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 Section. »5 '< 
 
AN ESSAY 
 
 J3& 
 
 THE DRUID $, FEB 15 19H 
 THE ANCIENT CHURClTTV^ 
 
 AND 
 
 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 OF IRELAND. 
 
 BY y/ 
 
 THE REV. RICHARD SMIDDY. 
 
 X** 
 
 **La* (&+■£ 
 
 "Antiquum exquirite matrem." 
 Search out the ancient mother." 
 
 Virgil. 
 
 DUBLIN: 
 
 W. B. KELLY, 8, GRAFTON -STREET. 
 
 LONDON : SIMPKIN, MARSHALL & CO. 
 
 187 I. 
 
 [all rights reserved.] 
 
BROWNE AND NOLAN, PRINTERS, NASSAU-STREET, DL'BLIX. 
 
Dedication 
 
 TO THE CELTIC RACE, ALL OVER THE WORLD, 
 
 THE FOLLOWING ESSAY 
 
 IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 
 
 BY 
 
 THE WRITER. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Whatever may be the character of the follow- 
 ing Essay, it is the result of considerable study 
 and inquiry. In the first place, the subjects of 
 which it treats could never be approached with- 
 out a knowledge of the Celtic language. That, 
 in itself, would require the labour and applica- 
 tion of much time. There are, and have been, 
 distinguished antiquaries in Ireland who could 
 not pronounce a single sentence in the Irish 
 language. Yet, to know that language well, 
 without being able to speak it, is an utter impos- 
 sibility ; for it is essentially more a language of 
 the tongue than of the letter. 
 
 It was once the speech of a vast number of the 
 human race. Probably, it was the first language 
 spoken by man. At the present day fragments 
 of it are found in most countries of the world, 
 even in India and among the original tribes of 
 America. No language has left more extensive 
 traces of its existence on the face of Europe than 
 
vi PREFACE. 
 
 the Celtic. It is indelibly engraved there in the 
 names of rivers, cities, lakes, and mountains, as 
 well as in the frame-work of the modern lan- 
 guages. Perhaps, even, imperial Rome itself owes_ 
 its name to it, whatever ancient writers may say 
 on the subject. In the Celtic language Ruimi- 
 neach means a swamp, or marsh, a feature which, 
 certainly, ancient Roma exhibited, and of which 
 there remain clear traces to this day. It is an 
 incontrovertible fact that the old languages of 
 Rome and Greece drew largely on the Celtic for 
 their component materials. 
 
 This ancient tongue is now on the point of 
 dying out, even in Ireland which was its last 
 resting place, just as, centuries ago, it disappeared 
 in other countries under the dissolving influence 
 of invasion and the introduction of foreign lin- 
 gual elements. The language to which the 
 ancient Bards strung their harps, and which 
 flowed with such grace from the lips of fair 
 lady, brave chief, and Druidical sage, is now 
 soon about to take its departure for ever. This, 
 in itself, may be a reason for endeavouring to 
 raise even an humble monument out of it before 
 it disappears altogether- Without its assistance 
 the subject of the Druids could never be ade- 
 
PREFACE. vii 
 
 quately handled, the names of the Churches 
 would remain a mystery, and the key to the 
 cipher of the Round Tower would be lost for 
 ever. With respect to these Towers, perhaps 
 the most interesting subject of the Essay, the 
 present theory touches a cord which was never 
 struck before. That it is the true one, the 
 writer is perfectly confident. If it be so, success 
 must not speak or think disparagingly of those 
 who went before it in this inquiry. Nor should 
 obligations be unacknowledged. The progress of 
 the voyage into remote antiquity is often slow 
 and difficult, and, to be successful, requires the 
 light and assistance derived from the labours 
 even of those who have failed in the attempt at 
 discovery themselves. 
 
