of undeservedly obscure and halfforgotten workmen have gathered the materials and rough-hewn the blocks with which the master-builder erects his edifice. -.-.We now, to a great extent, perceive how, from a primitive beginning, civilization progressed in the most simple and natural manner, and we recognise it is a law of all science that, to master any subject thoroughly, we must have a complete knowledge of it, not only in its genesis, but also in its growth, ab ovo Once the existence of a great First Cause, whom usque ad mala. no language can describe, is admitted, it matters little whether creation be regarded as carried on by evolution, or by separate and distinct creative acts. Evolution is the more wonderful, the more credible, and the simpler of the two means, ana it would effect, what is also generally to be seen in nature, a smooth, The theory of equally adjusted, and continuous movement. Evolution makes clear as the noonday what before was enveloped in darkness. Why then the bitter opposition with which it is met by certain sections of the community? Is it that, like the science of Geology, it is attacked, not on its own account, but for the reason that it seems to threaten the overthrow of some " As it is, " extinguished theologians already religious dogmas? " as the snakes beside that lie around its cradle, strangled of Hercules." Substituting abuse for argument will not under; ;
its position. Geology weathered this storm, and so will the theory of Evolution if it be founded upon truth. If the theory of Evolution be admitted as a satisfactory account of the manifested on existing conditions under which we find life now What this globe of ours, may we not apply the theory further. reason have we for supposing that, while Evolution has acted so Is it not more philosophical to far, it can act no farther?
mine
assume that the same law

that,
is in
therefore, to primordial superiors, as we are, in our own opinion, superior Such beings, if they exist, would no more necessarily germs. be apparent to ordinary sight than is electricity, which though cannot define the line which bounds a reality is invisible. the physical on one side, the supernatural on the other. .We live on an island of fact surrounded by an ocean of mystery.
there
are
in
operation beyond ourselves, and existence beings as much our
We
We
feel
the action upon us of invisible forces, and perceive that the

VOL.
II.
290
ARCHEOLOGY AND
RELIGION.
world in which we live is moving in obedience to some vast over" of the true mastering power. Froude justly observes that, nature of our existence on this planet, of the origin of our being,
of what is life, what is which is exerted over us, we really know nothing. We live merely on the crust or rind The inner essence is absolutely concealed from us. of things. But though these questions admit of no conclusive answer, there is something in our character which perpetually impels us to seek for an answer. Hope and fear, conscience and imagination suggest possibilities, and possibilities become probabilities, when allied with high and noble aspirations." As the writer has elsewhere observed, facts, when transmitted by word of mouth merely, gradually lose individuality and
and
of the
meaning and purpose of
it,
death,
and
of the nature of the rule
as to time; they pass rapidly into the class of thus true history may be said to begin only with the introduction of writing. According to native annalists, Erin burst suddenly on the gaze of mankind in a state of advanced civilization, without undergoing intermediate stages of improvement. No nation, it is believed, suddenly developed a self-created it must progress even as a man who passes from civilization tottering infancy through successive stages of advancement and it has been remarked that the savage, hunting, pastoral, and agricultural phases of advance in the nation, correspond with those of infancy, childhood, youth, and manhood in the individual.
definiteness
;
myths
These stages are plainly traceable in Ireland. First comes the period when primitive man, the mammoth, the megaceros, the cave- bear, the reindeer, and other animals shared the
man being then only in his infancy or rude flint-using This race disappears from archaeological observation and is succeeded by men who use smaller stone weapons more this stage is the nation's carefully made and sometimes polished
country,
stage.
;
childhood. Then appears bronze-using man this stage is the nation's youth. Like their predecessors, however, they were " " also in a state of savagery. By the term savagery it is not implied that there was amongst them a total absence of culture, but that they were devoid of the ordinary arts of then existing civilization. The mere fact of the aborigines being ignorant of the use of cement in building, prior to the introduction of If writing had been introduced into Christianity, proves this. ancient Erin, or if any general or constant means of communication existed between the Continent and Ireland, the practice of reducing limestone into a suitable material for solidifying their stone structures would have come into general use. It may be laid down as certain that religion, like civilization
in Ireland,
progressed by gradual development
without
the
DE VEL OPMENT OF RELIGION IN IRELAND.
291
occurrence of any vast hiatus or gap. This theory is in accordance with science, whether regarded from an archaeological, geological, or ethnological standpoint, for no great physical revolution, no great climatic change, no new and intruding race of human beings arriving upon the scene from unknown regions is needed to explain the apparently sharp break between the Old and the New Stone Age. The extinction of the great Pleistocene fauna made it no longer necessary to employ such weighty weapons as hitherto. Man experimented and discovered that a Blighter implement would effect a deadly wound and be easier to * carry, and the rapid growth in the art of chipping flint sufficiently accounts for the seemingly swift transition from one form of The older primitive life to another, but slightly more advanced. implements were now often re -wrought into smaller and more A similar process may be observed in highly-finished weapons. the changes from copper to bronze, from bronze to iron, from iron to steel. We may with advantage recall what has happened in our own time upon the employment of electricity to illustrate the results of the changes just mentioned. We have at last learned that man's origin, history, and religious feelings are the greatest problems that invite solution, and that to obtain anything like a good result every shred of evidence bearing on the subject must be carefully collected and analysed. Thus, a sketch of the religion of the ancient Irish, opens up an immense field of research. Paganism existed in the land for untold centuries, not only before the introduction of Christianity by the early missionaries, but long after the period when the religion of Christ became the acknowledged creed of Ireland, and it has left its impress, faint it is true, but still discernible in the peculiar beliefs and customs of the peasantry, for in these the Pan-song of nature still vibrates. The history of the development of religion in Ireland may be we may refer to it said to be the history of almost all religions as a trustworthy guide to the gradual development in the mind of early man of the first crude conception of the Infinite for
;
;
"
Man,
as yet, is being made, and ere this crowning age of ages, Shall not aeon after aeon pass, and touch him into shape."
remains practically unchanged mentally his The mental capacity of the average development European is much higher than that of his remote ancestor, and we cannot set limits to this improvement. Man's age on earth " Dieu est is well depicted in the epigram, e'ternel, mais 1'homme
Physically
;
man
continues.
est bien vieux."
The reasoning of the savage, when analysed, is, from his He observes that the shadow only standpoint, very logical.
292
ARCHÊOLOG Y AND RELIGION.

;
it in accompanies the body under certain conditions it leaves The spirit the twilight, but resumes attendance in daylight. leaves the body in sleep, as the shadow leaves the substance in shadow and spirit are therefore, to the absence of the sun The shadow the savage, alike separate entities from the body.
;
the spirit departs and returns ; and though departs and returns the visible body dies, there is no proof to the savage mind that its invisible complement dies also. During captivity amongst the Indians a traveller relates that he overheard a convalescent
;
in exposing himself to the patient reproved for his imprudence atmosphere, as his shadow had not altogether returned to abide
with him. But all this was trifling when compared with the mocking echo to whom day and night were alike. It is very certain that the modern, and therefore extremely pro-
bable that the ancient, Irish regarded the echo as a supernatural This was, undoubtedly, one of the most or incorporeal being. for it is difficult to convince reasonable of their superstitions an uneducated person that a voice can be heard without proOvid states that the echo ceeding direct from a human being, " a body, not a mere voice," and again formerly possessed " one who has neither learned to hold her describes it as tongue There is after another has spoken, nor to speak first herself." a legend regarding the echo told relative to the death of one of Finn MacCool's warriors. Sorely wounded, he shouted so loudly that the surrounding hills rang again, and conveyed his cries to his sister on the opposite side of the lake. Recognising her brother's voice, she sprang into the lough to his assistance, but the echo deceived her as to the direction she ought to take she
; ;
swam round and round
waters. Deceiver." The inhabitants of Iceland say it is " the voice of the Dwarfs." Dick Fitzgerald, in The Lady ofGollerus, calls the echo " the child of one's own voice." The fanciful antiquary Vallancey states that a literal translation of the Irish compound name for echo is " the daughter of the voice," and is a convincing " argument of the Eastern origin of the race for what people in the world, the Orientalists and the Irish excepted, called the copy of a book the son of a book, and the echo the daughter of a
;
sank exhausted beneath the Ever afterwards the echo was called in Ireland " The
;
and
finally
voice? "*
Again
*
to the savage, the vision of
well-remembered hunting
An amusing anecdote relating to the celebrated echo at Killarney was " number of boatmen who were quarrelling lately recounted in The Spectator : about the division of ' tips ' indulged at the top of their voices in a deal of
' profane language which the marvellous echo repeated verbatim. Arrah look at that now for a schandal,' said one of the party who was of a pious turn, " tachingthe poor harmless echo to curse and sware.'
'
good
REASONING OF SA VAGES REGARDING SOUL.

scenes,
293
and of the loved ones, the friends, enemies, and gibing phantoms which appeared to him at night, were thoroughly Whence came the landscapes and the creatures inexplicable. which he saw when he was in dream-, or in spirit-land ? Why
did they vanish with the dawn, only to re-appear with the darkness ? " Spirit Land, thou land of dreams!
Of
A
"
world thou art of mysterious gleams, startling voices and sounds at strife, world of the dead in the hues of life."
There can be little doubt but that dreams leave an impress " make us what we upon our waking thoughts," and that they were not what they will." Even in our more refined social conditions we are never able to quite shake off their effect and are perpetually drawing from them very much the same conclusions
as did our uncivilized ancestors. In somewhat this fashion did primitive man attempt to solve the still all-absorbing problem, " Does a man die but to live again?" After thousands of centuries of inquiry, this momentous question remains unanswered by science. An impassable barrier of unbroken silence is still upreared between the quick and the dead for though love and hope have together created fair fields of beatitude in some fairy-like region far, far beyond the dread rampart, yet to the student of physical reality there comes no answer from beyond the barrier. All through the ages the cry of the survivor has been
;
"
!
And
for the touch of a vanish'd hand, the sound of a voice that is still."
There
is
stoicism in the mere act of living
"...
-Men must endure Their going hence even as their coming hither
"
;
in every man and yet there seems to be "a still, small voice which whispers to him that his account is not closed at death, but that at birth a portion, however microscopic, of the already existing universal intelligence is imparted to him, and that
this,
"
when
existence here
it
is
over, returns again to the fountain
from which
The inscrutable energy pervading the universe, as disclosed to us by science, differs profoundly from the ideas held of any God worshipped by any now existing
emanated.
religious denomination.
Nowadays Death,
of Terrors
"
to
many,
is
no longer regarded as the King
Death,
And
is
when unmasked, shows us a friendly fuce, a terror onlv at a distance."
294
ARCHÔL OG Y AND
RELIGION.
Dr. Johnston, " neither pleasing, nor sleep it is nothing. Now is so much better than nothing, that one would The doctor evidently rather exist in pain than not exist." the prospective pains of Hell to annihilation. preferred Next to death, sleep is the greatest of mysteries
;
Death is looked on rather as a kindly nurse, who haps us in our narrow bed when we go to sleep, tired with our day's work. One " may say, in the words of a great man gone before, It is well even if the sleep be endless." Annihilation is, however, not a is rather, as defined by pleasing sleep without a dream, but
mere existence
"
How
wonderful
is
Death
!
Death and
Is the intelligence that
his brother, Sleep
"
the body
asleep, but the brain continues to act automatically ; hence It appears, then, the cause of erratic and unconnected dreams. that the brain does not originate, but merely transmits, thought for when not under waking control it may again and again transmit these already registered thoughts. When we enter the dream state we lose something which returns to us in our waking hours. When the body enters the temporary death of sleep consciousness is dethroned the moment the body re-awakens consciousness returns to its seat. know that consciousness is able, day by day, to leave the body and return. Therefore, when the body is no longer tenantable, we hope consciousness may be able to continue to exist elsewhere. We cannot somehow realise that our hopes and fears, our joys and sorrows, our loves and hates, are all to end in nought that those we loved in this world, whom even the Pagan Seneca describes as, " Not lost, but gone before," are never to be seen by us again ; that those we hated, and who wronged us, are never to be at our mercy ; that mind, intellect, memory, are all to be absorbed in a material world. One revolts at the very idea ; but that does not make the idea either true or false. Is it or is it not true that
; ;
mind when
is
dreams the same intelligence that governs when awake ? The latter governs the mind when the awake. The mind, or imagination, acts without control
We
"
We are such stuff
As dreams
are made on, and our little life Is rounded with a sleep" ?
The idea of the immortality of the soul is far more widely spread than the existence of one or more Gods for the most degraded tribes, even those on the lowest rung of the ladder of civilization, incapable of the smallest mental advance, even unable to draw self-suggestive inferences, are nevertheless found to believe But implicitly in the perpetuation of life after death.
;
THE SOUL ASSUMES THE BUTTERFLY FORM.
295
the very general, almost universal, belief in a future state of existence cannot be adduced as evidence of its truth. The
aborigines of
removed from wild

;
California, beasts,
who, when first known, were little and whom the missionaries likened to
" herds of swine," possessed not the faintest idea of a God or Gods yet they had a vague notion of an after-life, for a writer who draws this dark picture of their condition adds that he saw them frequently placing shoes on the feet of the dead, which demonstrated that they entertained some idea of a journey undertaken by the spirit of the deceased after death. The natives of Australia, who were quite as debased, believed that after death their souls mounted to the clouds or crossed the ocean to a distant
land.
The
of
idea
man's
spirit
or shall we or soul
say doctrine
of the immortality
has taken many different forms in a gradual scale In the of development.

first
stage the
spirit
be;
comes a malignant being

in
the second it enjoys a continuous life, as on

it
earth; thirdly,
to
advances
the
metempsychosis
and
life ; to cyclical fourthly, it develops into a superior spirit, as in
more advanced religions, and in the Christian

ideal.
FIG. 93.
Soul rejoining the
In one of the numer-
ous chapters of the Egypof the tian Book of the Dead, the Priestly Official Guide, or Manual to Spirit-Land, which in the treats of the rejoining of the soul to the mummified body in the world, there is an illustration of the soul, underground form of a semi-butterfly-like looking creature bearing a sail, the emblem of breath, and the Crux ansata, that of life, in the act of We have a body and a 93). its former tabernacle
revisiting
spirit,
Dead Body. From the Book Dead (the Egyptian Bible).
when
but theologians have very weak arguments to rely on man is gifted with any third they attempt to prove that
(fig.
constituent.
" Vision of Hell," translated by In a fragment of an Irish
Professor Kuno Meyer (Otia Merseiana, vol. i., p. 116)- dating from the fifteenth century, but which is apparently derived from " Then the following passage occurs a much more ancient MS.
:
296
all at
A R CHJ5OL OGY A ND RELIGION.

once, he (the cleric) beheld his soul (hovering) over the of his head, and knew not which way she had corne out of
crown
the body." In a Statistical Account of the Parish of Ballymoyer, county Armagh, written in 1810, the Rev. Joseph Ferguson states that a girl chasing a butterfly was chid by her companion, who said to " That her, may be the soul of your grandfather." Upon inquiry it was found that a butterfly hovering near a corpse was regarded
as a sign of its everlasting happiness. This is a curious instance of the lingering on of a pagan superstition. A very good example of the idea that the soul assumes the form of a butterfly may be instanced in the story of " The Priest's " in Lady Wilde's Ancient Legends of Ireland. Unfortunately, Soul she has dressed it up in a rather too modern style the epilogue
;
therefore, only given " The priest lived, though the agony was horrible could not die until the twenty-four hours had expired.
is,
:
for
he
At
last
the agony seemed to cease, and the stillness of death settled on Then the child, who was watching, saw a beautiful living creature, with four snow-white wings, mount from the dead man's body into the air, and go fluttering round his head so he ran to bring the scholars, and when they saw it they all knew it was the soul of their master, and they watched with
his face.
;
wonder and awe until it passed from sight into the clouds. "And this was the first butterfly that was ever seen in Ireland and now all men know that the butterflies are the souls of the
corpse The Servians believe that the soul of a witch often leaves her body whilst she is asleep, and flies abroad in the shape of a The same belief prevails in some of the islands of butterfly. the Pacific. The idea that the soul assumes this shape is, therefore, by no means confined to Ireland. It was rife in ancient and classic days whilst in modern times Pope's idea of Dying Christian's Address to his Soul " was suggested by the exquisite and beautiful apostrophe of Adrian to his soul,
over.
;
1
dead waiting for the moment when they may enter purgatory, and so pass through torture to purification and peace. " But the schools of Ireland were quite deserted after that time, for the people said, "What is the use of going so far to learn when the wisest man in all Ireland did not know if he had a soul till he was near losing it, and was only saved at last through the simple belief of a little child?" In some parts of Ireland the soul is supposed after death to remain in the form of a butterfly, or of a small bird, in the neighbourhood of the body, and then to follow it to the grave. The Bulgarians also hold that it assumes the form of a butterfly, and remains in close until the funeral is proximity to the
A MELIORA TION IN RELIGIO US IDEA S.
297
composed in his dying moments, and recorded by his historian, Spartianus, as expressive of the Emperor's uncertainty as to a
future existence
:
"Animula, vagula, blandula! Hospes, comesque corpons."*
According to Mr. T. F. T. Dyer, the country-people in Yorkshire " used to call, and even now occasionally do so, night>; ' souls.' flying white moths, In Gloucestershire, Nottinghamshire, and Somersetshire, there still exist numerous superstitions regarding butterflies.
An
soul.
Irish fairy doctor could easily detect if a man had lost his If he had been bargaining with evil spirits the compact
at noonday, and even in the brightest sunshine, his body, demoniacally possessed, cast no shadow. Is there here not the implied belief that the shadow was a man's second self, his spirit ? There are two problems, the solution of which has been attempted in all ages, in all creeds, alike by the savage and the philosopher, to ourselves still the most important and interesting that can be proposed, namely Do we continue to exist after death, and if so how ? In proportion as civilization rises, religion also attains a higher level. The gradual amelioration in religious ideas should be
was readily detected, as
gauged, not so much by the outward object worshipped, as by the conception of the Deity or deities, in the mind of the worshippers. There is at first an absence of all definite ideas on the subject of a deity then a stage, sometimes styled Fetichism, is reached in which the worshipper believes he can control the material object or objects worshipped, and compel them to comply with his wishes. When they do not appear to act in accordance with his demands, he deposes them from being his gods and chooses others a This cult develops trait still characteristic of human nature.!
;
* " Dear fluttering, fleeting soul of mine, Thou guest and companion of the body."
the year 1899, the salmon fishing at Tacoma, Washington, was very local Chinamen engaged in the industry with a view to mending matters, held a religious festival for a fortnight and prayed to their Joss, but there was no improvement in the take of fish. They accordingly determined on another course. that their devotions were useless, and that so much
tin
bad.
The
Seeing time had been unprofitably spent, they wrecked the Joss house, dethroned their Joss from his position in his temple, tied a rope about him, dragged him through the streets and chopped him into atoms. The orthodox Chinese opposed these violent measures, but the indignant fishermen would not be prevented. Dans un convent a Paris, St. Joseph n'avait pas exauce les demoiselles qui JA lui avaient demande de leur accorder un beau jour pour leur excursion. " Mesdemoireligieuse avail mis La Sainte Image dans un placard, et disait, selles ne regardez pas Saint Joseph, il est en penitence." Un paysan de Naples, sa femme etant en mal d'enfant, priait son saint do
298
ARCHEOLOGY AND
RELIGION.
;
finally the objects worshipped become more powerful than man, and are accessible only through a restricted caste or class of people. This stage seems to have been the acme of religious worship in ancient Ireland. Experience has shown that it easily glides into an idolatry not unlike that of the earlier stage. From it is developed the theology of the present, where the Deity is an impeccable and altogether
into the adoration of natural objects
supernatural being.
Irish Palaeolithic man with his religion, if he possessed any, has vanished, leaving little trace. Neolithic man believed in a future state resembling that passed by him on earth, as is witand this belief nessed by the articles buried with his dead
;
probably developed finally into some dim conception of a future

spiritual life
:
" Here bring the last gifts and with these The last lament be said, Let all that pleased, and yet may please, Be buried with the dead.
Beneath his head the hatchet hide, That he so stoutly swung
;
And
place the boar's fat

is
haunch beside
long."
The journey hence
Fictile vessels, containing a supply of food for the departed, were placed beside him for sustenance during his long journey to the land of spirits, to
"The undiscovered country from whose bourn No traveller returns."
On
the non-return of the traveller, Shakspeare
is
very positive
faire cesser ses douleurs. la tin il perd patience, met le feu au derriere clu saint. Sa femme accouche, et il s' eerie, "Ah, tu m'ecoutes, maintenant que tu sais ce que c'est."
Mr. F. T. Bullen writing on "Sea Superstitions" in The Spectator, 22nd July, 1899, draws attention to the fact that it is an unheard of misdemeanour on " " board ship to destroy or put to common use any paper on which good words " The man are printed. guilty of such an action would be looked upon witli hoiTor by his shipmates, although their current speech is usually vile and blasphemous beyond belief. And herein is to be found a curious distinction
between
seamen of Teutonic and Latin race, excluding Frenchmen. Despite the superstitious reverence the former pay to the written word, none of them would in time of peril dream of rushing to the opposite extreme, and after
madly abusing their Bibles, throw them overboard. But the excitable Latins, after beseeching their patron saint to aid them in the most agonising tones, repeating with frenzied haste such prayers as they can remember, and promising the most costly gifts in the event of their safely reaching port again, often turn furiously upon all have been and with
they previously worshipping, the most horrid blasphemies vent their rage upon the whilom object of their adoration. Nothing is too sacred for insult, no name too reverend for abuse, and should there be, as there often is, an image of a saint aboard, it will probably be cast into the sea." See also ante, p. 68, line 28.
VARIOUS ORNAMENTS FOUND IN GRA

:
VES.
299
not so the ancient Irish, nor indeed the poet Horace, from England's bard appears to have borrowed the idea
" Qni mine it per iter tenebricosum Illuc unde negant redire quenquam."*
whom
By the same process of reasoning we man believed that his womankind also
state
;
for in graves
we
discover all
conclude that Neolithic entered into a future kinds of female ornaments,
rings, ear- or nose-rings, pierced animal teeth and bones, combs, stones, strings of shells, and in later times beads of amber and This is to be attributed to the same unconscious other gauds.
process of reasoning that, in the present day, makes the bereaved parents often place a child's toys in the coffin with the infant, the Afflicted parents quite naturally imitating the old pagan custom of placing trinkets with the dead to amuse them on their
long journey.
The primitive savage had to content himself, however, with decorations of a very simple description trophies of the chase, shells and ornaments wrought from stone and bone did duty for what is now represented by precious metals or the skill of the Judging by the amount of gewgaws discovered with lapidary. interments, and accompanied by flints or other weapons, it would appear as if inordinate vanity was not confined to the fair sex, but that the males of ancient Erin were as proud of what was, in their eyes, finery, as were the females. Possibly this is yet the
:
male bird. Carlyle remarks that " the first spiritual want " of barbarous man is decoration indeed, personal ornaments are amongst the earliest suggestions of vanity, whether in the It is a question, which may be left race or in the individual. open to keen archasologists to debate, as to nose-rings or earfor the rings, being more ancient than bracelets or necklaces most degraded savages rejoice in the string of shells that circle their necks, quite as much as do the ladies of the ballroom in the circlets of gold that pass through their ears. Although, according to our great poet, Eve in Paradise
of the
;
case, for the love of man for showy uniforms and clothes seems to find its analogy in the feathered kingdom in the bright plumage
" Her unadorned golden

Dishevelled."
or, in
tresses
wore
" her version, had golden hair hanging down her back," he should also have depicted her, after the Fall, as with adopting, with clothes, the wearing of ornaments, together
more modern
nose- and ear-rings.

* " Who now is the spot from which, travelling along the shaded path, to they say, no one ever returns."
800
ARCHEOLOGY AND
RELIGION.
The old inhabitants of the land were at one stage ancestor worshippers, and their religion consisted in communion with the dead and offerings to them, for the worship of the dead is undoubtedly universal, and the stages of the development of the religious idea, from the germ to full-fledged modern theology, are as well marked as are the successive forms assumed by
the foetus. In the thought of early men, the ghosts of their ancestors the ghosts of members were, in a general way, friendly of other tribes were, taken as a whole, inimical for, except with men of his own tribe, primitive man lived in a state he was unsociable, and feared and hated other of isolation men hence, probably, the origin of good and evil spirits. In fact the Irish aborigines possessed the fundamental beliefs held by primitive mankind throughout the globe the simple creed of the savage who believes very firmly in the existence of bad spirits, and less firmly, or not at all, in the existence of good spirits, and who hopes to attain to another and pleasurable existence where the future will be spent in an enjoyable manner practically indeed, the same creed as that held by a present-day child before these rudimentary notions are
; ;
:
supplemented by developed orthodox theological training. Certain ceremonies were, however, devised to control the unruly dead. For instance, after the battle of Sligo, fought in A.D. 537, Eoghan Bel, King of Connaught, being mortally wounded, directed that after death he was to be interred at Eathoveeragh, near Sligo, in a standing position, his blood-stained javelin in his hand, his face turned towards Ulster, as if still fighting with his enemies. His instructions were carried out, and the result was that, as long as the body was left in this position the Connaughtmen were invincible, and the men of Ulster always fled before them in terror. At length the latter, learning the
cause of their defeat, disinterred the corpse, and carrying it northward over the river of Sligo, buried it head downwards, so as to counteract the talismanic effect of its previous underground attitude. It is curious that in some parts of the country the peasantry still retain a dim traditional memory of this mode of sepulture, the reversal of the usual position of a warrior in his last resting place, and of the superstition connected with it. In " The the parish of Errigal, county Derry, is a locality styled Dwarf's Tomb." This dwarf was a magician who perpetrated He was buried great cruelties and was slain by Finn MacCool. in a standing position, but the following day he appeared in his old haunts more cruel and more vicious than ever. Finn slew him a second time and buried him as before, but again he emerged from the grave and spread terror through the country.
BELIEF IN A LIFE AFTER DEA TH.
301
Finn thereupon consulted a Druid, and, by his instructions, he slew the magician a third time, and buried him in the same place, head downwards, which device subdued the magical power, so that the dwarf never again appeared on earth. The custom of interring kings and chiefs in a standing position is referred to in Irish tales. King Leoghaire would not allow himself to be converted to Christianity, but was buried, like a grand old Pagan, in the external rampart of Tara, in military harness, weapon in hand, his face turned southwards towards his enemies, the men of Leinster, as if fighting with them and
bidding them defiance.
The Irish of this period believed that their dead, though deposited underground, still lived the same life as on earth. This idea is exemplified in the story of the "Cave of Ainged," The plot is as follows Ailell and preserved in several MSS. the celebrated Medb, King and Queen of Connaught, were celebrating the feast of Samain, one November night, in their On that night the spirits inhabiting the palace of Croghan. tombs and other localities were allowed to emerge from their This superretreats and to run to-and-fro upon the earth. stitious idea is universally crystallized in so-called Christian belief Shakspeare describes
:
"...
To
test
"When churchyards yawn and Hell
the very witching time of night, itself breathes out Contagion to the world."
reward
the valour of his household, the King offered a suitable any young warrior who would sally from the banquetinghall and tie a coil of twisted twigs upon the leg of a man whom he had caused to be hanged, and who was then suspended just
to
outside the palace.
numerous commands (//*)* on his resuscitator, who was forced comply with them all. When released from his task, he saw the palace of Croghan in flames and a host of strange men plundering the buildings. He followed them into the cave or souterrain of Croghan, was immediately taken prisoner, kept at hard work, and compelled to marry one of the women of the He finally managed to escape to upper air, and returned place. to the King of Connaught with such an amount of information regarding the cave and its contents, that, on a succeeding Samain, or November night, earthly forces broke into the treasure-house of the underground spirit world, and carried off great booty and
to
The only one who attempted it was a hero named Nera but on completion of the act the hanged man came to life and imposed
;
costly treasure.
* See
ante, p. 56.
302
ARCHAEOLOGY AND RELIGION.

Even the Greek mind
did not rise to the conception that the
soul after death might become a greater spirit power than when on earth, or that it could exist without a physical body. Their departed lived, like the characters presented in the Irish legend,
the life they had been accustomed to on earth, and hankered after the fleshpots of the upper world. When we reach the period of written records, we find the idea of a spirit or soul coming into existence, but it cannot even then be quite divorced from the body. In "The pursuit of Dermod and Grania," Aengus, the magician, arrived on the scene after the hero's death, and carried the corpse from the heights of Benbulbin to " the Brugh on the Boyne," explaining his action by stating, that although he could not restore Dermod to life, he would send a soul into him so that he would be able to talk for a
brief period every day.*
This strange passage
is
also elucidatory
communication carried on between the abodes of The old pagans imagined existence the living and of the dead. after death as a mere slightly differentiated prolongation of earthly life and how could they reason otherwise, knowing, as they did, nothing about any actual state of existence other than on earth. The crude and materialistic notions of a future state, still held and in the present day, will indubitably be gradually correcj?' idealised. We shall no longer believe that another life' simply means a useful opportunity of wearing out one's old clothes. Dust we are, and to dust we return, but the return is final, in so far as the personality bound up with the dust is concerned. Even now, we do not know that the dead are held, by even the frailest link, to those they loved on earth, nor that they are able to take any interest in our welfare, spiritual or temporal. We persuade ourselves to believe that they do take an interest in us, because it would be heart-rending to think otherwise, but a question of scientific fact cannot be solved by an impassioned Ever since man appeal to feelings engendered by old beliefs. became a reasoning being his plaint has been " there comes no
of the constant
;
whisper of reply."
An aperture left in the side stones of a sepulchre, the enclosing of a funeral urn in a clay cylinder, or the fracturing of the base of the vessel when reversed to cover the ashes of the dead instances of which have been found in prehistoric interments in Ireland point to a very late period, when the dead having, in the thought of the living, become a an exit was spirit, left for that spirit; in the same way that, in some districts, after a death has occurred, the window or door of the room which contains the corpse is thrown open, so that the spirit
* See
ante, p. 134, line 9.
BELIEF REGARDING DOORS

may
not
Hue.
AND WINDOWS.
303
Merrilees act in this manner. While watching at the bedside of the dying man she exclaims, " He cannot pass away with that on his mind, it tethers him here, I must open the door," and withdrawing a bolt, she lifts the latch, exclaiming,
"
be compelled to make its exit by the chimney of uncultured man, is after all, from a modern standpoint, not quite strictly logical, and there is, to him, nothing strange in an act that provides a material mode of exit for that which is immaterial. The well-known superstition of opening the door to let the spirit out, has been taken advantage of by Sir Walter Scott in his tale of Guy Mannering, when he makes Meg
The mind
Open
lock,
end
strife
Come
death, and pass life."
In his Mountain Muse, published in 1814,

to the
J.
Tain thus refers
same ceremony
" The chest unlocks to ward the power Of spells in Mungo's evil hour."
This superstition originated in the idea that demons (in i times exclusively the Christian Devil) seized the soul as it left the body, and crushed it against a closed door or window which alone can serve the demons' purpose. They thrust it into the hinges, or into the crevices of the window, and the soul is crushed and tortured by every movement of the shutting or opening of a door or window. An open door or window frustrates this purgatorial performance, and friends of the departed have the consolation of knowing that, by thus leaving them ajar, they are not made the unconscious instruments of torturing the beloved departed. The German peasant says " that it is wrong to slam a door The same idea is common lest one should pinch a soul in it." in France. The Chinese make a hole in the roof to let out the departing soul whilst the negroes of the Congo have a very dirty but religious custom of abstaining, for twelve months after a death, from sweeping out the house that belonged to the dead, lest the dust thus raised should annoy the ghost. In Ireland it would appear as if, on the departure of the dead man's soul from its clayey envelope, it is free to do as it likes sometimes it wanders tp-and-fro in the vicinity of the place inhabited by it in life; it may flit about in the air; it may or it may set out at once to travel to the linger near the tomb world beyond the grave. Thus the Irish peasant still imagines that not alone do demons continually hover all around him, but
m oils'
801
ARCHEOLOGY AND
;
RELIGION.
the dead also
apparitions The deeply rooted impression of the continual pretogether. sence of the spirits of the departed is part of his unprofessed He is quite creed, in which, however, he thoroughly believes. happy, in his way, in this ideal world of his own or rather of his remote ancestors' creation, in living in an atmosphere of " Celtic Twilight," with its shadowy and none too agreeable He is reticent in divulging old beliefs ; he cherishes citizens. what the past has handed down to him in the deepest secrecy, and his mind is stored with what his forefathers did. Question him, however, about a superstition, and his answers are palpable
evasions.
of the
are, in
and these two apparently distinct classes of his imagination, inexplicably jumbled up
The interment of the dead, is one of the most distinctive marks human animal. None of the brute creation, not even those
the nearest to man in exhibition of affection, evince a care for the interment of the body once life has departed. Respect for the mere body, when deprived of life, rests on convictions, sentiments, and beliefs, the gradual building of many
who approach
thousand years of thoughtful reflection. The important position ascribed to goddesses, in ancient Irish
religious belief, is very noticeable, and was doubtless owir; at least in part, to the associations of maternity, and the travu of
thought following therefrom. Think what we may of sex-worship, and however repulsive to present day ideas it may appear, it was nevertheless not only an ancient form of worship, but was also one of the most natural ways of expressing the ideas of creation, of renewal, and reproduction. It is not to be judged by modern standards, the people and the surroundings of their times must be considered when we endeavour to form a just estimate of customs once common. <l Is it strange," writes a lady, "that they regarded with reverence the great mystery of human birth ? Were they impure thus to regard it ? Or are we impure that we do not so regard it ? Let us not smile at their mode of tracing the infinite and incomprehensible cause throughout all the mysteries of nature, lest by
so doing, we cast the shadow of o\ir own grossness on their patriarchal simplicity." It is extraordinary that there are a large number of otherwise intelligent people who do not possess the power of discriminating between what merely sounds profane and
what
is
really profane.
In later times Christian ecclesiastics were not slow to avail themselves of a means, ready at hand, of adding to their reputation and influence, and supplementing their revenues. Women, who for some cause or another had hitherto been without offspring, were encouraged to continue the ancient custom of visiting
POSITION OF GODS
the
AND
GODDESSES.
805
naturally and quite independently of marriage. Eapid development in religious ideas only occurred at an advanced stage of mental expansion, when savage man had, to a certain extent, ceased to ascribe to material objects a life analogous to that of animated nature, and gods and goddesses were regarded as semi-spiritual beings, and as the origin, as well as the guardians or rulers, of the tribe. At this stage the god or goddess and the worshippers formed a natural unity bound The dissolution of the tribe lip" with the district they occupied. destroyed the tribal religion, and destroyed the tribal deity, the god or goddess could no more exist without its tribe than the
tribe without its deity.
sacred pagan " beds," making proper offerings and going through the prescribed ceremonies.* Supernatural generation is a very old as well as a very For instance the native black women of wide-spread idea. Australia believe conception to take place sometimes super-
But one has
to be very
guarded when
generalisations as to the religious past of the aborigines, for, as a rule, the masses of mankind neither rise to, nor descend to the acknowledged precepts of their faith, they do not live up to the best parts of a good religion, nor do they descend to the depths of the worst parts of, what we may consider, a bad It has been remarked that Christians do not rise to the religion. level of their founder, nor are heathens as depraved as, upon the Christian theory, they ought to be. The total absence from Ireland of relics of anything that would seem to our eyes to have been an idol (we except from this the idol-, pillar- or holed-stones of a latter date), the total absence of visible symbols of spirit-like or material beings is almost conclusive evidence that the natives possessed no materialised representations of anthropomorphic deities. Does it not afford grave food for reflection that, with a most thoughtfully displayed care in providing for the future of the dead, there should have been no material personification of a deity, or deities, until the introducIn this respect mental childhood rises tion of Christianity ? superior to the Christian creed, for it clothes the idea of a deity
making
or deities, with vagueness, and does not attempt to impersonate them. The best executed and most artistic statues of the old Roman gods are the product of an age of wide-spread infidelity, " * See vol. Well-," and"Stonei., pp. 348-349, also under Marriage- lore," worship." The superstition existed with quite as much strength in England. In the vestry of Jarrow Church, Northumberland, the rude but substantial oaken chair of the Venerable Bede is preserved, to which brides repair immediately the marriage service is concluded, and seat themselves upon it. This act, " " joyful mother of children according to popular belief, will make them the in fact, not long ago, most brides would not have considered tho marriage ceremony completed unless they had gone through this performance.
' ;
VOL.
II.
806
for
ARCHsEOLOG Y AND RELIGION.

when they were
sincere believers in their deities, the Latins but an indifferent statuary, and Seneca observes that possessed the primitive clay statuettes were much more propitious than those of marble, and were certainly worshipped with greater
fervour.
It seems that, at a certain stage in all religions, there is a natural tendency to worship, or venerate, tangible images of The cult may take a longer supposed superior spirit-like beings. or shorter period to develop, it may when developed be supand there appears to be an pressed, but it possesses great vitality inherent desire in the human breast to revive gross material
worship and idolatry.

in a general way to Idolatry and idolater are terms applied be very different things. An idolater, strictly speaking, may defined as a person who worships an image, which the worfor shipper veritably believes to be itself conscious and powerful both good and evil. Many Christians unconsciously practise what may fairly be described as idolatry, i.e., they look upon the image as a visible representation of the invisible being addressed, but few can, strictly speaking, be defined as idolaters. According to Miss Kingsley, the well-known African traveller, even in Fetichism it is not the material object that the more intelligent negro worships, but the spirit which he supposes dwells in it. If this be the case, much otherwise unintelligible becomes intelligible. This may be pressed further, for it is true of most of the heathen that few amongst them believe the actual image to be endowed with consciousness. The Eev. E. Taylor tells us that in image worship, as observed by him on an Island in the Pacific Ocean, the Atua (spirit or god) was supposed only to enter the image for " The natives declare the occasion. they did not worship the image itself, but only the Atua it represented and that the image Nam Deus est was merely used as a way of approaching him." quod imago docet, sed non Deusipsa, hanc cernas sed mente colas
quod cernis in ipsa. The Church of Ireland forbids its members to hold that God has parts and passions like themselves, though as He is worshipped in the Prayer Book, many prayers appear to be departures from this injunction but the Christian differs from the heathen in this, that his God is to some extent a mental, that of the heathen a material image. This may be explained, at least in part, by observing that the language of devotion must always be largely the language of poetry, and that it is impossible to form any idea of God without calling anthropomorphism to our aid. Still a similar observation would go a long way in explaining, or justifying, heathen methods of worship.
;
The
individual
man makes God
after his individual imagina-
MA N CREA TES GOD A FTER HIS IMA GINA TION.

tion.
307
We each worship a God of our own. There is a great foundation of truth in the grim jest " that if God made man in his own image, man does as much by him."
" The Ethiop's gods have Ethiop
eyes,
Bronze cheeks and woolly hair:
The gods of Greece were like the Greeks, As keen and cold and fair."
As a French writer has wittily observed, " if the Triangles had a God, he would be three-sided," and Goethe remarks that " Man never knows how anthropomorphic he is." The warrior-like nature of the Scandinavian gods reflects the
characteristics of their worshippers ; the solitude of the desert welded the Arab into a monotheist. In fact it may be said that the development of the religious germ depends, to a great extent, on the nature of the people, on the natural features and geology
of the country more than on political surroundings and social habits, and its growth is accelerated or retarded by those diurnal agencies which control the progress of mental expansion. Thus,
the study of the mythological creed of the inhabitants of any land offers a wide and tempting subject to the inquirer. Diodorus describing the customs of the Druidical priesthood " Saruides," and, according to Dr. P. W. Joyce, designates them the Irish peasantry still apply the term sean-druid, i.e. an old Druid, to a crabbed cunning old man. Pliny (Nat. Hist., xvi. 95) " from Spvs, an oak some connect it derives the word " Druid with darach, the Celtic for that tree. It is alleged that when an oak died, the Druids stripped off the bark, and shaped it into a pillar, pyramid, or cross, and continued to worship it as an emblem of the God. In the Latin Lives of SS. Patrick and In Bishop Columbkille the Druids are styled " Magi." Bedell's translation of the Bible into Irish, Simon Magus " Simon the Druid," Siomon (heading, Acts ix.) is rendered " with " used v. 11, an dradi: v. 9, sorcery," do bhi na dhraui The old school of Irish" his sorceries," na dhradidheachd. antiquarians imagined they saw a Druid in every bush.
;
:
This led to an inevitable reaction, and now, probably, many people believe that Druidism had no footing in the land. Yet numerous singular customs exist which must have originated from a religious idea. The religious aspect of the rites has been gradually obscured, and in some cases finally lost, but
the customs have been carried on, in almost stereotyped form, from the days in which they were practised by mere savages. If these customs be compared with those described in the passages illustrative of rites and observances in ancient Irish MSS, there will probably be discovered for us the entire secret
x2
808
ARCHÔLOG Y A ND
RELIGION.
of the religious system of our heathen ancestors, and we shall see disclosed the means by which the early Christian Church in Ireland dissolved and absorbed the old Pagan Pantheon a comas we have seen, paratively easy task, for the latter consisted, of a number of supernatural beings without bond, without cohesion, not held together by any apparent principle and without a great All-Father, an Odin, or a Jove. This colourless religion, this worship of a host of single
without marked individuality, would fully account for the comparatively easy abandonment of the uninteresting divinOn the other hand, the gods of the Saxons, in the minds ities. of whose ancestors they had originated, possessed a marked individuality which forcibly appealed to the idiosyncracies of the race, so that an effacement of their gods seemed to the Saxons to be a voluntary abandonment of their own kingdom and of their own power which were to be handed over to the guidance of a stranger god, and this revolution was therefore not effected without a bitter and prolonged struggle. It was, however, not uncommon for one religion to adopt the gods of another. Even Judaism seems to have done this in a modified manner. Welhausen translates Psalm xxix. 1, " Ascribe to JHVH, ye sons of God, ascribe to honour and praise," " Judaism has turned the and he remarks on the passage heathen gods into angels, commissioned by to govern the various nations." The earlier idea may possibly have been, that was the supreme god under whom the gods of the peoples exercised a delegated power. According to a very learned and " orthodox " writer is to be identified, or rather entirely His origin is to be traced, to Ea, or Ya, or Sin, the moon-god of Another and probably a clearer instance of the Babylonia. influence exercised on Judaism by heathen thought, is to be noted in connexion with the cherubim. The cherub of Christian art is not the cherub of the Old Testament. Painters have derived their idea from Cupid, but there can be little doubt that the Cherub of the Bible is, in its original, the winged bull of
spirits
JHVH
JHVH
JHVH
JHVH
Assyria.
far as
Traces of the Elder faiths of Ireland have been described as our present knowledge permits, as also the distinct indica-
between Christianity and Paganism, the former gradually overcoming the latter, and, in popular usage, adopting much from the conquered faith. Such is almost invariably the case, more especially when the conquerors
tions of the long-continued struggle
and unsettled condition of the country, teachers must have been scarce, and there could not have been that oversight from any responsible and restraining authority which would keep the
are numerically inferior to the conquered.
Owing
to the wild
CREEDS.
tribes.
309
standard of Christian doctrine pure amongst the various warring
The so-called Irish alphabet, introduced by the early Christian missionaries, is composed of the ordinary cursive characters used in everyday transactions of the Roman literature of the first centuries of the Christian era a sentence in Irish characters might be easily mistaken for a copy of the scratchinga of a popular phrase, or catch sentence, many of which may be seen scrawled on the walls of the buried villas and buildings of Herculaneum and Pompeii, and elsewhere. This running hand differs considerably from the familiar square-shaped letters of
;
Roman
it
lapidary inscriptions, and "Irish."
it is
a misnomer to designate
**""
Christianity, coming as it did with a superior civilization, But early forced its way into a recognised place. after its initial successes, it would, for a time, be barely tolerated and forced to propagate itself almost in secret. At this stage there would, doubtless, be a careful concealment from catechumens of much of its teaching (a course of conduct borrowed from
must have
paganism with
to
its
mysteries) which would gradually be conveyed
them when they became illuminati, or initiates into the Christian mysteries. They would now learn, probably for the
first time, that their former gods were regarded by their teachers as devils. In a later stage the two religions would be on an of popular influence and, finally, the religion of the equality more civilized would attain ascendancy, and, as far as circumstances permitted, endeavour, by persecution, to stamp out the conquered faith. In this onward course it merely followed the natural order of events and the bent of human nature in all ages, whether regarded from a religious, political, or moral standpoint.
;
Christian theology, however, is, now-a-days, gradually purifying from the physical force with which it formerly associated itself like modern science it is re-adjusting itself to what alone can stand the test of criticism but in former days,
itself
;
" Christians have burnt each other, quite persuaded That all the apostles would have done as they did."
Creeds
" There
lives more faith in honest doubt, Believe me, than in half the creeds."
For creeds (if correct synopses) bear somewhat the relation does religion and to the scriptures, that a small scale map
to to
a continent, or rather, as Ptolemy's Map of Ireland (see antt, vol. i., fig. 75) to a well-finished work of the present century, or to put it in another way, the creeds bear the same relation to the truths they are supposed to express, as do the rude attempts
810
ARCHÔLOG Y AND RELIGION.
The works of a child to the finished works of a trained artist. of the old Fathers, and of some of their modern imitators, may remain, as monuments, to show posterity over what trifles e. trifles, as regarded from a strictly non-theological stand(i. point) men wrangled, fought, and slew each other for the greater
honour and glory of their Creator whilst incorporated pagan theology, with its accompanying rites and ceremonies, will serve,
;
as a beacon to the antiquarian explorer in his researches on religious evolution. Through the ages the progress of the great battle against compulsory ignorance, for free thought and for free knowledge, has been very slow but great minds have waged the prolonged, and, at times, apparently hopeless contest, and, little by little, have added to the range of what may be publicly discussed without fear of legal penalties being inflicted by either Church or State. Science has never sought to advance her cause by alliance but in the with the civil power, and is unstained by crimes
for all time,
;
name
any offence, have been socially ruined, mentally and physically tortured, and have welcomed death, as a release from sufferings inflicted in the name of the founder of the Christian Church. Christianity by setting itself to dissipate, where it could not absorb, the ancient mythology, and by inculcating an introspective and narrow habit of thought, was antagonistic to the growth of a love of nature and of its mysteries but now the wonders which science has revealed, afford a fresh field to the imagination. What has been observed, by some thoughtful writers, of the Christian religion in Ireland in the present century would, if uttered by an Irish pagan of the fifth century, have been equally applicable, namely, that it cannot well be done without, but that, as it is, it cannot be universally accepted its outward aspect must, to some extent, change with the times, for the great reserve of adaptability to the circumstances of the age with which it is endowed, is its great source of strength, and a good guarantee of its practical perpetuity. The stride from " there is no such God as is now preached," to " there is no God," though apparently simple, is not easily made, but it is frequently brought about by the narrowness and
; ;
of religion
numbers
of people, innocent of
arrogance of pulpit discourses, which force scientifically trained minds into active opposition, and do violence to the common sense of even the wayfaring man. In the case of our remote forefathers, religion commanded their faith and subjugated their reason to our fathers it became a dogma ; to many of the present generation it is a mighty problem which invites solution for we have arrived at a very We may be described unsatisfactory stage in mental expansion.
; ;
FROM PAGANISM TO
CHRISTIANITY.
811
as having attained the position pathetically described by the following lines :
Hood
in
"
remember, I remember, The fir trees, dark and high

;
I used to think their slender tops, Were close against the sky It was a childish ignorance,
But now 'tis little joy, To know I 'm further off from Heaven, Than when I was a boy."
" Eevealed religion commands our faith and subjugates our reason science requires freedom of search, and appeals to facts." Froude remarks that " If I may judge from the prevailing tone modern popular literature, from the loud avowals of incredulity j&i on one side, the lamentations on the other, on the spread of
;
:
infidel opinions, it seems as satisfied belief which came in
if,
after sixteen
hundred years of
with Christianity, we were passing once more into a cycle of analogous doubts the sentiments of so robust a thinker as Lucian, under the same trials, are the footprints of a friend who has travelled before us the road on which
;
we
are entering."
Lucian, who lived in the second century, was not only a "robust thinker," but a sceptic and a scoffer to boot. The pagan divinities he treated with open derision, Christianity he There are few finer specimens of humour than his ignored. Dialogue of the Gods, where he depicts Jupiter as expressing his
if the human race lost its faith in the divinities of the gods might cease to exist. In this Lucian simply Olympus, pushed anthropomorphism to a logical conclusion. The theory of a sudden and complete conversion of Ireland from Paganism to Christianity is incompatible with the survival of so much that is distinctly pagan in the thoughts and practices There are even, it is alleged, some recorded of the peasantry. instances of Irish Christian priests travelling or living on the continent of Europe, before the advent of St. Patrick's mission, some of whom attained to literary and ecclesiastical eminence. Mr. Alfred Nutt, however, does not appear to entertain a high opinion of either the moral or intellectual characteristics of early Irish ecclesiastics, and points out that there was little to choose
fear that
"A between the Christian priest and the tribal medicine-man. number of stories are extant in which the Irish saints play a part
that assorts singularly
ill
with our idea of the saintly character
they show themselves vehement and unscrupulous partisans, they But the inresort to trick and dodge to achieve their ends.
teresting point
to be on is, that whilst they approve themselves the same moral level as the pagan Druid, they likewise approve
812
ARCHsEOL OGY A ND RELIGION.
There is the themselves to be on the same intellectual level. belief in the irresistible power of formula, in the irrevocable Most nature of the oath, in the efficacy of symbol and spell." legends bear, indeed, witness to the fact that the early Irish saints were "mere tribal medicine-men, with a Christian instead We should look upon them as surof a pagan bag of tricks." viving by sheer force of tradition, "for it is difficult to imagine that centuries after the firm establishment of Christianity, Irish story-tellers went out of their way to vilify their national saints by describing their barbarous acts and their archaic and preChristian modes of thought, with which the writers could not It must, however, in all fairness, possibly have been acquainted."
same
FIG. 94.
Cromleac-like Grave in the County Leitrim. Reproduced from the Journal of the present Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
be stated that contemporaneous documents, or to be the earliest documents which have come down to
compared with the_more modern, from miracle. It is in the

after the saints' deaths, that the
more correct, us, are, when comparatively simple and free

some centuries
biographies, composed
above-mentioned characteristics become most apparent. For example, compare St. Patrick's Confessio "with his life by Jocelin. In material matters, in sepulture as in religion, one custom lided into the other without any hard dividing line. In many icient cemetnes connected with the earliest monastic establishlents in Ireland, graves formed in pagan fashion are of by no
PA GAN CEMETERIES.
means
813
rare occurrence, demonstrating that, in material as in spiritual matters, there was a gradual and easy transition from one religion to the other. The tombs of the early Christians
present a variety of forms, rude sarcophagi resembling cromcists, or small earns enclosed by a circular wall of uncemented stones. Near the Sugar-loaf Hill a cromleac, it is stated, stands in a churchyard, and there is another cromleaclike grave in a Christian burial place in the county Leitrim
leacs,
94). hillock in the churchyard of Knock, under the Castlerea hills, marks the site of a demolished cromleac, so that sepulture, in this spot, dates back to pre-historic and pagan times. There
(fig.
mound not far distant whether this the "knock" which gives name to the locality, or wTiether the hill on which the graveyard is placed has a better claim to this title, is a
is
also a fine sepulchral

is
mo.und
subject open to discussion,
but both demolished cromleac and surviving sepulchral mound indicate that the place was a centre for human interment in very
early times.
and
pre-Christian
..-
Eepeated instances
I.?..
appear to prove the existence of pagan cemeteries,
\
'
which the early missionaries selected for the burial

.,-.,.
The of their converts. direction in which these early Christian graves point is generally east and west but in a cemetery adjoining
;
'?-""
/
''-./
/7*7f*V\*' \ \. / /oj \e\ \ & \

/
:
^)
\)
--.*'./
\^j
95
p, IQ
a very early church at St. Cemetery at Kilnasaggart. Tnlin' Pninf CO. Down Johns TOint, Pn -UpWll, Plan of a Pagan the Journal of the present Reproduced from and also in Other localities, Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. the cists are arranged in pagan manner in the form of a circle, i.e. in the same position as the tenants assumed in life, when lying stretched before one For example, a seemingly pagan pillar stone of their camp fires. at Kilnasaggart (fig. 95), but now bearing Christian emblems, stands at the northern edge of a circle, formed by numerous low, flat graves, their longer axis pointing towards the centre, with an inner circle of much smaller graves, concentric with the outer At the base of the pillar stone (A) lies a round basin-like circle. stone (B) not unlike, but smaller than those found in the chamber
814
ARCHAEOLOGY AND RELIGION.
The common centre of these two circles of the Grange Cam. of graves is marked by a smaller pillar stone (c). All this cumulative material, as well as folk-lore evidence, demonstrates that Christianity was, after a time, accepted by the " The beautiful and poetical tale majority of the ancient Irish. of the lovely young Mother with her Child-God, wrought upon the tender feelings in the naturally sympathetic hearts of the Irish, who adopted it readily into their pagan legends, which were not overthrown by it, but on the contrary served as a frame to show off its beauty, and to this very day the old heathen mythology holds its ground with a vitality but little affected by modern ideas or by scientific criticism." Many writers have described, as special characteristics of the ancient Irish, the qualities of a deep-seated vein of melancholy, a weird imaginativeness joined to this passionate love of the beautiful. But primitive folk living in the midst of nature, and continually witnessing natural phenomena, are bound to be constantly impressed with a sense of nature's mysteries, and this feeling finds crude expression in numerous superstitious observances. These characteristics, however, are no peculiar heritage of the Irish ; they merely represent a certain stage in the evolution of most primitive folk, and are found in equal force amidst other and apparently very dissimilar races. It is a difficult process to trace back to their original source some chains of thought still current, and to see what those ideas, which have revolutionized the world, were like in their infantine beginnings. For in the present day no one can fully understand the mental standpoint, or even the ideas of the civilization on which the ancient inhabitants based their everyday life primitive man, as a rule, has no wish for change, in fact no ideas enter his head which tend to effect a transformation in his everyday existence.
;
The transforming motor, in Ireland, came through the introduction of a new religion its philosophy and classic modes of thought woke the slumbering mass of the unreasoning multitude
;
to
new
The
-Rome
tianity.
intellectual life. force of the current of thought in ancient Greece and seems to have been spent before the introduction of Chris-
Christianity came,
were feeding, or rather vegetating, upon the past. and with it a period of new life and light, which was in turn overwhelmed by the darkness of the Middle Ages, caused immediately by the break up of the Roman Empire. This Middle Age period of darkness would, however, have been caused more slowly, but as surely, by the exclusive study of the Bible, as then expounded, together with its addenda of voluminous patristic literature. Then came the Saracenic revival of
Men
TWO FORMS OF RELIGION CO-EXISTED.

literature, which more or less permeated a later period came the capture of
815
In
Western
literature.
Constantinople by the Turks, and the flight of Greek scholars to the West, resulting in a
European revival of classic art and classic studies, and ultimately mighty upheaval of art and of thought called respectively " the Kenaissance " and " the ^Reformation." From these, as a later source, may be traced the genesis of the modern world from them are derived the forces which have transformed the world, both physically and morally. In the days of the conversion of Ireland, which process, the reader will bear in mind, was a long and slow one, zealous Christian priests, " Mit Kettenklang und einem neuen Gotte," might induce their converts to pray to the saints but when the paescribed rite was performed the honest half pagan would turn
in that
;
;
with affection to the elder hierarchy, and, paradoxical as
it
may
at first sight appear, a singleness of religious feeling was the motor of this seemingly double action, by which he held on to the old faith, while he at the same time embraced, or tried to
embrace, the new. Thus the early Christian missionaries, in endeavouring to wean the masses from long-established paganism, did not attack time-honoured usages directly in front, but turned
and instead of exterminating the enemy they only routed and scattered them. Here and there detached bodies remained, which still offered a resolute, though in general passive, resistance sometimes there occurred a rally, and Christianity was checked in its conquering career. For more than fourteen
their flank,
;
hundred years there existed two forms of religion, side by side the traditional creed believed in by the mass of the people, and At length the worship of those who held the Christian faith. the antagonism between the two ceased by the almost entire absorption of the former by the latter, and traces of heathenism are now only to be detected by the differences apparent between the religion of the educated and of the uneducated for experience
;
demonstrates that primitive beliefs are practically indestructible new ideas overlie the old, but do not extinguish them. Take, for example, the names of the seven days of the week every day is
;
god or goddess. Primitive rights, which have been banished for centuries from religion as publicly never practised, are kept alive in local superstitions for there has been an epoch in the existence of any race in which all old institutions, all old ideas, have suddenly vanished, yielding place to a brand-new religion. The higher knowledge to which man has now almost universally attained is " an outgrowth from the lower the knowledge, and this, like the outcrop of older rocks above newer rocks, as well as their fusion together, which we see in the
dedicated to an old pagan
;
crust of the earth, often overlays or
is
mingled with more modern
816
ARCHEOLOGY AND
RELIGION.
With unchanged and stereotyped customs and ideas beliefs." before us for analysis, the past becomes as the present, the present is as the past ; the veil which has hitherto shrouded bygone ages is to a great extent lifted the living become, unconsciously to themselves, witnesses to the correctness of the descriptions of the scenes and ideas of the Eld. Thus, after the marriage ceremony has been performed according to law, traditional custom imposes the performance of certain rites which appear irrational. Hence it is plain that beneath the present-day custom, lie other and more ancient traditional beliefs waifs drifted down to us along the stream of time from a dim and remote past but these primitive customs and illusions which long hung on the borders of, but are now more or less incorporated with, present-day religion will in time indubitably die out. They are mere embodiments of man's childlike notions as regards the respect due to the unseen, based upon a worship of the forces of nature. Eventually worship, disregarding tradition, will develop into true religion,
; ;
customs and material objects will be disregarded one and only God. Perhaps the Christian philosopher and seer had caught some glimpse of such a future when he tells us that the heavenly city had " no temple
irrational
for the adoration of a
and
therein."
When an older religion has given place to a younger, the old divinities are apt to be treated in a very cavalier fashion ; yet customary observances nevertheless continue. Traces of this are,
we have seen, clearly discernible in popular proverbs, cusfor worships that contain heathenish toms, and folk-lore elements are to a great extent traditional, and nothing is more foreign to them than the introduction of forms for which there
as
;
is
no precedent.
regarded as law at one stage of culture may be looked as crime at another. For instance, in ancient Sparta undetected theft was meritorious; in old Scandinavian society the murder of a troublesome rival was looked upon as the proper way of extrication from an awkward predicament. Lacedemonian thief and Scandinavian murderer alike, doubtless, felt the glow of a thoroughly conscience, when the former had
What is
upon
approving
successfully committed his larceny and the latter had carefully brained his rival but nowadays these former virtues are, unfor;
tunately, from the point of view of those who practise them, regarded by society in the light of crime, and their perpetrators
become, if detected, the prey of the nearest policeman. Customs of the peasantry should be approached in an appreciative spirit, and should be treated on scientific methods. These unadopted
;
waifs are neither recognised by the present dominant Christian religion nor by the law of the land in fact, they are now to
FESTIVALS OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.

some extent discountenanced by the former, and
317
punished by the latter when they run counter to present-day

practices. Though essentially the exclusive property of the least cultured portion of the community, it is self-evident that they were not invented by them, but were inherited for they accord
;
are certainly
with superstitions and customs prevalent amongst present-day savage tribes, and are, therefore, mere stereotyped fragments of ancient barbaric thought. Students who have undertaken the task of trying to unravel the tangled skein of the religious ideas of savages are of opinion that the ideas of savages, though apparently bordering upon the gruesome or the ridiculous, are in Generated in a reality far removed from anything of the sort. mental atmosphere that we should probably consider as permeated with intense ignorance, the beliefs and practices of
according to their ideas, strictly properly analysed and classified, display the principles of their original formation and subsequent develop-
savages
are
nevertheless,
logical, and,
when
ment.
Thus an archaeological writer brings to the light of day things which would otherwise remain unnoticed, and tries to place an abstruse and dry subject interestingly before the modern reader, who, as a rule, like Gallic of old, cares for none of these things unless they are written in a popular manner. The archaeological
writer, must, however, record with amplitude, not only important but also unimportant facts. To do his work properly, an Irish archaeological writer must also be a cold scientist, too callous to be affected by the shock, or rather series of shocks, which his opinions, fortified by the production of facts, may have on those reared in the sentimental atmosphere of romantic glamour surrounding the past of human existence in ancient Erin, for archaic life in Ireland can now be traced back to an almost protoplasmic
state of society.
From a review of the past, it is apparent that there was a slow but constant progress in the ascending scale of religious no sudden transition from as well as of material civilization savagery to culture, but an amelioration in the general status of
;
of iron and of society, which, at the period of the introduction had placed the inhabitants above the class of many
Christianity,
There is complete continuity in tribes of present-day savages. " All this chain of amelioration things which are now believed
to be of the greatest antiquity were once new ; and what we defend by example will one day be quoted as an example."
now
The
what is be thus roughly described ancient becomes venerable, what is venerable becomes holy. The festivals of the Christian Church are traceable to heathen worship and we shall doubtless some time or another discover
links in this chain
may
318
ARCHsEOLOG Y AND RELIGION.
that these were observances borrowed from a remoter past, the faint reflex of another and mysterious genesis.
" The footprints of an elder race are here,
And shadows
of the old mysterious faiths."
Superstitions may be defined as beliefs and practices, which, mind of the hearer or beholder, are founded upon what he considers as erroneous conceptions of God and of the now for almost every man, no matter well known laws of Nature how low he may be on the rungs of the ladder of civilization, has his convictions of, what he considers to be, right or wrong. In the sense of the above definition St. Paul doubtless used " when he criticised the astuteness of the word "superstitious the philosophic Athenians, desirous of shielding themselves from the anger of any god whom they might have unintentionally neglected to propitiate but St. Paul's criticism applies not to
to the
;
:;:
age alone, every people.
his
its
applicability
extends
to
every age and to
now-a-days pride ourselves on our freedom from superand are, perhaps, inclined to err in the other extreme. We cast ridicule at " medicine men," quite oblivious of the fact that among us now there are still found, under other names, men who firmly believe that they have power with the unseen, and that they know more about the unknown than has ever been as
stition,
We
yet given to man to find out. Superstition, after all, is primarily a mere rudimentary reliIt gious instinct, which is liable to become strangely distorted. appears as if the germ of the religious idea had been implanted in the human breast that there is within us a strange blending of the spiritual with the material, and an instinctive feeling that this world of matter is not to bound our existence. There is the greatest difficulty in defining where what may be considered " " superstition" ends and where what may be considered "religion commences. The superstitious or religious instinct is found in almost all mankind. At the head of the evolutionary scale there is a steady and continuous effort to get rid of it but,
; ;
except with
bility,
some strong
intellects, this
appears to be an impossi-
for even with the most intellectual the superstitious instinct often breaks out in some distorted fashion. On the other hand, at the bottom of the social scale, it it quite possible
that there
may
form
of superstition
be some savages of low type guileless of any again, there may be some in whom the
;
xvii. 22, A.V. " too superstitious " tious," margin, or religious."
* Acts
"; R. V. "somewhat
supersti-
TREATMENT OF SUPERSTITIONS.
germ
819
of superstition is still in protaplasin. A savage who arrives at the lowest stage of superstition has, nevertheless, made
a great advance from the mere brute. The savage who sacrifices the tit-bits of the victim of his bow or of his spear to his god, is on a much higher intellectual plane than the savage who devours the carcase without any propitiatory offering, for the slightest intellectual or moral advance is pregnant with promise. The unsympathetic treatment of superstitions is unphilosophic as well as unscientific for superstitions are not the swaddling bands of infancy, they may rather be compared to the bark growing on the tree from its infancy and adapting itself to its gradual development and to the growth which it stimulates or causes. The importance of a sympathetic treatment of the relics of ancient Faiths, such as has been attempted, is self-evident to any thinking mind. To the more thoughtful, ancient rites must always have had an esoteric meaning, and the grosser the rite the more the mind must have been fixed on its inner sense. Thus those who essay to depreciate superstitions in order to exalt Christianity, play a disingenuous role, for there is a germ and no one can properly weigh the merits of truth in them all of different trains of thought unless he uses the same just balance. It would be fatal, too, for any creed to claim immunity from criticism Christianity, unless it has greatly changed since its It enjoyed no such priviearly years, certainly does not do so. lege when it overturned the powerful religions of the ancient It was superior to them, and overthrew them on its world. merits, just as, at a later date, Mahomedanism overthrew heathenism and a very debased form of Christianity. Heathens may be converted to a higher religion but a greater Faith, such as Christianity or Mahomedanism, taught in childhood and once accepted, is rarely, if ever, conscientiously changed for another. The growth of Theism as embodied in Christianity, with its
; ;
hard and fast definitions, its ethical ideas, and its personal relations with a great and only Spirit has gradually developed from a much lower form of belief in the supernatural. The mere tribal God of Israel, the interesting divinities of the Greeks and Romans, with their doubtful morality, the undefinable God of the Vedas, have yielded place to the impeccable but personal God of Christhousands of tianity, who was described or rather foreshadowed it was no mere years ago in the Prophets and in the Psalms, for blind chance that shaped the growth of the religion of Israel and finally transformed it into one suitable for all mankind. The absurd theories started by visionary antiquarians of the last century have greatly retarded the proper study of the ancient
religion, or religions, professed Of these writers it of Erin.
by the pre-Christian inhabitants
may
be
said,
Quot homines
tot
320
sentential,
ARCHEOLOGY AND
RELIGION.
which can be paraphrased " so many archaeologists so This school is, however, even yet, not quite fancies." many extinct, for M. Jubainville, a recent French writer, affirms his belief, in which he is followed by Mr. Yates, that the narratives of the battles between the Dedanann and the Firbolgs are simply
twisted and distorted allegories, representing the contests between the powers of Light and Darkness, or of Good and Evil, the former being represented by the Dedanann, the latter by the
Firbolgs.
The Frenchman, M.
Jubainville, will probably keep
literary hadesian company (apologies to the shades reader for the use of the adjective which the writer
and
to the
cannot find
in the dictionary) with the Englishman, Colonel Vallancey, and the Anglo-Irishman, Mr. Yates, these writers being " more Irish than the Irish themselves." Their deliramenta doctrina may in weight and importance be compared to the questions once seriously argued amongst schoolmen, one of the most warmly debated being the fixing of the definite number of angels that could, with convenience to themselves, dance on the point of a needle. The proverb which says that " nothing is certain but the unforeseen," was never better exemplified than in the modern resurrection of a school of archaeology which died of ridicule nearly a century ago. It is a sign of the times we live in. Populus vult decipi. Archaeological publications are inundated with an increasing number of contributors sadly wanting in sobriety, breadth, and repose, who revel in extravagant, and
even
grotesque,
idealisms,
and
the general
reading
public
(decipiatur) accepts them at their own valuation. The difficulty of presenting a clear account of a country's past
and unrecorded secular as well as

evident, but
religious history is only too
we have long passed the time when statements are admitted without question simply because they were made at a remote period. The time has gone by when the "history" of
all credulous Keating and the various Irish Annals can be placed as classic works on the level of ancient Greek and Latin histories. A nation's record, however ancient, that is almost entirely occupied with long accounts of mere local struggles is but a poor history indeed, and but little else remains when supernatural occurrences that could never, according to modern science, have happened, are subtracted from the text. We call to mind now -a-days that the so-called " historical" Irish writers were probably often as far, if not indeed farther, removed from the events Our more they pretend to explain than they are from our times. critical age takes account of what may be called the historical perspective for scepticism has its useful side. We have the mediaeval Tres medici, duo atheisti, which may be roughly rendered saying that any man who is an adept in science or in research makes a bad
the
TIMES CHANGING RAPIDLY.

churchman,
for
821
knowledge begets doubt, and implicit belief In almost every age to its growth. of human advancement, there is a sceptical stage this may be said to be well marked even in the Bible (Ecclesiastes) for scepticism makes its appearance in every period when man commences to reflect on the problem of life, past, present, and to come; and the Preacher, like many modern writers, does not attempt to solve the enigmas he propounds. If it be true that the general idea of religion expands with the intellect if there be no one final statement of the truth but only provisional
shrinks in proportion
; ;
enunciations, are not alternations of ages of faith with ages of criticism exactly what might be expected under the circumstances ? " " which could accept unquestioned age of faith Certainly the the imaginative statements of mediaeval history writers has long
passed, and it is by patient work and study of folk-lore, and of the strange waifs which have come down to us from bygone ages, that we may hope to arrive at some idea of the life of prehistoric
of the survival in Ireland of the traces of older faiths than Christianity, in the form of national and traditional conclude with the summary of this interesting subfolk-lore,
ject,
man. Our examination
"I respect it given by the great Irish scholar, O'Donovan traditional lore) as a great influence that has been, and (national no longer is, or can be. It fed the poetical flame within the of true poetry in the more people's mind, and was the parent cultivated it nourished the latent instinctive aspirations of the
: ;
may
Irish race, gave them aliment, and directed their movements, and rescued their ancestors from the dominion of brutish ignorance ; stirred them up with insatiable thirst for true knowledge, which
when established on a right basis, will raise this ancient and noble standard among the civilized imaginative people to a truly but its office has been fulfilled it is nations of modern Europe no longer necessary to the exigencies of modern society, with which the Irish race must either amalgamate or perish. The only interest it can have is a historical and a poetical one, and most men will acknowledge that nothing can be more interesting to us, in this point of view, than the progress of our ancestors, from rude primeval simplicity, to true civilization and positive
;
;
science."
Times are indeed changed, and our lines are fallen upon an seem to be disappearing in the epoch when gods and saints universal swirl and general break-up of all ancient landpresent divinities have dismarks, beliefs, and systems, for when the from Olympus, when the local goddesses have departed, appeared when Hades has lost its terrors, a change of faith is surely impendechoed round the Again the awful voice which long ago ing.
VOL. n.
822
A RCH^SOLOG Y AND RELIGION.

"
The great god Pan is dead," gives shores of the central sea, forth afresh the dreadful news, until the sound reverberates now in The majority of leading every corner of the civilized world. Christian teachers appear to be evolutionists of a more or less is nothing in Christianity pronounced type, and surely there itself, nor in the formulae of most religious organizations, to But their teachers admitting the doctrine of evolution.
prevent to bring themselves within the pale of orthodoxy, evolution must be regarded as arising from the action of an intelligent First Cause. There are few men in whom we can now unsuspectingly in the pulpit few trust, either in the religious or political world
in office, few statesmen that will that believe all that they preach not betray their supporters, provided they imagine they, or their Political expediency is party, will benefit by the betrayal. transformed into the goddess of Reason whom we are called upon
live in an epoch of political and religious worship. If anyone be so transition and in an atmosphere of sham. reckless as to speak the truth he is hounded down, in old-world manner, as a blasphemer against the gods, as an irreligious man, or at best is pointed to as a brutally candid thinker to thus tear
to
We
seething mass of unbelief those that try to unmask it. Many are now literally in search of a religion. If one could only obtain a good look from within at any particular organization included in what theologians style the Church Universal, flat heresy would probably be found common enough. Could we but take an Asmodean flight, and waiving aside all obstructions to the view, look down on this globe, what a world we would behold Moral bonds are loosening, the age of faith in all things is shaken to its foundation. The most serious strain that any civilization has to encounter occurs in that
aside
the
veil
which hides the

hates
beneath,
for
society
stage in intellectual development in which religious restraints are beginning to be disregarded. Whatever we may otherwise think of them, the men of old believed firmly in their creed. They could not behold a well without seeing there the abode of a beneficent being a tree
;
without
its
local
god
to this
" And
With
day the peasant still cautious fear avoids the ground,
In each wild branch a spectre sees And trembles at each rising sound."
They regarded all nature as permeated through and through, with influence from on high. If we think we possess more wisdom, we have, in reality, quite as little knowledge of the workings of the will of the Great Ruler of The Unseen.
TR UTH MUSI' TRIUMPH O VER ERROR.
323
The upward course of paganism in Ireland has now been traced (as far as present day knowledge will allow) until the time when it was conquered by, and to a great extent absorbed into " childhood shows the man, as morning shows Christianity; its the day," but we should not, on that account, shrink from exTruth" ploring the past, for it with its horrors will never return. it is said, lies at the bottom of a well it is difficult but not impossible to reach its certain and eventual triumph over error will become a recognised fact in material as well as in moral It is not too sanguine to predict that it will at matters. length be reached, and will exhibit early human life in Ireland in a very different light from that in which it has been hitherto depicted. At the same time it is necessary to remember that archaeological truth is purely relative, admits apparently of no finality, and
; ;
be surveyed in all lights and from all standpoints. There are but few lovers of truth that will not agree in this. Many a now acknowledged truth was once a struggling and much controverted theory the basis of every science has been, at one time, considered a fundamental fallacy. One of the most far-reaching "* received no questions in the New Testament, "what is truth ? answer, but the Roman Governor did not wait to listen to an answer had it been granted, or, paradoxically, as it may seem, " We must never may not silence be regarded as the answer. that man cannot ascertain absolute truth, and that the forget final result of human inquiry into the matter is, that we are that even if the truth be in our incapable of perfect knowledge we cannot be sure of it." Let us nevertheless try to possession, establish the sway of what we consider to be the truth over the wild swirl of a seething archaeological chaos our sure ally is time we should hold fast to nothing but that which is certain, and which has been verified by time, following St. Paul's " Prove all advice, things hold fast that which is good." The late Professor Huxley states that early in life, he discovered " that one of the unpardonable sins, in the eyes of most people,
jflnst
:
* Pilate's question, Quid est veritas ? is answered by the anagram Est vir was written, the qui adest, i.e. it is the man here present. Since the above of Prof. Goldwin following appeared in the Contemporary Review from the pen Smith: "If we know anything of the law of the Universe, it is that our salvation lies in the single-minded pursuit of truth. Man will not rest in blank into his origin and destiny. agnosticism he is irresistibly impelled to inquiry Our business now is to look for rational data, and most obviously in the intel;
lectual and moral nature of man, with its consciousness, its aspirations, its These, however evolved, sense of responsibility, and qualified freedom of will. are not merely physical though, however conditioned by matter, is not matter; if action is subject to causation, physical and moral causations are to suppose that they are the accidental product not the same. Nor is it
easy of an unconscious Universe, or that they
tell
nothing beyond themselves."
324
is
ARCHEOLOGY AND
RELIGION.
man to presume to go about unlabelled. The world such a person as the police do an unmuzzled dog, not regards Now si parra licet maynis componere, the under proper control." writer is also a vagrant and unlabelled animal, he can neither defend the chimera of the ancient glories of Ireland, nor, on the other hand, can he agree with those who paint the natives of Erin The as any worse than their neighbours across the Channel. writing of this work has been undertaken with reluctance, much in the spirit of the zealous Greek, who, after shattering the beautiful statues he had formerly regarded as his gods, gazes with regret at the wreck wrought by the blows of his iconoclastic hammer; for no spectacle can be more mournful than watching the dying agonies of an ancient and cherished belief, the belief in a former almost paradisiacal Ireland, which, in its day, has given
for a
consolation, in the greatest depths of despondency, to many generations of Irishmen, and there are also few acts which draw down greater opprobrium on a writer than the demolition of popular fallacies. It is difficult to replace them by well established facts, and the general reader prefers fallacious information to blank pages for sensible beings who do not require fiction, but prefer positive concrete information are at present in a very small
;
minority.
The text is, it is thought, untrammelled by shaky theories based on premature conclusions there are certainly no pet cranks to uphold at any cost; there is no "axe to grind." Nothing has knowingly been extenuated, nothing has knowingly been set down in malice throughout the attempt has been made to narrate, and it is hoped successfully, " the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."
; ;
ADDITIONAL NOTES.
IKEEGULAK USE OF MAIDEN SURNAMES.
[Note top. 40,
line 22, after the
word " kindred."]
It is a common practice for mothers of children, when registering births, to sign the entry with their maiden surname. Cases have also frequently come under notice when, in death entries, deceased widows are registered under their maiden name instead of their married name, the maiden name having been resumed on the death of the husband. " The Registrar of Tuam, No. 2, further reports that, in some cases in his
is used by the children instead of the John Keane,' real name John Dunne.' " Varieties and Synonyms of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland. Robert Matheson, p. 25.
"
district,
the mother's maiden surname

'
father's, as
'
THE UNHOLY ROUND.

[Note to p. 57, line 4, after the word sun."] " One very ancient and persistent superstition had regard to the direction of movement either of persons or things. This direction should always be with the course of the sun. To move against the sun was improper and productive of evil consequences, and the name given to this direction of movement was withershins. "Witches in their dances and other pranks always, Mr. Simpson in his work, Meeting the Sun, says, it is said, went withershins. The Llama monk whirls his praying cylinder in the way of the sun, and fears lest a stranger should get at it and turn it contrary, which would take from it all the virtue it had acquired. They also build piles of stone, and always pass them on one side, and return on the other, so as to make a circuit with the sun. Mahommedans make the circuit of the Caaba in the same way. The ancient dagobas of India and Ceylon were also traversed round in the same way, and the old Irish and Scotch custom is to make all movements Desiul, or sunwise, round houses and graves, and to turn their bodies in this way at the beginning and end of a journey for luck, as well as at weddings and other ceremonies.' " Togo withershins and to read prayers or the creed backwards were great The author of Olrig Grange, evils, and pointed to connexion with the devil. in an early poem, sketches this superstition very graphically
' : '
"
Hech
sirs, but we had grand fun Wi' the meikle black deil in the chair, And the muckle Bible upside doon A' ganging withershins roun' and roun', And backwards saying the prayer
!
About the warlock's grave,

Withershins ganging roun' And kimnier and carline had for licht The fat o' a bairn they buried that nicht, Unchristen'd beneath the moon.'
;
VOL.
II.
Y 2
826
ADDITIONAL NOTES.
" If a tree or plant grew with a twist contrary to the direction of the sun's movement, that portion was considered to possess certain powers, which are referred to in the following verse of an old song
:
'
Tammy gae doun to the Howe a rock of the widdershins grow, Of good rantree for to carry my tow, And a spindle of the same for the twining o't.'
I
'11
And
gar cut
my
ain
me
" Pennant refers to some other practices in Scotland in his day, that were no doubt survivals of ancient heathen worship. Such as, on certain occasions, kindling a fire, and the people joining hands and dancing three times round At haptisms and marriages it south-ways, or according to the course of the sun. The Highlanders, they walked three times round the church sun-ways. in going to bathe or drink in a consecrated fountain, approach it by going When the dead are laid round the place from east to west on the south side. in their grave, the grave is approached by going round in the same manner. The bride is conducted to the spouse in presence of the minister round the company in the same direction indeed all public matters were done according
;
to certain fixed ideas in relation to the sun, all pointing to a lingering sun-worship." Folk-Lore, by James Napier, F.R.S.E., pp. 133, 135.
ray of
" Sir Walter Scott, in his tale of " The Antiquary, designates the locus of the bogus mining operations directed by the charlatan Dousterswivel as Glenwithershins, i.e. "the unlucky Glen."
CEREMONIES AT TUBBERNALT WELL.

[Note
to
p. 101, line 12, after the word "flowers."]
for diseases, as performed at the above-named well, is derived from information given by a person who has frequently made the prescribed rounds " Stations of the Cross " are recited Before coming to the well, the by the postulant kneeling in front of the Altar. The postulant then picks up three " blessed stones, and approaches the well"; reverently he enters it, placing a foot into each side-wall of the well without touching the water (for if he does so, it invalidates the ceremony), stoops, and to do so his head must go partially into the recess on the opposite side of the wall. He then turns round, without touching the water, looking up towards the sky, throws the first stone into the water in the name of the first person of the " the Trinity, the second for Son," and the third for " the Holy Ghost." This done, he returns to the Altar ; kneeling in front of it, he again performs the " Stations of the Cross," and the ceremony is concluded. The above rites are generally performed by a substitute for a friend who is
:
The following cure
suffering
from an infirmity.
BIBLIOGKAPHY OF PAPERS AND WORKS

ON
Erisjj
$re= Christian ^rdjarologg
anfc
JFolklore
WHICH CAME UNDER THE WRITER'S
NOTICE.
,% Arranged alphabetically
by Subjects
and Authors.
LASSIFICATION of Subjects (alphabetically arranged) in the subjoined
Bibliography
I.
NUMBERED
AMBEU, AMULETS, MAGICAL-, CURSING-, AND HEALING-STONES,. &c. (See RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE, No. XXV.)
ANTIQUITIES IN GENERAL,
. . . . . . .
1,
II.
3-31
III.
ARCHITECTUHK,
32-56 57-68
IV. BOG BUTTER, V. BRONZR,
69-133
135-138 139-147
148-153 154-200
..
VI. BULLANS,
VII. CAVES, VIII. CLOTHING,
IX. FICTILIA, X. FLINT AND STONE IMPLEMENTS, .. FOLKLORE. (See RELIGION AND FOLKLORE.) XI. FORGEHIES,
XII. FOSSIL MAMMALIA, XIII. GEOLOGY,
..
201-231
232-242
.. ..
243-298
299-302
303-315
XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX.
GLASS,
GOLD,
JADE,
JET,
_.
..
316-359
HUMAN CRANIA, OSSEOUS REMAINS AND ETHNOGRAPHY,
360-392
393, 394
395-402 403-417 418-479

480-527
&c.
KITCHEN MIDDENS, OR REFUSE HEAPS, AND OPEN-AIR COOKING PLACES, .. .. XX. LAKE DWELLING
XXI. OGHAM, XXII. PILLAU-, HOLED- STONKS,

XXIII. QUERNS,
528-539 540-545 546-569

. . . .
. .
XXIV. RATHS,
RELIGION AND FOLKLORE, XXVI. ROCK SCULPTURINGS AND ORNAMENTATION,
XXV.
570-677 678-702
XXVII. ROMAN
COINS,
ANTIQUITIES,
AND PKE
CHRISTIAN
703-725
NOTICES OF IRELAND,
XXVIII. RUDE STONE MONUMENTS,

TERIES,
CISTS,
GRAVES, AND CEME726-820 821-823
XXIX. RUNES,
XXX.
SEA-SIDE SETTLEMENTS,
..
..
..
..
824-831
XXXI. SILVER, XXXII. SOUTERKAINS,

XXXIII. URNS OF STONE,
832-839 840-872
873-875
876-877
XXXIV. VIVIANITE, XXXV. WOODEN OBJECTS,
878-908
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PAPERS AND WORKS,

I.
1
AMBER.
inscription.
GRAVES, REV. JAMES:
On an amber bead with an Ogham vol. i., new series, pp. 149, 150.
2
Trans. Kil. A. Society,
KlNAHAX, G. H., M.K.I.A
On
amber.
Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. v., 4th
series, p. 537.
El.
3
ANTIQUITIES IN GENERAL.
BALL, ROBERT
Means used by
the ancients for attaching handles to metal implements. Proc. R.I.A., vol. ii., pp. 511-513.
J., H.M.C.
:
COLEMAN,
Journal of the Cork Historicalând Archaeological Society, vol. iii., pp. 163-168. Topography and Traditions of the Great Island and Cork Harbour. Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society, vol. iii.,
Prehistoric remains in East Cork.
pp. 34-36, 52-54.