 Aghada, on the Harbour of Queenstown. 
 April, 1 87 1. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHAPTER I.— The Druids i 
 
 CHAPTER II.— The Druids (continued) ... 67 
 
 CHAPTER III.— The Ancient Churches of 
 
 Ireland . z 4 2 
 
 CHAPTER IV.— The Round Towers of Ireland . 186 
 
ESSAY 
 
 ON THE 
 
 DRUIDS, ANCIENT CHURCHES, 
 AND ROUND TOWERS 
 
 OF IRELAND. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 The Derivation and Meaning of the name, Druid.— 
 The Meaning of the names, Celts and Scots, and 
 what countries they originally came from. — the 
 Meaning of the name, Gallus, or Gaul. — The Mean- 
 ing of the name, Goth.— The Language of the Celts. 
 — The Religious System of the Druids. — The Gods of 
 the Druids.— The Names of the Gods given to the 
 days of the week, which are still called after them 
 in the Irish and other Languages. — Human Sacri- 
 fices of the Druids.— Their Temples and Altars. — 
 Their Votive Offerings of the spoils taken from the 
 enemy.— The Dallan, or Pillar-stone.— The Chief 
 Seat, or Meeting-place of the Druids in Ireland.— 
 Monuments of the Druids. — The Ogham Writing. — 
 The Lia-fail, called the Stone of Destiny.— The 
 
 FOLACII FlADH, OR COOKING TUB— THE BREWING VAT 
 
 and Mill— The Erugh, or Burying Mound —The 
 Houses and Habitations of the Druids and Celts. — 
 The Rath.— The Lios.— The Dun.— The Teamhair. — 
 TheCaisoil— TheCathair.— The Palas — The Cro.— 
 The Crannog and C uracil 
 
 When the first Christian Missionary landed in 
 Ireland he found the Druids and their religion 
 strongly established there. The Druids were the 
 priests of the ancient Celts. The word Druid is 
 formed from the Irish name, Draoi (pronounced 
 
2 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 DJirct), which is believed to be a compound of 
 the words dair, "oak," and at, " learned or wise," 
 that is, the learned or wise man of the oak. 
 The oak was held in great veneration by the 
 Druids. Under its branches, on the mountain tops 
 and in the deep valleys, were performed the rites 
 and mysteries of their religion ; and it was in the 
 woods and wilds they and their people sojourned 
 while leading a roving life and subsisting on their 
 flocks, during the early periods of their history. 
 
 It appears that the Celts were a branch or 
 colony, sprung from ancient Scythia. A wan- 
 dering hardy people were the Scythians, who, 
 disdaining to live in cities or towns, moved about 
 from one place to another with their families and 
 their flocks. In the course of ages they spread 
 over a large portion of Asia, and even occupied 
 many countries of Europe. 
 
 The name, Scuit, " Scots," assumed by these 
 people, was derived from Sciot, " an arrow or 
 dart." It appears that, true to their traditions 
 and warlike name, the nobles of that race, on all 
 occasions of public ceremony, always carried the 
 bow and the arrows as a necessary part of their 
 personal outfit. The name of Scythians, which 
 the Greek and Latin writers bestowed on the an- 
 cient tribes of this race, was derived from the 
 same root. The Scots of Ireland and Scotland 
 were called Scoti in modern Latin. 
 
 A large territory on the eastern and western 
 
THE DRUIDS. 3 
 
 shores of the Euxine, in Asia, and in Europe, 
 obtained the name of Scythia, from the presence 
 there, for many ages, of an early colony of this 
 warlike race. Herodotus states that they had 
 come there from the borders of the Red Sea, 
 from which, according to other authorities, they 
 had been expelled by one of the Pharoahs for their 
 kindness to the oppressed Israelites. Josephus 
 says, they were the descendants of Magog, son of 
 Japheth, son of Noah. His words are : — " Magog 
 led out a colony which, from him, were called 
 Magogites, but by the Greeks called Scythians." 
 Among the first important colonies of these 
 hardy Scythians, was that which they planted in 
 ancient Phoenicia, a country situated in Asia, on 
 the eastern shores of the Mediterranean. Here 
 the Scythian intellect found employment in trade 
 and commerce, and the arts of civilized life, which 
 were pushed with wonderful energy by them to 
 all parts of the then known world. By this 
 means new colonies, sprung from the Scythian 
 blood, were planted at Carthage, Hippo, Mar- 
 seilles, Utica, and other places favourable to 
 commerce. The Celts of Ireland claimed a 
 brotherhood with all those descended from Phoe- 
 nicia, and in consequence of that claim, one of 
 the names assumed by them was that of Feinne, 
 or Fianaidhe (Fenii, or Fenians), just as the name 
 Peni or Phcni, was given to the Carthaginians, 
 from the same root, Phcenicus, or Phoenician. 
 