5
DAY, ROBERT, JVN.,
F.B.A
Antiquities at Cork Industrial Exhibition, 1883. vol. vi., 4th series, pp. 210-213.
6
Journal R.H.A.A.I.,
Du NOYER,
G. V.
Drawings of Irish Antiquities.

302-315; vol.
7
viii.,
Proc. R.I.A., vol. pp. 61-67, 282-289, 429-441.
vii.,
pp. 249-262,
FITZGERALD,
EDWARD
of the Primeval or Pagan Vestiges and Relics in the vicinity of Youghal period. 8
Youghal, 1858.
M.K.I.A.
:
GRAINGER, REV. D.,
Diggings of an Antiquary. 1880, pp. 48-52.
Proc. Belfast Nat. Hist, and Phil. Society,
VOL.
II.
880
9 GUAVES, REV.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
JAMES
:
What we learn from Wilde's Catalogue of the Kil. A. Society, vol. ii., new seiies, pp. 110
10 GRAY,
Museum
139.
E.I. A.
Journal
WILLIAM
Collection. Report on the Glenny
Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol.
vii.,
4th
163. series, pp. 162, 11 GRIFFITHS,
RICHARD:
Shannon Commissioners
ii.,
Antiquities presented by the R.I.A. Proc. R.I.A., vol.

12
to the
Museum
pp. 312-316.
HITCHCOCK, RICHARD
Miscellaneous
140,
Antiquities.
Trans.
Kil.
A.
of
Society,
vol.
i.,
pp.
HI.
1853.
Archaeological Court of the Exhibition Society, vol. ii., pp. 280-295.

13 JONES,
Trans.
Kil.
A.
COLONEL
Antiquities found in the River Shannon. 594, 595.
Proc. R.I.A., vol.
ii.,
pp.
14 JOYCE, P.
W., LL.D.
Origin and History of Irish Dublin, 1875.

15
Names
of Places, 1st and 2nd series (2 vols.),
KEMBLE,
J.
M.
Utility of Antiquarian Collections in relation to the Prehistoric Annals Proc. R.I.A., vol. vi., pp. 462-480. of Europe.
16
KINAHAN, G. H.:
Geology of Ireland.
17
MILLIGAN, SEATON F.
Archaeological Exploration. 1886-7, pp. 40-54.
18
MULVANY, W. T.
Collections of Antiquities made by the Officers of the Board of Proc. R.I.A., vol. v., pp. 239, 243-245 Appendix No. 2.
;
Works.
19
O'DONOVAN, JOHN, LL.D.
Annals of Ireland by the Four Masters (translated by above), 7 vols.

20 PATTERSON,
WILLIAM H.,
of
M.R.I. A.
Description
the
Benn
Collection,
Belfast
Museum.
Journal
R.H.A.A.I.,
The Benn
vol. v., 4th series, pp.
294-303.
Collection of Antiquities, Proc. Belfast Nat. Hist, Society, 1882, pp. 1-17.
and Phil.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
21
881
PoWXALL, GOVERNOR
Account of some Irish Antiquities.

22 PRIM,
Archaeologia, vol.
iii.,
pp. 355-370.
MR.
Antiquities discovered in trenching a small rath. Society, vol. iii., new series, pp. 307, 308.
Journal Kil.
A.
23 ROBINSON, REV. T. R.,
n.r>.
Contents of an ancient bronze vessel. 237-246.
Proc. R.I.A.,
vol.
iv.,
pp.
24 SMITH, REV.
W.
its
S.
Antrim
series, vol. iv., pp.
Antiquities and 13-19.
History.
Belfast Nat. Field Club, 2nd
25 Toni), REV. J. H., D.D.
Antiquities presented by the King of Denmark and the Royal Society of Antiquities of Copenhagen. On the same Petrie, George. Proc. R.I. A., vol. iv., pp 250, 253.
:
26 TREVELAN,
Letters
Mu.
on
Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. v., pp. 150-155, 185-187, 336-342.

Irish Antiquities.
27 VAI.LANCEY,
GENERAL CHARLES
:
Collectanea de Rebus Hibernicis (valuable as a contribution to general
knowledge
28
facts correct, theories baseless), 6 vols.
WAKEMAX,
"W. F.
of Irish Antiquities, Pagan and Archajologia Hibernica: a Handbook Christian (2nd edition). Dublin, 1891.
29
WESTROPP, HODDER M.
London, 1872.
Prehistoric Phases or Introductory Essays
on Prehistoric Archaeology.
30
WILDE, SIR W. R.,

;
M.R.I.A.
Dublin, 1857. Catalogue, Museum R.I. A. Lough Corrib its shores and islands. Dublin, 1872. On Antiquities weapons, ornaments, domestic implements, sepulchral Proc. R.I. A., ancient tumuli. urns, and some animal remains found in
vol. iii., pp. 260-263. Statement on the presentation of certain Antiquities. Proc. K.J.A., vol. viii., pp. 324-330, 428. The Beauties of the Boyne and its tributary the Blackwatcr. Dublin,
1849.
31
WORSAAE,
iii.,
J. J.
A.
Classification of Antiquities
found
in
West Europe.
Proc. R.I. A., vol.
pp. 310-315, 327-344.
z 2
832
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
^^.-ARCHITECTURE.
32
ANONYMOUS
Description of an ancient Building on Greenan Mountain, Donegal. Dublin Penny Journal, vol. iii., pp. 349, 350. Note on Vitrified Forts. Journal K.H. A.A.I., vol. viii., 4th series, p. 344. The Moat of Ardscull. Journal Kildare Arch. Society, vol. ii., pp. 186-197.
33 BEAUFORT, L. C.
Architecture and Antiquities previous to the landing Normans. Trans. E.I.A., vol. xv., pp. 101-242.
34
ofj
the Anglo-
BERNARD, DR. WALTER
[Restoration of the Grianan of Ant., vol. i., pp. 415-423.
Aileach.
Proc. E.I.A., Pol. Lit. and
35 BLAND, F. C.
Description of Staigue Fort (1821). 17-29.
Trans. [R.I. A.,
vol.
xiv.,
pp.
36 BUCANAN,
EDWARD
Sweat House.
37
Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. iv., p. 273.

:
CROWE,
J.
O'BKIRNE
" clocan," as applied to a class of Irish Origin and meaning of the word Pagan and early Christian buildings. Journal' B.H. A.A.I., vol. i., 4th series, pp. 328-330.
38 DEANE, SIR
THOMAS NEWENHAM
Eeport on ancient monuments in Co. Kerry. vol. iii., pp. 100-107.

39
Proc. E.I. A., 3rd series,
Du NOYER, GEORGE
V., M.R.I. A.
Eemains of ancient stone-built

the west of Dingle, 1-24.
fortresses
and habitations occurring to

Archaeological Journal,
pp.
Co.
Kerry.
The
40 DUNUAVEN, EDWIN, THIRD
EARL OF
Notes on Irish Architecture.

41 GEOGHEGAN, A. G.
:
London, 1875, 2
vols.
On
the origin of Eaths.
Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol.
i..
2nd
series,
pp.
87, 88.
42 HAVERTY,
MARTIN
The Aran
Isles,
&c.
Dublin, 1859.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
43 KIRKEE, S. K., C.E.
:
Resemblance between some ancient remains

Journal R.S.A., Ireland, vol.
iv.,
:
in Greece and Ireland. 5th series, pp. 271-279.
44 KINAHAN, GEORGE, F.R. G.S.I., M.R.I.A.
Ancient Villages, &c. Proc. R.I.A., vol. x., pp. 25-30. Cromleac-like Doorway to a Less, or EarthenFort. JournalR.H. A.A.I., vol. i., 3rd series, pp. 282-284. On Vitrified Forts. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. v., 4th series, pp.
756, 757.
Ruins of Ardilaun, &c. Proc. R.I. A., vol. x., pp. 551-555. Sweat House at Glentidaly, Co. Donegal. Journal R.H. A.A.I.,
ix.,
vol.
4th series, p. 282.

:
45 MACALISTER, R. A. STEWART, M.A.
On
^*"
46 MAYO,
an ancient settlement in the
County of Kerry.
S. W. of the Barony of Corkaguiney, Trans. R.I. A., vol. xxx.
EARL OF:
Journal Kildare Arch. Society, vol.
F., M.R.I.A.
:
Rathmore.
ii.,
pp. 112-115.
47 MitLiGAN, SEATON
Ancient
Irish
Irish
forts, &c.
Proc. R. S.A.I., vol.
hot-air
bath. bath.
i., 5th series, pp. 574-582. Journal R.H. A. A. I., vol. ix., 4th series, pp.
268-270.
hot-air
Proc.
Belfast
Nat.
Hist,
and Phil. Society,
1889-90, pp. 37-41.
48 MOLYNEUX, THOMAS, M.D.
A
49
discourse concerning the Ireland. London, 1725. P.

:
Danish mounts,
forts,
and towers of
MOORE, REV. W.
On
50
a Vitrified Fort. B.
:
Proc. R.I.A., vol. v., p. 69.
MULCAHY, REV. D.
An
51
ancient Irish hot-air bath. pp. 589, 590.
Proc.
R.S.A.I., vol.
i.,
5th series,
OTWAY, REV. CAKSAR:

Vitrified fort.
Trans. R.I. A., vol.

:
xiii.,
pp. 123-127.
52 PETRIE, GEORGE, R.H.A.
Architecture anterior to the Anglo-Norman invasion. vol. xx. The round towers and ancient architecture of Ireland.
vol. xx., pp.
Trans. R.I. A.,

Trans.
P.. I. A.,
1-521.
:
53
WAKEMAN, W. Dunnamoe
F.
A. I., vol. vii., 4th Inismurray and its antiquities. Journal R.H. A. also twice reprinted as an annual volume of the series, pp. 175-332 Shows the connecting links between Pagan and Christian Society. architecture a most important work and a good authority. The hot-air bath. Proc. R.S.A.I., vol. i., 5th series, p. 165.
;
Cashel, Co. series, pp. 182-183,
Mayo.
Journal
R.H.A.A.I.,
vol.
ix.,
4th
884
54 WESTROPP,
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
THOMAS JOHNSTON
of
:
Antiquities
Tara.
Journal
R. S.A.I.,
vol.
iv.,
5th
series,
pp.
232-242. Magh Adhair, Co. Clare the place of inauguration of the Dalcossian Kings. Proc. R.I.A., 3rd series, vol. iv., pp. 55-60. On cashels and stone forts. Journal E. S.A.I., vol. vii., 5th series, pp. 300-321. Journal E.S.A.I., vol. ii., 5th Prehistoric stone forts of central Clare. series, pp. 281-291, 432. Clare. Journal R.S.A.I., vol. vi., Prehistoric stone forts of northern 5th series, pp. 142-157, 363-369. Journal R. S.A.I., vol. vii., Prehistoric stone forts of northern Clare. 5th series, pp. 116-127. Sweat House near Eglish. Journal R.S.A.I., vol. iv., 5tli series,
p.
180.
55 WINDELE,
JOHN
Cahir Conri.
Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol.

:
viii.,
pp. 111-126.
56 WRITERS, VARIOUS
Cyclopean ruins near

Hibernicis
Dundalk. Collectanea De Rebus Vallancey's 10) Wright's Louthiana. Ulster Journal of (No. Archaeology, pp. 234-235.
IV.
57
BOQ BUTTER.
vol. 4, p. 240.
ANONYMOUS
Ancient Irish butter.

58 CLIHHORN,
The Reliquary,
EDWARD
Bog
butter.
Ulster Journal of Archaeology.
vol. vii., pp.
288-293.
59 DAI.TON,
MR.
On
a discovery of bog butter.
iv.,
new
series, p. 96.
60 FRAZER, W., F.R.C.S.I.
Bog
61
butter.
Proc. R.S.A.I., vol.

:
i.,
5th series, pp. 583-8.
HITCHCOCK, RICHARD
Discovery of a quantity of bog butter. iii., pp. 175-178.

62 M'Evov,
MR.
Bog
butter.
Journal Kil. A. Society, vol.

:
i.,
new
series, p. 148.
63 O'LAVERTY, JAMES
Bog
butter.
Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. vii., pp. 288-294.
64 O'LAVERTY, REV. JAMES:
Why
butter
series,
was buried in bogs pp. 356, 357.
Journal
R.S.A.I.,
vol.
ii.,
5th
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
65 SCOTT, REV. J. H.
p. 350.
:
385
Discovery of bog butter.

66 STANLEY,
ii.,
new
series,
THOMAS
On
the discovery of some bog butter. series, pp. 123, 124.

butter.
Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol.

iii.,
ii.,
4th
Bog

R., M.R.I.A.
:
4th series, p. 314.
67 WILDE, SIR
W.
Bog
butter.
Cat. Mtis. R.I.A., pp. 267-269.

:
68 WRIGHT,
ROBERT
On
'S
a discovery of bog butter.
Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. 2, p. 189.
V.
69 ALLMAN, PROFESSOR
:
BRONZE.
Ancient copper mine.

70 ANXETELL,
Proc. R.I. A., vol. iv., pp. 64-66.
M.
J.
A
71
collection of shoes of bronze.

:
Proc. R.I. A., vol.
v., pp.
27-29.
ANONYMOUS
Ancient bronze brooches.

46, 56.
Dublin Penny Journal,
vol.
iv.,
pp. 45,
Ulster Journal Antiquities discovered on the shore of Ballynass Bay. of Archaeology, vol. vi., pp. 351-353. Bronze caldrons. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. ix., pp. 146, 147, 321, 322. Bronze dagger with original handle, found near Castleisland, Co. Journal R. S.A.I., vol. vii., 5th series, pp. 423-425. Kerry. Journal R.S.A.I., vol. Interesting find in Moyntaghs, Co. Armagh. vii., 5th series, p. 191. On the use of certain antique bronsie articles. Ulster Journal of
Archaeology, vol. ix., pp. 271-277.
72 ARMSTRONG, REV.
WM.
On
certain bronze antiquities.
Proc. R.I. A., vol. iv., pp. 369, 370.
73 ATKINSON,
GEORGE M.
Bronze ring found in a
kist,
Ballinling West,
Co.
Cork.
Journal
R.H. A.A.I.,
"4 BALL,
vol. v.,
ROBERT
On
the Crotal.
:
Proc. R.I.A., vol.
iii.,
pp. 135-6.
75 BARRY, REV. E.
On
a bronze sword.
Journal R.H. A.A.I.,
vol.
vi.,
4th
series,
pp.
179-181.
386
76 BELL, DR. WILLIAM
:
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
On
ring money.
Proc. R.I. A., vol.
viii.,
pp. 253-268.
77 BERANGER, GABRIEL:
Bronze implement.
124.
Journal R.H. A. A. I., vol.
i.,
4th
series, pp. 123,
78 BETHAM, SIR WILLIAM, M.R.I.A.
On an
79
astronomical instrument.
:
Trans. R.I. A., vol. xvii., pp. 3-6.
B KEN AN, REV. SAMUEL ARTHUR

4th
series, p.
Supposed workshop of bronze

439.
articles.
vi.,
80 BKOWNK, ARTHUR, S.F.T.C.D:
Ancient trumpets dug up in a bog near Armagh.

viii.,
pp. 11, 12.

:
81
CARKUTHEHS, MR.
Instrument of bronze. Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. iii.,pp. 64, 65; Dublin Penny Journal, vol. i., p. 324 George Petrie.
82 CLIBBORN,
EDWARD:
On
the discovery of iron cores in certain bronze antiquities in the Museum, R.I. A. Proc. R.I. A., vol. iii., pp. 299-301.
83 COFFEY,
GEORGE
Classification of spear-heads of the bronze age.
Proc. R.I. A., vol.
iii.,
3rd series, pp. 486-510.
84 COOKE,
THOMAS L.
Bronze antiquities found vol. iv., pp. 423-440.

85 DAY, ROBERT, JUN., M.R.I.A.
:
at
Downs, King's County.
Proc. R.I. A.,
Bronze leaf-shaped sword, retaining the original bone handle. Journal R.H. A. A. I., vol. i., 3rd series, pp. 23-25. Bronze sword. Journal R.H. A. A. I., vol. vi., 4th series, p. 117. Discovery of a hoard of bronze antiquities. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol.
v.,
4th
series, pp. 263,
266.
articles.
Find of fragmentary bronze

series, p. 120. Irish bronze war trumpets. pp. 422-432.

iii.,
i.,
4th
4th series,
On
a bronze leaf-shaped sword found in The Ireland, with bone haft. Reliquary, vol. x., pp. 65, 66. On stone hammers from old copper mines. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. 6, 4th series, p. 281.
86 DILLON, HON. L.
pp. 19, 20.
GERALD
Bronze leaf-shaped sword.
vi.,
4th
series,
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
87 DONOVAN, M.
:
887
Analysis of the gold-coloured bronze antiquities found at Dowris, King's Country. Proc. R.I.A., vol. iv., pp. 463-470. 88 DUGAN, C.
W.
Interesting find of a bronze vessel in the Monttaghs, Co. Journal R. S.A.I., vol. vii., 5th series, pp. 437, 438.
Armagh.
89
Du NOYER, GEORGE V.
Classification
of bronze of
arrow-heads.
celts.
Arch. Journal, vol.

Journal,
vol.
iv.,
vii.,
pp.
1-6,
281-283.
Classification
bronze
Arch.
pp.
327-337.
90 EDITOR ULSTER JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY

#~*"
African and Irish fibulae. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. v., pp. 246-248. Bronze pin found near Ballymoney, County Antrim. Ulster Journal of
Bronze spear-head.
Archaeology, vol. v., p. 157. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. iii., pp. 777, 778. On two bronze fibulae. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. v., pp. 347, 348. On two bronze fibulae. Ulster Journal of Archeeology, vol. vi., pp. 103,
104.
91 ENNISKILLEN,
EARL OF
Bronze sword.

:
vi.,
4th
series, p. 116.
92 EVANS, JOHN, D.C.L., &c.
The
ancient bronze implements, weapons and Britain and Ireland. London, 1881.
:
ornaments of Great
On
So
three bronze celts found in Co.

ii.,
Mayo.
Proc. R.I. A., 2nd series

Proc. R.I. A., 2nd series,
vol.
pp. 417-423.
called sickles of bronze
found in Ireland.
pp. 381-390.
94 GRAVES, REV. JAMES, B.A.
Bronze shields. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol iv., 4th series, pp. 487, 488. Bone-hafted bronze sword. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. ii., 4th series,
pp. 257, 258.
Bronzc-hafted dagger, and a dagger hilt of bronze. vol. iv., 4th series, pp. 186, 187.
95
Journal R.H.A.A.I.,
HAUGHTON, REV. SAMUEL

Geological and
Statistical
Notes on Irish Mines.
Journal Geologica
Society, vol. v., pp. 279-285.
96 HEMANS, G.
W.
On
presenting some Antiquities to the Academy. pp. 565, 566.
Proc. R.I. A., vol.
IT.,
888
97
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
HEWSON, G.
J.
:
Finds of bronze weapons.

484, 485.
Proc.
R. S.A.I.,
vol.
i.,
oth series, pp. 4th

series,
On two bronze
67, 68.
pins.
Journal E.H. A.A.I., vol.
vi.,
pp.
98 HITCHCOCK, R.
On
the discovery of bronze celts, &c. pp. 175-178.

:
iii.,
99 JONES, COLONEL H. D., C.E.
On
certain Antiquities.
Proc. R.I. A., vol.

:
iv.,
pp. 394-396.
100 KNOWLES,
W.
J., M.R.I. A.
Report on some recent finds in Co. Antrim. 4th series, pp. 107-113.
101
Journal R.H. A. A.I., vol.
ix.,
LAMB, REV. PATRICK,

58, 59.
P.P.
Bridle bit of bronze.
ii.,
new
series,
pp.
102 LANGTKY,
GEOKGE
Bronze caldron found at Cape Castle, Co. Antrim. vol. iii., 4th series, pp. 20-23.
103 LENIHAN, MAURICE, M.R.I. A.
:
Journal R.H. A. A. I.,
Observations relative to a rare example of an ancient shield. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. ii., 4th series, pp. 118-121. On an ancient bronze shield. -Proc. R.I. A., vol. i., Pol. Lit. and Ant., pp. 155, 156. 104 LONG, J., C.E.
:
On
the age of the various stone and bronze antiquities found during the Shannon Navigation operations, as bearing on the antiquity of man in Ireland. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. i., 4th series, pp. 264-267.
105
MACADAM, ROBERT:
Ancient Irish trumpets. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. viii., pp. 99-110. Brazen cauldron. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. v., pp. 82-90.
106 M'EvoY, D.
On
a magnificent specimen of an antique bronze caldron. A. Society, vol. iii., pp. 131, 132.
:
Trans. Kil.
107 M'Nui/TY, R.
Recent find in Co. Donegal

5th Series, p. 382.
bronze
celt.
Journal R. S.A.I., vol.
vi.,
108 MALLET, J.
W.
Report on the chemical examination of antiquities from the Museum, R.I. A. Trans. R.I.A., vol. xxii., p. 313.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
109 MARTIN, JAMES, M.D.
:
339
On
an ancient bronze object.
ix.,
4th series,
pp. 88, 89.
110 MILLIGAN, SEATON F.
Hammer
p. 538.
and anvil of bronze.
vii.,
4th series,
vii.,
On
111
series, pp.
crannogs in the Co. Cavan. 148-152.

G., F.L.S.
:
Journal ll.H.A.A.L, vol.
4th
MOKE, A.
Ancient bronze implement.

pp. 25, 26.
Proc. R.I. A., vol.
i.,
Pol. Lit.
and Ant.,
11? NORREYS, SIR
DENHAM JEPHSON:
Observations on the mode of constructing a remarkable Celtic trumpet in the Museum, R.I. A. Journal R.H. A. A. I., vol. iv., 4th series, pp.
277-279.
113 O'CoxNELL, MAURICE
:
An
114
account of certain antiquities presented to the Academy. R.I.A., vol. iv., pp. 166, 167.
!
Proc.
O'DONOVAN OF LlSSAKD
Curious object composed of ivory and bronze. vol. vi., 4th series, pp. 181, 182.
115
'DONOVAN, JOHN
Bronze reaping-hook.
116 0' GORMAN,
vol.
vol.
i.,
p. 108.
THOMAS
Bronze dagger with oaken handle

i.,
still
attached.
Journal Kil. A. Society,
new
series, pp. 286, 287.
Contents of a sepulchre of the bronze period. vol. i., 3rd series, pp. 164-168.
117 O'LAVERTV, REV. JAMES:
Relative antiquity of stone and bronze weapons. Archaeology, vol. v., pp. 122-127.
Ulster Journal of
118 O'LKARY, DENIS A.

11, 12.
Bronze sword and axe.
vi.,
4th series, pp.
119 OUSLEY,
RALPH
Account of three metal trumpets found

year 1788. Trans. R.I.A., vol.
:
ii.,
in the County of Limerick in the pp. 3-6.
120 PATTEHSON,
vol.
W. H.
Bronze hatchet found near Stoneyford, Co. Antrim.

iii.,
4th series, p. 163.
340
121 PEAKSON, REV. J.
B1BLIO GRA PHY.

M.
i.,
:
Bronze spear-head found embedded in a human

Society, vol.
p. 32, vol.
ii.,
skull.
Trans. Kil. A.
p. 287.
122 PEGGE, EEV. "W.
Observations on some brass celts and other weapons discovered in Ireland, 1780. Archaeologia, vol. ix., pp. 84-95.
123 PETRIE,
GEORGE
Ancient Irish bells or crotals. Dublin Penny Journal, vol. i., p. 376. Ancient Irish trumpets. Dublin Penny Journal, vol. ii., pp. 27-30. Ancient Irish war club. Dublin Penny Journal, vol. ii., p. 20. Historical sketch of the past and present state of the Fine Arts in Ireland. Dublin Penny Journal, vol. i., pp. 83, 84.
124 POWER, REV. P.
:
On
Journal of the a find of bronze implements in County "Waterford. Waterford S.-E. of Ireland Archaeological Society, vol. iv., pp. 47-53.
125 PRIM,
JOHN G. A.
Trans. Kil. A. Society, Antiquities discovered on trenching a rath. vol. iii., new series, pp. 307, 308. On some bronze and other antiquities. Journal Kil. A. Society, vol. ii.,
new series, p. On two bronze

p. 53.
59.
fibulae.
Trans. Kil. A.
Society, vol.
ii.,
new
series,
126 READE, REV.
GEORGE H.
Ancient bronze antique.

194, 195.
i.,
new
series, pp.
Enamelled bridle-bit and boss of bronze.

i., new series, pp. 422, On two bronze Antiques.

iv.,
423.
new
series,
pp. 96, 97.
127 RICHARDSON, C.
W.
Discovery of a number of bronze antiques. iii., 4th series, p. 438.

128 ROIHNSON, REV. T. R., D.D.
:
Journal R.H.A.A.L, vol.
Contents of an ancient bronze vessel found in the King's County. Proc. R.I.A., vol. iv., pp. 237-246.
129 SEARANKE, J. S.
:
On
certain antiquities presented to the
Academy.
Proc. R.I. A., vol. iv.,
pp. 388, 389.
130 STANLEY, T.
Bronze pin found in a bog.

pp. 153, 154.
iii.,
4th
series,
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
131 VIGORS,
841
COLONKL PHILIP D.:

viii.,
Slings and sling stones.
4th series, pp.
357-366.
132
WAKEMAN, W.
F.
Bronze pins. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. v., 4th series, pp. 97-99. Ornamented bronze celt. Journal E.H. A.A.I., vol. v. f 4th series, pp. 258-261. On the original handle of a fine bronze rapier, apparently of whalebone also a bronze dagger with its haft of the same metal still attached. Journal R.H. A. A. I., vol. ii., 4th series, pp. 195-198. On two ancient brooch pins. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. iii., 4th series,
;
pp. 155-160, 439.
133
WOOD-MARTIN, COL. W.
G., M.R.I.A.
See Lake Dwellings of Ireland, Index, under Bronte.
\JL.-BULLANS.
135 KINAHAN, G. H., M.R.I.A.
series, p. 39.
:
Kilmannan Bullan, Co. "Wexford.
vi.,
4th
Observations on bullans. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. i., 4th series, pp. 204, 205. On bullans or stone basins. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. vi., 4th series,
p. 174.
Probable use of bullans for bruising grain. vi., 4th series, p. 214.
136
MACNAMAKA, GEORGE V.
Double bullan.

:
vii.,
5th
series, p. 79.
137 MARTIN, JAMBS, M.D.
OnbulKns.
138

:
iii.,
4th
series, pp.
438, 439.
WAKEMAN, W. F. On the bullan,

257-264.
or rock basin.
Proc. R.I. A., 3rd series, vol.
i.,
pp.
VII
139 ADAMS, A. LEITH, F.R.S.
p. 187.
:
CAVES.
Trans. R.I.A., vol. xxvi., N.S.
Shandon Cave, on the exploration

140 ADAMS, PROFESSOR LEITH
of.
USSHEK, R.
J.
Notes on the discovery of a bone cave containing remains of the Irish Journal Royal Geological Elk, associated with traces of Man. vol. v., new series, pp. 170-172. Society of Ireland,
842
141 COURTENAY, REV.
vol.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
CANON
:
The Mitchelstown Caves.

iii.,
Journal of the Cork Hist, and Arch. Society,
pp. 1-5.
:
142 GRAY, WILLIAM, M.R.I. A.
Geological and Archaeological questions connected with the North of Belfast Nat. Field Club, 1877-9, series 2, vol. i., pp. Ireland.
346-348.
143
HAUGHTON, REV. PROFESSOR,

PLUNKETT, T.
:
M.D., F.R.S.
MACALISTKR, PROFESSOR, M.D.

Proc. R.I.A., 2nd series, vol.
Exploration of the Knockninny Cave. pp. 465-483.

144 MARTEL,
ii.,
M. E. A.
Irlande et cavernes Anglaises.
Paris.
145 PETRIE, DR.
The Caves
146 PLUNKETT,
of Kish-Coran, Co. Sligo.
The
Irish
Penny Journal,
vol.
i.,
pp. 9, 10.
THOMAS:
account of the exploration of Knockmore Caves, Co. Journal Royal Geological Society of Ireland, vol. iv., new series, pp. 131-140. Exploration of the Knockninny Cave. Proc. R.I. A., Pol. Lit. and Ant., vol. i., pp. 329-334.
detailed
Fermanagh.
147
WAKEMAN, W. An inscribed
Cavern
at
F.
cavern.
Knockmore, Co. Fermanagh.
Proc. R.I. A., vol. x., pp. 327-329. Proc. R.I. A.,
vol. x., pp.
395-397.
Cave
of
Knockmore.
Proc. R.I. A., vol. x., pp. 229-232.
VIII.
148
CLOTHING.
Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. v., pp.
.
ANONYMOUS
African and Irish
fibulae.
246-248.
149
MACADAM, ROBERT
Ancient leather cloak. 294-300.

150 O'KELLY, A.
:
Ulster Journal of
Archaeology, vol.
ix.,
pp.
Proc. Royal Dublin Society, vol. xiv., appendix to report, 1829.

151
O'NEILL:
Irish crosses.
152 PETRIE, DR.:
Dublin Philosophical Journal,

153
vol.
i.,
p. 433, 1825.
WALKER
On
the clothing of the Irish.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
848
154
ANONYMOUS
Ancient urns. Dublin Penny Journal, vol. i., p. 108. Dublin Penny Journal, vol. iv., pp. 97, 98. Antiquities of Co. Down. Prehistoric burial. Journal K. S.A.I., vol. vii., 5th series, pp. 189, 190. Remarkable ancient cemetery. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol'. ix.,
pp. 111-113.
155 ARMSTRONG, REV.
WM.
Ancient earthenware vessel.

156 BEAUFORD, WILLIAM, K.A.
:
Proc. R.I. A., vol. iv., pp. 369, 370.
^ Ancient sepulture discovered in the Co. Kildare in the year 1788.

R.I.A,
157 BENN,
vol.
ii.,
Trans.
p. 51.
EDWARD
Curious discovery of a cinerary urn.
v.,
new
new
series, pp. 133, 134.

fictilia.
Discovery of some cinerary

series, pp. 101, 102.

iii.,
iv.,
Discovery of urns in Co. Antrim. series, pp. 216-220.

158 BUICK, REV.
new
GEORGE R.
Cinerary urns discovered near Dundrum, Co. Down. Archaeology, vol. vi., p. 164.
Ulster Journal of
159 CARRUTHERS, JAMES:
On some
vol.
iii.,
antiquities found near Belfast.- -Ulster Journal of Archaeology, pp. 127, 128
:
160 COFFEY, GEORGE, H.E.
Double cist, grave and remains recently discovered at Oldbridge, Co. Meath. Proc. R.I. A., vol. iii., 3rd series, pp. 747-752. On a cairn excavated by Thomas Plunkett, M.R.I. A., on Belmore
mountain, Co. pp. 659-666.
161 COOK,
Fermanagh.
Proc.
R.I. A.,
3rd
series,
vol.
iv.,
RICHARD
(and other writers)
On
162
sepulchral remains.
i.,
pp. 136-139.
COURTOWN, EARL OK:

Discovery of a cinerary urn.
series, pp. 144, 145.
iv.,
new
163 EDITOR, ULSTER JOURNAL OF
ARCHEOLOGY
Remarkable ancient cemetery

Archaeology, vol.
ix.,
in the Co. pp. 111-113.
Down.
Ulster Journal of
844
164 FRENCH, REV. J. F.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
M.
:
Journal Co. Wexford. Cinerary urns found in the parish of Adamstown, R.H.A.A.I., vol. ix., 4th series, pp. 19, 20. Co. Wexford, 1897. Cinerary urn found in the parish of Adamstown, Journal R.S.A.I., vol. viii., 5th series, p. 70.
165 FKAZEK,
W., M.D.
Earthen vases found at Palmerston, Co. Dublin. pp. 336-340.

166 GEOGHF.GAN,
Proc. R.I. A., vol. x.,
ARTHUR GERALD:
An
Journal R.H. A.A.I., 4th account of an interesting fictile vessel. series, pp. 29, 30. Discovery of cinerary fictilia. Journal Kil. A. Society, vol. iv., new
series, pp. 304, 305.
167 GLASCOTT, J.
H.
On
fragments of two large

iii.,
fictile
vessels.
Trans.
Kil.
A. Society,
vol.
p. 204.
:
168 GKAVES, REV. JAMES
Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. ii., new 285. Discovery of several sepulchral urns, one with a cover or lid. Journal Kil. A. Society, vol. iii., new series, pp. 168, 169.
Cinerary urns found at Danesfort.

series, p.
169 GRAY,
WILLIAM
Ancient burial, County Antrim.

p. 74.
ix.,
4th series,
The
sandhills of Ballintoy. 1887, p. 17.
170 GREEN,
THOMAS
in
Urn found
171 HASSE, REV.
County Wicklow.
:
Trans. R.I.A., vol.
i.,
pp. 161-162.'
LEONARD, M.R.I.A.
Urn-burial on the site of Monasterboice, Co. Louth. vol. ii., 5th series, pp. 145-150.
172 KlNAHAN, G. H., M.R.I.A.
:
Journal R. S.A.I.,
Notes on some megalithic structures and other ancient remains. Journal R.H. A. A. I, vol. ii., 4th series, pp. 201-205. Notice of an urn found at Ballykale, Co. Wexford. Journal R.H.A. A.I., vol. v., 4th series, p. 744. On antiquities in the neighbourhood of Drumdarragh, Co. Antrim. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. iii., 4th series, pp. 374-380. On some peculiarities in sepulchral urns. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. v.,
4th
series, pp.
759, 760.
:
173 KNOWLES,
W.
J., M.R.I.A.
Prehistoric
Journal Sandhills, and its antiquity pp. 243-255. Report on some recent "finds" in Co. Antrim. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. ix., 4th series, pp. 107-113.
R.S.A.I., vol.
iv.,
pottery from the
5th
series,
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
174 LALOR,
845
M. W.
Description of a discovery of kists, &c. 4th series, pp. 446, 447.
Journal
R.H.A A
vol
175
LAWLER, JOHN:
Discovery of a
fictile; vessel.
vi.,
new series,
176 LECKY,
MR.
Excavations made in the pagan cemetery at Ballon Hill.

Society, vol. vi.,
new
Journal Kil. A.
series, pp. 209, 210.
177 LKNTAIGNE, J., M.D.
On an
urn and the fragment of another.
Proc. R.I. A., vol.
iv.,
DD
187, 188.
178 LETT, REV. H.
W.
On two
cinerary urns found at Magheralin.

series, vol.
i.,
1879-1881, 2nd
179 LONGFIBLD, T.
Belfast Nat. Field Club,

p. 10.
p.
430, vol.
ii.,
H.
Cinerary urns found at Tallaght, Co. Dublin. vol. ii., pp. 400, 401.
Proc. R.I.A., 3rd series,
180 M'NULTY, R.
p. 382.
Discovery of an urn.
Journal R.S.A.
Ireland,
vol.
vi.,
oth
series,
181
MALCOMSON, R.
Fictile vessel
found in Co. Carlow.
Journal Kil. A. Society, vol. Journal R.H.A. A. I., vol.
iv.,
new series, pp. 12, 13. On a fictile vessel curiously

4th
series, pp. 252, 253.
ornamented.
ii.,
On On
Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. v., 4th series, pp. 55, 56. highly ornamented urn of small size. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. iii., 4th series, pp. 436, 437, 481.
a cinerary urn. a perfect and
183 MILLEN, WILLIAM:
Urn
burial.

F., M.K.I. A.
:
iv.,
pp. 270, 271.
183AMiLLiGAN, SEATON
Cist and urn found near Carrickfergus, and urn discovered near Coleraine. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. ix., 4th series, pp. 86, 87.
184
MOOBE, JOHN:
Cinerary urns discovered at Columbkill.
v.,
new
series, pp. 328, 329.
VOL.
II.
2 A
346
185 NEART, REV.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
MR.
:
fine Discovery of a remarkably vol. ii., 4th series, pp. 115, 116.
fictile
vessel.
Journal R.H.A.A.I.,
186 PATTERSON,
W. H., M.R.I.A. near Belfast. Discovery of cinerary urn at Campbell College, Belmont, Ulster Journal of Archaeology, 2nd series, pp. 184, 185. Belfast. Journal R.H. A. A. I., Fictile vessel found at Altegarron, near vol. i., 4th series, pp. 506, 507.
: :
187 PERCEVAL, J. J. Cinerary urn found

series, pp. 384,
near Wexford.
v.,
5th
385.
:
188 PLTJNKETT, LT.-COL. G. T., R.E. On a cist and urns found at Greenhills, Tallaght, County Dublin. Proc. R.I.A., vol. v., 3rd series, pp. 338-347.
189 PLTTNKETT, THOMAS, AND COFFEY, GEORGE: cairns. Report on the excavation of Topped mountain 3rd series, vol. iv., pp. 657, 658.
Proc. R.I. A.,
190 PRIM,
JOHN G. A.
Two
191
sepulchral vases. 234.

:
iv.,
new
series, p.
ROTHERAM, E. CROFTON Remains of urn found in a Cavan bog.

series, p. 177.
:
viii.,
5th
192 SEARANKE, J. S.
On
certain antiquities, &c.
Proc. R.I. A., vol. iv., pp. 388, 389.
193 SIGERSON, GEORGE,
M.D.
Observations on some sepulchral urns. Ant., vol. i., pp. 14-19.
Proc.
R.I. A.,
Pol. Lit. and
194 SMITH, J.
HUBAND
Cinerary urns discovered in the Hill of Rath, near Drogheda. R.I. A., vol. ii., pp. 259-261.
195 UPTON,
Proc.
HENRY A. S. On some prehistoric

387-389.
graves.
vi.,
5th series, pp.
196 VIGORS, COLONEL P. D.
Ancient grave in the County Carlow. 4th series, pp. 491-494.

197
Journal
R.H. A. A. I.,
vol. viii.,
WAKEMAN, W.
F.
Notice of a chambered earn at Cavancarragh, Co. Fermanagh. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. ii., 4th series, pp. 434, 435. On a pagan cemetery at Drumnakilly, near Omagh, Co. Tyrone. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. ii., 4th series, pp. 499-513, 520, 522, 523. On some antiquarian discoveries in Co. Cavan. Journal R.H. A. A. I., vol. v., 4th series, pp. 183-200. Prehistoric remains discovered at Broughderg, Co. Tyrone. Journal R.H. A. A. I., vol. v., 4th series, pp. 740-744. See also under Lake Dwellings.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
198
847
WALSH, REV. ROBERT,
LL.D.
Sepulchral urn found in the parish of Kilbride. pp. 296-298.
Proc. R.I. A., vol.
i.,
199 WILDE, SIR
W.
R., M.R.I.A.
:>
Catalogue Mus. R.I. A., pp. 169-194.
Cinerary urn found near Bagnalstown.

35, 36.
Proc.
R.I. A.,
vol.
iv.,
pp.
200 WOOD-MARTIN, COLONEL
W.
G., M.R.I.A.
See Lake Dwellings of Ireland, Index, under Fictilia.
X.
201
FLINT AND STONE IMPLEMENTS.

:
ANONYMOUS
Flint implements found in the gravel near Whitehead. Field Club, 1867, pp. 6, 7.
Belfast Nat.
202 BALL, ROBERT
Means used
vol.
ii.,
for attaching handles to stone implements. pp. 511-513.

(1st Report)
:
Proc. R.I. A.,
203 BELFAST NAT. FIELD CLUB
Report of the Committee appointed to investigate the Larne Gravels, and determine the position in them of the Flint Flakes and Cores for
Proc. Belfast Nat. Field Club, series 2, vol. pp. 519-530. 2nd Report, Praeger, R. L., Sec. Report of a Committee of Investigation on the Gravels and associated beds of the Curran at Larne. Proc. Belfast Nat. Field Club, series 2, vol. iii., pp. 198-210. Praeger, R. L., Sec. Report of the Sub- Committee appointed to Proc. Belfast investigate the Gravels of Ballyrudder, Co. Antrim. Nat. Field Club, series 2, vol. iii., pp. 518-525.
ii.,
which they are noted.
204 BENN,
EDWARD
Flint implements, Co. Antrim. new series, pp. 294-300.
Journal Kil. A.
Society,
vol.
v.,
205 BUICK, REV.

Flint
Irish
GEORGE RAPHAEL,
sites.
M.A.
workshop
flint
Journal R. II. A. A. I., vol.

Journal U.S. A. I., vol.
flint.
vi.,
4th series, pp. 5th series, pp.

viii.,
120-126.
arrow-heads.
v.,
41-63.
The development
4th
series,
of the knife in pp. 241-248.
206 CARRUTHERS, JAMES:

Antiquities found near Belfast. iii., pp. 127, 128.
Ulster Journal of Archaeology,
vol.
848
207 CLIBHORN, E.
:
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
Probable age of flint instruments found in gravel beds. of Archaeology, vol. vii., pp. 324-333.
Ulster Journal
208 CODY, P.
Stone mould.
308, 380.
iv.,
new
series, pp. 307,
209 DAY, ROBERT, JUN., F.S.A.
Danish spear-head. Journal R. S.A.I., vol. v., 5th series, p. 176. Journal R.H. A.A.I., Flint flakes from the neighbourhood of Belfast.
vol. i., 3rd series, pp. 147, 148. Flint implements fotmd on Toome Bar. v., new series, pp. 227, 228.
210
Du NOYEK,
Worked
G. V.
flints.
Journal Royal Geological Society of Ireland, 1868.

:
211 EVANS, JOHN, F.K.S., &c.
Ancient stone implements, weapons, and ornaments of Great Britain,

pp. 640.
London, 1872.
Stone implements in
Lough Neagh.
Archseologia, vol. xii., pp. 397-408.
212 FFRESCH, REV. J. F.
Small object in stone.
On two
flint celts.
Proc. R.S.A.I., vol.

:
Journal R.H. A. A. I., 4th series, pp. 287, 288. i., 5th series, pp. 342, 343.
213 FUAZER, W.,
F.K.C.S.I., &c.
Proc. R.I.A., 3rd series, vol. i., pp. 216Polished stone implement. 220. Sandstone mould. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. ix., 4th series, pp. 289-291. Small hammers. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. ix., 4th series, pp. 293, 294.
214 GRAY, WILLIAM, M.R.I.A.
Character and distribution of the rudely-worked flints of the North of Ireland. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. v., 4th series, pp. 109-143. Contains a bibliography of papers on the subject up to date. Co. Antrim raised beaches. Proc. R. S.A.I., vol. i., 5th series, pp. 388-390. On flints from the gravels. Belfast Nat. Field Club, 1882, 1883, series ii., vol. 2, pp. 287-289. Rough flint celts of the Co. Antrim. Journal R.H. A. A. I., vol. viii., 4th series, pp. 505, 506. Stone celts found near Belfast. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. ii., 4th
series, p. 138. of the pre-Adamite Theory. Belfast Nat. Field Club, 1866, pp. 44-48. The rudely-worked flints of Antrim and Down. Proc. Belfast Nat. Field Club, new series, vol. i., pp. 108-113. Worked flints, ancient and modern. Belfast Nat. Field Club, series ii., vol. iii., pp. 545, 548.
The Flint-Flake Foundation
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
215 HASSE, REV. LEONARD:
Classification of flint flakes
849
Antrim.
found on the raised beach at Carnlough, Co. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. vii., 4th series, pp. 153-158.
:
216 HITCHCOCK, R.
On
a primitive Stone Implement. p. 371.

J., M.K.I. A.
:
Trans. Kil. A.
Society,
vol.
ii.,
217 KNOWLES, "W.
Flint arrow-head with portion of shaft and ligature of sinew, &c. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. vii., 4th series, pp. 126-128. Flint arrow-head with wooden shaft attached. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. ix., 4th series, p. 113. Flint flakes in the Ballyrudder gravels. Belfast Nat. Field Club, series
ii., vol. iii., pp. 410-414. Flint implements of the N.E. of Ireland. Proc. R.I. A., 3rd series, vol. ^*~- i., pp. 188, 189. Flints from the raised beach at Lame, &c. Proc. Belfast Nat. Field
Club, series
ii.,
vol.
Irish flint saws.
ii., pp. 539-542. Journal R. S.A.I., vol.
iv.,
5th
series,
pp. 341-348.
Survivals from the Palaeolithic
Irish Neolithic implements. Journal R.S.A.I., vol. vii., 5th series, pp. 1-18. Stone axes and chisels. Journal R. S.A.I., vol. iii., 5th series, pp.
Age among
140-163.
Tracked stones.
viii.,
4th
series, pp.
Worked
1878
;
flints.
British Assocation Meeting, Sheffield, 1879.

:
Belfast,
1874;
497-502. Dublin,
218 LONG,
J., C.E.
On
the age of the various stone antiquities found during the Shannon Navigation operations. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. i., 4th series,
pp. 264-267.
219 M'Nui/TY, R.
Graves, stone pp. 382, 383.
celts,
&c.
Journal R. S.A.I.,
vol.
vi.,
5th
scries,
220 MACADAM, ROBERT:

Stone battleaxe.
221 O'LAVERTY:
Relative antiquity of stone and bronze weapons. Archaeology, vol. v., pp. 122127.
Ulster Journal of Ulster Journal of Archaeology, voliii., pp. 233.52, 4.
222 PATTERSON,
W.
H., M.R.I. A.
Flint implements found at Ballymisert, Co. Down. Hist, and Phil. Society, 1880, pp. 165, 166.
Proc. Belfast Nat.
On
a find of worked flints in submerged peat at Portrush, Co. Antrim. vi., 5th series, pp. 383, 384. Site for worked flints. Journal R. S.A.I., vol. ii., 5th series, pp. 154, 155.
223 PLUNKETT, THOMAS, AND COFFEY, GEORGE: Report on the excavation of Topped mountain cairns. 3rd series, vol. iv., pp. 651-658.
Proc. R.I. A.,
850
224 RAPHAEL, GEORGE:
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
Arrangement
vol. v.,
of
collections
of
arrow-heads.
Journal
R.H. A.A.I.,
4th
series, p.
663.
225
BOTHERAM E. CROFTON:
Discovery of flint implements. pp. 425-427.
Journal R.S.A.I., vol. Journal R. S.A.I., vol.
vii.,
5th
series,
Remarkable stone spear-head.

p. 171.
vi.,
5th series,
226 SIMPSON,
vol.
W.
i.,
J.
Worked
227 STAPLES,
Flaked,
flints
found on a raised beach.
Proc.
R.I. A.,
3rd
series,
pp. 76, 77.
J.
H.
Down.
228 TENISON,
chipped, and worked flints in the gravel, Belfast Nat. Field Club, 1868-1869, p. 42.
J.
:
Holy wood, Co.
THOMAS
On
stone celts.
Journal Kil.
A. Society, vol.
ii.,
new
series,
pp.
446-448.
229 VIGOUS, COLONEL PHILIP D.

Slings and sling stones. pp. 357-366.
viii.,
4th
series,
230
WAKEMAN, W.
F.
Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. v., Antiquities discovered in the Co. Cavan. 4th series, pp. 183-200. Flint knife. Journal R.H. A. A. I., vol. v., 4th series, pp. 258-261. Stone celts as found in Ireland. Proc. R. S.A.I., vol. i., 5th series
pp. 155-157.
231 WRITERS, VARIOUS
Geological Survey Memoirs.
XI.
232 ANONYMOUS
Flint
:
FORGERIES.
Round."
vol. xvii., pp.
Jack."
All the Year
259-264.
233 BELCHER, T. W., M.D. (and other writers): Discovery of a number of glass beads on the seashore, Co. Cork. Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. ii., new series, pp. 59, 60, 95, 202, 314. These beads were part of the cargo of a ship wrecked on the beach.
234 BENN, E.
:
Stone antiquities.

:
i.,
4th
series,
pp. 205-7.
235 FEKGUSOX, SAMUEL, LL.D., &c. Inscribed stone on Callan mountain. vol. i., pp. 160-171.
Proc. R.I. A., Pol. Lit. and Ant.,
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
236 FLANAGAN, THEOPHILUS See Ogham. 0' Flanagan.
:
351
237 GRAVES, REV. JAMES
Supposed inscription on Tory pp. 300-304.

238 GRAY, WILLIAM Counterfeit bronze sword.
:
Hill.
i.
ii.,
4th
series,
pp. 122, 123. Flint Jack and his work.
Belfast Nat. Field Club, 1873, pp. 51-53.

:
239 KNOWLES,
W.
J., M.R.I.A.
Counterfeit antiquities. pp. 430, 431.

--Irish antiquities 1873, p. 53.
Journal
R.H.A.A.I.,
vol.
vii.,
4th series,
and modern
forgeries.
Belfast Nat. Field Club, 1872,
240 JEWITT, L.
LEWELLYNN
65-76.
Flint Jack; a
memoir and an appeal (with
portrait).
The Reliquary
vol. viii., pp.
241 TIGHE,
W.
Inscription in the Co. Kilkenny.
Archseologia, vol. xviL, pp. 118-123.
242 WOOD-MARTIN, COLONEL

Flint Jack.
W.
G., M.R.I.A.
viii.,
4th series, p. 211.
XII.
FOSSIL MAMMALIA.
:
243 ADAMS, A. LEITH., M.D., F.R.S.

Alpine hare, bear,
reindeer,
wolf,
mammoth.
red deer dog, fox, horse, sheep, and goat, Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy
1877,
vol. xiv.,
1876, vol. xxvi., part

series 4, p. 246.
5, p. 187.
Journal Royal Geological Society of Ireland,
new
vol. n., Proceedings of the Royal Dublin Society, 1878,
new
series,
Bear] Irish elk.

vol. xv.,
Journal
Royal Geological Society of Ireland, 1879,
red deer, Irish elk, wild Alpine hare, bear, wolf, dog, fox, horse, cattle, 1 1, Scientific Transactions of the Royal Dublin Society, boar.
vol.
i.,
new
series 5, p. 170.
series 2, p. 177.
244 ANONYMOUS
Dog.
Irish
Irish wolf
p. 170.
Penny Journal, 1841, vol. i., p. vol. dog.-Dublin Penny Journal,

cist.
353.
Teeth of the elk found in a
408. i., pp. 9, 10, Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. 4,
852
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
:
245 BAILEY, WILLIAM H., F.G.S.
Journal of the Royal Geological Society of Ireland, Irish elk, reindeer. 1878, vol. xv., new series 5, p. 97.
246 BALL, R., LL.D Annals of Natural History, 1850, Bear.

:
vol. v., p. 234. (Reprint of a previous Paper. ) Bear. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 1849, vol. iv., pp. 214,
and 416-420.
Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 1839, vol. i., p. 253. Idem, 1844, vol. ii., p. 541. Journal of the Geological Society of Dublin, 1844, vol. iii., Cattle.
Cattle.
p..
50.
:
247
BENN, EDWARD
Contemporary existence of man and the Cer. Meg. Hib. A. Society, vol. i., new series, pp. 155159.
248 BLYTHE, E.
:
Journal Kil.
Bear
Journal of the Geological Society of Dublin,

cattle,
1864,
vol.
x.,
p. 173.
Sheep and goats,
Irish elk.
Proceedings of the Royal Irish
Academy, 1864,
vol. viii., p. 472.

:
249 BOYD-DAWKINS, PROF. W., F.R.S.

Early
Man
:
in Britain, 1880, p. 257, &c.
250 BREXAN, E.
Alpine hare, bear, horse, reindeer, mammoth. Journal of the Royal Dublin Society, 1859, vol. ii., pp. 344-350, plates x.-xii. Alpine hare, bear, horse, reindeer, mammoth. Natural History Review, Dublin, 1859, vol. vi., pp. 494-500. (Reprint of previous Paper.)
251 BRYCE, DR. JAMES
:
Horse, sheep and goat, cattle, red deer. 1834, p. 658. (Ballintoy Caves.)
British Association Reports,
252 CANE, ROBERT, M.D., &c.

Irish fossil deer.
i.,
pp. 164-167.
253 CAKTE, A., M.D.
Alpine hare, bear, horse, reindeer,
mammoth.
Journal of the Royal
pp. 351-357, plates x.-xm. Reindeer. Journal of the Geological Society of Dublin, 1863, 1864, vol. x., pp. 103-107, and p. 166, pi. vii. Bear. Idem, pp. 114-119, and 173-4. Irish elk. Journal of the Royal Geological Society of Ireland, 1866, vol. xi., p. 151.
vol.
ii.,
Dublin Society, 1859,
254 CLOSE, REV.
M. H.,
M.A., F.G.S.
Irish elk, reindeer. Journal of the Royal Geological Society of Ireland, 1878, vol. xv., new series 5, p. 74.
255 CODY, PATRICK
Head
of Cer.
Meg. Hib.
i.,
p. 388,
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
256 DENNY,
863
HENRY
Proceedings of the Geological and Polytechnical Society Riding of Yorkshire, 1855, vol. iii., pp. 400-439. Bear. Idem, 1869, vol. iv.,pp. 338-358.
Irish elk.
W.
257
Du NOYKK,
G. V.
Irish elk. Journal of the 1867, vol. xi. (N.S., vol.
Royal Geological Society of Ireland, 1866 i.), pp. 247-248.
258 GENITZ, PROFESSOR H.

Irish elk.
p. 338.
15.
Journal of the Geological Society of Duhlin, 1863, vol.
ix.,
259 GLENXON, R.
/"
Irish elk.
Zoologist, 1847, vol. v., p. 1589.
260 GOING, "W. Q.
Bear, Irish elk. Explanation to sheet No. 133 of Survey of Ireland, 1862, p. 34.
Map
of Geological
261 GRAINGER, REV. CANON, D.D., M.U.I. A.
Extinct wild life. pp. 437-439.
Belfast Nat. Field Club, 1885-6.
Series
ii.,
vol.
ii.,
Sawn fragments
of deers' horn.
iii.,
4th
series, pp. 434, 435.
263 GRAY, "WILLIAM, M.R.I. A.
On
the Megaceros Hibernicus. Head and horn found at Island Magee, Belfast Field Club Report, 1863-5, p. 7. Co. Antrim.
264 HARKNESS, PROFESSOR:
Mammoth.
Geological Magazine, 1870, vol.

:
vii., p.
253.
265 HART, DR. JOHN

Irish elk. p. 238. Irish elk.
Proceedings of the Royal Dublin Society, 1824, vol.
Ix.,
" On the Skeleton
of the Fossil Deer of Ireland," Dublin,

i.,
1830, pp. 1-36, plates 1, 2. Journal of the Geological Society of Dublin, 1838, vol.
pp. 20-23.
266 HAUGHTON, REV.
S., M.D., F.R.S.
Journal of the Geological Society of Dublin, 1861, 1862, Irish elk. vol. ix., p. 340. Red deer, Idem, 1863, 1864, vol. x., pp. 125-127.
VOL. n.
2 B
354
:
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
267 HAUOHTON, PROFESSOR, M.D., F.K.S., MACALISTER, PROFESSOR, M.D., and PLUNKETT, T.
Exploration of the Knockninny Cave, with an account of the animal remains. Proc. R.I. A. (2nd series), vol. ii., pp. 465-483.
268 HEWSON, G. J.
488.
Finds of elk heads, &c.
Journal R.S.A.I., vol.
i.,
5th series, pp. 485-
269 HIBBERT,
S., M.D.
Irish elk.
Edinhurgh Journal of Science, 1825,
vol.
iii.,
pp. 15 and
129. (" Irish elk in Isle of Man.") Irish elk. Idem, N.S., 1830, vol. ii., p. 306.
"
Hist. Notices of Irish
Elk."
270 HOGAN, Rev. EDMUND,
S. J.
The
Irish wolf dog.
Duhlin, 1897.
:
271 HULL, PROFESSOR E., F.R.S.
Journal of the Geological Society of Ireland, 1875, vol. xiv. (N.S., pp. 49-53. Physical Geology of Ireland, 1878, pp. 267-272.
iv.),
272 JUKES, PROFESSOR J.B., F.R.S.

Irish elk.
Journal of the Geological Society of Dublin, 1863 and 1864, vol. x., pp. 127-137, and pp. 168-171.
:
273 KINAHAN, G. H., M.R.I. A.
Fractured bones of Irish elk found in a souterrain at Mullagheep, Co. Donegal. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. ix., 4th series, p. 286. Geology of Ireland, 1878, p. 293. Scientific Transactions of the Royal Dublin Society, 1880 Irish elk.
and 1881, vol. i., ser. 2, p. 177. Transactions of the Edinburgh Geological Irish elk.
vol. xvii.
Society,
1883,
274 KNOWLES,
W.
J.
Dog, horse,
Journal of cattle, red deer, wild boar. Institute, 1877, vol. vii., p. 202. (" Ballintoy.")
Irish Naturalist, vol. viii., pp. 4-6.
the Anthrop.
Remains of the great deer from "Whitepark Bay, Co. Antrim.

275 LENTAIGNE, SIR
Irish elk. p. 168.
The
J.,
M.D.
Journal of the Geological Society of Dublin, 1864, vol.
x.,
276 MOLTNEUX, THOMAS, M.D.
Irish elk. Philosophical Transactions, PI. of the " Irish Elk "
1697, vol. xix., pp. 489-512.

PI.
Mammoth. Philosophical of mammoth teeth.

1765.)
Transactions, 1717, vol. xxix., p. 370.
(Both the above are reprinted in Boates' Natural History of Ireland,
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281 O'REILLY, PROFESSOR,
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292 SMITH, CHARLES, M.D.
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297 WILLIAMS, WILLIAM
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298 YOUNG, R. M., B.A., M.R.I. A.
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300 GEIKIE, JAMES, F.R.S.E.
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301 HULL,
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302 KINAHAX, G. H., M.R.I. A.

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303 ATKINSON, GEORGE M.
Glass heads.
:
Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. vi.,4th

:
series, pp.
69-71.
304 BALL, V.,
C.B., LL.D., &c.
On
a block of glass enamel.
Trans. R.I. A., vol. xxx., pp. 277-293.
305 BEJJN,
EDWARD:
Proc. Historic. S. of Lan. and Cheshire, vol.
:
Ancient glass beads.
viii.
Ornaments of
335-338.
glass.
glass.
Journal
R.H. A.A.I.,
vol.
i.,
3rd series, pp.

4th
series, pp.
Ornaments in
112-114.
viii.,
307 FFRENCH, REV. J. F.
M.
Ancient glass manufactory. pp. 420-423.
Journal R.H. A. A. 1., vol.
vii.,
4th
series,
858
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
:
308 FOWLER, JAMES, F.S.A.
On
the process of decay in glass, etc. 65-162.

:
Archseologia, vol. xlvi.,
pp.
309 HASSE, REV. LEONARD, M.R.I. A.

Glass beads. Irish beads.
Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. i., 5th series, pp. 359-366. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. viii., 4th series, pp. 382-391.
:
310 KNOWLES, "W. J.

537.
Beads and amulets.
v.,
4th
series, pp.
522-
311 NESBITT,
ALEXANDER,
F.S.A.
Probable origin of beads of glass. series, pp. 592-596. 312 O'BYRNE, DANIEL
Glass bead.
:
Journal E.H.A.A.I., vol.
v.,
4th

:
ii.,
new
series, p. 8.
313 PATTERSON, "W. H.
Benn
collection, Belfast
Mus.
Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol
v.,
4th
series,
p. 296.
314 WILDE, SIR. W.R., M.R.I.A

Catalogue
Museum
R.I.A., pp. 162-169.

"W. G., M.R.I.A.
:
315
WOOD-MARTIN, COLONEL
Lake Dwellings of Ireland, pp. 122-125.
xv. -GOLD.
316
ANONYMOUS
Ancient gold balls. Dublin Penny Journal, vol. iii., p. 144. Antique ornaments of gold found in the County Clare. Ulster Journal of Acbseology, vol. iv., pp. 147-153. Druid's Altar. Dublin Penny Journal, vol i., p. 209. Gold Fibulae discovered in Ireland. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. 5, 5th
series, p. 386.
Gold in Ireland. Chambers' Journal, part 16, 1899, pp. 287-289. The "Wlcklow gold mines. Dublin Penny Journal, vol. i., pp. 115-116.
317 BALL, ROBERT, LL.D.
:
The dying gladiator. vol. 6, pp. 152-154. Prpc. R.I.A., The original use of certain golden ornaments and other
articles in the
Museum
R.I.A. Proc. R.I. A., vol.

:
iii.,
pp. 25-27.
318 BETHAM, SIR WILLIAM, M.R.I.A.
Modern and ancient ring money. The ring money of the Celtse.
91-98.
Proc. R.I. A., vol. i., p. 20. Trans. R.I. A., vol. xvii., pp. 7-20,
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
319 BIRCH, SAMUEL
:
859
The Torque
27-38.
of the Celts.
The
Archaeological Journal, vol.
iii.,
pp.
320 BRASH, RICHARD ROLT, M.R.I.A.

vol.
The precious metals and ancient mining in

i.,
Ireland.
Journal R.H. A.A.I,

:
321 CANE, ROBERT, M.D.
The ring money

pp. 322-328.
of ancient Ireland.
i..
322 CLIBBORN,
EDWARD
Historical arguments on the origin of the Irish gold antiquities. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. viii., pp. 88-98. Gold ornaments lately found near Naas. Proc. R.I. A., vol. iii., p. 99. The gold antiquities found in Ireland. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. viii., pp. 36-54.
323 CONYNGHAM,
LORD ALBERT,
F.S.A.
Description of some gold ornaments Archaeologia, vol. xxx., p. 137.
recently
found in Ireland.
324 CROKER, T. CROFTON, F.S.A.

Collectanea Antiqua, vol.
iii.,
pp. 131-152, 221-250.

:
325
DAY ROBERT,
M.R.T.A.,
and others
Gold Torques. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol v., 4th series, pp. 7, A recent important find of gold torques in Co. Donegal. R.H.A.A.I., vol. vi., 4th series, pp. 182-185.
8.
Journal
On
a collection of gold ornaments. 3rd series, pp. 219.

:
Trans. Kil. A.
Society, vol.
i.,
327 DUOAN, C. WINSTON, M.A.
The
gold antiquities of Ireland. iii., p. 304.

:
Belfast Nat. Field Club, series ii.,vol.
328 FRAZEIC, W., F.U.C.S.I.
On
fine gold fibulae, lately discovered in the south of Ireland, and on the Proc. R.I.A., vol. iii., 3rd art processes used in their manufacture.
series, pp.
On
776-783. Irish gold lunulae, with description of those contained in the Royal Academy's museum, and other collections and on the source of gold vol. employed to make Irish gold ornaments. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vii., 5th series, pp. 53-66. On Irish gold ornaments. Whence came the gold, and when ? Part 2, Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. vii. ,5th series, pp. 359-370. On the manufacture of a gold fibula purchased for the Museum R.I. A. Proo. R.I.A., vol. v. 3rd series, pp. 336, 337.
;
360
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
:
329 GRAVES, REV. CHARLES
An
antique gold ornament.

:
Proc. E.I. A., vol.
iii.,
pp. 460-463.
330 GHAVES, REV. JAMES
Gold
The extraordinary discovery
Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. ii., new series, pp. 351, 352. of gold ornaments in Co. Clare. Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. iii., pp. 181, 182.
fibula.
331 GRAY,
WILLIAM
gold
torque
R.H. A.A.I.,
332 GREAVES,
J.
vol.
discovered near Bushmills, ii., 4th series, p. 138.
Co.
Antrim.
Journal
Unique specimen
of gold ring Journal Kil. A. Society, vol.
"
i.,
" money found in the Co. Waterford. new series, pp. 254, 255.
333 HITCHCOCK, RICHARD
The discovery
A. Society,
of a curious gold ornament near

i.,
Omagh.
Journal Kil.
vol.
new
:
series, p. 79.
334 HOARE, CAPTAIN
EDWARD
Ancient Celto-Irish unique collar of gold. Journal Kil. A. Society, vol i., new series, pp. 360-362. A penannular gold ring. Journal Kil. A. Society, vol. i., new series,
391, 392.
penannular ring of gold.

pp.320, 321.
i.,
new
series,
335 JOHNSON,
EDMOND
On
fine gold fibulae lately discovered in the
art processes used in their manufacture.

series, pp.
south of Ireland, and on the Proc. R.I. A., vol. iii., 3rd
776-783.
336 M'NAUGHTON, JOHN
ALEXANDER
An
account of a golden rod found by a peasant in the neighbourhood of Ballycastle, Co. Antrim. Archaeologia, vol. xvi., p. 353.
:
337 MACADAM, ROBERT

pp. 164-168.
Gold dish found in Ireland.
Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol iv.,
338 MADDEN, R. R.
Gold rings found at Strokestown.

339 MADDEN, REV. SAMUEL
pp. 398, 399.
:
Proc. R.I. A., vol.
iv., p.
389.
Discovery of a gold ring.
ii.,
new
series,
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
340 MALLET, WILLIAM
:
861
On
the minerals of the auriferous districts of Wicklow. Geological Society, Dublin, vol. iv., pp. 269-277.
Journal
341 MOLESWOUTH, WILLIAM
Concerning some golden antique instruments found in a bog, Co. Armagh. Trans. R.I.A., vol. iv., pp. 37-39.
342 MOORE, EEV. PHILIP
:
Discovery of a gold torque.
i.,
p. 27.
343 O'CONNELL, MAURICE

"
An
account of
certain
R.I.A., vol.
iv., pp. 166,
antiquities presented to the 167.
Academy.
Froc.
344 O'REILLY, PROFESSOR J.P.,
C.E.
The Milesian
colonization considered in relation to gold mining. R.I. A., vol. vi., 3rd series, pp. 36-78.
Proc.
345 OUSLEY, RALPH, M.R.I.A.

vol. vi., pp. 31-33.
Account of four circular plates of gold found in Ireland.
Trans. R.I. A.,
346 PETRIK, GEOUGE, LL.D.
Gold torques found near Tara Hill. Plates of gold found in Ireland. Dublin Penny Journal, vol. i., pp. 156/244. Gold rings found at Strokestown. Proc. R.I. A., vol iv., p. 389. Two gold torques found at Tara. Proc R.I.A., vol. i., pp. 274-276.
347 PLUMMER, REV. R.
The discovery
of three gold fibulae, a gold bracelet, and a bronze Journal R.S. A. Ireland, vol. i., 5th series, p. 343.
celt.
348 POCOCKE, RIGHT REV. RICHARD,
late
Lord Bishop
of
Meath
An
account of some antiquities found in Ireland. pp. 32-41.
Archoeologia, vol.
ii.,
349 POWNALL, GOVERNOR:
Account of some Irish

-350
antiquities.
Archaeologia, vol.
iii.,
pp. 355-370.
POWNALL, THOMAS:
Further observations on early Irish antiquities. pp. 164-169.
Archaeologia, vol.
vii.,
862
351 ROBERTSON, J. G.
:
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
A
gold ornament found at Claragli, Co. Kilkenny. iii., 4th series, pp. 480, 481.
Journal
R.H.A.A
I.,
vol
352 Ross, REV.
ALEXANDER
Gold ornament discovered in the Parish of Dungiven.

of Ireland, vol.
i.,
Parochial Survey
pp. 304, 305.
353 SMITH, AQUILLA, M.D.

Depositions made
torques, &c. 209.
in the year 1673 relative to the theft of ancient gold Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. ii., new series, pp. 207-
354 SMITH, EUNEST A., F.C.S., Assoc. R.S.M.
Notes on the composition of ancient Irish gold and silver ornaments. Proc. R.I. A., vol. iii., 3rd series, pp. 733-746.
355
WAY, ALBERT
Gold armillae and rings. 48-100.

356 WELSH,
The
Archaeological
Journal,
vol.
vi.,
pp.
ALEXANDER COLVILLE
An ornament made
feiting.
of gold and hronze, or an early attempt at counterJournal Kil. A. Society, vol. ii., new series, pp. 95, 96.
357 WILDE, SIR
W.
R., M.R.I.A.
descriptive catalogue of the antiquities of gold in the Irish Academy. Dublin, 1862, pp. 1-100.
Museum, Royal
viii.,.
Gold antiquities found in Ireland prior to 1747.
Proc. R.I.A., vol.
The
pp. 83-86. destruction of a splendid gold fihula. Journal Kil. A. Society,. vol. ii., new series, p. 445. The gold antiquities recently added to the Museum. Proc. R.I. A.,.
vol. viii., pp.
406-409.
358 WINDELE,
JOHN
Ancient Irish gold. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. ix., pp. 28-50. Ancient Irish gold and its origin. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. ix., pp. 197-222. The ring money of ancient Ireland. Trans. Kil. A Society, vol.' i._ pp. 328-333.
359 YOUNG, R.
M.
Gold mines in Ulster.

vol.
iii.,
new
series,.
p. 61.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
869
XVI.
360
HUMAN
:
CRANIA, OSSEOUS REMAINS
AND
ETHNOLOGY.
ANONYMOUS
Crania.
Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. ix., p. 147. Discovery of an ancient sepulchral chamber. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. iii., pp. 358-365. Prehistoric burial. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. vii., 5th series, pp. 189, 190.
361
BROWNE, CHARLES
Ethnography
of
R., M.D., &c.

Inishboffin,
&c.
Proc. R.I. A.,

ii.,
3rd series, vol.
iii.,.
pp. 317-370. On some Crania.
The ethnography of Ballycroy, County Mayo.

pp. 649-654. Proc. R.I. A., vol. iv.,
The ethnography of the Mullet, Iniskea Islands, and Portacloy, Co. Mayo. Proc. R.I. A., 3rd series, vol. iii., pp. 587-649. The ethnography of Garumna and Lettermullen, in the County
Galway.
Proc. R.I.A.,
:
new
series,
vol.
v.,
pp. 223
268.
362 COFFEY, GEORGE, B.E.
Double-cist grave and remains recently discovered at Oldbridge, Co. Meath. Proc. R.I. A., vol. iii., 3rd series, pp. 747-752.
363 COFFEY, GEO.
BROWNE,
C., M.D.
WESTKOPP, T.
pp. 559-562.
J., M.A.
Report on a prehistoric burial at Newcastle, County of Wicklow.

Proc. R.I.A., 3rd series, vol.
iv.,
364 'CUNNINGHAM, D.
J., M.D., F.K.S.
and BROWN, C. R., M.D.
Osseous remains found at Old Connaught, Bray, Co. Dublin. R.I. A., vol. iii., 3rd series, pp. 421-427. On some human remains recently discovered near Lismore. R.I. A., 3rd serise, vol. iv., pp. 552-558.
Proc.
Proc.
365 DAVIES,
Irish
J.
BARNARD,
M.R.C.S.E., F.S.A.
Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. Crania Britannica.
Ethnology
viii.,
pp. 145-148.
366 EDITOR ULSTER JOURNAL OF ARCHJEOLOOY

Sepulchral Chamber.
Ulster Journal of
Archmology,
vol.
iii.,
pp.
358-365.

Irish anthropology.
Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol.
i.,
oth series, pp.
391-404.
Irish crania. Proc. R.I. A., 3rd series, vol. ii., pp. 643-647. Find of cist with human remains, Dunfanaghy, Co. Donegal.
Journal
R.S.A. Ireland,
vol. viii., 6th scries, pp. 49-52.
364
368 GEOGHEOAN,
BIBLIO GRA PHY.

ARTHUR GERALD
Journal
:
Human
crania.
Kil.
A.
Society,
vol.
iv.,
new
series,
pp.
343-345.
369 GHATTAN, JOHN

vol.
Examination of a sepulchral mound.

i.,
pp. 274-285.
Human remains. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. vi., pp. 27-39. Human remains. Ulster Journal of Archasology, vol. vi., pp. 221-246. On measuring human crania. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. i.,
pp. 198-208.
Skulls, Hist,
and casts of skulls from various Irish sources. and Phil. Society, 1873-4, pp. 121, 126.
teeth in ancient skulls.
Proc. Belfast Nat.
Worn down
vol. ix., p. 239.
370 HADDON, PROFESSOR A. C. &c.

768-830.
Ethnography of Aran Island.
Proc. R.I.A., 3rd series, vol.
ii.,
pp.
Irish craniology. Proc R,I.A., 3rd series, vol. ii., pp. 759-767. Irish craniology. Proc R.I. A., 3rd series, vol. iii., pp. 311-316. Studies in Irish craniology. II. Inisbofin, Co. Galway. Proc. R.I. A., 3rd series, vol. iii., pp. 311 316. Studies in Irish craniology. III. Neolithic cist-burial at Oldbridge, Co. of Meath. Proc. R.I. A., 3rd series, vol. iv., pp. 570-585.
371 JAMES, CHARLES, L.R.C.S.I. 4th

13.
Report on human osseous remains.

series, p.
Journal R.H.A.A.I.,
vol.
iv.,
372 KINCHELLA, Mu.
Stone axe found embedded in a vol. ii., 4th series, p. 255.
human
skull.
Journal R.H.A.A.I.,
373 LALOR, M.
W.
Discovery of
human
remains.
v.,
4th
series,
pp. 446, 447.
374 LAWLOR, J.
pp. 7, 8.
Discovery of a skeleton.
vi.,
new
series,
375 LENTAIGNE,
J.,
M.D.
On some
376 LONG,
portions of a skeleton.
:
Proc. R.I. A., vol. iv., pp. 187, 188.
J., C.E.
On
the antiquity of man in Ireland. 4th series, pp. 264-267.

J.
:
Journal R.H.A.A.I.,
vol.
i.,
377 LYNCH, P.
Human
remains.
ii.,
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
378 M'ELHERAN, JOHN, M.I.C.S.E.
:
86&
The Fisherman of the Claddagh, at Galway. Ethnological sketches. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. ii., pp. 160-167.
379 M'CORMACK, JAMES, C.E.
:
Discovery of
human
skeletons.
v.,
4th series,
pp. 447-449.
380 M'NULTY, R.
Graves, stone 382-383.
celts,
&c.
vi.,
5th series,
381 O'DONOVAN, JOHN, LL.D.
Physical characteristics of the ancient Irish. ology, vol. vi., pp. 191-202.
Ulster Journal of Archte-
382 PEARSON, REV. J. M.

Society, vol.
Bronze spear-head found embedded in a human

i.,
skull.
Trans. Kil. A.
p. 30.
383 PLUNKETT,
THOMAS
COFFEY, GEORGE
Report on the excavation of Topped mountain cairns. 3rd series, vol. 4, pp. 651-658.
384 READE, REV.
Proc. R.I. A.,
GEOKGE H.
Ancient interment at Dromiskin. series, pp. 199-206, 341, 342.

iii.,
iv.,
new
On human
385 SEARANKE,
osseous remains.
S.
p. 277.
J.
On
certain antiquities, &c.

J.
Proc. R.I. A., vol. iv., pp. 388, 389.
386 SMITH,
RICHARDSON
Explorations in a pagan cemetery, discovery of a decapitated skeleton. Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. iii., pp. 374, 375.
387 UPTON,
HENRY
A. S.
On some prehistoric
pp. 387-389.
graves.
vi.,
5th series,
388 USSHER, R. J.
of a crannogc, Discovery of human and other remains similar to those R.I. A. 3rd high above the present valley of the Blackwater. Proc.
series, vol. iv., pp. 550, 551.
389 WESTROPP, T. JOHNSON
Primitive Burial at Rylane, County Clare. vol. vii., 5th series, pp. 178, 179.
Journal R.S.A.
Ireland,
S66
390 WHITK, EEV. P.
:
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
Human
remains found in a cist, also in a cam. vol. iii., 4th series, p. 240.
391 WILDE, SIR
W.
K., M.K.I. A.
Beauties of the Boyne and Blackwater. Dublin, 1849, pp. 40, 41, 212240. On human remains. Proc. R.I.A., vol. vii., pp. 89-91.
392 WRITERS (VARIOUS)
Human
interments.
i.,
pp. 26-29.
XVII. JADE.
393 MAcIi/WAiNE, REV..CANON
:
Jade axe, discovered in the Co. Antrim. 4th series, pp. 316-323.
Journal R.H. A. A. I., vol. v.,
394 KINAHAN, G. H., M.R.I. A.
Geology of Ireland, 1878.
On
different kinds of rocks called Jade.

series, pp.
Journal E.H.A.A. I., vol. v.,
4th
323, 536, 537.
XVIII. JET.
395 ATKINSON,
GEORGE M.
Jet ornaments.
vi.,
4th
series, pp.
69-71.
396 BALL, V., C.B.
An
account of mediaeval Ireland.
The Irish Naturalist,
vol.
iii.,
pp.
74-
76.
397 COFFKY, GEORGE, B.E.
Double cist-grave and remains recently discovered at Oldbridge, Co. Meath. Proc. R.I. A., vol. iii., 2nd series, pp. 747-752.
Jet Beads.
:

:
ii.,
399 PRIM, JOHN, G.A.

vol.
Antiquities discovered
iii.,
new
on trenching a
307-308.
rath.
series, pp.
400 SHEARMAN, JOHN F.
On
a collection of large jet heads.

ii.,
i., p.
32,
vol.
p. 287.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
401 WILDE, SIH "W. R., M.R.I.A.
:
367
"Catalogue" Museum
402 WOOD-MARTIN, COL.
R.I.A., pp. 240-242.
W.
G.,|M.R.I.A.
Lake Dwellings of Ireland, pp. 121-123, 142, 169, Pagan Ireland, pp. 286, 293, 529, 530-532, 587.
177, 191, 201w,
205.
XIX. KITCHEN MIDDENS OR REFUSE HEAPS AND OPENAIR COOKING PLACES.

403 ANONYMOUS:
Open-air cooking places.
pp. 101, 185.
V*
Ulster
Journal of Archaeology,
vol.
vi.,
404 ATKINSON, GEORGE M.
Kitchen middens.

:
ii.,
4thseries, pp. 258-261.
Ancient Pagan cemetery.
ii.,
p. 191.
406 HACKETT, WILLIAM
Ancient cooking places.

:
iii.,
pp. 59-61.
407 KEATIKOE, PATRICK. M.D.
Supposed ancient open

vol.
iii.,
air
cooking place.
Trans.
Kil.
A.
Society,
pp. 11, 12.

:
Some unrecorded antiquities. pp. 10-13.

409 LYMBEURY, REV. JOHN
:
ii.,
4th series,
Kitchen middens on Clare Island.

series, pp. 121, 122, 181, 182.
v.,
new
410 MALCOMSON, ROBERT
Kitchen midden near Ardnahue. series, pp. 117-121, 182, 373.

:
v.,
new
Ancient cooking places.

Ancient 'kitchen midden.
pp. 88, 89.
Journal R.H.A.A.I.,
vol.
ix.,
4th series, 4th

series,
ix.,
868
412 PRIM, JOHN G. A.
:
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
Journal Kil. A. Society, in trenching a small rath. Antiquities discovered vol. iii., new series, pp. 307, 308. Excavation of a rath. Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. ii., pp. 119-127.
413 QUINLAN,
JOHN
Cooking places of the Stone Age. series, pp. 390-392.

414 ROBERTSON, JAMES G.
:
vii.,
4th
Primitive cooking place.

p. 153.
iii.,
4th
series,
415
TOWN SEND
Open
p. 145.
air cooking places.
Statistical Survey of Co. Cork, 1815, vol. Also Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. vi., p. 101.
i.,
416 DSSHER, R.
J.
Objects found in the kitchen middens of raths. vol. vii., 4th series, pp. 362-368.
417
WRITERS (VARIOUS)
:
Ancient Cooking places. Townsend's Survey of the Co. Cork, vol. i., Trans. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. vi., pp. 101, 185 p. 145 Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. vii., Kil. A. Society, vol. iii., pp. 57, 58 Keating's History of Ireland. pp. 663, 664
;
XX. LAKE, DWELLINGS.

418 ANONYMOUS
:
Account of an attack on a crannog in the year 1566 (extracted by Dr. Journal R.H.A.A.I., Caulfield, froma MS. in the Public Record Office.
Lake habitations
logy, vol.
and Ireland. Ulster Journal of Archaeovii., pp. 179-194. " Find" in A (The probable site of a Coolasluasty Lough, Co. Clare. lake dwelling with prehistoric hearths ronnd the margin of the lake). Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. v., 5th series, p. 179. Ancient helmet found in an Island in Killeney Lough, Breasagh, Co. Down. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. iii., pp. 53-55. Ancient iron fetters from a crannog. Ulster Journal of Archaeology,
Canoe
vol. vi., pp. 168, 169. finds in the Co.
vol. viii., 4th series, p. 344. of Switzerland
Cork and Co. Roscommon.
Journal R.S.A.
vii.,
5th series, p. 431. Note on Lake Dwellings. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol.

Ireland, vol.
vii.,
4th
series,
p. 174.
vi., p.
279.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
419 BALL, ROBERT, LL.D. ENNISKILLEN, EARL OF; PETKIE, GEORGE, LL.D.
;
:
869
KELLY, DENIS H.
(I.)
Antiquities discovered in the Lake of Cloonf ree, Co. Roscommon. Discovery of bones of the Fossil Elk. (III.) On Crannog Islands Proc. R.I.A., vol. v., p. 214, 215.
(II.)
420 BENN,
EDWARD
Observations on Irish Crannogs.

series, pp.
On new series, pp. On some objects

Antrim.
Journal Kil. A. Society, vol. 86-90. some antiques found in crannogs. Journal Kil. A. Society,
36-38.
of antiquity
iii.,
new-
vol. iv.

:
found in the parish of Loughguile, Co.

i.,
421 BUICK, REV. G. R., LL.D., M.R.I.A.