4 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 Phoenicia means the country of the Phoenians or 
 Fenians ; but it is not absolutely known what is 
 the root or meaning of the word Phcenian itself. 
 Some think it is derived from the Celtic word 
 Feiniy "a warrior" or husbandman, while some 
 of the Greek and Latin writers say it came from 
 Phoenix, one of their kings, or perhaps from the 
 Greek word PAoimkes,palm trees, which were very 
 abundant in their country. It is, however, more 
 likely that the word is of Celtic origin, and that 
 Feine, a warrior, is the root of it. Thus Sciot 
 and Feine would mean the same thing, that is, 
 a person expert at hurling the dart, according to 
 the first name, and a warrior according to the 
 other. It is likely that the ancient Irish militia, 
 of which Fionn MacCubhail was a prominent 
 commander, took the name of Feinne or Fhian- 
 aidhe, from this word, which indicated a high and 
 distinguished origin of the Celtic race in Ireland. 
 The Druidical nations were designated by the 
 general name of Ccltae or Celts. By the ancient 
 Greek and Roman writers this term is applied to 
 the descendants of a powerful and warlike peo- 
 ple, whose known origin is traced to the eastern 
 and western shores of the Euxine, in Asia and 
 in Europe. It is not known whether the word 
 Celta? (originally and properly pronounced K elite), 
 was of foreign invention, or whether it was 
 formed from a name which, in their own lan- 
 guage, these people had assumed and applied to 
 
THE DRUIDS. 5 
 
 themselves. Some derive it from Celsus, a great 
 personage, on whose character and origin the 
 ancient writers are not agreed. Others derive 
 it from Geilt, which means a wild man or inha- 
 bitant of the woods. Coill is a wood, and coil- 
 tac/i, an inhabitant of the woods. In certain 
 cases of the plural number, coiltach changes to 
 gailtig, or geiltig ; and hence, it is said, was 
 formed the name Celtae, bestowed on these peo- 
 ple. But if the word is to be regarded as of 
 native origin, it is scarcely credible that a proud 
 and powerful people would have applied to them- 
 selves the character of wild men of the woods. 
 
 Another interpretation, more flattering to the 
 pride of this ancient race, is not without its ad- 
 vocates and its plausibility. Caesar says the 
 Celts believed that they were born of the Deity, 
 or descended from God as their father, and that 
 this belief was handed down to them by the 
 Druids. We shall hereafter see that in Ireland 
 they were called by the name of Tuatha-De- 
 Danan, that is, the princes or descendants of 
 Dia-tene-ion (god the fire-god), by which was 
 meant the sun. In the Celtic language ceal (pro- 
 nounced kal) means the heavens, and cealtacli, or 
 cealtacli, signifies a person of the heavens, or a 
 heavenly person. Here, then, in the word 
 cealtacli, a heavenly person, we have the root 
 of the name Celtae, given to these people by the 
 ancient Greek and Latin writers. The name by 
 
6 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 which the Irish have always called themselves is 
 Gaoidhiel, or Gaoidhallagh, a word which is pro- 
 nounced with perfect accuracy by the Irish- 
 speaking people of this country, but the sound 
 of which cannot be adequately conveyed in any 
 combination of English letters or words. It is not 
 Geeal, nor Geelloach, but something in that direc- 
 tion, which the pen alone could never produce. 
 Now, Gaoidhallagh appears to be formed from 
 gaol, "a relative," and ceallagk, "a person of the 
 heavens," or heavenly, that is,arelativeof the celes- 
 tials, or, in other words, of the Celts. This interpre- 
 tation is strengthened by the authority of those 
 very ancient writers, w r ho say that the word Celtae 
 came fromCelsus, who was descended fromCcelus 
 or Uranus. Uranus seems to be formed from 
 the Celtic words Ur> "the sun," and An, "man." 
 The words Kelleach, Keltae, and Kelsus, are 
 evidently of the same root and family. 
 