*"
Crannog
Second
of
Moylarg.
Journal R.S.A.
Ireland, vol.
iv.,
iii.,
6th series
pp. 27-43.
notice.
5th
series,
pp. 315-331.
422 CROAVE,
J.
O'BEIRNE
Ancient lake legends of Ireland.

pp. 100, 101. Etymology of the
series,
i.,
4th
series,
word " crannog." pp. 221-223.
i.,
3rd
423 D'ARCY, Du. S. A.
crannog near Clones. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. pp. 205-220, 389-403.
:
vii.,
5th series,
424 DAY, ROBERT, JUN.

crannog
sites.
Flint implements found on 227, 228.
Toome
A.
Bar,
Lough Neagh, on supposed
Journaal Kil.
Society, vol. v.,
new
series,
pp.
425 DUGAN, C. WINSTON, M.A.
Notice of an ancient Irish cott found at Maghery, County Armagh, August, 1894. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. v., 6th series, pp.
224-226, 382.
426 DUNNE, RIGHT HON. GENERAL
Crannog in Lough Annagh.

pp. 154-156.
i.,
3rd series,
427 EDITOR ULSTER JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY

Articles found on the site of a crannog. vol. vi., p. 103.
428 ENNISKILLEN, EARL OF.
See BALL.
VOL.
II.
2 C
370
BIBLIO GRA PHY.

:
429 FALKINEU, REV. WILLIAM, M.A.
Notice of a crannog at Lough-a-Trim, Killucan, County Westmeath. Pro. R.I.A., vol. v., 3rd series, pp. 216-218.
430 FITZPATRICK, BERNARD

vol. viii.,
Crannogin Grantstown Lake, Queen's County.
new
series, pp.
228, 229.
431 GARDINER, J. STARKIE, F.L.S.
On
a helmet from a crannog.

ii.,
1884-1885,
series
vol.
ii.,
pp. 364-368.
:
432 GRAINGER, REV. CANON, D.D., M.R.I.A.
An
ancient Irish lake dwelling. series ii., vol. ii., pp. 517-519.
Belfast Nat. Field Club, 1886-1887,
433 GRAVES, REV. JAMES:

Stone and bone antiquities found at a crannog in Ballinderry Lough, Co. Westmeath. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. vi., 4th series, pp. 196-202. Trouvaille from the crannog of Lisnacroghera, near Broughshane, Co. Antrim. Journal R.H. A. A. I., vol. vi., 4th series, pp. 375-408.
434 GRAY, WILLIAM
Crannog canoe from Lough Mourne, Co. Antrim.

vol. vi., 4th series, pp. 371, 372. The crannogs of Lough Mourne. Journal
Journal R.H.A.A.I.,
vol. vi., p. 177.
R.H.A.A.I.,
435 HALL, MR.

Ireland
;
& MRS.
its
J. C.
scenery, &c., vol.

:
iii.,
p. 259.
436 HARKNESS, PROFESSOR B.
Crannog, Drumkeery Lough, Co. Cavan. pp. 433-440.
Archaeologia,
vol.
xxxix.,
437 HAYMAN, REV.
S., M.A.
On
a submarine crannog.
v.,
4th
series, pp.
154, 155.
438 HORE, HERBERT F.
The Earl
of Essex' enterprise for the recoveiy of Ulster. of Archaeology, vol. ix., p. 251.
Ulster Journal
439 KANE, W. DE V. Notes on crannogs in Leitrim. series, pp. 407-409.

:
Journal
R.H. A. A. I.,
vol.
vii.,
4th
440 KELLER, FERDINAND
The
lake dwellings of Switzerland, &c.
London, 1878.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
441 KELLY, DENIS H.
:
371
Antiquities discovered in the Lake of Cloonfree, Co. R.I.A., vol. v., pp. 208-214.
Roscommon.
Proc.
442 KELLY, GEORGE A.
P., M.A.
"Find"
in
Co. Roscommon.
Journal
R.S.A. Ireland,
vol.
v.,
5th
series, p. 180.
443 KILBUIDE, REV. "W.
Etymology
of the
word " crannog."
Journal R.H.A.A.I.,
vol.
i.,
3rd series, pp. 219-222. 444 KINAHAN, G.
HENRY,
F.R.G.S.I., M.R.I.A.
i^,,.
Crannog in Lough Nahinch. Proc. R.I.A., vol. ix., pp. 176-179. Crannog in Lough Naneevin. Proc. R.I. A., vol. x., pp. 31-33. Crannogs in Ballin Lough. Proc. R.I. A., vol. ix., pp. 172-176. Crannogs in Loughrea. Proc. R.I.A., vol. viii., pp. 412-427. Geology of Ireland, 1878. Observations on the exploration of crannogs. Journal R.H. A.A.I.,
vol. i., 4th series, pp. 459-461. Stone crannogs in Lough Bola. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. vii., 5th series, p. 438. Unrecorded antiquities in lar Connaught. Journal R.H. A. A. I., vol. ii., 4th series, pp. 10-13.
445 KIRKER, S. K.
Cloughoughter Castle, Co. Cavan. series, pp. 294-297.

446 KNOWLES,
i.,
5th
W.
J., M.R.I.A.
Portion of a harp and other objects found in the crannog of Carnervagh, Co. Antrim. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. vii., 5th series, pp. 114, 115.
447 LAYARD,
EDGAR
L., C.M.G.
Fortified stone lake dwellings on Islands in Lough Skannive, Connemara. Journal R.S.A., Ireland, vol. vii., 5th series, pp. 373-378.
448 LETT, REV. H. W., M.A.
Ancient canoe found at Lisnagonnell.
new series,
pp. 233, 234.

:
449 LEWIS' TOPOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY
Wooden house
450 LOCKWOOD, F.
in
Lough Annagh,
:
vol.
ii.,
p. 175.
W.
Examination of crannogs, Lough Mourne, near Carrickfergus.

Belfast Nat. Field Club, series 2, vol. ii., pp. 170-174. On the crannogs of Lough Mourne. Journal R.H.A.A.I
.
Proc.
vi.,
vol.
4th
series, p. 177.
2c2
372
451
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
LOCKWOOD,
W.
J.
Examination of crannogs in Lough Mourne, near Carrickfergus. E.H.A.A.I., vol. vi., 4th series, pp. 194, 195.
452 MILLIGAN, SBATON F.
Journal
On
series, pp.
crannogs in the Co. Cavan. 148-152.
vii.,
4th
453 MORANT, GEORGE, JUN.

Ancient
vol.
i.,
floor,
Cargaghoge, barony of Farney.

series, pp. 269,
Journal E.H.A.A.I.,
Society, vol. iv.,
3rd
270.
Crannog in Monalty Lake.

series, p. 379.
Journal Kil. A.
new
vi.,
Crannogs in the lake of Ballyhoe.
new
series, pp.
8-10.
454 MUDGE, CAPT. WILLIAM, H.N.
Ancient structure dug out of Drumkelin Bog, parish of Inver, Co. also Dublin Penny Donegal. Archaeologia, vol. xxvi., pp. 361-367 Journal, 1836, pp. 381-383.
;
455 MULVANY, T.
Artificial
J.
stockaded islands in Leitrim, Cavan, and Monaghan. E.I.A., vol. v., p. 43.
Proc.
456 MUNKOE, EGBERT
lake dwellings of Europe. Cassell & Co., pp. 600. Lake dwellings in Lough Mourne, Co. Antrim. Proc. S.A. (Scotland), vol. xx., pp. 321-330. The structural features of lake dwellings. Journal E.S.A. Ireland, vol. iv., 5th series, pp. 105-114. Second notice, pp. 209-221.
The
457 O'CALLAGHAN, C. G.
Crannogs in Lough Bridgid, Co.^Clare.

5th series, p. 487.
Journal E.S.A. Ireland, vol.
i.,
458 0' DONOVAN, JOHN, LL.D.

vol. vi., pp. 197, 198.
Froissart, Johne's translation quoted.
459 OTWAY, EEV. CJESAR:

Sketches in Erris and Tyrawley.
460 PATTERSON,
Silver
W. H.
brooch found at the crannog of Aghaloughan, Co. Antrim. Journal E.H. A.A.I., vol. ii., 4th series, p. 74.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
461 PETHIE, GEORGE, LL.D.
See BALL.
:
378
462 PLUNKETT, T.
Ancient structure found in peat, near Boho, Co. Fermanagh R.I. A., vol. ii., 2nd series, p. 66.
Proc.
463 READE, REV. GEORGE H.
Discovery of a crannog, parish of Aghnamullen, Co. Monaghan. Journal Kil. A. Society, vol. v., new series, p. 229 (correction) p. 334.
464 REEVES, REV. W., D.D.

*-
"Crannog
of Inishrush and pp. 212-217.
its
ancient occupants.
Proc. R.I. A., vol.

vii.,
vii.
On
certain crannogs in Ulster.
Proc. R.I.A., vol.
pp. 153-158.
465 SHIRLEY, E. P.
Crannogs and remains discovered in them.

pp. 4449. Territory and Dominion of Farney.
iii.,
Archaeological Journal, vol.
London.
466 STANLEY, THOMAS:
Crannog in Lough Annagh.

156, 157.
i.,
3rd series, pp.
467 STUBBS, MAJOR-GENERAL F.
W.
Antiquities of Dromiskin, Co. Louth. series, pp. 271-276.
Journal R.H. A.A.I, vol.
ix.,
4th
468 SYDNEY, SIR
HENRY:
Account of an attack on a crannog in the year 1566, sent hy the Lord Deputy, Sir Henry Sydney, to Queen Elizabeth. Extracted from MSS. Journal in the Public Record Office, London, by Dr. Caulfield.
R.H. A.A.I.,
vol.
i.,
4th
series, pp. 16, 17.
469 TRAILL, ANTONY, LL.D.
On two
crannog R.H.A.A.I., vol.

:
sites
vii.,
(Innis-a-lochen and 4th series, p. 168.
Ballylough).
Journal
470 TRENCH, H. B.
Crannog
in
Lough Nahinch.
Proc. R.I. A., vol. ix., pp. 176-179.
471 TALHOT, HON. JAMES:

Antiquities found at Lagore, Ireland. pp. 101-108.
Archaeological Journal, vol. vi.,
374
472 TTssHER, R.
J.
:
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
to those of a crannog,. Discovery of human and other remains similar Blackwater between Lismore high above the present valley of the Proc. E.I.A., 3rd series, vol. iv., pp. 550-561. Castle and Cathedral. Submarine crannog discovered on the peat under high-water mark at Ardmore Bay. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. v., 4th series, p. 154 also, Proc. R.I.A., vol. ii., 2nd series, p. 61.
;
473 VIGORS, COLONEL P. D.
Outline sketch of crannogs, with some notes on a crannog recently discovered in the County Kildare. Journal Kildare Arch. Soc., vol. i., pp. 391-402.
474 WAKEFIELD,
EDWARD
Account of Ireland,
475
vol.
i.,
p. 94.
WAKEMAN, W.
F.
Journal Antiquities discovered in the crannog of Cornagall, Co. Cavan. R.H.A.A.I., vol. i., 4th series, pp. 461-465. Crannog at Ballydoolough, Co. Fermanagh. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol.
i., 4th series, pp. 360-371. Crannogs in Drumgay Lake, near Enniskillen. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. i., 4th series, pp. 232-235, 305-314. Crannogs in Lough Eyes, Co. Fermanagh. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. i.,
4th series, pp.
553564.
Crannogs of Drumdarragh, otherwise Trillick and Lankill, Co. Fermanagh. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. vii., 4th series, pp. 372-389. Discoveries of ancient crannog structures, chiefly in the Co. Fermanagh. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. v., 4th series, pp. 324-339. Irish Antiquities. Collectanea Antiqua, vol. iii., pp. 37-44. Journal Observations on the principal crannogs of Fermanagh. R.H.A.A.I., vol. ii., 4th series, pp. 305-324. Remarks on Irish crannogs. Proc. Belfast Nat. Field Club, new series,
vol. i., pp. 47-49. Trouvaille from the crannog of Lisnacroghera, near Broughshane, Co. Antrim. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. vi., 4th series, pp. 375-408. Second notice. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. ix., 4th series, pp. 96-106. Third notice. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. i., 5th series, pp. 542-545. Fourth notice. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. i., 5th series, pp. 673-675.
476
WILDE, SIR WILLIAM
R., M.R.I. A.
Account of three crannogs. Proc. R.I. A., vol. vii., pp. 147-153. " Catalogue" antiquities Museum, R.I. A., pp. 220-237. Animal remains and antiquities found at Dunshaughlin. Proc. R.I. A., vol. i., pp. 420-426. Crannog in the Co. Cavan. Proc. R.I.A., vol. viii., pp. 274-278.
477 WILSON, Miss
Crannog of Ballylough.
Belfast Nat. Field Club, 1867, pp. 22-26.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
875
W.
G., M.R.I.A.
Crannog site, Co. Meath, Proc. R.I. A., vol. ii., 2nd series, Pol. Lit. and Ant., pp. 480-484. Notes on crannogs in Longford. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. vii., 4th
series, p. 410.
Lacustrine settlement in
Moynagh Lake, Nobber, Co. Meath. (Read at Meeting, R.I.A., Nov. 12, 1888.) of Ireland. Dublin, pp. 268. Various references to crannogs. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. vii., 4th series, 665-667. pp.
The Lake Dwellings
:
479 WYLIE, WILLIAM MICHAEL, M.A., F.S.A.
Lake Dwellings
177-187.
of the early period.
Archaeologia, vol. xxxviii., pp.
XXI
480 ALLEN,
J.
OGHAM.
:
ROMILLY,
F.S.A. (Scot.)
Ogham
inscribed stones.
ii.,
5th series,
pp. 165-170, 255-267, 276.
481 ANONYMOUS:
Dunloe ogham cave, Dingle.

pp. 612, 615.
i.,
5th series,
Ogham stones. Journal R.H.A.A.T., vol. v., 4th series, pp. 8, 9. The ogham Rosetta stone. Archaeologia Cambrensis, vol. vi., 3rd
pp. 128-136.
series,
482 ARDFEUT,
THE VEN. ARCHDEACON OF

Co. Kerry.
Ogham monument,
483 ARMAGH,
Proc. R.I. A., vol.
vii.,
pp. 100-106.
VERY REV. THE DEAN OF:

stone
Ogham
R.H. A.A.I.,
preserved at the Public Library, Armagh. vol. vi., 4th series, pp. 367-370.
Journal
484 ATKINSON, GEORGE
MOUNSEY
Ancient Irish Treatise on ogham writing, illustrated by tracings from the original MS. Journal R.H. A. A. I., vol. iii., 4th series, pp. 202-236. Ogham cave at Dunloe, Co. Kerry. Journal Kil. A. Society, vol. v., new series, pp. 523-524. Ogham stones at Lisgenan and Glenawillan. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. vi., 4th series, pp. 307-310.
485 BARRY, REV.

Fifteen
EDMOND
ogham inscriptions at Ballyknock, Co. Cork. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. i., 5th series, pp. 514-535. Discovery of an ogham inscription at Rathcanning in the County Cork. Journal of the Cork Hist, and Arch. Society, vol. iii., pp. 41-44. Ogham inscription in Co. Cork. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. vii., 5th series, pp. 79, 80.
Journal R.S.A. Ireland, stones seen in Kilkenny County. Vol. vi., 6th scries, pp. 122-135. vol. v., 5th series, pp. 348-368. Three ogham stones near Kilmacthomas. Journal of the Waterford and
On ogham
S.E. of Ireland Archaeological Society, vol.
ii.,
pp. 228-233.
876
486 BLACKETT,
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
W.
R.
:
Ogham
inscription.
Journal Kil.
A.
Society, vol.
iii.,
new
series,
pp. 7-9.
487 BIIASH, RICHARD ROLT, M.R.I.A.
Ogham chamber at Dunloghan, Co. Waterford. Observations by the Right Rev. CHAKLES GRAVES, D.D., Lord Bishop of Limerick. Proc.
R.I.A., vol.
Ogham
Lit.
x., pp. 103-121. inscribed stones at Ballycrovane, Co. Cork,
Proc. R.I. A. Pol.
and Ant.,
4th
Ogham
iii.,
pp. 196-200. inscribed stones at Camp, or Glenfais.

vol.
i.,

ii.,
320-322. Ogham inscribed stone at Dunbel. series, pp. 238-246.

series, pp.
4th
Proc. R.I. A., vol. x., inscribed stones at Glen Fais, Co. Kerry. pp. 384-395. at Gowran, Co. Kilkenny. Journal R.H. A.A.I., Ogham inscribed stones vol. ii., 4th series, pp. 437-444. Ogham inscribed stone at Kilbonane, Co Kerry. Proc. R.I. A. Pol. Lit. and Ant., vol. i., pp. 27-29. Ogham inscribed pillar-stone at Kilcullen, Co. Cork. Proc. R.I A. Pol.
Ogham
Lit.
and Ant.,
4th
Ogham
iii.,
vol. i., pp. 304-316. inscribed stones at Killeen Cormack.

series,
pp. 165-182. Ogham inscribed stone at Kiltera, Co. Waterford. Proc. R.I. A., Pol. Lit. and Ant., vol. i., pp. 4-7. Ogham inscribed pillar-stone at Monataggart, Co. Cork. Proc. R.I. A.,
Journal R.H. A.A.I., 3rd series, pp. 118-130. Ogham inscribed stones at Tinahally, Co. Kerry. Proc. R.I. A., Pol. Lit. snd Ant., vol. i., pp. 186-191. Ogham inscribed stones, Co. Cork. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. L, 3rd
Ogham
vol.
Pol. Lit. and Ant., vol., i., pp. 172-175. inscribed stone at Seskinan, Co. Waterford.
i.,
pp. 254-264. Joun.c.1 R.H. A. A. I., vol. i., 3rd series, pp. 168-186, readings. 438, 439. Review of a work by R. R. Brash, entitled "The Ogham inscribed monuments of the Gaedhil," etc. Journal R.H. A. A. I., vol. v., 4th
series,
Ogham
series, pp.
450-452. The London, 1879.

J.
:
Ogham inscribed monuments of the Gaedhil.
488 BKOWN,
Ogham
inscribed bone pins
and stone amulets.
vol. iv.,
4th series, p. 11.
489 BUICK, REV. G. R., LL.D.
Report on Ogams recently discovered near Connor, County Antrim. Proc. R.I. A., vol. vi., 3rd series, pp. 265-271.
490 CAULFIELD, RICHARD
Ogham
inscription in a souterrain in Co. Cork. pp. 387, 388.
Proc. R.I. A., vol.
iv.,
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
491 COCHRANE, ROBERT, F.S.A.
:
377
Notes on the newly -discovered Ogham stones in County Journal E.S.A. Ireland, vol. viii., 5th series, pp. 53-60.
492 COLLES, DR.
J.
Meath.
A. PURKFOY
Note on a supposed Ogham
stone,
R.H. A.A.I.,
Ross Hill, County Gal way.
Journal
vol.
i.,
4th series, p. 268.
493 ELCOCK, CHARLES
Ogham
stone,
Co. Cavan.
viii.,
4th series,
pp. 503, 504.
494 ELLIOTT, REV. JOHN

,
Stone bearing inscribed scorings.

series, pp. 370, 371.
vi.,
4th
495 FERGUSON, SIR SAMUEL, LL.D.

Difficulties attendant
on the transcription of Ogham legends, and the means of removing them. Proc. R.I. A., Pol. Lit. and Ant., vol. i.,
pp. 30-64. inscribed stone, Mount Music, Co. Cork. Proc. R.I. A., Pol. Lit. and Ant., vol. i., pp. 192-195. Ogham inscribed stone on Callan Mountain, Co. Clare. Proc. R.I.A., Pol. Lit. and Ant., vol. i., 160-171. Ogham inscriptions at Breastagh, Co. Mayo, at Monataggart, Co. Cork, and at Mullagh, Co. Cavan. Proc. R.I.A., Pol. Lit. and Ant., vol. i.,
Ogham
pp. 201-214, 289-297, 303, 351-353. Fasciculus of prints from photographs of casts of Ogham inscriptions. Trans. R.I.A., vol. xxvii., pp. 47-56. Ogham inscriptions in the cave of Rathcroghan, Co. Roscommon. Proc. R.I.A., vol. ix., pp. 160-170. Ogham inscriptions in Ireland, "Wales and Scotland. Edinburgh, 1887. The Ogham monuments of Kilkenny, &c. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. ii., 4th series, pp. 222-238.
496 FITZGERALD, EDWARD:

Jotting in archaeology.
i.,
new
series, pp.
40-49.
Trans. Kil. A. inscription, St. Declan's Oratory, Ardmore. Society, vol. iii., pp. 227, 282-284. Ogham monument at Ardmore. Journal Kil. A. Society, vol. i., new series, pp. 152, 153. On LugncTi, Leacht and the Diiivhin Deglain. Trans. Kil. A. Society,
Ogham
vol.
iii.,
new
series, pp.
Supposed Ogham inscription.

series, pp.
47-53. Journal Kil. A. Society, vol.
ii.,
new
286, 287.
497 GEOGHEGAN, A. G.
Ogliam
stane.
v.,
new
series, p. 122.
878
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
LORD BISHOP OF LIMERICK:
Proc. R.I.A., vol. v.,. Crosses on stones, along with Ogham inscriptions. p. 234. Notes on the Ogham character on the margin of an ancient MS. of Priscian. Proc. R.I. A., vol. vi., pp. 199, 209-216. Ogham character and alphabet, part ii.- Proc. R.I.A., vol. iv., pp.
498 GRAVES, REV. CHARLES, D.D.,
356-369.
Ogham inscription. Trans. R.I.A., vol. xxvii., pp. 31-40-45. On a general method of deciphering secret alphabetic writings,
as Proc. R.I.A., vol. iv., pp. 70-73. applicable to the Irish Ogham. On an Ogham inscription lately discovered near Gortalea, Co. Kerry. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. v., 5th series, pp. 1-4. On an Ogham monument recently found in Co. Kerry. Proc. R.I. A.,
On On On
3rd series, vol. iii., pp. 374-379. a silver brooch, with an inscription in the
iv.,
Ogham
character.
Proc.
R.I.A., vol.
pp. 183, 184. Ogham monuments. Proc. R.I.A., vol. v., pp. 401-403. Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. the age of Ogham writing.
i.,
pp.
305-307,312-317.
On the Ogham character. 173-180. Proper names occurring in Ogham inscriptions in the cave of Dunloe. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. i., 5th series, pp. 665-672. Note on Oghams. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. vi., 4th series, pp. 439-440. Ogham inscription at Cahirciveen. Proc. R.I.A., Pol. Lit. and Ant., vol. i., pp. 157-159. Ogham inscription supposed to bear an Anglo-Saxon name. Trans. R.I.A., vol. xxx., pp. 97-108. Ogham monument found in Co. Kerry. Proc. R.I. A., vol. iii., 3rd series, pp. 374-379. Ogham monument at Kilcolman. Trans. R.I. A., vol. xxix., pp. 33-42. On Ogham inscriptions. Hermathena, vol. vi., pp. 241-268. On the Ogham Beithluisnin, with a note on Scythian letters Hermathena, vol. iii., pp. 208-252. The Ogham alphabet. Hermathena, vol. ii., pp. 443-472.
Proc. R.I.A., vol. iv., pp.
;
Ogham
vol.
cave at Dunloe.
Journal R.H.A.A.I.,
vol. vi.,
4th
scries,
pp.
312, 313.
On an Ogham
ii.,
inscription in the Co. Kilkenny. 4th series, pp. 432-434.

Society,
On an amber bead with an Ogham inscription. Trans. Kil. A. vol. i., new series, pp. 149, 150. On stone and bone antiquities, with oghamic inscriptions.
R.H.A.A.I.,
Journal
On
vol. vi., 4th series, pp.
196-202.
the supposed Pilasgian inscription on Society, vol. i., pp. 300-304.

:
Tory
Hill.
Trans. Kil. A.
500 HAIGH, REV. D. H.
earliest inscribed monuments of Britain and Ireland. Proc. R.I. A., Pol. Lit. and Ant., vol. i., pp. 424-456. Cryptic inscription on the cross of Hackness in Yorkshire. (The paper contains a good deal of information relative to Irish Oghams). Trans.
Comparison of the
Kil. A. Society, vol.
ii.,
new
series, p.
170-194.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
501
879
HATMAN, REV. SAMUEL,
M.A.
Ogham
stone,
3840.
502
Youghal.
v.,
4th
series,
pp.
HEWSOX, REV. E.
F., B.A.
On Oghams,
including three recently discovered in the Co. Kilkenny, and one in the Co. Waterford. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. vi., 5th series, pp. 22-28.
Discovery of some
Ogham
Ogham Ogham
504
inscription.
inscriptions.
stones. Proc. p .A , vol. iv., pp. 271, 272. Proc. R.I.A., vol. vi., pp. 439-441. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. i., pp. 101-105.
XS-E Fox, COL. AUGUSTUS
Roovesmore Fort, and stones inscribed with Oghams, Aglish, Co. Cork.
Archaeological Journal, vol. xxiv., pp. 123-139.
505 LANGRISHE, R.
Ballyboodan
Ogham
stone.

vi.,
5th series,
4th series,
pp. 177, 178. Fragment of an
Ogham
stone.
iii.,
p. 482, vol. iv., 4th series, p. 175.
506 LETT,
H. W.,
M.A.
Discovery of an
Ogham
stone
in the
North
of
Ireland.
Journal
R.H.A.A.I.,
vol. vii., 4th series, pp.
163-165.
507 MACALLSTER, R. A.
S., M.A.
inscription containing Latin words. vol. vi., 5th series, pp. 175-177. Notes on some of the Kilkenny Oghams.
Ogham
Journal R.S.A. Journal R.S.A.
Ireland, Ireland,
Ogham inscriptions of the barony of Corkaguiney and the Counties of Mayo, Wicklow and Kildare. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. viii., 5th series, pp. 74-76. Sliobhan na Geela. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. vii., 5th series, pp.
177, 178.
vol. vii., 5th series, pp. 221-231. Studies in Irish epigraphy, containing the
The Currans Ogham. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. vii., 5th series, p. 184. The Killeen Cormaic stones. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. 6, 5th series,
pp. 81-83.
The Ogham
retrospect of 1896.
Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol.
vi.,
5th 6th
series, pp. 392, 393.
The Ogham
retrospect of 1897.
viii.,
series, p. 67.
")08
MlLLIOAN, S EATON F., M.R.I.A.
Ogham
inscription, Co. Tyrone. Society, 1887-8, p. 64.
Proc.
Belfast Nat.
Hist,
nnd Phil.
380
509 NASH, D. W., F.L.S.
Irish
:
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
Ogham
inscriptions.
Ulster
Journal of Archaeology, vol.
ii.,
pp. 60-66.
510 NEVINS,
HUGH
N.
Ogham
stone, Co.
:
Wexford.
iii.,
p. 179.
511 O'DALY, JOHN
Ogham
inscriptions
and evidence of their antiquity.

iii.,
Ulster Journal of
Archaeology, vol.
pp. 9-13.
:
512 O'FLANAGAN, THEOPHILUS Ancient inscription in.

pp. 3-16.
Ogham
character.
Trans.
K.I. A.,
vol.
i.,
513 O'GoRMAN, THOMAS
Supposed Ogham inscription on a ruined cromleac at Castlederg, Co. Tyrone. Journal Kil. A. Society, vol. 5, new series, pp. 184, 185.
514 OLDHAM, THOMAS: On some stones with Ogham

517.
characters.
Proc. R.I. A., vol.
ii.,
pp. 513-
Ogham monuments
A. Society, vol.
iii.,
in the rath of Dunbel, Co. Kilkenny. pp. 397-408.
Trans. Kil.
Ogham
282.
inscription.
i.,
3rd series, pp. 281,
Ogham monuments
4th
vol.
series, pp.
iii.,
Ogham
516
of Kilkenny, &c. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. ii., 222-238. monument, Tullaherin, Co. Kilkenny. Trans. Kil. A. Society,
pp. 86, 87.
MAC CULLAGH,
Ogham
JAMES,(F.T.C.D.
stone, Co.
Wexford.
:
Proc. E.I. A., vol.
iii.,
p. 136.
517 REDMOND, GABRIEL, M.D.
Ogham
stone in Salterhridge 4th series, pp. 418, 419.

J.
:
Demesne.
vii.,
518 RICE, LIEUT. -CoL. R.
Kerry Ogham
176.
finds.
Journal R.S. A. Ireland, vol. viii., 5th
series,
pp.69,
519 RHYS, JOHN, M.A.

Irish
Ogham
inscriptions.
Proc. R.I. A. Pol. Lit.
and Ant.,
vi.,
vol.
i.,
pp. 298-302. Query as to Killarney pp. 314, 315.
Oghams.
4th
series,
Notes on an
Ogham hunt in the North of Ireland. Journal Ireland, vol. v., 5th series, pp. 101105. on the Island Ogham at Brucklaghhoy, near Ballyhaunis. Report R.I. A., vol. vi., 3rd series, pp. 279-282.
R.S.A.
Proc.
BIBLIO GRA PHY.

520 SHEARMAN, REV. JOHN FRANCIS:
881
Ogham inscription at Killeen-Cormac. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. ii., 4th series, pp. 544-561. Inscribed stones at Killeen-Cormac, near Dunlavin. Proc. R.I. A.,
Billingual
vol. ix., pp.
253-260.
521 STEPHEN, PROFESSOR
GEORGE
On
scrihings from a cave, Co. Fermanagh.
vol. iv.,
new
series, pp. 11, 12.

D.I).
:
522 TODD, REV. JAMES HENTHORNE,
On an Ogham
523 TUOMEY, J. C.
:
inscription.
Proc. R.I. A., vol.
ii.,
pp. 410, 411.
Ogham monument, Castletimon, Co. Wicklow.
/-
vol.
iii.,
pp. 187-194.
524 VALLANCEY, COL. CHARLES:

Observations on the alphabet of the Pagan Irish. pp. 276-285.
Archaeologia, vol. vii.,
525
WAKEMAN, W.
F.
Ogham pillar-stone at Aughascribbagh, Co. Tyrone.

vol. v., 4th series, pp.
JournalR.H.A.A.I.,
On an Ogham from
750-756. the earn on Topped Mountain, Co. Fermanagh. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. iii., 4th series, pp. 529-542 vol. iv., 4th series, p. 10.
;
526 WILLIAMS,
vol.
WILLIAM
at
Ogham chamber
i.,
Drumloghan, Co. Waterford. Journal R.H.A.A.I., 3rd series, pp. 35-39. Ogham readings, &c. Journal Kil. A. Society, vol. i., new series, pp. 324-340.
527 WINDELE,
Irish
JOHN
Ogham
inscriptions.
vol.
i.,
pp. 43-52.
On Ogham inscriptions. Trans. On the age of Ogham writing.

311, 317-322.
Kil. A. Society, vol. i., pp. 142, 143. Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. i., pp. 307-
JLJLII.-PILLAR-, HOLED-STONES, &c.

528
ANONYMOUS
Druid's altar.
vol. iv., pp. 268, 269.
529 BELCHER, T. W., M.D.:

Pillar-stones.
ii,
new
series, p. 16.
530 CODY, PATRICK:

Pillar-stones.
i.,
pp. 385-389.
382
531 CONWELL,
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
EUGENE A.
:
The Lia
Fail on Tara Hill.

:
Proc. R.I.A., vol. ix., pp. 539, 540.
On
holed and perforated stones in Ireland. vol. vi., 5th series, pp. 158169.
:
Journal R.S.A. Ireland,
533 HITHCOCK, RICHARD
Original purpose for which gallauns Society, vol. iii., pp. 280-282.
were erected.
Trans. Kil. A.
534 JOLY, MONS. P.
Observations on the history of holed-stones in France and Ireland. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. vii., 5th series, pp. 243-245.
535 KELLY,
W.
E., C.E.
Inscribed pillar-stones, Co. Mayo. 5th series, pp. 185-187.
vii.,
On
standing-stones in the County Wexford. vol. vi., 4th series, pp. 39-41.
F.S.A. (Scot.)
:
537
MAC RITCHIE, DAVID,

Holed-stones.

F.
:
ii.,
538
WAKEMAN, W.
Markings on pillar-stones, series, pp. 445-474.

539
&c.
vol.
iii.,
4th
WOOD-MARTIN, COL.
"W".
G., M.R.I.A.
Holed-stone in the Co. Carlow.

series, pp. 471, 472. Holed-stones. Rude stone
viii.,
4th
monuments
of Ireland, &c., pp. 94-108.
XXHI. QUERNS.
-540
ANONYMOUS
Ancient hand-mill or quern. Avv

541 Frrz GERALD, E.
:
vol. iv., pp. 295,
Primitive hand-mill found near Youghal. vol. i., new series, pp. 36, 37.
-542
Journal Kil. A.
Society,
SMITH, J.
HUBAND
On
the querns used
by the
Irish.
Proc. R.I.A., vol.
i.,
pp. 390-393.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
43 TENISON,
888
THOMAS
J.
On
the quern. 354.
ii.,
new
series
pn 352-
544 WILDE, SIR

Cat.
W.
R., M.R.I. A.
Mus. R.I.A., pp. 103-115.
W.
G., M.R.I.A.
Lake-dwellings of Ireland, pp. 85-90.
XXIV. RATHS.
546 ANONYMOUS
Irish
:
and Danish Raths.
Duhlin Penny Journal, vol.

Journal Kil. A. Society, vol
:
iii.,
^**Phe
Moat of Ardscull.
p. 182.
ii.,
pp. 186-197.
547 BIGGER, FRANCIS JOSEPH, M.R.I.A.
Prehistoric Ruths in the vicinity of Belfast. vol. iv., 2nd series, pp. 71-82.
548 BROWNRIGG, JOHN
The
fort of Ardnorcher, or Horseleap, near Kilbeggan, Co. Trans. R.I.A., vol. ii., pp. 43-50.
:
Westmeath.
549 BYRNE, DANIEL
The Dun
of
Cloch-an-Phuca and
i.,
Los-an-Chorain.
Trans. Kil. A.
Society, vol.
pp. 298-300.
550 DICKSON, JOHN M.
Relative antiquity Field Club, vol.
of
iv.,
2nd
Rath, Cromleac, and Tumulus. series, pp. 55-70.

:
Belfast
Nat.
551 FALKINER, REV. WILLIAM, M.A.
Notes upon a Rath souterrain
at Gurteen, Garristown, Co.
Westmeath.
Proc. R.I. A., vol. v., 3rd series, pp. 211-215.
552 GEOGHEGAN, A. G.
On
the origin of Raths.
i.,
3rd series, pp.
87, 88.
Rath
at Glenfoyle. Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. i., pp. 246, 247. Report on the souterrain of a rath. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol.
series, pp. 207,
i.,
4th
208.
The ancient
vol.
i.,
tribes
and
territories
of Ossory.
pp. 246, 247.
554 HEALY, REV.
W.
The
rath of Borrismore. p. 490.
Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol
i.,
5th series,
384
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
:
On bones found in the souterrain of a rath. vol. iii., pp. 175-178.

556 KINAHAN, G. H., M.K.I.A.
Rathgorey,
&c.,
:
Co.
Wexford.
Journal
E.H.A.A.I.,
vol. vi.,
4tlt
series, pp. 39, 40.
557 MARTIN, JAMES, M.U.
On
liss at
Portnascully.
ix.,
4th
series, pp.
558 MAYO, EARL OF
Rathmore.
Journal Kildare A. Society, vol.

:
ii.,
pp. 112-115.
559 MILLIGAN, S. F., M.R.I. A.
The
Erin from the Firbolg to the Norman. Hist, and Phil. Society, 1887-8, pp. 54-60.
forts of
:
Proc. Belfast Nat.
56Q MOLYNEUX, THOMAS, M.D., ETC.
discourse concerning the Danish mounts, forts, and towers of Ireland. Dublin, 1725.
561 MOORE, CAI-T. A.
MONTGOMERY
ii.,
On some
explorations on the
Society, vol.
new
:
series,
Curragh of Kildare. pp. 443, 444.
Journal Kil. A.
562 MOORE, REV. PHILIP
Observations on raths.
Trans. Kil. Society, vol.

:
i.,
pp. 22-26.
563 O'DONOGHUE, REV. DENIS

pp. 315, 316.
Note on Barrow n-Eanach.
Jourual R.H. A.A.I., vol.
vi.,
4th series,
On On
the antiquities of Tara Hill.
Proc. R.I. A., vol.
i.,
pp. 68-71, 75,
76.
the history and antiquities of Tara Hill. pp. 25-232.

:
Trans. R.I. A., vol. xviii.,
365 PRIM, JOHN, G. A.
Rath, at Dunbel, Co. Kilkenny. Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. ii., pp. 119-127. Journal Kil. A. Antiquities discovered in trenching a small rath. Society, vol. iii., new series, pp. 307, 308.
566 Ross, CHARLES, M.D.
Double ditched quadrangular
fort.
new
vi.,
series, pp. 3, 4.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
567 USSHER, E.
J.
:
885
Objects found in the Kitchen middens of raths. vol. vii., 4th series, pp. 362-368.
Journal R.H.A.A.I.
568 WRIGHT,
1758.
THOMAS
;
Louthiana
or,
an introduction
to the antiquities of Ireland.
London,
569
WIUTEKS
(Various)
On
the fort of Tullaghhog. pp. 235-242.
Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. v
AND FOLKLORE.
**""*
570
ANONYMOUS
Archaic Eock Inscriptions, London, 1891. Bonfires of bones. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. viii., p. 76. Cannibalism in Ireland. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. iv., p. 71. Cities buried beneath the waters of lakes. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. vii., p. 348. Exclusion of women from sacred places. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. iv., p. 282 vol v., p. 155. Fairy Annals of Ulster. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. vii., pp.
;
131-143.
Fairy Superstition. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. vii., pp. 73, 74. Folk-lore. Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society, vol. iii., pp. 66, 133-136. Folk-lore of the months. Journal Cork Historical and Archaeological vol. ii., pp. 157Society, vol. i., 2nd series, pp. 413-420, 553-557 160, 316-323, 365-367. Funeral customs. Journal E.S.A. Ireland, vol. v., 5th series, pp. 86, 87. Healing Well. Proc. Belfast Nat. Field Club, vol. i., new series,
;
p.
401.
Holed stone near

Ireland, vol.
v.,
Eoscan
viii.
round tower, Galway.
Journal E.S.A.
5th series, p. 286.
Notes and queries, vols.
and
ix.,
7th series.
See under heading of
Ulster Journal of Archaeology, Ulster. pp. 126-129. Some Irish legends. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. vii., p. 70. The cow legend of Corofin, Co. Clare. Journal E.S.A. Ireland, vol. v., 5th series, p. 227. Weasel folklore in Munster. Journal E.S.A., Ireland, vol. vi., 5th series, pp. 256, 257.
vol.
ii.,
Couvade. Eustic proverbs current in
571 ATKINSON, G.
444.
M.
Imokilly amulet.
iu.,
572 BALDWIN, WILLIAM:
Beware the
VOL.
II.
cat.
London
(circa 1560).
2 D
886
573 BABDAN, PATRICK
:
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
The shamrock.
179.
Journal U.S.A. Ireland, vol. v., 5th
series, pp.
178,
574 BANON, BERNARD
Need
fire.
Journal K.H.A.A.I., vol.

S.,
vi.,
4th series, pp. 64, 65.
575 BARING-GOULD,
M.A.
The
origin and development of religious

:
helief.
London, 1871.
576 BEAUFORD, WILLIAM, A.B.
Caoinan;
or,
the ancient Irish lamentation.
iv.,
pp. 41-54.
Belfast folklore. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, 2nd series, vol. iii., p. 136. Holy well and bullan stone at Temple Feaghna and the holy well and shrine of St. Finan's, Co. Kerry. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. viii., 5th series, p. 314. Local folklore. Belfast Nat. Field Club, vol. iii., 2nd series, pp. 545548.
578 BLACKETT,
W.
R.
Antiquities in the Co. Waterford. vol. i., p. 497.
Holy well.
Trans.
-Kil.
A. Society,
579 BLAIR, MRS. J.
Items of folklore. 583-586.
Belfast Nat. Field Club, vol.
iii.,
2nd
series, pp.
580 BRADY, DR. MAZIERE
Swearing stones.
p.
Records of Cork, Cloyne, and Ross.
Dublin, vol.
i.,
190.
581
B KENAN, REV. SAMUEL ARTHUR

Folklore.
Journal R.H.A.A.I.,
:
vol. ix.,
582 BROWNE, CHARLES, M.D.
The ethnography
series,
of Ballycroy, Co.
Mayo.
Proc. R.I. A., vol. iv., 3rd
pp. 74-111.
The ethnography of the Mullet, Inishkea Island, and Portacloy, Co. Mayo. Proc. R.I.A., vol. iii., 3rd series, pp. 587-649.
583 BUCHANAN,
EDWARD
Cure for warts.
Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. iv., p. 272.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
584 BUCKLAND, A.
887
W.
Anthropological studies.
London, 1891.
585 BYRNE, D.
Folklore.
i.,
pp. 149-154.
586 CAMDEN SOCIETY PUBLICATIONS

Witchcraft
;
proceedings against Dame Alice Kyteler, prosecuted for Edited by sorcery in 1324 by Richard De Ledrede, Bishop of Ossory. Thos. Wright, F.S.A., 1843.
587 CAULFIELD, DR.
Garnavilla amulet.
5Sif
v.,
4th series, p. 347.
CLODD,
EDWARD
The childhood of religious. London, 1891. The childhood of the World. London, 1893. The story of Creation. London, 1896.
589 CODY, PATRICK
Folklore.
:

:
ii.,
pp. 87-102.
590 COLGAN, NATHANIEL, M.R.I. A.
The shamrock
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591 CROKER, T. CKOFTON
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592 CROWE, J. O'BEIRNE,
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593 DAY, ROBERT, R.S.A.
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594 DUNCAN, LELAND L.
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888
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597 EDITOR ULSTEK JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY
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598 FELTTJS, B. B.
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599 FERGUSON, SAMUEL, LL.D., ETC/
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600 FITZGERALD,
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601 FLAHEUTY,
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602 FRAZER, WILLIAM, F.R.C.S.I.
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603 FITZGEUALD, LORD WALTER, M.R.I.A., ETC.
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604 GOMME, GEORGE LAURENCE, F.S.A.
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605 GOMME, G. L., F.S.A. (Edited by)
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:
London, 1885.
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607 GRAY, WILLIAM, M.R.I. A.
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889
Holy Wells. 86-95.

608
Proc. Belfast Nat. Field Club, vol.
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GWYNN, STEPHEN
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Irish poetry.
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Bacach, or professional beggar, viewed archceologically. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. ix., pp. 265-271.
Irish
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610 HADDON, PROFESSOR A. C.
batch of Irish Folk-lore.

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611 HALL,
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-Folk-lore, vol. iv., pp. 349-364. Folk-lore, vol. iv., pp. 123, 124.
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its
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:
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612 HARDY, PHILIP DIXON
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613 HARTLAND, E. SIDNEY,

Pin-wells and
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Bushes.
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614 HENNESSY,
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615 HEWSON, GEORGE T.
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viii.,
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616 HICKSON,
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617 HITCHCOCK, RICHARD:
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i.,
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618 HOPE, R. C., F.B.A., ETC.
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619 HORE,
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620 HORE,
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622 HTTTCHINSON, REV. H. N.
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623 JEWITT, LLEWJELLYNN, F.S.A.
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624 JOYCE, P. "W.,
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625 KENNEPY, PATRICK
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626 KINAHAN, G. H., M.H.I. A.

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627 LARMINIE, WILLIAM
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":*"").-".
628 LUBBOCK, SIR JOHN, BT.
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630
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631 MACALISTER, E. A.
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891
Dingle District. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. viii., 5th series, p. 71. Sliobhan na Gula. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. vii., 5th series, pp.
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632 MACKENZIE, "W.
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633 MALCOMSON, ROBERT On an ancient pamphlet, entitled "Beware the Cut." Society, vol. i., 3rd series, pp. 187-192.
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634 MASON,
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63*f~MAxwELL, WILLIAM HAMILTON
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636 MEYER,
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637 MILLIGAN, SEATON F. Witchcraft in the Co. Tyrone.

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638 MCLENNAN, JOHN F., M.A.
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639 MOLLAN, L.
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640 NAPIER, JAMES, F.R.S.E.

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641 NOLAN, JOSEPH, F.R.C.S.I.
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642 NUTT, ALFRED
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i.,
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Saga.
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643 O'BYRNE, DANIKL Folklore of the midland Counties of Ireland.

:
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ii.,
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644 O'CoNOR, DR. Columbanus ad Hibernos,

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645 0' DONOVAN, JOHN, LL.D. Elegy on the death of the Rev.
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646 O'KEARNEY, NICHOLAS:

Folklore.
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647 O'KEEFE, C.
M.
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98, 171, 172.
iv.,
pp.
648 O'LAVERTY, JAMES: Correspondence of Irish, Greek, and Oriental legends. of Archaeology, vol. vii., pp. 334-346.
Ulster Journal
649 O'LAVERTY, EKV. JAMES, M.R.I.A.
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242.
i.,
650 OLDEN, REV. T., D.D.
Remarks supplementary to Dr. Joyce's paper on the occurrence of the number two in Irish proper names. Proc. R.I.A., 3rd series, vol iv.,
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651 OTWAY. REV. C.SSAR
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652 PATTERSON, "W. H.

Holywell.
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653 PATTERSON,
55.
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654 PEACOCK,
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:
4th
series, p.
469.
MABEL
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Well, Co. Clare.
Irish
Penny
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656 PHILPOT, MRS.
J.
393
H.
The
sacred tree, or the tree in Religion and Myth.

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London, 1897.
657 POUTER, REV. THOMAS H., D.D.
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834.
Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. v., pp. 12-16.
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659 PURDON, H. S., M.D. Note on an old surgical remedy.

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66(^*fiiCHARDSON, JOHN, CLK. Great folly, superstition, and idolatry of pilgrimages in Ireland. 1727.
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661 RYCHE, BARNABY
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Irish prognostication, &c.
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662 SALMON, JOHN,
M.B.S.A., Ireland
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Ulster
663 SEATON, R. C
On
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The
Archaeological Review, vol.
iv.,
pp. 308-310.
664 STOKES, WHITLEY, LD.D.
The Bodleian Dinnshenchus.

665 TOLAND, JOHN
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Folklore, vol.
iii.,
pp. 467-516.
History of the Druids.
Second edition, 1814.
666 WAKE, C. STANILAND:
The development
667 WAKEMAN, "W. F.
:
of marriage
and kinship.
London, 1889.
Wells in the N.W. of Ireland. pp. 365-384.

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v.,
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668 WALKINGTON, Miss L. A. A Bundoran legend. Journal R.S.A.

:
Ireland, vol vi., 5th series, p. 84.
669 WEBH, WILFRED MARK, F.L.S. True shamrock, and sham shamrocks, with
Magazine,
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Harmsworth
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670 WESTROPP, J.
J.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY.
Folklore in Limerick "and Clare. series, pp. 491, 492.
Journal R.S. A. Ireland, vol.
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671 WESTROPP,
THOMAS JOHNSON,
B.A.
Adhair, Co. Clare, the place of inauguration of the Dalcassian Proc. R.I. A., 3rd series, vol. iv., pp. 55-60. Kings. The churches of County Clare. Contains a list of holy wells. Proc. R.I. A., vol". vi.,.3rd series, pp. 100-180.
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672 WILDE, LADY
Ancient cures, charms and usages of Ireland. London. Ancient legends, mystic charms and superstitions of Ireland.
673 WILDE, SIR W.R., M.U.I.A.
Altar stones.
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London.
Cat. Mus., R.I.A., pp. 131, 132.

its
Lough
(574
Corrib,
shores and islands.
"WINDELE, JOHN
306-326.
Medical superstitions.
v.,
new
series, pp.
675
WOOD-MARTIN, COLONEL
"W. G., M.P..I.A.
Cursing and healing stones.
History of Sligo, vol.

:
iii.,
pp. 360-369.
676 WRIGHT,
THOMAS,
F.S.A. (edited by)
Proceedings against
Dame
Alice Kyteler.
Camden
Society.
677 YEATS,
W.
B.
Irish Folklore.
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Belfast Nat. Field Club, series 2, vol. iv., pp. 46-48. Fortnightly Review, April, 1898.
XXVI.
678
/?OCAT
:
SCULPTURINQS AND ORNAMENTATION.

London, 1891.
:
ANONYMOUS
Archaic Rock inscriptions.
679 BUASH, RlCHARD R., M.R.I. A.

Inscribed cromleacs.
JournalR. H.A. A. I., vol. iu., 4th series, pp. 101-103.

:
680 COFFEY, GEOKGE, B.A., M.R.I. A.

Inscribed stones at
,-
E.I. A., vol. xxx., pp. 1-96. Journal R.S. A. Ireland, vol. viii., 5th series, pp. 93-111. Note on the derivation of the New Grange spirals. Journal R.S. A. Ireland, vol. vii., 5th series, pp. 248-253. Op stone markings, ship figure, &c., recently discovered at Dowth, in the County of Meath. Proc. R.I. A., 3rd series, vol. iv.,pp. 58G-588. The origin of Prehistoric Ornament in Ireland. Journal R.S. A. Ireland, vol. iv., 5th series, pp. 349-379. The origin of Prehistoric Ornamentation in Ireland, second notice. Journal R.S. A. Ireland, vol., v., 5th series, pp. 16-29, 195-211, vol. vi., 5th series, pp. 34-69, vol. vii'., 5th series, pp. 28-52.
New Grange^&e.^Trans.
Knockmany.
IBLIOGRA PHY.
681 CONWELL,
EUGENE A.
Inscribed cromleac.
Proc. R.I. A., vol. ix., pp. 541-545.

:
Rock carvings
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in
County Cork.
Journal R.H.A.A.I.,
vol. i.,
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683 DBANE, T. N.
165.
Some ancient monuments,

684
&c.
Proc. R.I. A., 3rd series, vol. i.,pp. 161-
Du NOYER, GEORGE
V., M.R.I.A.
Carved rock at Ryefield, Co. Cavan. Journal Kil. A. Society, vol. v., new series, pp. 379-385. Remarks on a kistvaen and some carvings on an " earth fast " rock in the Co. Louth. Journal Kil. A. Society, vol. v., new series, pp. 497-501.
:
685 FERGUSON, SAMUEL, LL.D.

Inscrihed
cromleacs.
ii.,
4th
series,
pp.
523-531.
686 FRAZER, AY.,
F.R.C.S.I.
Notes on incised sculpturings on stones in the cairns of Sliabh-naCalliaghe, near Loughcrew, Co. Meath, Ireland, with Illustrations, from a series of ground plans and water-colour sketches, by the late G. V. Du Noyer, of the Geological Survey of Ireland. Proceedings
On
1
of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 1894, pp. 294-340. a series of coloured drawings of scribed stones in the Loughcrew
cairns, by the late G. vol. i., pp. 451-453.
V.
Du
Noyer.
Proc. R.
I.
A., 3rd series,
On cup-markings
345.
in megalithic monuments due to Echinus Lividus. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. v., 5th series, pp. 64-71. Rude bone pins of large size. Proc. S. A. (Scotland), 1896, pp. 340-
On
a rubbing of an inscription at Lennan, Co. R.I.A., vol. iv., pp. 368, 369.
Monaghan.
Proc.
688 GRAVES,
VERY REV. CHARLES,

monuments
D.D.
Inscribed
in the Co. Kerry.
Proc. R.
.
I.
A., vol. ix., pp.
179-181.
s
689 GRAVES, REV. JAMES, A.M.
Boulder with carvings at Clonanlough, King's County. Journal Kil. A. Society, vol. v., new series, pp. 354-362. Cup and circle sculptures asoccurringin Ireland. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. iv., 4th series, pp. 283-286.
690 GRAY, "WILLIAM, M.R.I.A.
On cup markings
1879-1880, 2nd
Belfast Nat. Field Club, in the north of Ireland. series, vol. i., pp. 427, 428.
896
91 JONES,
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
COLONEL:
Proc. R.I. A., vol.
iii.,
Scribings on a rock at Drumlish.
pp. 147-149.
92 KELLY,
W.
E., C.E.
Inscribed pillar stones, Co. Mayo. 5th series, pp. 185-187.
vol. v.,
93 KINAHAN, G. H., M.II.T.A.
Cup-marked and inscribed stones in the Counties of "Wicklow and "WexJournal R.H.A.A.I., vol. vi., 4th series, pp. 222-237. ford. The Mevagh inscribed stones and other antiquities. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. viii., 4th series, pp. 427-437.
:
Cup-marked cromleacs.
pp. 526-528.
Journal
R.H. A.A.I.,
vol. viii.,
4th
series,
95 MAGENNIS, J. P.
Incised scorings on the sides of a natural cave,
known as the " lettered cave," on Knockmore mountain, near Derrygonnely, Co. Fermanagh. vol. iv., pp. Journal Kil. A. Society, vol. iii., new series, p. 171
;
11, 12.
96 PARKINSON,
HENRY
Curious inscribed stone found near R.I. A., vol. x., pp. 240-242.
97 ROTHEKAM, E.
Inscribed
Cabinteely,
Co.
Dublin.
Proc.
CROFTON
Stones. 171, 172.
viii.,
5th series, pp.
Ornamental bone
flake from Slieve-na-Caillighe. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. vi., 5th series, pp. 257, 258. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. vii., 5th series, p. Slieve-na-Caillighe. 427.
98 SIMPSON, SIR J. Y., BT.
Archaic sculpturings of cups, Edinburgh, 1862.

99 SMITH,
circles,
&c.,
upon stones and
rocks.
OWEN:
iv.,
Bone comb, Kilmessan, Co. Meath.

700 SMITH, REV. G. SIDNEY, D.D.
An account of some characters found on stones on the top manny Hill, Co. Tyrone. Pioc. R.I.A., vol. ii., pp. 190,
of Knock 191.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
701 "WAKEMAN,
897
W.
F.
Monument
exhibiting cup markings and circles with channels, from the neighbourhood of Youghal. Journal R.H.A.A.I,, vol. v., 4th series,
pp. 603, 604.
On
certain markings on rocks, pillar stones, and other monuments. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. iii., 4th series, pp. 445-474. On sepulchral scribings and rock markings, with suggestions for their Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. v., 4th series, pp. 538-561. classification. On the cavern called " Gillies' Hole," at Knockmore, Co. Fermanagh. Proc. R.I.A., vol. x., pp. 395-397. On the inscribed cavern in the parish of Bohoe, Co. Fermanagh. Proc. R.I.A., vol. x., pp. 327-329. The cave of Knockmore, with remarks on the character of the primitive Proc. R.I. A., vol. x., pp. 229-232. scorings.
702 WESTKOPP,
HODDEU M.
On ~^0n
rock carvings. Proc. R.I.A., vol. x., pp. 232-234. Proc. R.I.A., vol. viii. pp. 322-324. the Pre-Christian Cross.
XXVII.
ROMAN
703 AETHICUS
:
COINS, ANTIQUES,
AND PRE-CHRISTIAN NOTICES OF IRELAND.
Cosmographia Aethici,
vol.
iii.,
Istrii, ab Hieronymo, ed. H. Wuttke. Lipsiae, 1854: see also Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. ii., pp. 281, 282 ;
pp. 80, 81.

:
704 BKAUFORD, WILLIAM, A.B.
Ancient Ireland, according to Ptolemy. 51-77.
Trans. R.I.A., vol.
iii.,
pp.
705 BETHAM, SIR WILLIAM (AND OTHERS)

vol. iv., pp. 29-34, 36, 37, 74, 75.
Etruscan coins supposed to have been found in Ireland.
Proc. R.I. A.,
706 BRADLEY,
HENRY
Ptolemy's Geography of the British pp. 377-396.
Isles.
Archseologia, vol. xlviii.,
707 CARRUTHERS, JAMES
native manu(The remains appear to be of purely new series, pp. 164, 165. Journal, Kil. A. Society, vol. i., Ulster Journal of ArchaeoList of Roman coins found near Coleraine.
On Roman
facture.)
remains.
On
logy, vol. ii., pp. 187-192. the discovery of some coins. series, pp. 49, 50. On the discovery of some coins.
Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol.
i.,
new
pp.
11.,
Recent discovery of Roman coins and other articles near Coleraine, Co. D erry. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. ii., pp. 182-192.
898
708
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
DRUMMOND, EEV. W. H.,
D.D.
I.
:
Roman
coins.
Proc. R.
A., vol.
ii.
pp. 185-190.
709 FRAZER, "W., F.U.C.S.I.
On
a find of Roman coins. pp. 103-106.

:
viii.,
4th
series,
710 HAEDIMAM, JAMES, M.B.I. A.
Maps, &c., relating to Ireland.

711 LEDWICK, REV.
Trans. R.I.A., vol. xiv., pp. 57, 58.

:
EDWARD,
LL.B., ETC.
Romantic History of Ireland.

712 MACCULLAGH, PROFESSOR
I
iv.,
pp. 21-32.
Roman
coins.
Proc. R.I. A., vol.
ii.,
pp. 184, 185.
713 M'SwEENEY, C:
Antiquity of letters in Ireland.
pp. 281, 282, vol.
iii.,
ii.,
p. 80, 81.
714 O'DoNOVAN, JOHN
Pre-Christian notices of Ireland. viii., pp. 239-251.
715 ORPEN,
GODDAKD H.
Ptolemy's map of Ireland. pp. 115-128.

716 PETEIE, GEORGE, LL.D.
:
iv.,
5th series,
Ancient coins. Proc. R.I. A., vol. v., pp. 199, 200. Roman coins found near Rathfarnham. Proc. R.I. A.,
445.
vol.- vi.,
pp. 441
717 PICTET, PROFESSOR

Origin of the pp. 52-60.
ADOLPHE
name
of Ireland.
Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. v.,
718 PINKERTON,
W.
Roman
intercourse with Ireland.
Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. v.,

Ulster Journal of
pp. 32-36.
Contribution towards a history of Irish commerce. Archaeology, vol. iii., pp. 177-180.
719 PORTER, J. SCOTT:

Discovery of Roman coins and other articles near Coleraine, Co. Derry. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. ii., pp. 182-192.
720 READE, REV. G. H.
Roman
coin found at Brugh-na-Boinne. 3rd series, p. 50.
i.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
721 Ross, REV.
899
ALEXANDER
Coin of the Emperor Nero.
Parochial Survey of Ireland, vol.
i.,
p.
722 TRAIL, REV. ROBERT : Coin of the Emperor Valentinianus.

i.,
p. 155.
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723
WALKER, JOSEPH COOPER,
M.R.I. A.
Origin of romantic fabling.
Trans. R.I.A., vol.
x.,
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724 WEST, WILLIAM, M.D.
Ancient geography of the British

725
Isles.
Proc. R.I.A., vol.
i.,
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WOOD, THOMAS, M.D. *~Mixture of fable and

pp. 3-80.
fact in the early annals.
xiii.,
XX% III. RUDE STONE MONUMENTS, CISTS, GRAVES, AND CEMETERIES, &c.
T
726 ANNESLEY,
LORD
Cromlech near Castle william.

series, p. 87.
Journal R.S. A. Ireland,
vol.
v.,
5th
727
ANONYMOUS
Cromleac. Dublin Penny Journal, vol. i., p. 245. Cromleacs. Dublin Penny Journal, vol. ii., pp. 101, 293, 301, 308,
309, 381, 382.
Discovery of an ancient sepulchral chamber. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. iii., pp. 358-365. Druid seat. Dublin Penny Journal, vol. ii., p. 256. Excursion to the Loughcrew Hills. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. v., 5th series, pp. 303-310. Fires of bones. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. vii., p. 77. Loughcrew. Dublin Penny Journal, vol. iv., p. 287Pre-historic burial. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. vii., 5th series, pp.
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81, 82.
series, pp.
728 ATKINS, RINGROSE, M.A., M.D. The rude stone monuments of our own and other lands. Journal of the Waterford and S.E. of Ireland Archaeological Society, vol. ii., pp. 6080, 131-161.
:
729 ATKINSON, G. M.
On
a stone 307.
circle.
Journal R.H.A.A.I.^vol.
vi.,
4th series, pp. 306,
400
730 BKNN, GEORGE
:
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
Alleged discoveries in a earn. series, pp. 107-109.
i.,
new-
731 BERANGER, GABRIEL
Eude
stone 150, 151.
monument.
i.,
4th
series, pp.
732 BRASH, RICHARD E., M.R.I. A.
Cromleac at Castlemary. Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. ii., new series, pp. 255-259. Journal E.H.A.A.I., vol. iii., 4th series, pp. Inscribed Cromleacs. 101-103. Tumuli. Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. ii., pp. 272-276.
733 BKILEY,
W.
P.
The
gallan at Tallaght. pp. 173, 174.
viii.,
5th series,
734 BROGAN,
M.
Sepulchral monuments.
Proc. R.I. A., vol. x., pp. 440-443.

:
735
BROWN, DR.
S. F., T.C.D., ETC.
Vicar's earn.
Trans. R.I.A., vol.,

:
viii., pp.,
3-9.
736 BUICK, REV.
GEORGE R.
in a grave.
White stone
336, 337.
viii.,
4th
series, pp.
737 BYRNE, D.:
On
a cromleac.

:
i.,
pp. 131, 132.
738 CLAKK,
HENRY
P.
Small sepulchral
pp. 139, 140.
cist.
ii.,
p. 181
vol.
iii.,
739 CLARK, REV. FRANCIS E., M.D., LL.D.
Notes on the Tinncarra Cromlech near Boyle. 3rd series, pp. 374-376.
740 CLIBBORN, E.
:
Proc. E.I. A., vol.
v.,
Suggestions as to the manner in which great covering stones were lifted on their supports. Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. v., ne\v series, pp. 484-486.
741 CODY, PATRICK:
On some
cists.
i.,
pp. 385-389.
BIBLIO GRA PHY.

742 COFFEY, GEORGE,
II.A.
:
401
Double cist grave and remains recently discovered at Oldbridge, Co. Meath. Proc. K.I. A., vol. hi., 3rd series, pp. 747-752. Knockmany. Journal E.S.A. Ireland, vol. viii., 5th series, pp. 93-111. Notes on the prehistoric cemetery of Loughcrew. Trans. 11. 1. A., vol.
xxxi., pp. 23-38.
M.K.I.A., on Belmore mountain, Proc. E.I.A., 3rd series, vol. iv., pp. 659-661. Co. Fermanagh. On stone markings (ship figure) recently discovered at Dowth, in the County of Meath. Proc. R.I.A., 3rd series, vol. iv., pp. 586-588. Proc. E.I. A., vol. iv., 3rd series, pp. 16-29. Prehistoric Cenotaphs. Tumuli at New Grange, &c. Trans. E.I. A., vol. xxx., pp. 1-96.
On a cairn excavated by Thomas Plunkett,
743 COFFEY, GEORGE; BROWN,
C., M.D.
WESTKOPP, T.
J., M.A.
Eeport on a prehistoric burial near Newcastle, County of Wicklow. Proc. E.I.A., 3rd series, vol. iv., pp. 559-562.
744 CONWELL, EUGENE ALFRED, M.R.I. A.

Ancient cemetery of Loughcrew.
Proc. E.I. A., Pol. Lit. and Ant. vol.i.,

ix.,
pp. 72-106. Ancient sepulchral cams and other remains. Proc. E.I. A., vol. 42-50, 355-379. Cromleac near Eathkenny. Proc. E.I.A., vol. ix., pp. 541-545. Tomb of Ollamh Fodhla. London, 1873.
pp.
745 COOPER, COLONEL EDWARD H. Megalithic remains at Carrowmore, Co. Sligo. vol. v., 4th series, pp. 155-157.
:
Journal R.H.A.A.I.,
746 CORNWALL, EGBERT B.
Graves near Killucan.
Proc. E.I.A., vol.

:
iv., p.
149.
747 COSGRAVK, EEV. CONSTANTINE

Cromleac.
Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. iii., pp. 57, 58. Sepulchral monument. Journal Kil. A. Society, vol. i., new
series, p.
52
748 DEANE, SIR T. N.
Ancient monuments. Proc. E.I.A., Ancient monuments in Co. Kerry. pp. 100-107.
749 DICKIE, G.
:
vol.
i., 3rd series, pp. 161-165. Proc. E.I. A., vol. iii., 3rd series,
Tumulus near
pp. 276, 277.
Carrickfergus.
Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. vi.,
750 DICKSON, JOHN
M.
Relative antiquity of rath, cromleac, and tumulus. Club, vol. iv., 2nd series, pp. 55-70.
Belfast Nat. Field
751 DILLON, HON. L.

series, p. 19.
GERALD
Eemarkable megalithic monument.
vi.,
4th
VOL.
II.
2 E
402
752 Dix, E. R.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
C.
New
753
Grange, Co. Meath. pp. 83-84.
vi.,
5th
series,
Du NOYER, GEORGE
V., M.K.I. A.
Cromleacs near Tramore, &c. series, pp. 474-482.
v.,
new
i.,
Eemarks on
a certain class of cromleacs.

v.,
3rd series, pp.

pp. 497-501.
4046.
Remarks on a Kistvaen.
new
series,
754 EDITOR ULSTER JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY.
Cemetery pp. 111-113.
in the
County Down.
Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. ix.,
755 ELCOCK, CHARLES
Notes on the prehistoric monuments at Carrowmore near Sligo. Belfast Nat. Field Club, 1883, 1884. Series 2, vol. ii., pp. 249-258. On the stone monuments at Carrowmore, near Sligo. Belfast Nat. Field Series 2 vol. ii., pp. 179-181. Club, 1882, 1883. Prehistoric monuments at Carrowmore. Systematic Lists illustrative of the Archaeology, &c., of the North of Ireland, vol. i., pp. 249-258.
Ancient cemeteries, &c. Proc. R.I. A., Pol. Lit. and Ant., vol. i., pp. 114-128. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. ii., 4th series, pp. Inscribed cromleacs. 523-531.
757 FFRENCH, REV. J. F.
Megalithic sepulchral chamber, Co. Wicklow. vol. iv., 4th series, pp. 183, 184.
758 FIXEGAN, JOSEPH
Cromleac in the Co. Kilkenny.

769 FREDERICK VII.,
Archaeologia, vol. xvi., pp. 264-271.

:
KING OF DENMARK
On
the construction of cromleacs. vii., pp. 314-323.

:
760 FRAZER, "W., M.R.I.A.
Find of cist with human remains, Dunfanaghy, Co. Donegal. R.S.A. Ireland, vol. viii., 5th series, pp. 49-52.
761 GOODMAN, REV. JAMES Tulachs as places of sepulture.
:
Journal
iii.,
pp. 185,
186.

Cromleac.
Proc. R.I.A., vol.
iv.,
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BIBLIOGRAPHY.
763 GRAVES, REV. JAMES Ancient Pagan cemetery.
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403
Trans.
Kil. A. Society, vol.
ii.,
pp
190-
192.
Excavation of a earn. Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. i., pp. 289-294. Injury to the great chambered-tumulus at Dowth. Journal R.H.A.A.L vol. v., 4th series, pp. 13, 14, 205-209. On cromleacs. Trans Kil. A. Society, vol. i., pp. 129-132. On the "Ancient Monuments Protection Act, 1882." Journal R.H.A.A.L, vol. vi., 4th series, pp. 220-222. Pagan cemetery. Trans. Kil. A. Socieiy, vol. ii., pp. 295-303. Sepulchral tumulus. Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. ii.. p. 358. Tumulus, &c. Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. ii., p. 358.
764 GRAY, WILLIAM, M.R.I.A. Ancient remains, Co. Antrim.

:
Belfast Nat. Field Club, 1871, pp. 65-
69.
Cromleacs in Counties of Down and Antrim. vi., 4th series, pp. 354-367.
.'""Cromleacs of
Antrim and Down. Systematic Lists illustrative of the Archaeology, &c., of the North of Ireland, vol. i., pp. 226-248. Discovery of an ancient sepulchre. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. i., 5th
series, pp. 164, 165.
Notes on the rude stone monuments of Antrim and Down.
Belfast Nat. Field Club, 1882, 1883, series 2, vol. ii., pp. 182, 183. The cromleacs of Antrim and Down. Belfast Nat. Field Club, 1882, 1883, series 2, vol. ii., pp. 225-248.
765 HARDMAN,
vol.
EDWARD
4th
T.
Remarkable megalithic
v.,
series,
structure pp. 57-65.

:
near Sligo.
Journal
R.H.A.A.L,
766 HASSE, REV. LEONARD, M.R.I.A.
Urn
767 HILL,
burial on the site of monasteries.
vol. ii.,
5th series, pp.
145150.
MR.
C.E.
Report on a cairn in the Co. Clare.

series, p. 12.
iv.,
4th
768 HOLDEN,
J. SINCLAIR, M.D. Description of a tumulus and its contents. Journal R.H.A.A.L, vol. 3rd series, pp. 350-352. Giants' graves. Belfast Nat. Field Club, 1879, pp. 44-47.
: :
i.,
769 KELLY, DILLON, M.R.I.A.
Opening of a tumulus, Co. Westmeath.

iv.,

Megalithic
;
Journal R.H.A.A.L, vol. i., 3rd series, pp. structures. vol. iii., pp. 442-445 vol. ii., 4th series, pp. 10-13, 201-205 374-380; vol. v., pp. 253-257; vol. vi., pp. 434-436; vol. vii., pp. 424-429 vol. ix., pp. 277-286. The Rocking- Stone, Dalkey Island. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. v.i.,
; ;
5th series, p. 433.
2E2
404
771
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
KNOX, H. T.
:
Note on the dolmen at Ballina, in the County of Mayo.

R.S.A. Ireland, vol.
772 LALOR, M.
447.
vii.,
Journal
5th series, p. 430.
W.
Discovery of
cists.
Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. v., 4th
series, pp. 446,
773 LEE, ALFRED T.
Opening of a tumulus.
169-171, 276, 277.
Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. vi., pp.
774 LETT, REV.
HEXRY W.
Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. v., 4th series, p. 303. Report on ancient monuments. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. vi., 4th series, pp. 431-434.
Megalithic structures.
775 LOCKWOOD, F.
W.
Notes on Irish sweathouses and on several rude stone monuments. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, 2nd series, vol. vii., pp. 82-92.
776 LTJKIS, REV.
W.
C., F.S.A.
?
What
a cromleac 492-497.
is
v.,
new
series, pp.
777
MACADAM, ROBERT:
Opening of a earn.
:
iii.,
pp. 315-320.
778 MACALISTER, R. A. STEWART, M.A. The Gallans near Dingle. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. pp. 161-164.
779
viii.,
5th series,
M'CoRMACK, JAMES,
C.E.
Discovery of graves. 447-449. 780
vol.
v.,
4th
series,
pp.
MAC ENERY,
J.
Opening of a sepulchral mound,
New
Castle,
Co. "Wicklow.
Journal
R.H. A. A. I.,
781
vol. viii., 4th series, pp. 163, 164.

:
MACMAHON,
J.
D.
Tulachs as places of sepulture. 182-185.
iii.,
pp.
782 M'Noi/TY, R.
Graves, stones, celts, &c. pp. 382, 383.
vi.,
5th
series,
783 MEASE, REV. JAMES
Discovery of a On a cromleac.
cist.
Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. i., pp. 382-389. Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. i., new series, p. 359.
BIBLIO GRA PHY.

784 MILLIGAN, SEATON F., M.R.I. A. Notes on a cist and urn. Journal
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405
R.H
A.A.I., vol.
ix.,
4th series, DD
86, 87.
On some
cromleacs.
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4th series
DD
526-528.
Sepulchral structures, &c. 1888-9, p. 43.
785 MILLER, WILLIAM
Rude
vol.
stone
i.,
monuments in Antrim. new series, p. 351.
Proc.
Belfast
Nat. Field Club,
786 MOORE, CAPT. A.
MONTGOMERY
On some
explorations. pp. 443, 444.

:
ii.,
new
series,
787 MOOKE, REV. PHILIP

Giants' graves.

:
i.,
pp. 11-14.
788
NEWMAN,
LIEUT., R.N.
Tumulus near Rush, Co. Dublin.

789 0' BYRNE, DANIEL
:
Proc. R.I.A., vol.
i.,
pp. 247-249.
Discovery of two
cists
near Timahoe.
ii.,
new
series,
pp. 105, 106.
790 O'DALY, JOHN: Tulachs as places of sepulture.

87-96.
iii.,
pp.
791 O'DoNOVAN, "W. J. Kistvaen. Journal Kil. A. Society, vol.

:
:
ii.,
new
series, p.
252.
792 O'LAVEKTY, REV. JAMES, M.R.I. A. Pagan monuments. Journal R.H. A. A. I.,
103-108.
vol.
v.,
4th
series,
pp.
Pagan monuments
in the immediate vicinity of Journal peculiar forms of interments observed. 4th series, pp. 103-108.
ancient churches, and on
R.H. A.A.I.,
vol. v.,
793 O'NEILL,
HENRY
Rock monuments
40-46.
of Co.
Dublin.
ii.,
pp.
794 O'REILLV, PROFESSOR
J.
P.
On
the orientation of some cromleacs in the neighbourhood of Dublin. Proc. R.I.A., 3rd series, vol. iv., pp. 589-605.
:
795 PETRIE, GEORGE, R.H. A., ETC. Coronation Chair. Dublin Penny Journal, vol. i., p. 208. New Grange, Co. Meath. Dublin Penny Journal, vol. i., pp. 305, 306. Proc. R.I. A., pp. 140-142. Stone circles, earns, &c., Carrowmore. Tomb in the Phconix Park. Proc. R.I. A., vol. i., pp. 186-193, 196.
406
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:
796 PLUNKETT, LIEUT. -CoL. G. T., R.E. On a cist and urns found at Greenhills, Tallaght, County Dublin. Proc. R.I.A., vol. v., 3rd series, pp. 338-347.
797 PLUNKETT,
THOMAS:
Proc. R.I. A., Pol. Lit. and Ant., vol. L,
Exploration of a Long Barrow. pp. 323-328.

.
798 PLUNKETT,
THOMAS COFFEY, GEORGE Report on the excavation of Topped mountain cairns. 3rd series, vol. iv., pp. 651-658.
;
Proc. R.I.A.,
799 POWNALL,
Sepulchral 236-271.
THOMAS monument
:
at
New
Grange.
Archseologia,
vol.
ii..
pp.
800 PRIM,
JOHN G. A.
Giants' graves.

:
i.,
pp. 14-22.
801 RAPMUND, REV. F.
Cams
in
County Tyrone.
:
vii.,
p. 190.
802 READE, REV. GEORGE H. Ancient Pagan sepulchral pp. 159-162.
circle.
i.,
3rd series,
Circular arrangement of graves at Kilnassagart. vol. i., new series, pp. 316, 317.
803 RHIND, A.
HENRY,
F.S.A. (Scot.)
Sepulchral earns in Scotland identical in internal design with tumuli on the Boyne. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. ii., pp. 100108.
804 RIGGS, DK. LEDLIE Notice of the "The Vicar's 3rd series, pp. 157-159.
:
:
Cam."
i.,
805 ROTHERAM, E. CROFTON Inscribed stones. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol.

172.
viii.,
5th series, pp. 171,
the excavation of a cairn on Slieve-na-Caillighe. Ireland, vol. v., 5th series, pp. 311-316. The Moat of Patrickstown, Co. Meath. Journal
vol.
viii.,
On
Journal R.S.A.
R.S.A. Ireland,

:
806 SHEARMAN, REV. J. F.
Discovery at Mullahoden. pp. 13-16.
ii.,
4th
series,
807 SIGERSON, GEORGE, M.D.
Monuments
in the Co. Tyrone.
Proc. R.I.A., Pol. Lit. and Ant., vol.
i.,
pp. 14-19.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
808 SMITH,
J.
407
HUBAND
On
the recent discovery of a cam.
Proc. R.I.A., vol.
ii.,
pp. 163-165.
809 SMITH,
OWEN
Sepulchral chamber near Ballyhaunis. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. iv., 5t.h series, p. 390. Tracked stone. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. iv., 5th series, pp. 390392.
810 STANLEY,
THOMAS
Giants' graves, 279. pp. 27-29.
&c.
i.,
3rd series pp. 278.

i.,
Monuments around Tullamore.
4th series,
811 STEPHENSON, S. M., M.D. ^r*"" An Historical Essay on the Parish and Congregation of Greyabbey.
:
Belfast, 1828.
812 TENISON, THOMAS JOSEPH
On the cromleac at Leac-an-scall. new series, pp. 309, 310.

813 TRAYNOR, PATRICK:
iv.,
On
the state of
New
328.
Grange.
vol.
ix.,
4th
series, pp. 327,
814 TUOMEY, J. C.
Description of a cromleac.
iii.,
pp. 187-194.
815
WAKEMAN, W.
F.
Proc. R.I. A., Pol. Lit. and Ant., vol. i., Antiquities of Knockninnv. pp. 335-338. of stones and other antiquities. Lines Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. iv., 4th series, pp. 499-512. Megalithic structures, &c. Journal R.H. A. A. I., vol. i., 4th series, pp. 579-590; vol ii., pp. 134-138; vol. iv., pp. 95-106, 266, 267;
On
vol. vi., pp. 162-171; vol. viii., pp. 107-111. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. i., 5th series, pp. 260-266. Sepulchral mound. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. iv., 5th series, pp. 54-
vol. v., pp.
183-200;
Cromleacs.
64.
Journal R.H. A.A.I., 4th series, pp. 434, 435. On a recently discovered Pagan sepulchral mound at Old Connaught, Co. Dublin. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. v., 5th series, pp. 106-114.
Chambered earn at Cavancarragh, Co. Fermanagh.

vol.
ii.,
816 WESTROPP, T. JOHNSON
Dolmens
at
Ballycroum,
near Feakle, County Clare.
Proc. R.I. A.,

Ireland,
vol. vi., 3rd series, pp. 85-92. Primitive burial at Rylane, County Clare. vol. vii., 5th series, pp. 178, 179. The distribution of cromlechs in the
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Clare.
County of
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408
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:
817 WHITE, REV. PATKICK
Discovery of a tomb near Ennis. Journal R.H.A.A.I., 4th series, pp. 160, 161 vol. iv., pp. 12, 13.
;
vol.
iii.,
818 WILDE, SIR

Moytirra.
W.
R., M.R.I.A.
Tumuli.
Proc. R.I.A., vol. ix., pp. 546-550 Proc. R.I.A., vol. iii., pp. 260-263.
:
vol. x., pp.
20-24.
819 WINDELE, JOHN Ancient cemetery.

:
ii.,
pp. 230-239.
820 WOOD-MARTIN, COL. W. G., M.R.I.A. Monuments of Northern Moytirra. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol.
series, pp. 442470. Rude Stone Monuments, Co.
vi.,
4th
Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol. vii., Sligo. 4th series, pp. 470-487; vol. viii., 4th series, pp. 50-94, 118-159, 254-299, 367-381. Republished in the annual volume R.H.A.A.I., 1888-9.
XXIX. RUNES.
821 LEFROY,
MAJOR-GENERAL J. H., R.A., ETC. Bronze object bearing a Runic inscription. Archaeological Journal, vol. ii., pp. 284-313. Bronze object bearing a Runic inscription. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. i., 4th series, pp. 471-502.
: :
822 READE, REV. GEOKGE H. Bronze object bearing a Runic inscription. 4th series, pp. 333, 334, 479-480.
:
vol.
i.,
823 STEPHENS, PROFESSOR GEOKGE On scribings from a cave, Co. Fermanagh.

vol. iv.,
Trans.
new
Kil. A. Society,
series,
pp. 11, 12.
XXX. SEA SIDE SETTLEMENTS.

Prehistoric
vol.
iii.,
:
settlements at Portnafady, 3rd series, pp. 727-732.

:
Connemara.
Proc.
R.I.A.,
825 GRAY, WILLIAM, M.R.I.A. Hunting in the sand-dunes. Belfast Nat. series 2, vol. i., pp. 264-267.
:
Field
Club,
1876, 1877,
826 HASSE", REV. LEONARD, M.R.I.A. Objects from the sandhills at Dundrum, and their antiquity. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. iv., 5th series, pp. 1-13. Objects from the sandhills at Portstewart and Grangemore, and their Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. i., 5th series, antiquity. pp. 130-138.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
827 KINAHAN, G. H., M.K.I. A. Notes on ancient settlements in west Galway.
:
409
Journal R. II. A. A. I.,
vol.
i.,
4th
series, pp. 350, 351.
828 KNOWLES, "W.
J.,
M.K
I.A.
On
Proc. Belfast Nat. Field Club, prehistoric remains at Portstewart. vol. i., new series, p. 100. On prehistoric sites in Whitepark Bay, near Ballintoy, being the first section of a report intended to comprehend the other sites of the Neolithic folk in the North of Ireland. Journal K.H.A.A.I., vol. vii.,
4th series, pp.
104125.
Report on the Prehistoric remains from the sandhills of the coast of Ireland. Proc. R.I.A., vol. i., 3rd series, pp. 173-187, 612-625. The prehistoric sites of Portstewart, Co. Londonderry. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. viii., 4th series, pp. 221-237. Third Report on the prehistoric remains from the sandhills of the east of
Ireland. Proc. R.I. A., vol. iii., 3rd series, pp. 650663. Investigation of the Prehistoric settlements near Roundstone, Connemara, Proc. R.I. A., vol. v., third series, pp. 433-440. report of a committee.
0?9v
829 PATTERSON,
W. H., M.K.I. A. Notice of a prehistoric site at Ballykinler, Dundrum Bay, Co. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. iii., 5th series, pp. 80, 81.
: :
Down.
830 WYNNE, REV. G. R., D.D.
Traces of ancient dwellings on the sandhills of West Kerry. R.S.A. Ireland, vol. iii., 5th series, pp. 78-80.
Journal
831 YOUNG, R. M., M.K.I.A
Brief antiquarian notes at Bushfoot and Ballemagarry. Nat. Hist, and Phil. Society, 1892-3, pp. 37-44.
Proc. Belfast
XXXI. SILVER.
832 CANE, ROBERT, M.D.
:
Ring-money
322-328.
of ancient
Ireland.
i.,
pp.
833 DAY, ALDKRMAN, F.S.A. Silver armlet and bracelet dug up in the Co. Kerry.
:
Journal R.H.A.A.I.,
vol. v.,
4th
series,
pp. 346, 347.