 If this be the true interpretation of the name, 
 it asserts a high and honourable origin for the 
 Celts; and it is difficult to say who may not 
 participate in the honour, for the descendants of 
 that great race are scattered over many of the 
 countries of the globe. It also establishes the 
 inference that there is something more than a 
 poetic licence in the language which calls these 
 children of the sun, " fiery Celts." Possibly those 
 nations that preserved and fostered traditions of 
 their own celestial or divine origin, such as the 
 
THE DRUIDS. 7 
 
 native Peruvians, the Chinese, and also the 
 Athenians, or ancient Greeks, according to the 
 words of their poets, as quoted by St. Paul, were 
 early distant branches, springing from the great 
 Cealtach, or Celtic root. The celestial mother 
 of the Peruvians, whose name and memory their 
 tradition preserved, was called in their language 
 Mama Oello, How much this resembles the 
 Celtic words Mam Ceallach, "heavenly mother!" 
 Mama/m the Peruvian language, means "mother." 
 In the Celtic it is Mam; in the Hebrew Am. 
 The Mexicans, Peruvians, and most of the Ame- 
 rican tribes, were worshippers of the sun; and 
 among them were found many fragments of the 
 Celtic language. 
 
 The Latin word Gallus, a Gaul, was manifestly 
 derived from the Celtic name Gaoidhallach, 
 which, according to this very plausible interpre- 
 tation, means a relative or descendant of the 
 Celestials or Celts. In Ireland the word Gall, 
 or Galluv, means foreigners. This by some is 
 derived from the Latin Galli, Gauls, or inhabit- 
 ants of France. It is, however, formed from the 
 Celtic words gal, or gael, " kindred," and all, 
 " foreign," that is, of the tribe of the strangers or 
 foreigners, just as Gaoidhael means "of the 
 tribe of the Celestials," or Celts. In Ireland the 
 word Gall was applied to foreigners in general, 
 and settled, in a particular manner, on Gallic 
 foreign invaders, because the Danes or North- 
 
8 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 men, who had founded a settlement in France, 
 or ancient Gaul, often at one period sent hostile 
 expeditions from that country to Ireland. The 
 fond name of Goadhacl was, however, shared 
 with the kindred nations of Scotland, Wales, 
 and even England, till this last country became 
 either the nursery or the high road of the inva- 
 der, and then its people were called by the 
 general appellation of Gall, or Gaulliv. In later 
 times the English have been called Sasson or 
 Sassonig. The Scotch Albanig, and the Welsh 
 Breanig. 
 
 It would appear that the name Goth is 
 a corruption or inflection of the word Scuit. 
 By the ancient writers the Goths are called 
 Geta3. They comprised the innumerable tribes 
 who inhabited the northern countries of Europe, 
 and who afterwards flowed in on the Roman 
 Empire with irresistible impetuosity. Their 
 gods were the gods of the ancient Scots, or 
 Scythians, and their religious monuments are 
 the same, even as far as the Polar regions. 
 Whatever difference of character and of civiliza- 
 tion existed between them, the Scots and the 
 Goths had the same religious ideas, and were 
 distinguished by the same love of arms, of travel, 
 and of adventure. 
 
 The language of the Celts, the first perhaps 
 spoken by man, is still living in Ireland. It is 
 soft, copious, and highly expressive and remark- 
 
THE DRUIDS. 9 
 
 able for its great capability of forming beautiful 
 compounds from its primitive roots. The Celtic 
 language, according to certain authorities, is a 
 dialect of the Phoenician tongue, and the Phoe- 
 nician was a near relative of the Hebrew. But 
 there are some grave writers and scholars who 
 think that the Celtic and Phoenician languages 
 are older than the Hebrew, are richer and more 
 natural, both in primitive roots and in com- 
 pounds, and, as having suffered less from foreign 
 admixture and subjugation, come nearer to man's 
 primitive tongue. The close analogy between 
 the Hebrew and the Irish is very remarkable, 
 both in the construction of the languages and in 
 the words. It is notorious that the Celtic lan- 
 guage formed the chief root of the Greek and 
 Latin tongues. From Phoenicia Cadmus brought 
 the sixteen letters of the alphabet, and the Irish 
 language, too, originally possessed only sixteen 
 letters. 
 