:
834 DAY, ROBERT, M.R.I.A.
Silver armlet found near Rathcormac, Co. Cork. vol. vi., 4th series, p. 185.
835 HOARE,
EDWARD
Silver penannular brooch.
111.,
pp. 10, 11.
836 PATTERSON,
Silver
W. H.
brooch
found
vol.
ii.,
R.H.A.A.I.,
near Randalstown, 4th series, p. 74.
Co.
Antrim.
Journal
410
BIBLIO GRA PHY.

:
837 SMITH, ERXEST A., ASS. R.S.M.
Notes on the composition of ancient Irish gold and silver ornaments. Proc. R.I. A., vol. iii., 2nd series, pp. 733-746.
838 WESTROPP, R.
Twisted
silver
"
torque
" found near Rathcormack, Co. Cork.

4th
series, p. 52.
Journal
R.H. A.A.I.,
839 WINDELE,
vol. vi.,
JOHN
Ring-money
328-333.
of ancient Ireland.
i.,
pp.
XXXII
840 ANONYMOUS
:
SOUTERRAINS..
5th series,
Cluttahina souterrain. p. 271.

Co.
vii.,
Discovery of an artificial cave at Oldbridge, R.S.A. Ireland, vol. v., 5th series, p. 86.
841 BRASH, R. R. Souterrain at Curraghely, vol. x., pp. 72-74.
:
Meath.
Journal
near Kilcrea,
Co.
Cork.
Proc.
R.I. A.,
842 BRODERICK, T.
Souterrain of Greenville, Co. Galway. 4th series, pp. 637, 638.
v.,
843 CAULFIELD, RICHARD
Discovery of a chamber in Killeen Fort, near Cork. Proc. R.I. A., vol. iv., pp. 441-444. Souterrain in the Co. Cork. Proc. R.I. A., vol. iv., pp. 387, 388. Souterrain beneath a church. Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. i., pp.
384,
385.
844 CODY, PATRICK
On some
Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. i., pp. 385-389. souterrains, &c. Souterrain in the parish of Killahy. Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. ii.,
pp. 206, 207.
845 COOKE, T. L.
Subterraneous chambers in the Co. Clare. vol. i., pp. 294-298.

:
Trans. Kil.
A.
Society,
846 CROK.ER, THOMAS CROFTON, F.S.A., ETC. Subterraneous chambers discovered near Carrigtohill, Co. Cork, and at Ballyhendon, near Fermoy, in the same county. Archceologia, vol.
xxxiii., pp. 79-84. Ibid. Dublin Penny Journal, vol.
iii.,
pp. 350-352.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
847 EGAN, J.
411
W.
On
a cave.
vii.,
4th series, p. 166.
848 ELLIOTT, REV. JOHN
On
a subterranean chamber. pp. 370, 371.
vi.,
4th series^
849 FENNELL,
W.
J.
Souterrain in the Grange of Muckamore. new series, vol. ii., pp. 272, 273.
Evidence touching the age of the rath-caves. and Ant., vol. i., pp. 129-136.
85L,JFlTZGERALD,
Proc. R.I. A., Pol. Lit.
WALTER
The Killashu caves.

852 FOOT, CHARLES H.
i.,
p. 146.
Exploration of a remarkable series of subterranean chambers, townland of Boon, parish of Lis, King's County. Journal Kil. A. Society, vol. iii., new series, pp. 222-229.
853 FRENCH, REV. J. A.
Souterrains at Drumcliffe, Co. Sligo. 4th series, p. 483.
vi.,
854 GILLMAN, HERBERT WEBB, B.L.
Problem of the souterrains.

vol.
iii.,
Journal Cork Hist, and Arch. Society,

&c.,
vol.
ii.,
pp. 1-7, 149-151. Souterrain at Deelish, County Cork,
2nd
series,
pp.
153-157.
The problem
of the souterrains, &c., pp. 417-422.
Report on the souterrrain of a rath.

series, pp. 207, 208.
i.,
4th
vi.,
Souterrains, on various references to. 4th series, pp. 318, 319.
866 GRAY, WILLIAM,
M.R.I. A.
Notes on some Co.
Down
souterrains.
Journal R.S. A. Ireland, vol.
iv.,
On
a certain class of small souterrains. pp. 84-86.
iii.,
412
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
:
858 HAMILTON, G. A., M.P.
On
a "north house" in the demesne of Hampton, &c. vol. iii., pp. 249-252.
Proc. E.I. A.,
859 HEALY, EEV.
W.
On an underground
series, pp. 594, 595.
chamber.
Journal E.S.A.
Ireland, vol.
i.,
i.,
5th
The
rath of Borrismore.
oth
series,
p. 490.
860 HITCHCOCK, E.
Souterrain near Tralee.

pp. 175-178.
iii.,
new
series,
861 KEATINGE, DR.
On some
souterrains in raths. series, pp. 11, 12.
ii.,
new
862 KINAHAN, GEORGE H., M.R.I.A.
On
souterrains in
raths.
vi.,
4th
series,
ix.,
pp. 11-14. On souterrains in the Co. Donegal. series, pp. 277-286.
4th
863 LANYON, J.
Subterranean chambers at Connor, Archaeology, vol. vi., pp. 97-100.
Co.
Antrim.
Ulster Journal
of
On some
souterrains in Ulster. pp. 245, 246.
ix.,
4th series,
865 MOORE, COURTENAY

Artificial caves,
Co. Antrim.
i.,
5th
series,
p. 595.
866 MORGAN,
ARTHUR
716.
P.
Underground Chamber, Co. Mayo.

series, p.
i.,
5th
867 ORPEN, GODDARD H.
Subterranean chambers atClady, County Meath. vol. i., 5th series, pp. 150-154.
Journal E.S.A. Ireland,
868 POWER, EEV. PATRICK:

Casey's Lios, Ballygunnermore, Co. "Waterford. vol. riii., 4th series, pp. 407-408.
Journal E.H.A.A.I.,
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
869 ROTHERAM, E. C.
:
413
On
a cave recently discovered near Oldcastle. Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. vii., 5th series, pp. 427-429. On some caves in the Slieve-na-cailliagh district, Co. Meath. Proc. R.I. A., vol. iii., 3rd series, pp. 305-310.
870 ROWLAND, JOHN T. Souterrain at Ardee.

:
Proc. R.I. A., vol.
iv.,
pp. 404-406.
871 SMITH, REV. W. S. Souterrain at Tirgracey.

:
new
series,
vol.
iii.,
p. 58.
872 TIPPING,
EDWARD
Artificial
cave in the townland of Bellurgan, parish of Ballymascanlan, Journal Kil. A. Society, vol. v., new series, pp. 183, Co. Louth.
184.
XXXIII. URNS OF STONE.

873
MACADAM, ROBERT:
Stone sepulchral urns.
238.
ix.,
pp. 236
874 ROWLAND, JOHN T. Rudely cut stone found in a Souterrain.

:
Proc. R.I. A., vol. iv., pp. 404
406.
875 WILDE, SIR W. R., M.R.I.A. Stone urns. Cat. Mus. R.I. A., pp. 133, 134.
:
XXXIV.
876 GAGES, ALPHONSE
:
VIVIANITB.
On V
vianite.
Journal Geological Society, Dublin, vol.
viii.,
pp.
176-
179.
877 WOOD-MARTIN, Col.

pp. 28, 81.
W.
G., M.R.I. A.
Rude stone monuments of Ireland.
County Sligo and Island of Achill.
XXXV. WOODEN OBJECTS.

878 ALLINGHAM,
HUGH,
M.R.I. A.
Wooden
to have been otter traps. objects found in peat bogs, supposed Journal R.S.A. Ireland, vol. vi., 5th series, pp. 379-382.
414
879 ANONYMOUS:
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
10 Ancient canoes. Belfast Nat. Field Club, Appendix 1863-4, p. 1869-1870, p. 14. 1868-9, p. 9 "Wooden implement. Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. vu., p. 165.
; ;
880 BALL, RORERT
Means used for attaching handles

K.I.A.,vol.
ii.,
to stone and metal implements.
Proc.
pp. 511-513.
881 BANNON,
BERNARD
Stakes found under a great depth of peat. 4th series, pp. 500, 501.
v.,
882 BROOKE,
Canoe.
W.
G.
Proc. E.I.A., vol. ix., pp. 210-215.
883 BUICK, REV.
GEORGE R.
Wooden
trap.
i.,
884 COOKE, T. L.
Ancient boat.
ii.,
pp. 71-75.
885 DILLON, LORD
Ancient instrument.
iv.,
pp. 33-35.
886 DUNNE, RIGHT HON.
GENERAL
Staked fence found beneath a depth of peat, with wooden implements. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. iii., 3rd series, pp. 436-438.
887 GEOGHEOAN,
Canoes.
ARTHUR GERALD
iv.,
new
series, p. 343.
888 HITCHCOCK, RICHABD
Pieces of wood, called "arrows." Pieces of yew, styled "arrows." 140, 141.
Proc. R.I.A., vol. iv., p. 272. Trans. Kil. A. Society, vol. i., pp.
889 HUGHES, "W.
J.
Ancient boat.
Proc. R.I.A., vol.
ii.,
pp. 246-248.
890 JEWITT, LLEWELLYNN, F.S.A.
On
the discovery of some oak canoes. 193-205.
The Reliquary,
vol. xxiv.,
pp.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
891 KINAHAN,
415
GEORGE H.,
M.R.I. A.
Ancient otter traps.

184, 185.
vii.,
5th series, pp.
Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. iii., 4th Antiquities near Drumdarragh. series, pp. 374-380. Wooden causeway. Journal E.H.A.A.I., vol. ii., 4th series, pp.
435, 436.
892 KNOWLES,
W.
J., M.R.I. A.
Flint arrow head with wooden vol. ix., 4th series, p. 113.
:
shaft attached.
Journal R.H.A.A.L,
893 LANGTRY, GEORGE Wooden dish. Journal R.H.A.A.L,

:
vol.
iii.,
4th
series, pp. 22, 23.
894 LOCKWOOD, F. W. '/'Canoes found in Lough Mourne, and in Co. Fermanagh. Nat. Field Club, vol. iii., 2nd series, pp. 52, 53.
Proc. Belfast
895 MARTIN,
HENRY
Single piece canoe.

:
ii.,
new
series, p. 205,
896 MOONEY,
W. ENRAGHT Wooden bowl found

Ireland, vol.
viii.,
:
at the Doon, King's 5th series, p. 176.
County.
Journal R.S.A.
897 MOORE, J. S.
On
the discovery of a cache in Ballintona

ii.,

898 O'BRIEN,
new
Bog near
Blessington.
series, pp.
174-176.
WILLIAM SMITH: Wooden stakes, &c. Proc.
R.I.A., vol.
vii., p. 75.
899 0' BYRNE, DANIEL:
Wooden enclosure found under new series, pp. 155, 156.
peat.
vol.
ii.
900 O'DoNOVAN, JOHN, LL.D. (and other writers) Ancient Irish water mills. Trans. Kil. A. Society,
:
vol.
i.,
pp. 154-164.
901JPoRTER, REV. THOMAS, D.D.

Articles
dug up in
peat.
Proc. R.I.A., vol.
iii.,
pp. 21, 22.
902 STONEY, CHARLES BUTLER Road of planks found under peat.

:
i.,
3rd
series, p.
439.
903 TARLETON, MRS.
Wooden
found at the Doon, near Athlone. Ireland, vol. vii., 5th series, p. 182.
vessel
Journal R.S.A.
416
904
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
WAKEMAN, W.
F.
:
Antiquities of oak. Curach, or wicker

series, pp.
and skin
Journal E.H.A.A.I., vol. ii., 4th series, pp. 16-18. boat. Journal R.H.A.A.I., vol. ii., 4th
v.,
Wooden
yokes.
74-76. Journal R.H. A.A.I., vol.
905 WESTBY, JAMES
"Wooden sword.
906 WILDE, SIR
Proc. R.I. A., vol. iv., pp. 440, 441.
W.
R., M.R.I.A.
Wooden
shield.
Proc. R.I. A., vol.
viii.,
pp. 487-493.
Catalogue Mus. R.I.A., pp. 197-237.
907
WOOD-MARTIN,
COL.,
W. G.
M.R.I.A.
Lake Dwellings
908 YOUNG, ROBERT
:
of Ireland.
See Index under Wooden.
Worked
logs alleged to
have been found embedded in boulder

v.,
clay.

writers, pp. 361, 362.
4th
series,
pp. 307-309, 449, 450.
Other
INDEX
OF AUTHORS.
numbers prefixed
to
\_The appended figures in this List correspond with the
Names
of Authors in the Bibliography.']
ADAMS, A. LEITK, M.D.

243.
139,
140,
Benn, E. 157, 204, 234, 247, 305, 420. Benn, George 730.
:
Aethicus
AU^ti;--
703.
:
J.
Eomilly
486. 878.
69.
Beranger, Gabriel: 77, 731. Bernard, Dr. Walter: 34.
Allingham, Hugh Allnmn, Professor

Anketell,
Betham, Sir William 78, 318, 705. 577, 547, Bigger, Francis Joseph
:
:
M.
J.
70.
824.
Birch, Samuel: 319.
Blackett,
Annesley, Lord
726.
Anonymous:
32, 57, 71, 148, 154, 201,
W.
R.
:
486, 578.
232, 244, 316, 360, 403, 418, 481,

528, 540, 546, 570, 678, 727, 840, 879.
Ardfert,
Blair, Mrs. J.
:
579.
The Ven. Archdeacon of: 482. Armagh, Very Rev. the Dean of 483. 72, 155. Armstrong, Rev. "Wm.
: : :
35. Bland, F. C. Blythe, E. : 248. 73U. Borlace, W. C.

:
Boyd-Dawkins, Prof.
:
:
W.
249.
Atkins, Ringrose, M.D.
728.
:
Bradley, Henry 706. Brady, Dr. Maziere 580. Brash, Richard R. 841.
: :
Atkinson,
George Munsey
73,
303,
320, 487, 679, 732,
395, 404, 484, 571, 729.'
Brenan, E. 250. Brenan, Rev. Samuel Arthur: 79, 581.
BAILEY, WILLIAM H. 245. 572. Baldwin, William

:
:
Briley,
W.
M.
P.
:
733. 842.
Broderick, T.
Ball,
Robert, LL.D.
3,
74, 202, 246,
317, 419, 880. Ball, Sir Robert, LL.D.

Ball, V., LL.D.
:
Brogan, Brooke,
734.
G., 882.
:
W.
:
299.
304, 396. Bannon, Bernard: 574, 881. Bardan, Patrick 573.

:
Brown, Dr. S. F. 735. Brown, J. 488. Browne, Arthur, S.F.T.C.D. Browne, Charles R., M.D.
364, 582, 743.
80.
:
361,363,
575. Baring-Gould, S. Barry, Rev. Edmond 75, 485. Beauford, William 156,576, 704.
:
: :
Brownrigg, John 548. Bryce, Dr. James 251.

:
33. Beaufort, L. C. Belcher, T. W., M.D.

:
: 233, 529. Belfast Nat. Field Club (1st Report)
Buchanan, Edward: 36, 583. 584. Buckland, A. W. Buick, Rev. George R. 158, 205, 42 1,
: :
203.
Bell, Dr.
489, 736.
William, 76.
II.
Byrne, Daniel
549, 585, 737.
VOL.
418
INDEX OF A UTHORS.
:
CAMDEN SOCIETY PUBLICATIONS

Cane, Kobert, M.D.
: :
586.
252, 321, 832.
81, 159, 206, 707. Carruthers, James Carte, A., M.D. : 253.
Caulfield,
752. Dix, E. R. M'C. Donovan, M. 87. Drummond, Rev. W. H., D.D.

:
: :
708.
Dr.
587:
Caulfield, Richard
Clark, Henry P. . Clark, Rev. Francis E., M.D., 739.
490, 843. 738.
Dugan, C. Winston 88, 327, 425. Duncan, Leland L. 594. Du Noyer, George "V., 6, 39, 89, 210,
:
257, 684, 753.

LL.D.
:
Clibborn, 740.
Edward:
:
58,
82, 207, 322,
Dunne, John 595. Dunne, Right Hon. General 426. Dunraven, Edwin, third Earl of: 40. Dyer, T. F. Thiselton Dyer 596.
:
: :
Clodd,
Close,
Edward 588. Rev. M. H. 254.

:
Cochrane, Robert, C.E. : 491. Cody, Patrick: 208, 255, 530, 741, 844.
Coffey,
589,
EDITOR ULSTER JOURNAL OF ARCHEOLOGY: 90, 163, 366, 427, 597, 754.
Egan,
J.
W.
847.
:
George,
B.E.
83,
160,
189,
Elcock, Charles
Elliott,
223, 362, 363, 397,
680, 742, 743,
Rev. John
493, 755. 494, 848.

:
798.
Coleman, J.:
4.
:
Enniskillen, Earl of, 91, 419, 428. Evans, John, D.C.L., &c. 92, 211.
:
590. Colgan, Nathaniel Colles, Dr. J. A. Purefoy
492.
Conwell, Eugene A. : 531, 681, 744. Conyngham, Lord Albert: 323.
FALKINER, REV. WILLIAM: 429, 551.

Feltus, B. B.
: :
598.
:
Cook,
161.
Richard
(and
other
writers)
FenneU,
W.
J.
849.
:
Ferguson, Sir Samuel, LL.D.

:
235, 495,
164,
Cooke, Thomas L. : 84, 845, 884. 745. Cooper, Col. E. H. Cornwall, Robert M. : 746.
747. Cosgrave, Rev. C. Courtenay, Rev. Canon: 141. 162. Corn-town, Earl of
:
:
599, 685, 756, 850. Ffrench, Rev. J. F.

307, 757.
M.
212,
Finnigan, Joseph: 758.

Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald,
Edward
7,
496, 541, 600.
Lord Walter: 603, 851.

:
Croker, T. Crofton
324, 591, 846.

:
Fitzpatrick, Bernard
430.
Crowe, J. O'Beirne 37, 422, 592. Cunningham, D. J., M.D. 364.

:
Flaherty,
John T.
:
601.
:
Flanagan, Theophilus
Foot, Charles
:
236.
D ALTON,
Mr.
59.
:
H. 852. Fowler, James 308. Frederick VII., King

759.
of
Denmark:
D'Arcy, Dr. S. A. 423. Davies, J. Barnard: 365.
French, Rev. J. A.
85, 209,
853.
:
Day, Robert, jun.
5,
306,
Frazer,
William,
F.R.C.S.I.
60,
93,
325, 326, 424, 593, 682. Deane, Sir Thomas Newenham
38,
165, 213, 328, 686, 709, 760.
367,
398, 532, 602,
683, 748.
Denny, Henry
Dickie, G.
:
256.
749.
GAGES, ALPHONSE
Geikie,
876.
:
Dickson, John M. : 550, 750. Dillon, Hon. L. Gerald : 86, 751, 885.
Gardiner, J. Starkie
431.
James
300.
INDEX OF A UTHORS.
Oenitz, Professor
419
:
H. B.
258.
41,
Geoghegan, Arthur Gerald;

368, 497, 552, 887. 854. Gillman, H. W.
:
166,
Hewson, George T. Hewson, Rev. E. F.

Hibbert, S., M.D.
:
97, 268, 615.

:
502.
616.
269.
Hickson,
Hill,
Mary Agnes:
:
Glascott, J.
H.
: :
167.
Mr.
767. 216, 860,
Glennon, E. 259. 260. Going, W. Q. Gomme, George Laurence 604, 605. Goodman, Rev. James :. 761.
:
Hitchcock, Richard: 12, 61, 98,

333, 888.
503,
533,
555,
617,
Grainger, 432.
Rev. Canon, D.D.

:
8,
261,
Hoare, Captain Edward 334, 835. Hogan, Rev. Edmund 270.

: :
Orattan, John
369.
Holden, J. Sinclair Hope, R. C. 618.

:
: :
768.
Graves,
Rev. Charles, D.D., Lord Bishop of Limerick 329, 498, 687,

688, 762.
:
Hore, Herbert 619. Hore, Herbert Francis
438, 620.
Hughes,
W.
J.
889.
:
Graves, Rev. James 1, 9, 94, 168, 237, 262, 330, 405, 433, 499, 553, 606,
689, 763, 855.
Hull, Professor E.
271, 301.
:
Hunt, Rev. John, D.D. 621. 622. Hutchinson, Rev. H. N.

:
Gray, William
10, 142,
169,214,238,
263, 331, 434, 607, 690, 764, 825, 856.
JAMES, CHARLES
Johnson,
Joly,
371.
:
H. Green, Thomas:
Greaves, J.
:
332.
170.
Jewitt, Llewellynn
Edmond
:
240, 623, 890. 335.
Griffiths,
Richard: 11.
:
Mons. P.
534.
:
Gwynn, Stephen
608.
Jones, Colonel
H. D.
13, 99, 691.
Joyce, P. W., LL.D. : 14, 624. 272. Jukes, Professor J. B.

:
HACKETT, WILLIAM 406, 609, 857. Haddon, Professor A. C. 370, 610. Haigh, Rev. D. H. 500. Mrs. S. C. Hall, Mr. and 435,
:
:
KANE,
W. DE
V.
439.
:
611.
Keatinge, Patrick, M.D. Keller, Ferdinand: 440.

Kelly, Denis H. : 441. Kelly, Dillon : 769. Kelly, George A. P. Kelly,
:
407, 861.
Hamilton, G. A., M.P.

:
858.
Hardiman, James: 710.
Hardman, Edward T. 765. Hardy, Philip Dixon 612.

:
442.
535, 692.
W.
E., C.E.
:
Harkness, Professor B.
:
264, 436.
Hart, Dr. John 265. Hartland, E. Sidney : 613. Hasse, Rev. Leonard: 171, 215, 309,
766, 826.
Kemble, J. M. 15. Kennedy, Patrick 625. 443. Kilbride, Rev. W.

:
:
Kinahan, George Henry

135, 172,
2,
16,
44,
273, 302,
693,
394, 408, 444, 770, 827, 862,
Haughton, Professor, M.D.

266, 267.
:
95,
143,
536, 556, 626, 891.

:
Haverty, Martin 42. Haymau, Rev. Samuel 437, 501. 554, 859. Healy, Rev. W. Hemans, G. W. 96.
: : :
372. Kinchella, Mr. Kirker, S. K. 43, 445.

:
Knowles,
W. J. : 100, 173, 217, 239, 274, 310, 446, 828, 892.

771.
Hennessy, "W. M.
614.
Knox, H. T.:
2 F 2
420
LALOR, M.
INDEX OF A UTHORS.
W.
:
174, 373, 772.
101. Lamb, Rev. Patrick, P.P.: Lane Fox, Col. Augustus 504. 505. Langrishe, R.
:
Madden, R. R. 338. Madden, Rev. Samuel 339. Malcomson, Robert: 181, 410, 633.
:
:
Mallet, J.
W.
108.
:
Langtry, George
102.
r Mallet, AA illiam
340.
:
Lanyon,
J.
863.
:
Martel,
627. Lanninie, William 175, 374. Lawler, John

:
Martin,
M. E. A. 144. Henry 895.

:
Layard, Edgar, L. Lecky, Mr. : 176.

:
447. 711.
Martin, James, M.D. 411, 537.
109,
137,
182,
Mason, William Shaw

:
634.
Ledwick, Rev. Edward

:
Maunsell, Archdeacon
T
:
277.
:
773. Lee, Alfred T. 103. Lenihan, Maurice
Lentaigne, Sir
Lett, Rev.
J.,
M.D.
:
177, 275, 375.
H. AV.
178, 448, 506, 774.

:
635. Maxwell, AA illiam Hamilton Mayo, Earl of 46, 558. Mease, Rev. James: 783. Meyer, Kvmo and Nutt, Alfred 636.
:
Lewis' Topographical Dictionary 449. Lockwood, F. AV. 450, 775, 894.

:
r Millar, A\ illiam
785.
:
Millen, AVilliam
183.
:
Lockwood, AV. J.
:
451.
Milligan, Seaton F.
104, 218, 376. Long, J. Long, Rev. AV. C. 776.

:
17, 47, 110, 183A, 452, 508, 559, 637, 694, 784, 864. 341. olesworth , AVilliam
: :
Longfield, T. H.
179.
:
Mollan, L.
639.
628. Lubbock, Sir John, Bt. Lymberry, Rev. John 409.

:
Molyneux,
560.
Thomas,
:
M.D.
48,
276,
Lynch, P. J. Lynch, Rev.
377.
Mooney,
786.
W.
J.
Fane: 629.
Moore, Capt. A.
Enraght 896. Montgomery

:
561,
MAC ADAM, ROBERT

337, 630, 777, 873. Macalister, R. A. S.
105,
149,
220,
Moore, Courtenay 865. Moore, John 184.

:
45,
143,
267,
507, 631.
897. Moore, J. S. Moore, Rev. Philip: 342, 562, 787. Moore, Rev. AV. P. : 49.
:
Mac Enery, J. 780. Mac Mahon, J. D. 781.

:
Magennis, J. P.
695.
:
M'Cormack, James
Mac
Cullagh, 712.
379, 779. James, F.T.C.D.
516,
453. Morant, George, jun. 111. More, A. G. Morgan, Arthur P. 866. 278. Moss, R. J. Mudge, Capt. William 454. Mulcahy, Rev. D. B. 50.
:
: : : : :
M'Elheran, John: 378. M'Evoy, Mr. 62. M'Evoy, D. 106. Mac Ilwaine, Rev. Canon, 393. Mackenzie, W. <>32.
; : :
Mulvany, T. J. 455. Mulvany, W. T. 18. Munroe, Robert 456.

:
McLennan, John F.
638.
:
Macnamara, George V. 136. M'Naughton, John Alexander: 336. 107, 180, 219, 380, 782. M'Nulty, R. Mac Ritchie, David: 537.
:
XAPIER, JAMES 640. Nash, D. AV. 509. 185. Neary, Rev. Mr.
:
:
Xesbitt, Alexander
311.
Nevil, Francis
279.
:
M'Sweeney, C.
713.
Nevins,
Hugh N.
510.
INDEX OF A UTHORS.
Newman, Lieutenant
Nolan, Joseph
Norreys, Sir
Nutt, Alfred
: :
421
788.
112.
641.
:
Phayer, J. R. 285. Philpot, Mrs. J. H.

:
656.
Denham Jephson
642.
Pictet, Professor
Adolphe: 717.
718.
:
Pinkerton,
W.
Plummer, Rev. R.
:
347.
:
Plunkett, Lt.-Col. G. T.
188, 796.
O'BRIEN, WILLIAM SMITH

:
888.
Plunkett,
899. O'Byrne, Daniel: 312, 643, 789, C. G. 457. O'Callaghan, O'Connell, Maurice: 113,343. 644. O'Conor, Dr. O'Daly, John: 511, 790.
:
143, 146, 189, 223, 267, 383, 462, 797, 798.

late
Thomas:
Pococke, Right Rev. Richard, Lord Bishop of Meath 348.

:
Porter, J. Scott: 719. Porter,
Rev. Thomas H., D.D.

:
657,
O'Donovan
of Lissard
114.
:
901. 124, 868. Power, Rev. Patrick Pownall, Governor: 21, 349. Pownall, Thomas 350, 799.
:
O'Donovan, John, LL.D.

458, 645, 900.
19, 115, 381,
0'J)onovan, John
714.
:
O'Donovan, W. J. 791. O'Donoghue, Rev. Denis

: :
563.
Praeger, R. Lloyd: 287. Prim, John G. A. 22, 125, 190, 286,

:
O'Flanagan, Theophilus 512. 0' Gorman, Thomas 116,513. 646. O'Kearney, Nicholas
:
399, 412, 515, 658, 800. Purdon, H. S., M.D. : 659.
O'Keefe, C. O'Kelly, A.
M.
:
280, 647. 150.

: :
QUINLAN, JOHN
413.
O'Laverty, Rev. James

648, 649, 792.
63, 117, 221,
O'Leary, Denis A.
118.
RAPHAEL, GEORGE Rapmund, Rev. F.

:
224.
801.
O'Neill: 151, 793. O'Reilly, Professor J. P.

794.
Reade, Rev. George

281,
344,
H.
:
126,
384,
463, 720, 802, 822. Redmond, Gabriel, M.D.
517.
650. Olden, Rev. T. Oldham, T., LL.D. 282. Oldham, Thomas 514.
:
:
Reeves, Rev. W., D.D.
464.
Rhys, John
519.
Orpen, Goddard H. 715. Oswald, H. R. 283. 651. Otway, Rev. Cajsar: 51, 459,
:
:
Rice, Lieut.-Col. R. J. : 518. 127. Richardson, C. W.

:
Ousley, Ralph: 119, 345. Owen, Sir R.: 284.
Richardson, John 660. 288. Richardson, H. M. 804. Riggs, Dr. Ladlie

: :
:
Rhind, N. Henry
PARKINSON,
Patterson,
HENRY
:
803. 351, 414. Robertson, James G. 23, 128. Robinson, Rev. T. R., D.D.
: :
:
696.
W. H. 20, 120, 186, 222, 313, 460, 652, 653, 829, 836. Peacock, Mabel 654.
:
Rotherham, E. Crofton
191, 225, 697,
Pearson, Rev. J.
M.
:
121, 382.
Pegge, Rev.
Petrie.
W.
:
122.
Perceval, J. J.
187-
805, 869. Ross, Rev. Alexander : 352, 721. 566. Ross, Charles, M.D. Rowland, John T. : 870, 874. Ryche, Barnaby : 661.
:
George,
LL.D.: 52,
123,
145,
152, 346, 419, 461, 795.
564, 655, 716,
SALMON, JOHN
Scharff, R. F.
662.
289.
422
65. Kev. J. H. R. H. 290. Scouler, Dr. John: 291.
Scott,
:
INDEX OF A UTHORS.
VAI.LANCEY, GENERAL CHARLES
524.
Vigors,
:
27,
Scott,
Colonel Philip D.
131,
196,
129, 192, 385. Searanke, J. S. 663. Seaton, R. C. Shearman, Rev. John Francis:
: :
229, 473.
400,
520.
Shirley, E. P.
:
465.
:
WAKEFIELD, EDWARD 474. Wakeman, W. F. 28, 53,

:
132, 138,
Sigerson, George, M.D. 226. Simpson, W. J.

:
193.
147, 197, 230, 475, 525, 701, 815, 904.
538,
667,
698. Simpson, Sir J. Y., Bt. 353. Smith, Aquilla, M.D. 292. Smith, Charles, M.D. Smith, Ernest A., 354, 837.
: : :
Wake,
C. Staniland
666.
Walker, Joseph Cooper: 723.
Walker: 153. Walkington, Miss L. A.
668.
:
Smith, J.
Huhand
;
194, 542, 808.

:
Walsh, Rev. Robert, LL.D.
198.
Smith, J. Richardson
386.
Way,
:
Albert
355.
:
699, 809. Smith, Owen Smith, Rev. G. Sidney, D.D.
Weaver, Thomas
700.
295.
Webb, Wilfred Mark:

:
669.
:
Smith, Rev.
Stanley,
Staples,
W.
:
S.
24, 571.
Thomas: 66, J. H. 227.
130, 466, 810.
Stephen, Professor George: 521, 823. 811. Stephenson, Dr. S. M.

:
Welsh, Alexander Colville 356. West, William, M.D. 724. Westby, James 905. Westropp, Thomas Johnston: 54, 363,
:
389, 670, 671, 743, 816, 838.
Stokes, Whitley, LL.D.
664.
Stoney, Charles Butler
902.
Stubhs, Major-General F. Sydney, Sir Henry 468.

:
W.
467.
Westropp, Hodder M. 29, 702. White, Rev. Patrick 390, 817. Wilde, Sir W. R. 30, 67, 199, 296,
:
:
314, 357, 391, 818, 875, 906.
401, 476,
544,
673,
TALBOT, HON. JAMES

Tarleton, Mrs.
:
471.
903.
J.
:
Wilde, Lady Wilson, Miss
672. 477.
:
Tenison,
Thomas
:
Thompson, William
Tighe,
228, 543, 812. 293.
Williams, William
839.
297, 526.
Windele, John: 55, 358, 527, 674, 819,
W.
241.
:
Tipping,
522.
Edward
872.
:
Wood, Thomas, M.D.

25,
725.
Todd, Rev. James Henthorne, D.D.

665. Toland, John Townsend 415.
;
Wood-Martin, Colonel
242, 315, 402,
820, 877, 907.
W.
G., 133, 200,
478,
31.
539, 545, 675,
Worsaae,
722.
:
J. J.
A.
:
Trail,
Traill,
Rev. Robert
Antony, LL.D. 469. Tray nor, Patrick 813.

:
Wright, Thomas 568, 676. Wright, Robert: 68. Writers, Various: 56, 231, 392, 417,
569.
Trench, H. B.
Trevelan, Mr. Tuomey, J. C.
470.
26.
523, 814.
S.
Wylie, William Michael 479. Wynne, Rev. G. H. 830.

: :
UPTON, HENRY, A.
Ussher,
195, 387. 294,
R. J.
HO,
388, 416,
472, 567.
YEATS, W. B. Young, R. M.
677.
298, 359, 831, 908.
INDEX.
[The figures appended
refer to the pages of the Volume.,]
Acts of Parliament against witchcraft,

136, 172.
Adder
stones, 74.
Big Bell Tree, 159. virtues of, 235. Assaroe "Sweat-house," 165.
trees,
Ash
Adrian, Emperor, address to his soul,
Aengus
Atheism, temptations to, 310. Athos, Mount, women forbidden to set

foot on, 26.
of the Poison Spear, 160.
the
Magician
and the Soul of
Atkinson,
75.
G.
M.,
Imokilly
amulet,
Dermod, 302.
Africa, "West, idol with nail offerings, 85.
murrain stone, 78.

Augustine,
St., headless beings, 23.
Agate, Pliny's account, 76. " Cloch-a-Phoill " Aghade, stone, 230. " Cave of of
Ailell,
instructions
as
to
Britain,
King Connaught, " Ainged story, 301.
Mission, 48. Australia, Pantheism, 116. sore-throat cure, 168.
Alder tree, superstitions, 156. Alignments of stones, 250. warns Allen, Dr. Thomas, " 190.
strokers,"
against
Babylonian religion, "Tree of Life,""

153.
Allen, Grant, tree worship, 154. Alphabet, Irish, origin, 309.
Baker, well worship, 113.
Altagore,
" Shanven "

Charms).
Baldwin, William, cat story, 124.

Ballycotton, 268.
stone, 224.
"Muck
Olla"
custom,
Amulets
(see
-116.
Ancestor worship, 300. Animal worsidp, animal

tion, 118.
transforma-
Ballymascanlan cromleac, stones used as charms, 29.
Ballysummaghan, cursing
opinion,
stones, 64, 65.
Goldwin- Smith's
Bally vourney, murrain stone, 75. Baptism customs, Ireland, 39.

Somerset, 51. Barnacle goose, origin of, 146. Barrenness, cure of, 28. Baths, Irish, early use of, 161.
Battles, fairy, 21.
Animals, language of, 118. Antrim, witch's stone, 247. Anvil used as a spell-worker, 107.
Apple-peel omen, 140.
April and
-Aran
Aristotle
March legend, 269. Island, holy wells, 99.

secondary holed stone, 240.
Beam, couvade, 40. Bed of the Holy Ghost,

"
29.
Archaeologist, Irish, qualifications, 317. Ardmore, sacred stones, 233, 243.
Beds," ceremonies performed at, 304. Dermod and Grania's, 133.

St. Patrick's, ceremonies, 88.
on sneezing, 151.
424
" Beds," legends, 26, 28. Ben Jonson, fern seed, 179.
Bells, church, origin of, 167.
INDEX.
Brudins," Brudin Da Derga, 135. Buccaneers, hidden booty protected by
spirits, 2.
"
" Well of Assistance," acBeranger, count of, 105. " Beware the cat," magical pigs, story,
136.
Buckland, Mr.
well, 171.
A. W.,
St.
Fillan's
Buddhism and Christianity, 47. Bullen, Mr. F. T., sea superstitions,

298.
285. Bible, mention of evil eye,

Billa, sacred tree, 154.
Burial customs, burial standing up, 300.
Bird omens, 141.
women,
burial, 31.
ornaments, 143. Birth, charms used at, 273.

reverence for, 304.
superstitions, 13. Black leg, cure, 74.
Buried treasure, 6. Burton, well-worship, 113.
Burying, cure by, 64, 65.

Butter, fairies take the butter, 8.
" Butter rolls," stones, 209.

Butterfly, origin of, 296.
Blarney stone, 258. Blindness, cures, 286. Bloodstone amulet, 76.
Byrne, James, St. Craebhnat's tree, account, 159.
"
Bobby," account
of, 98.
Boho, Cross, 247.
Book
of Ballymote, Tuapholl, 57.
Leinster, Druid spells, 108. Macha's chariot race, 40.
Caher island, cursing stone, 106. Cahill blood, efficacy of, 180. Caldrons, magical, 203.
Cambrensis, holy wells, account
137.
of,
Lismore,
Lammas Sunday, 103. magic caldron, 204. poisoned weapons, 160.

"
99.
Camden, divining by the blade bone,

magic caldron, account
30.
of,
Borlace,
C., cursing stone, 66. " Desiul," 55.
W.
204.
Campbell, J. F., stone heaps in Japan,
Borrisokane,
Big Bell Tree," 159.
Boyaghan
wells, 92.
Cancer cure, 185.
Brady, Dr. Maziere, sacred stones, 66. under arched Brambles, creeping
brambles, 235.
Cape of Good Hope, ancient name, Cappagh "sweat-house,'' 163.

Caiiyle quoted, 299. Carrickard rocking stone, 260.
Carrickfergus, witches
261.
trial,
4,
Brehon's chair, 254. Breton fairy song, 21.

Briar, uses of, in cures, 198.
174.
chair," 254. Brittany, marriage lore, 30. Bronze caldrons, 203.

Brigid, St.,
"
Carricknabuggadda, meaning of word,

Castledermot swearing-stone, 239. Catarrh of the stomach, cure, 179.
Cats, superstitions, 122.
-
instrument with bird ornaments

143.
"Beware
the
cat,"
119,
Brooches, bird-head ornamentation, 143. Brookhill, "sweat-house," 165.
124.
black cat, sacrifice, 6.
Browne,
145.
Sir
Thomas,
and
hair,
death
watch,
of,
Dyer, Mr. T. F. T., 125. Wilde, Lady, stories, 125.

Cattle, sick, cures, 189.
nails
clipping
superstitions, 200.
Cavancarragh,
250.
alignments
of
stones,
witches, belief in, 173.
INDEX.
Cave of Ainged,
story, 301. eara, St., feast of, 4.
425
Connoeh amulet, 79. Connor Mac Nessa, Clogher
oracle, 224.
Cemeteries, pagan, 312. " Chairs," druids', 251.
Consumption cures, 52, 186, 198. Conwell, Mr. E., holed stones at Loughstone, 75.
Charms, agate, 76. Ballyvourney murrain

bloodstone amulet, 76. connoeh, 79. Garnavilla amulet, 75.
crew, description, 247. Ollamh Fodhla's chair, description, 253.
Cooldrumman
nounced, 53.
battle,
"
Desiul
"
de-
Mac Carthy
Chichester,
Imokilly amulet, 75. amulet, 76.
Coollemoneen,
"
Corkaguiney,
stones, 222.
honey -tree," 159. of "gates glory"
Chapel wells, salt-water holy well, 93. Rev. Edward, marriage customs in Ireland, 31.
salt-water wells, 93. Chiefs, elections of, 256.

Chfla7 miraculous stone, 248. Childbirth debility of the Ulstermen, 40.
Cormac, death caused by fairies, 8. Cormac Mac Art, wolf legend, 120. Cormac's Glossary, recipe for magical
dream, 138.
"Couvade,"
40.
Cowdung
cure, 181.
Childbirth superstitions, 13, 273, 204. Children, fairy changelings, 13, 14. Christian observances accommodated to
Cow
lore, classical source, 130.
Druidic veneration for cows, 127.
game
at wakes, 129.
heathen superstitions, 47. Christianity, Greece and Home, introduction, 314. Ireland, existed side
Glasgavlen, 127. " Roads of the "White, Black, and

127.
superstitions relating to cows, 6. Tarv Connaire, 129.
Red Cows,"
by
side
with
Paganism, 315.
gradual development, 308.
survival of, possible, 321.
Tain B6 Cuailgne, 127, 129. head in bronze in R. I. A., 130.
Church
Island, Our Lady's Bed, 29. Churchill, bird omens, 142. Civilization in Ireland, gradual develop-
Cramp
in the leg, charm, 195.

of, to religion,
Creeds, relation
Cretans,
Crickets.
St.
309.
women's
position amongst, 44.
ment
of,
290.
list,
Fintan's day ceremony,
Clare, holy wells,
90.
176.
Cleena, wren story, 149. Clenor, sacred tree, 158.
Croker, Crofton, "changeling" legend,

15.
Clodd, Edward, tree worship, 153.
druid circle near Killarney,

scription, 219.
de-
family tree, origin, 155.