 This was the language spoken by the Druids, 
 and in it, from time immemorial, they per- 
 formed the mysteries of their religion, instructed 
 the youth in the secrets of their worship, com- 
 municated their own knowledge of the arts 
 and sciences to their pupils, and promulgated 
 law and justice among their people. 
 
 In Ireland there is no existing written record or 
 monument from which we could learn the religious 
 system of the Druids, and it is most probable 
 
10 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 that no such record ever existed. How comes 
 this ? In the first place, it was an inviolable 
 principle with the Druids never to commit their 
 religious tenets or belief to writing, though they 
 wrote on all other matters concerning themselves 
 and their people. In the next place, it was the 
 aim and policy of the early Christian missioners 
 to withdraw the minds of their converts from 
 that system to which the people of the country 
 had been so long devoted, and to allow the stern 
 and still dreaded belief, with its worship, to sink, 
 as soon as possible, into oblivion. Thus no early 
 Christian writer here, in all probability, ever oc- 
 cupied his pen with the subject, though, as we 
 shall see, the names of the different seasons of 
 the year, and even of the days of the week, are 
 still of Druidical origin in the Irish language. 
 Highly probable even it is, that any vestiges or 
 remains of Druidism existing in the ancient his- 
 torical and legal records of Ireland were indus- 
 triously removed when, at the suggestion of St. 
 Patrick, about the year 438, as the Annals of the 
 Four Masters state, these works were revised and 
 purified by a number of learned antiquaries. It 
 is collected from other sources that three hundred 
 books, tinged with Paganism, were, at this time, 
 consigned to destruction. It is from Roman and 
 Greek Pagan writers, such as Caesar, Suetonius. 
 Pliny, Strabo, Diogenes, Laertius, and Diodorus 
 Siculus, we gather the prominent ieatures of the 
 
THE DRUIDS. II 
 
 religion and worship of the Druids, as well as a 
 knowledge of the position and authority held by 
 them among their people. 
 
 The Druidical religion inculcated a belief in 
 the existence of a Supreme Ruler. The great ob- 
 ject of its worship was Beal, which is a compound 
 word formed from Be, "is," and All, "universal," 
 that is, the universal Is, or the universal Being. 
 The other gods, and even all visible things, were 
 regarded as mere emanations of this great spirit. 
 Another name of Beal in the Celtic is Alia, or 
 Allah, which seems to be formed from All, 
 " universal," and Hea, a vocal inflection of Ta, 
 "is," that is, the universal Is. There seems to be 
 a striking affinity between these Celtic words or 
 names and Allah, of the Arabic, and Eloha of 
 the Hebrew. And to which of the three lan- 
 guages is priority of root, for this name of God, 
 to be assigned ? Apparently to the Celtic. The 
 Parsees of India, whose original native country 
 was Persia, believe, like the ancient Celts, in the 
 existence of a universal Being, whose name is 
 Bugoion, and of whom they entertain similar 
 notions and ideas. 
 
 Though Druidism acknowledged a Supreme 
 Being, the system, however, must be regarded 
 as a species of polytheism and idolatry, for it 
 included a belief in many gods, and rendered 
 divine honours to the sun, moon, stars, and 
 planets, and, as it is thought, to many objects 
 
12 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 on this earth. The sea, the lake, the wood, the 
 mountain, and the river, with many other striking 
 objects, received the homage and religious vene- 
 ration of the Druids, for they believed that the 
 Deity associated himself with everything noble, 
 great, and majestic. Thus, it is thought that, by 
 way of eminence, they gave the name of Beal to 
 the sun, which is the source of light and life, 
 and without which all earthly things would be 
 motionless and inanimate. If we are to deduce 
 a logical conclusion from their principles, it would 
 appear that the whole system was a sort of Pan- 
 theism, which made almost every object an 
 emblem of the Deity, especially those things 
 which were remarkable for the possession of very 
 good or very bad qualities. 
 