Clogher, 224.
242.
water worship, 113. Tyrone, remarkable

cross, healing
fairy song, 14, 20.
stones,
May
powers
of,
magic stones, account of, 212. day mummers, description,

story, 213.
Clonmacnoise
Cock, black,
265.
mermaid
sacrifice, 6.
Crorn Cruach and

Crosses,
Crom Dubh,
208.
Colours, superstitions relating to, 274. Columbkille, Saints (see that title).
Aran
Island, 240.
-Boho,
Conall, healing-stone, 69. Conlan Mac Liagh and the scribe's description of himself, 188.
247. Glencolumbkill, 242.

story, 19.
Layde, 240. Crukuaragh hill, fairy
426
Cuchullin,
INDEX.
" Childbirth debility of the
Days of the week,

lating to, 268. Dead, burial of, 304.
fear of, 2.
superstitions
re-
Ulstermen," 40.
poison weapons, 160. Tain B6 Cuailgne, 129. Cuckoo omens, 141.
Cuilirra, Sligo, holed stone, 228.
sacrifices to, 274.
Culdaff, 39.
ceremony at birth of an
infant,
Deafness, cure, 187. Death, various views concerning, 293.
marriage by capture, 31.

Cullen, cleft tree, cure, description, 235. Cupples, Rev. Edward, Baptism cus-
watch, 145. Declan, St., black stone, 233.
relic, 70.
toms, 39.
Dedanann, O'Curry's opinion of, swine banished by, 131.
3.
"Curl-doddy,"
account, of, 195.
Demon
303.
possession of lunatics, 167.

soul,
Cures, agate used for, 76. "all flower water," 183.
Demons, power of against the
blood cure, 180.

cleft tree,
Denis, St., walks without his head, 23.
passing under, 235.
healing stones, 69. holy well cures, 88, 90, 92.

peist, 73.
Dermod, soul of, 302. Dermod and Grania legends,

132, 134, 156.
various,.
strokers," cures by, 190. transference of disease, 82, 84.
"
bed, 123, 134.
" Desiul" or Holy Round, 51. Greek and Roman custom, 54.
Hebrides, 52.
Joyce's account, 53.
Portugal, 55.
various, 189, 193.
wise women's cures, 176.

Curses, averting, 64, 65. cursing stones, 59. " fire of stones," 58.
0' Donovan's account, 57-
"private curse," 57.

public curse, 59. Cursing stones, 59.
Devenish Island, description, 28. Dianket, magic bath, 202. medical knowledge, 161. Diodorus, Druids, customs of, 307. Dion Cassius, account of the Caledonians, 112.
Caher Island, 106.

flagstone
of
the
seven
Dinely, Thomas, spitting superstitions, 286.

Diseases, transference of, 82, 84. Divining rods, 221.
daughters, 66.
Inishmurray, 61.
Iniskea, 66.
St. Bridget's
Doagh, holed stone, 237.

Stone
61.
St. Fechin's Stone, 65.
"
65.
Dogs, superstitions concerning, 126. Door opened to let the spirit out,.
Summaghan
Stones," 64,
examples
of,
302.
Curson,
Trummery Church, 64. Mount Athos, women forbidden
Douglas, Professor, couvade, 43. Downes, Bishop, holy well, account,

94.
to set foot on, 26.
Doyle, Dr., death, robin omens, 141.
Curtin, Jeremiah, Glas Gavlen, account of, 128.
Dreams, effect of, 293. Greek opinion of, 139.

magical recipe
for, 138.
Dabehoe, St., chair," 253. Danish folk-lore story, 6.
"
St. Patrick's belief in, 138.
Sully, James, opinion, 139.
INDEX.
Dromahaire, origin of name, 271. Druid, derivation of word, 307.
Druids, chairs, 251.
circle, at
427
Epilepsy cures, 187. Errigal-Keroge "sweat-house," 166.

Erysipelas cure, 58, 180, 274.
Killarney, 219. customs, 307.
Evil eye, 122.
charms against, 273, 284.

proverbs on, 284, Evolution, truth of, 289.
judgment
seat, Killiney, 255.
medical knowledge, 160.

spells
and incantations, 108.
Eye,
Eyre,
diseases, cures, 76, 180, 182, 199,
wands, 221.
Drumcliff, holy wells, 88.
272.
Governor,
Australian cure
for
Drury,
"William, witches, 173.
Sir
execution
of
sore throat, 168.
Dual number, superstitions relating

270.
to,
Fairies, battles, 21.
Duan
,57.
Gircanash, Pictish rape of wives,
butter taken by, 8.
Dublin, holy wells, 90.
changelings, 13. Christian explanation of, 5.
Dullaghan, 23. Dwarf's tomb, story, 300. Dyer, Mr. T. F. T., cat story, 125.
"
Columbkille and Finvarra, 5. Danish story, 6. " Dark Fairy Rath," poem, 12. Dullaghans, 23. dust storms, 8.
fear of, 8.
feast of St. Ceara, 4. feet- water story, 9.
Curl-doddy," account of, 195. Devonshire superstitions, 235.
dog superstitions, 126. moon, Irish superstitions, 201. moths called " souls," 297.
plant folk-lore, 196. trees, holes in, virtues of, 237. Dyes, colours obtained from plants, 160.
must not be partaken of, 19. hawthorn trees sacred to, 156.
food,
hunters, 8. incantations, 15.

invisible in daylight, 4.
Echo, superstitions regarding, 292.
iron a
charm
against, 8, 11, 14.
"Eglone"
stone, 219.
in, 116.
leprechaun, 22.
Egypt, Sacerdotalism
of, 295.
Egyptian Book of the Dead,

Elian, St., cursing well, 66. Elixir of life, 202.
Ellis, sacred stones,
soul,
form
moonlight dances, 16. mounds, 19.

music, 20.
name, mention of unlucky,

nature
of, description, 5.
4.
Haiwaii, 68.
"
Night of the Big Wind,"
4.
South Sea Islanders' Magic, 202. England, holed stones, 227.
nurses, mortal mothers, 13. rescue from, 11.

sacrifices to, 6.
spirits of the
Eoghan
Bel, buried standing, 300.
Elworthy, Mr. F. T., baptism customs,

Somerset, 57. evil eye, 122.
dead and
fairies, dis-
tinction between, 2. spitting as a charm against, 194.
magical swine, 136. pig in Egyptian and Greek

thology, 136.
two
classes, 3.
my-
Ulster, 3.
Fairy-rings, 196.
spitting custom, remarks on, 286.
Farrenglogb, "speaking-stones," 222.
428
Fe, magical wand, description, 221.
.INDEX.
Glencolumbkill cross, 242. Glendinning, Dame, mentions the
4.
Fear, keystone of primitive religions, 2.
fairies,
Fechin, St., cursing-stone, 65.
Ferguson, Rev. Joseph, butterfly form

of the soul incident, 296.
Gleunagalt, Glen of the Lunatics, 170. Glensouthwell, Brehon's chair, 254.
Fern
Sir Samuel, cursing-stones, 59. seed, mystical properties, 179.
God, name of, identical with that for wind, 107.

of, 287. Gods, fickleness to, 297. resemble those that worship them, 306.
Fernagh church, butter-stones, 209.

Fetichism, 306. Fever cure, 274.
Fillan, St., well, 171.
mysterious name, 4. " God save the mark," charm
Finn Mac
132.
Cool,
boar hunt, magical,
Grania, marriage with, 132.
"Finn's Tooth
109.
of
Knowledge," legend,
Goddesses, impoi-tance of, 304. Gold, pot of, fairy treasure, 6. Gorse used for luck, 263.
Goustan,
Finvarra, fairy king, 2 1 . interview with Columbkille, 5.
Graham,
Fire of stones, 58.
marriage patron, 30. Irish John, quack doctors, account of, 167. Maypole, account of, 264.
St.,
Rev.
"bishop's grave," stories, 60. Fish, sacred, 108-113. Fish -eaters, term of contempt, 113.
Fitzgerald, sacred trees, account, 159. Dick, echo, name for, 292.
" Grave of the Black Pig," 131. Graves, ornaments found in, 299. Greek idea of the soul, 302.
"
Groves,
Grogan," fairy, description, 3. Rev. John, "sweat-houses,"

account, 166.
Lord
Walter,
holed
stone
at
Castledermot, description, 239, 240. Fitzpatrick, Mr., Dr. Doyle's death,

account, 141.
Flags, origin of, 114.
Greatrakes, Valentine,
Griffin, Gerald,
"
Stroker," 190.
53.
"Desiui" custom,
Guernsey, speaking- stone, 224. Guiana, couvade, 41.
Food
offerings to stones, 225.
Foxglove, 196.
Gwynn, Mr. Stephen, poem on, 217.
Vera, goddess,
Foyoges, "bishop's grave," 60. Froude, purposes of existence, opinions

on, 290.
scepticism, opinion of, 311. Furies, Greek name for, 4.
Hair, superstitions relating Haiwaii, sacred stones, 68.
to,
200.
Fyvie, sacred stone, 232.

Gallows, Highland reverence for, 4.
Hallow Eve, observances, 266, 268. Hamilton, Mr. C. J., fairies, stories
10, 19.
of,
Handshake,
285.
superstitions
relating to,
Garland Sunday, 101.

Garnavilla amulet, 75.
Generation, supernatural, 305.
Hardy, Philip Dixon, rite performed at Aughawale well, 105.
Gigha Island, incantation, 105. Giraldus Cambrensis, animal transformation, 118.
Hawthorn
tree, sanctity of, 156.
Headache, cure, 274.

Head-fever," cure, 191. Heapstown, cat legends, 123. Heart-sinking, cure, 179.
Giraud-Teulon, M., couvade, 42. -Glasgavlen, Jeremiah Curtin's account

of, 128.
"Headfall" "
disease, 39.
INDEX.
Heartburn, cure, 7. Heber, Bishop, mimosa
tions, 155.
429
Inisbofin, magical cow, 221.

tree, supersti-
Iniscathy Abbey,
enter, 27.
women
forbidden
to
Hebrides, "desiul" custom, 52.
Hemorrhoids, cure, 193.
Iniskea, cursing-stone, 66. neewoge, 106.

Iniskill, cursing-stone, 66.
Hen, crowing, unlucky,
144.
Hennessy, Prof. H., Turkish baths, 161. Herbs, cures made from, 176, 185, 200.
fairy influence on, 198.
Inismurray, burial customs, 31.

cursing-stones, 61. praying-stones, 242. well of assistance, 104.
Hercules' Temple,
enter, 27.
women
forbidden to
Insanity, cure, 65.

line,
Herodotus, descent through female

44.
Invisible, to render oneself, 274.
lona, sacred stones, 69.

Iron,
magical boar of the Mysians, 134. for raising the wind, 107. -^spells t- transformation of human beings
into wolves, 118.
charm against
fairies, 8, 11, 14.
Island
Magee
rocking-stone, 260.
Islands, Holy, on, 26.

Isle of
women forbidden to
land.
Hibbert, Mr., mermaid story, 213.
Man,
stone rings, 248.
Higden, magical swine, 136.

History, Irish, value of, 320. Hofer, Andreas, "desiul" custom, 55. Holy Ghost, bed of the Holy Ghost, 29.
wells, wells (see that title). Homoeopathy, ancient, 80.
Ita, St.,
Bed, well. 29.
Holy
Japan, stone heaps, 30. Jaundice, cures, 182, 273.
Hope, Mr. E. C.,

230.
St.
Madron's stone,
Jews, marriage customs, 38. Johnston, Dr., annihilation, opinion

294.
of,
Horace, quoted, 299. Horse-shoe, fairy charm, 11. Hound's-tongue, herb, cancer cure, 185.
Joyce, Dr. P.
53.
W., "desiul" custom,
"Finn's Tooth of Knowledge"

story, 109.
Howden, St. Osuna's stone, 227. Hungry stones and hungry grass,
Huxley, Prof.,
225.
holy wells, 92.
man
unlabelled, 323.
witchcraft, 172.
number two in Irish names, " Pursuit of Dermod and

135.
270.
Grania,"
Hydrophobia, cures, 76, 79, 178, 183. Hyginus, "desiul" practice, account,
54.
sacred trees, 160.
Sean Druid, meaning
of,
307.
Jubainville, M., archaeology of, 320. Judaism, influence of heathen thought

Idols, absence of, in Ireland, 305.
on, 308.
symbolism of, 306. Images of persons who are

witched, 200, 201. Imokilly amulet, 75.
India,
to be be-
Kames, Lord, marriage customs, Wales,.

35.
"
holed-stones," 226.
Indian
tribes,
"sweat-lodge," 166.
Keating, history of Ireland, 320. magical bath, account, 160.
Infants, ceremonies at birth, 39.

superstitions regarding, 13. Inflammation, cure, 273.
marriage contracts, 38. Kemble, swine as sacred animals, 131. " Bed," 26. Kevin, St.,
480
INDEX.
Loughadrine, sacred lake, 89, 112. Loughanlea lake, 93. " 251.
Khasi, custom relating to the dead, 24. Kilchouslan, holed stone, 247.
Kilkeary, mill, account, 31.
Loughcrew
hills,
hag's chair,"
Kilkenny, fairy hattles, 21.

Killady, St. Ita's hed, 29. Killalta church, station, 97.
Killarney, stone circle, 219. echo, story of, 292.
Lockwood, Mr. F. W., "sweat-house,"

account, 165.
Loman, St. church, Love potions, 178.
29.
Killeany, cursing-stones, 59.

Killery, straining-string, 71. Killiney, druid's judgment seat, 255.
Lubhock, Sir John, couvade, 42. Lucian, anthropomorphism, 311. Lucretius, "desiul" custom, 54.
Lunatics, reverence for, 167. St. Fillan's cure, 171.
Killowen,
72.
cromleac,
straining-string,
Kilmacteige,
" fern tree," 159.
Lycanthropy, 120. Lycaon, King of Arcadia, turned into

a wolf, 119.
Kilmoon, cursing -stones, 59. Kilnasaggart, Pagan cemetery, 313.

Kilranelagh churchyard, holy well, 92.
Kingsley, Miss, fetichism, 306. Knock, Pagan cemeteiy, 313.
Macalister, Mr.
R. A.
S.,
" Gates
of
Knott, John, Dr., cancer cure, 185. catarrh of the stomach, cure, 179.
Clonmacnoise
powers, 242.
cross,
healing
Glory" rocks, 222. MacCarthy armulet, 76. "MacDatho's Hog," story, 135. M'Donall of Newhall, mermaid
213.
story,
eye diseases, cures, 182.

lactation, paper, 44.
MacGowan
Kyteier, 173.
royal touch cure, 190. Lady Alice, witchcraft
family, hydrophobia cure possessed by, 184. Macha, chariot race of, 40.
of,
MacKinlay, James M., Lammas Sunday

rites,
101.
St.
Madron's bed, account, 231.

F.,
Lactation, opinions on, 44.
MacLennan, Mr. John

customs, 38.
marriage
origin,
Lamh,
Laws,
scalded, story, 7. Lammas Sunday, rites, 101.

Irish marriage, 38.
cross, 240.
Macnamara
213.
family,
mermaid
of,
Layde,
Madron,
230.
St.,
well
"Lee Penny,"
Leg, cramp
Leinster, Book race, 40.
creeping stone,
78.
in, charm, 195.

of,
Macha's
chariot
Madstone," 79. Maeve, Maev, or Medb, Queen of Con" Cave of naught, Ainged," story,
301.
childbirth debility of the Cltonians,
40.
"
Leoghaire, King, huried standing, 301.
Leprechaun, 22. Lewis, Colonel, well worship, 114. Lia Fail or Stone of Destiny, 257.
Life, elixir of, 202.
Tain B6 Cuailgne, 129.

Maghera, Deny, May-pole, account
of,
Limestones,
199.
heated,
used
as
cures,
264.
Magpie omens,
147.
Lir, children of, enchantment, 146.
Maimonides, Jews, saliva cure, 286.
Lochgilphead, holed stone, 247. Lough Beg, rag offerings, 98.
Manannan Mac
160.
Lir,
poison weapons,
INDEX.
Marcellus,
481
Mandrake, 197. " Desiul "
practice, 54.
March and
April, legend, 269.

:
Medical science, primitive, 161. Medicinal properties of flowers, herbs, and roots, 160.
Marriage customs " Abduction without leave," 37.

Brittany, 30.
capture, 31.
Medicine man,
"
Irish, 167, 202.
Paddy the Dash,"
175.
to,
Mermaids, legends relating
212.
Mermen, legends
237, 230.
holed
stones, rites at,
Ireland, 32. Japan, 30.
Merrythought Meyer, Kuno, Vera, accounts of, 216. "Vision of Hell," translation,
295.
relating to, 214. omen, 140.
Jews, 38. Keating's opinion, 38.

Kerry, 33. law, 38.
Midwifery, charms used in, 1 89. Milk, libations for fairies, 7.

38.
MacLennan's, John, account,

40, 325.
Milligan, Mr. S. F., "sweat-houses," 162.
-maiden names of married women,
Milton, Eve, description, 299. fairy ministrations to children,

13.
" Straw Boys,"

Picts, 35.
35.
Mistletoe,
rite
connected
with,
103.
272.
ring, 44.
Molaise, St., "bed," 28.
stone -thro wing, 29.
Monaghan, "sweat-house,"
by, 193. observances
201, 267.
Telltown marriage, 39. Wales, 35.
Monasterboice cross, cures performed
Mars Sylvanus, pigs
sacrificed to, 136.
Moon,
connected
with,
St.
Marsh-marigold, 198. Martin, "Desiul" or account of, 52.
holy
round,
Moore, Thomas, Senan, 36.
St.
Kevin
and
MacDonald amulet,
Martin, St.,
description, 76.
dedicated to, 6. Massage, early use of, 161.
cow
Mount
Moray, desiul custom, 52. Sion, meaning of, 19.
Massey, Mr. Gerald, count of, 43.

190.
"couvade," ac-
Moytirra, "Eglone" stone, 219. Muck Inis, name of Ireland, 131. " Muck Olla " custom, 268.
Miiller,
Mather, Cotton, Quaker proselytisers,

r. W. T., Egyptians' reverence of engines, 233. " Maxwell, W. A., Bobby," account
Max,
"
couvade," account
of,
42.
Maud,
Mumps, cure, 53, 200. Mungo Park, well worship,

Murrain, cure, 75, 78, 79.
Music, fairy, 20.
113.
of, 98.
"hungry grass"
stories, 225.
Mweelrea mountain, sacred

10.
to fairies,
strange animals in lakes and rivers of the West, 121.
May Day,
lucky flowers, 262. Maypoles, custom, 264.
Nails, offerings, 85.
morning
rites,
176.
to,
mummers,
265.
pairing 200.
of,
superstitions
rites
relating
processions, 265.
Medical science, connection witli religion,
Napier, James, trees, with holes in, 237.
connected
161.
Nelson, Prof., sacred stones, 67.
482
INDEX,
O'Sullivan familj*, mermaid origin, 213.
Nennius, Mill of Kilkeary, account, 31.

Pict, rape of wives, account, 35. Nettles, use of, in May, 263.
O'Summaghan,
65.
cursing-stones,
story,
Neuri, transformation of into wolves,

118.
Our Lady's
Ouseley,
114.
bed, 29.
"William,
Sir
well- worship,
New
Guinea women, regulations
re-
garding, 31,
Nine, number, magical significance

272.
of,
Ovid, echo, remarks on, 292. wolves, transformation of

beings into, 119.
human
"Notes and Queries," wishing-wells,

account, 81.
November,
266.
first
day
of,
of,
observances,
"Paddy
Page, Eev. James,

sacrifices to dead,
the Dash," fairy doctor, 175. St. Patrick's bed,
second day
274.
description, 29.
Pantheism, Australia, 116.

to,
Numbers, superstitions relating
270.
St.
Paul's pantheism, 154.

of,
Nutt, Mr. Alfred, early Irish ecclesiastics, opinions of, 311.
Watson, Mr. "William, poem, 155.

Parliament, Acts 136, 172.
against witchcraft,
O'Connor, Dr., holy well customs, 86.

O'Curry, Eugene, divination, 170.
fairies,
Patria potestas, Irish laws, 3 Patrick, Saints (see that title).
"Patrick's Bush," 156.

St., Pantheism Peacock omens, 147.
two
classes of, 3.
Paul,
of, 154.
human
beings changed into rocks,
instance from, 209,
Peist, cure, 73.
Shannon, origin of, 30. O'Donovan, Aran Island pillar-stone,

description, 240.
" Peniterry," account of, 195. Pennant, St. Elian's curse, 67Pentateuch, sacred trees, 153. Persia, coward's cure, 232.
"
crceve," meaning of, 157.
curses, efficacy of, 57.
divination, 150.
Columbkille's
poem,
Petronius quoted, 297. Physic, god of, 202.

Physicians, ancient science, 204. Picts, descensus per umbilicum, 37.
Piers,
cursing-stone at Caher Island, 106. traditions, value of, 321.
Sir
Henry,
marriage
customs,
water-wagtail story, 145.
Ireland, 32.
Pigs, Brudins, 135. Celtic symbol in decoration, 136.
O'Flaherty family, mermaid origin, 213. O'Hanlon, Rev. John, fairy incantation,
translation, 15.
witch and fairy doctor, account

174.
Egyptian and Greek mythology,

of,
137.
Finn Mac Cool's boar hunt, 132.
Olden, Eev. T., names, 270.
number two
in Irish
Ollamh Fodhla's Omens, 140.

birds, 141.
Jewish opinions of, 137. Mac Datho's hag, 135.

magical red pigs, 136.
place
chair, supposed, 253.
name "Muck,"
136.
superstitions, 131.
O'Neill's "chair," history of, 251. Oneirology, 139.
Pile-wort, 193.
Pins, crooked, luck attached to, 82.
Orkney, witchcraft formula, 59.
Plague cure,
"Lee Penny,"
78.
INDEX.
Pliny, adder stones, 74.
agate, properties of, 76. Druid, derivation of word, 307.
evil eye, 285.
433
common
to
Sabines, rape of, story

nations, 35.
many
Sacerdotalism, Egypt, 116.

Sacrifices, fairies, propitiation of, 6. St. John's Day, customs, 264.
sneezing, opinion of, 150. transformation of human beings into wolves, 119. Plutarch,
Point, cemetery, 313. Saints

:
" desiul" custom, 54.
Poisoned wounds, cures, 204. Potter, Rev. F. A., marriage customs,

Ireland, 40.
Augustine, Britain, mission to, 48. preached to men without

heads, 23. Brigid's chair, 253. Ceara, feast of, 4.
Primroses used as a charm, 262.

Proselytisers, Quaker, 190. Proverbs, Irish, evil eye, 284.
Columbkille, desiul denounced by,

53.
various, 275.
Finvarra, interviewed with,

on, 283.
5.
women, proverbs
" Pulleek stone,"
29.
holy wells, 50.
poem on
Quaker
proselytisers, 190.
divination, 150.
slate, 106.
stone, 256.
women, horror
of, 27.
Rag
offerings, 84, 98, 113, 114.
Ramayana, cow
Rathoveeragh,
place, 300.
Eoghan
142.
story, 129. Bel's
Conall's healing stone, 69. Craebhnat, sacred tree, 159.

burial
Dabehoe, chair, 253.

Declan, black relic, 70. stone, 233.
Raven omens,
Red-haired people, superstitions

cerning, 140.
con-
Denis walks without his head, 23.

Elian, cursing well, 66. Fechin, stone, 65.
Fillan, well, cures madness, 171.
Red -hills, witch, 174. Red rash cure, 274.

Religion in Ireland, ment, 290.
gradual develop-
Fintan, cricket ceremony, 176.
Rheumatism
cure, 231.
rites, 101.
Goustan, marriage patron, 30. Holiness of Irish saints, 27.

Ita, bed, 29.
Rhys, Professor, Lammas
Rickets cure, 230. Rings used in marriage, origin, 44. " Road of the Black Pig," 131.
Roberts, George,
translation, 12.
Kevin,
"
bed," 26,
bed," 29. Madron, well, creeping stone, 230.
Loman, church,
Martin,
"
"Dark
Fairy Rath,"
cow dedicated
to, 6.
Robin Goodfellow's song, 14. Robin redbreast omens, 141.
Malaing and the wren, 147. " bed," 28. Molaise,

Gospel, symbol, 131.
Patrick,
Rocking
stones, 259.
Rods, divining, 221.

Rosses Point, holy well, 87.
bed," 29, 88. dreams, belief in, 138.

purgatory, rite performed at,
"
Rowan
166.
tree, virtues of, 155.
272,
Irish,
Russian baths,
resemblance to
Paul, pantheism, 154. Senan, 27.

Trivialities of Irish saints, 312.
Ryche, Barnaby, Irish holy VOL. II.
wells, 90.
434
Saliva, cures, 286.
INDEX.
Snails,
superstitions
relating to,
263,
spitting for luck, 285. uses of, 193.

16. Salt, superstitions relating to,
274.
Sneezing, origin
of,
superstitions con-
Samoa, wine libation, 7Saxon gods, influence of 308.

,
cerning, 150. Solinus, Irish infants, 40.
Song, faiiy, 20.

Soul, departure of,
Science, independence of, 310.

Scots,
Mary Queen
of,
amulets, belief
in, 79.
by open door, 302. Dermod's soul, 302. form of, 295.

practices,
Scott, Sir Walter, desiul custom, 53.

4. gallows, superstitions about,
immortality, 294.
South Sea Islanders, magical

202.
Spenser, bird omens, 143.
monks, opinion
of, 27.
St. Fillan's blessed well, 171. stone circle of Stennis, 247. trees, poem on, 157.
fairy changelings, 14.

elections
" Desiul " and " Tuaphall," 57.

of
chiefs,
Scrofula, cure by Royal touch, 190. " Grave of the Black Pig," Scurmore,
131.
description,
256.
Spiders used as cures, 187.

Bullen, Mr. F. T.,
Sea superstitions,
account, 298.
Spitchwich, magical ash Spitting lucky, 285.

Sprains, cures, 71, 73.
tree, 236.
Senan, St., 27.
Senchus Mor, marriage law of Ireland,

38.
Seneca, Christianity of, 50, 81. immortality, opinion on, 294.
Stennis, pillar-stone, 244. Stokes, Prof. Whitley, goddess Vera, 217.
Seven, magical number, 271.
Stone Age, Neolithic Period, 291. ornaments found in graves, 299.
Shadow, casting no shadow superstition, 297.
Palaeolithic Period, 291.

religion, 298.
Shakspeare, bird omens, 143. dead, non-return of, 298.

fern seed, 179.
Stone of Destiny, 257. Stone rings, Kirk Braddan, 248. Stones

:
Shannon river, origin of, 30. Shark Island, cat story, 125. " Sheeauns,'' fairy mounds, 19, 22. Sheep, divining by the blade bone,
137.
Shields,
Altagore,
" Shanven "
stone, 224.
Aran
Island, 240.
Ardmore, Cloch-Daha, 243. Blarney Stone, 25S.

Butter-rolls, 209.
Bolleit, holed-stones, 248.
Mr. Patrick, " sweat-bouses,"
account, 164.
Shingles, cure, 178.
Ships, lucky
Castledermot swearing stone, 239. Chila, 248.

for, 5.
names
" Children of the Mermaid," 212.

Christianity reconsecrates, 207. " Cloch-a-Phoill " stone, 230.
Shokas, rag offerings, 114.

Sleep, mystery of, 294.
Sligo, Co., holy wells, list, 88.
Smith, Dr.
170.
C.,
Glennagalt,
account,
Clocnapeacaib, 242. Clogher, 224.
"
Goldwin, animal worship,
Prof.
116.
Cloughlourish Cowardice, cure
"
legend, 213.
of, 233.
Crom Cruach and
Groin Dubh, 208.
truth, pursuit of, 323.
Cuilirra speckled stone, 228.
INDEX.
Stones
:
485
Storms, spells for raising, 104-108.
Cures derived from, 228, 230, 231.

Cursing-stones (see that
title).
wind
wells, 104.
Deccan, 248. Destiny, Stone
Straining strings, 7lff. Strains, cure of , 192.
of, 257.
Doctor-stones, 74. Doagh holed stone, 237.
" Straw-boys," 35. " String-bridge," legend, 25. " account

Strokers,"
of, 190.
Druid Circle, Killarney, 219. Druid transformations, 209, 211.

Far-hreaga, 209. '' " Gates of Glory stones, 222.
Struell wells, curative property of the water, 99.
Guernsey, 224.
Sully, James, dreams, opinion on, 189. Superstitions, rudimentary religion, 318. Surgery, primitive, 161.
Hai \vaii,
68.
St. Conall, 69.
Healing-stone of
/-" Holed
248.
stones, 226, 237, 242, 244,
"
Swallow omens, 144. Swan, sanctity of, 146.

Sweat-houses," 161.
Swift, Dean, death-watch charm, 145.
Human
207.
beings changed into, 209. Influences on our men and women,

Tain, J., quoted, 303.
Inisbofin, magical
cow, 221.
Iniskeen holed stone, 244.
Tain Bo Cuailgne, 127, 129. Taylor, Colonel Meadows, Deccan, holed

dolmen, description, 248-250.
Inismurray, 242.
Kaaba, black stone of

Kilchouslan, 247. Kilross cow-stealer
214.
the, 207.
Jeremy, 97. Rev. E., image worship only symbolic, 306.
turned into,
Teeth, superstitions relating
to,
16.
" Lee Penny," 78.

Lochgilphead, 247.
Teltown
fair, superstition, 56.
marriage, 39.
Loughcrew hills, 247. " Maen an Toll "

Marriage
Tempo, name
origin, 53.
stone, 230. customs at, 29, 30.
Tertullian, fish ity, 111.
an emblem of Christian-
Norway,
67.
Offerings of food to, 225. Pacific Islands, 67.

Pillar- stones, origin, 206.
Theano, 44. Theism, growth of and embodiment in

Christianity, 319.
Rocking-stones, 259.
St. Bridget's stone, 61.
Theocritus, spitting as a charm, 286. Thor, red, sacred to, 275.
Declan's stone, 70, 233. St. Osuna's stone, 227.

St.
Three, number, Irish predilection for, 271. Threlkeld, Caleb, fern-seed superstition, 178.
Saint's transformations, 209.
Speaking-stones," Stennis holed-stone, 244.

Straining strings, 71. Toberaraght well, 70.
Secondary holed-stones, 237. " 222.
mandrake
superstition, 198.
Throat, sore, cure of, 168.
Tighernach's Annals, Cormac's death, account of, 8.

Tirehan, holy wells, 47. Toam, sweat-house, 163.
Toomour "
Wishing
dicket-stones," 69.
stones, 80.
Tobacco
Witches' stone, Antrim, 247.
smoking, Indian custom, 7.
North
American
436
Toberaraght well, 87.
sacred stones, 70.
INDEX.
Vervain, superstitions relating
Virgil, evil eye, 285.
Vereticus, changed into a wolf, 119. to, 199.
Toberboyoga holy well, 92. Tobermonachan holy well, 92.

Tobernabostul well, 133.
Toberroddy, holy well, 87. Toland, bird omens, 142.
"Wake, Mr. C. Stanisland, without leave," 37.

couvade, account, 42.
" abduction
" desiul " and "tuapholl," 56. Druid stones, account, 211.
Wakeman, "NV.
sacred stones, lona, 69.
Tomfinlough church, plague stones, 74. " couvade," 43. Tomlinson, C., " dicket Toomour, stones," 69.
F., alignments of stones, discovery, 250. enchanted trout, 109.
murdered cow story, 128. " withershins " custom, 56.
Tory Island, wishing Totemism, 38, 117.

Trabolgan,
stone, 80.
"Muck
Olla
"
Wakes, games, cow capture, 129. Wales, marriage customs, 35.

Wands, magical, 221.
Warts, cures, 84, 199, 272.
custom.
Trees, sacred, 152.
creeve, meaning of, 157. holes in, virtues of, 235, 237.
life,
Water, feet washed in, superstition, 10.

holy, curative properties, 97. spirits cannot cross, 23.
emblems
of, 153, 155.
unlucky to meddle with, 157.

Trepanning, early use
of,
Water wagtail omens, 145.

Watson, "William, Pantheism, poem on,
155.
161.
Trimalchio, salvum sit quod tango, 287. Trinity, origin of idea of, 271.
Weasels, superstitions relating
to, 5.
Trummery Church,
Truth, what
is
cursing stones, 64. truth? 323.
Tuapholl or unholy round, 55.
" Welch, Mr. E., straining strings,"

72.
Wedding rings, 44. Weddings (see Marriage
customs).
Tubber Tullaghan
111.
well,
sacred fish,
Wells, holy
well, 82.
Tubberkeeran holy well, 87.
Aran, 39.
Assistance, 104.
Tubbemalt holy
Well
of,
Inismurray,
Turkish baths, origin, 161. Turner, Eev. George, Samoa customs, 7. Taylor, Dr. E., "couvade," account
of, 42.
Aughawale, 105, 112. Boyaghan, 92.

Britain, offerings, 49.
well- worship, 114.
Cambrensis' account, 99. " Chink 9o.
Well,"
Ulcerated leg, cure, 195.

Ulster, fairy beliefs, 3.
Clare, list of names, 89, 90. Cranfield, 99.
Cromleacs, 86.
Vallancey, archaeology of, 320. echo, Irish name for, 292.
Cursing wells, 66. " Desiul " or holy round, 51.

Drumcliff, 88.
moon
superstitions, 201.
Vera, goddess,
hag's chair," 251. legends relating to, 214.
"
Dublin, 90 ff. Faughart, 99.

to,
Scotch proverb relating

217.
Fish, sacred, 108, 111, 112. Gortnasoolboy, 93.
Kilmichael, 100.
INDEX.
Wells, holy
:
437
"
Were-wolf," 119.
"primitive
physick,"
Kilranelagh churchyard, 92.
Kineigh, 94.
AVesley, John, 182, 194.
Loughanlea, 93.
witchcraft, belief in, 172.
Loughharrow, 99.
Number
of,
47.
Westmeath marriage customs, 32. Westropp, Mr. T. J., cursing-stones,

60.
Offerings, 49, 81, 84, 97. "Patterns," 93, 94.
Pre-Christian origin, 47.
holy wells in Clare, 90. " plague stone," 74.
Rag
St.
offerings, 81, 84.
Wheatley,
45.
wedding ring
superstition,
Rosses Point, 87.
Bartholomew's, 96.
Whitsuntide, unlucky time, 266.
St. Berach's, 98.

St. Bridget's, 97.
AVhooping-cough, cures, 189, 193. Wight, Joshua, May Day processions,

50.
description, 265.
^St. Columhkill's,
St. Conall's, 99. St. Declan's, 96.
St. Fillan's, 171.
St.
Wilde, Lady, bed of the Holy Ghost,

29.
blind
112.
man
restored,
account
of,
Keeran's, 109.
St. Lacteen's, 88.
St. Molaise's, 104. St. Senan's, 97.
cat story, 125. childbirth superstitions, 13. " chink well," 95.
Sale of water, 100.

Salt water wells, 93. Scattery Island, 95.
deafness, cure for, described, 187. epilepsy, cure for, described, 187.
Garland Sunday, account

66.
of,
103.
Seven Daughters, well of, Sligo, list of names, 88.

Struell wells, 99.
Irish marriage festival, 33.
MacGowan,
origin of, 184.
hydrophobia
cure,
Three
classes, 46.
May Day
medicine
count, 168.
customs, 264.
Toheranleise, 93.
man's
exorcisms,
ac-
Toberaraght, 70, 87.
Toberboyaga, 92. Toberkeelagh, 94.

Tober-Kilnagreina, 95.
number two, unluckiness
of,
274.
Royal touch cure, described,
190.
Tobermonia, 104. Tober Monachan, 92.

Tobernabostul, 133.
scalded lamb, story of, 7. sick cattle, cure, described, 189. sprains, cures for, 73.
" The Priest's Soul," 296.

trout,
Toberroddy, 87. Tubberkeeran, 87.

Tubberkileilke, 94. Tubbernalt, 92, 101.
Whitsuntide customs, 266. Wilde, Sir William, enchanted

109.
"Will-o'-the-wisp,"
96.
fish,
explanation
of,
Tubberpatrick,
rites,
24.
111.
Tubber Tullaghan, sacred
Willow
157.
tree inspires a desire to dance,

identical with that
Wishing Wells,
80.
Women
forbidden to use, 30.
Wind, name of God

of, 107.
Worship, Oriental source, universality of, 113.
"
Zem-Zem,
113.
Wine
libations,
Night of the Big Wind," custom of, 7.
4.
488
INDEX.
Women,
holy islands forbidden to, 26. holy wells forbidden to, 30.
Witchcraft, Acts of Parliament against, 136, 272.
animal transformation by, 122.

belief in, 172.
formula for acquiring, 59. herb cures, 176.

Kyteler, 173.
proverbs on, 283. purity, 44. saints horror of, 26.
Lady
Alice and her son,
Worms,
192.
savage customs regarding, 31. diseases caused by, cures
for,
stock in trade of witches, 176.
Wesley's belief in, 172. " Withershins," 53, 55, 325. Wolves, Cormac Mac Art reared by a
wolf, 120.
Wounds, cure, 274. Wren, superstitions,
origin of, 147.
Xanthians, women's position amongst,

44.
human
118.
beings transformed into,
Women,
burial customs, 31. descent through the female line,
Yarrow, used as charm, 196.

Year, divisions
Yeats,
of, 2"62.
41, 42, 44.
W.
B., archaeology of, 320.
END OF VOLUME
II.
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m

TURPE EST IN PATRIA PEKEGRINARI, ET IN

NOVA PERT ANIMUS MUTATAS DICERE FORMAS

'THOUGH KNEELING NATIONS WATCH AND YEARN,

IX P ATRIA PEREGRINARI, ET IN EIS

REBUS Q.VM AD PATRIAM

PBKTINENT HOSPITEM ESSE.'

NOVA FERT ANIMUS MUTATAS DICERE FORMAS

'THOUGH KNEELING NATIONS WATCH AND YEARN,

a <n > <

ELDER FAITHS OF IRELAND

A FOLKL ORE SKE TCH

tontiboofc of Ertsjj $re= Christian Cratuttong

BY PONSONBY & WELDRIOK.

WELL WORSHIP AND

ANIMAL WORSHIP, BIRDS, AND AUGURY,

HERBS AND MEDICINE,

TRANSITIONAL ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE CONTINUITY OF RELIGION,

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PAPERS AND

FOLKLORE WHICH CAME UNDER

THE WRITER'S NOTICE,

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF AUTHORS NAMED

" HOI.ED STONE" AT TOBERNAVEAN, WOODVILLE, NEAR SLIGO,

THE RESCUE FROM THE FAIRIES,

" THE FAIRIES ARE DANCING BY BRAKE AND BY BOWER,"

THE FAIRY PIPER, " THEY ENDEAVOUR TO ENTICE THEM TO

WILL-O'-THE-WISP, OR THE BOG SPRITE,

WEDDING DANCE MASK,

......... ........ .......... ......... ..... ........

SITE OF ST. KEYNE'S WELL,

BRIDGET'S STONE, KILLINAGH, NEAR HLACKLION,

THE LITTLE ALTAR, WITH STONES, ISLAND OF INISHMURRAY,

EASTERN ALTAR, WITH STONES, ISLAND OF INISHMUKRAY,

ALTAR STONE FROM TRUMMERY CHURCH, COUNTY ANTRIM,

THE HEALING STONE OF

ALTAR AT TOOMOUR, WITH DUMB-BELL STONE, AND " DICKET

ALTAR AT TOBERARAGHT, WITH GLOBULAR STONKS,

FRONT AND BACK VIEW OF

DKCLAN*S BLACK RELIC, EMPLOYED

TO CUKE SORE EYES, HEADACHES, &C.,

EGG-SHAPED STONES, STRAINING STONE, AND STRAINING STRING,

LIST OF ILL USTRA TIONS.

THE GARNAVILLA AMULET,

RAGS TIED ON TREES, &C., AT TUBBERNALT, NEAR SLIGO,

BRIDGET'S WELL, COUNTY CLARE,

DECLAN'S WELL, ARDMORE, IN THE YEAR 1830,

GENERAL VIEW OF WELL AND ALTARS AT TUBKERNALT, NEAR

TOBERMONIA, NEAR LOUGH ARROW,

MOLAISE'S (MOLASH'S) WELL, ISLAND OF INISHMURRAY,

KEERAN, NEAR KELLS, CELEBRATED FOR

REPRESENTATION OF BOVINE HEAD IN BRONZE, IN THE COLLECTION OF THE U.I.A.,

BRONZE INSTRUMENT, WITH BIRD ORNAMENTS,

PATTERN OF BRONZE WIRE RUNNING THROUGH CENTRE OF HOLLOW

" THE WREN BOYS,"

THE AIR SUNG BY "THE WREN BOYS,"

"BIG BELL TREE" AT BORRISOKANE, APPEARED IN THE YEAR 1833,

SWEAT-HOUSE," ISLAND OF INISHMURRAY,

SWEAT-HOUSE," IN COUNTY CAVAN,

LIST OF ILL USTRA TIONS.

SWEAT-HOUSE AT ASSAROE, BALLYSHANNON,

ROWS OF PILLAR-STONES AT CARNAC IN BRITTANY,

"THE BUTTER ROLLS" (PROBABLY

FERNAGH OLD CHURCH, COUNTY KERRY,