 In his Sixth Book of the Gallic War, Caesar 
 says that Mercury was their favourite god, the 
 object of their special veneration; and, that after 
 him, the honours were rendered to Apollo, Mars, 
 Jove, and Minerva. Of these divinities he says 
 they had much the same notions as the Romans 
 and other nations, by whom they were acknow- 
 ledged and worshipped. There is a singular con- 
 firmation of what Caesar says respecting the first 
 honours as given to Mercury, in the very name 
 which that divinity has in the Irish language. 
 He is called Dia-Ccad-ion (ccon), that is, " god 
 the first lord," or " god the first god." How 
 he obtained that precedence it is not easy to 
 
THE DRUIDS. 13 
 
 conjecture, unless it is that, being the patron of 
 strangers and travellers, he was, from time im- 
 memorial, invoked by the wandering Scythians, 
 as their guide and protector. " Of him," con- 
 tinues this Roman writer, "they have many 
 images ; they regard him as the inventor of the 
 arts, as the guide of the path and of the journey, 
 and as their great aid in the trade of money- 
 making and commerce." 
 
 Tacitus, writing of the ancient inhabitants of 
 Germany, says that, " of all the gods the chief 
 object of their worship is Mercury, to whom, on 
 certain days, they hold it lawful to offer human 
 sacrifices." 
 
 The names of the gods, as bestowed on the 
 different days of the week in the Irish language, 
 and as still commonly used in this country, are 
 much the same as those mentioned by Caesar. 
 They are Dia Sol, "god the Sun," (Sunday); 
 Dia Luan y "god the Moon," (Monday); Dia 
 Moirt, "god Mars," (Tuesday); Dia Cead-ion 
 (eeon) y " god the first god," Mercury (Wednes- 
 day) ; Dia ard-ion (ccon), " god the high god," 
 Jove or Jupiter (Thursday) ; Dia Bean-ion, "the 
 woman god," Venus (Friday) ; and Dia Satham, 
 " god Saturn," (Saturday). 
 
 Dia-Mairt (Mars), is formed from Dia, "god," 
 and mort, "death;" that is, the god of death and 
 destruction, which is certainly a very appropriate 
 name. From this evidently comes Mars of the 
 
14 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 Latins, and perhaps, too, Ares of the Greeks. 
 In the Celtic language Mairta is the name of the 
 month of March, from mort, "death," and ta % 
 " god." This month was called after the god of 
 battles, perhaps from the circumstance of the 
 military campaign generally commencing at that 
 season of the year, and especially because his 
 worship was then performed with great solemnity. 
 
 Sat/mm (Saturn) is formed from sadJi (pro- 
 nounced saw), "a long knife or cutter," axi&fearan, 
 "land," for he it was who had instructed mankind 
 in agriculture, and thereby produced the golden 
 age. Thus he is always represented with a 
 pruning knife or scythe in his hand. 
 
 In the Irish language, dia means a "god," and 
 dia also means "a day." Ion (pronounced eeon), 
 means a "high lord," and sometimes "god, or 
 the sun." The name of dia was evidently given to 
 the day as being dedicated to " the god," and the 
 day of theBoiids commenced, like that of Hebrews, 
 from the evening. Thus, for instance, Sunday 
 commenced from Saturday evening at sunset ; 
 and, as the Scripture expresses it, the evening and 
 morning were one day. When dia means "day," 
 as with respect to the days of the week, the name 
 of the divinity is in the genitive case. The 
 names of the seven days are then thus : — Dia 
 Suly "the day of the Sun" (Sunday) ; DiaLuain, 
 " the day of the Moon ;" DiaMairt> "the day of 
 Mars;" Dia Ccadoinc, "the day of the first god ;" 
 
THE DRUIDS. 1 5 
 
 Dia Ardione, "the day of the high god •" Dia 
 Venione (corruptly Diaaione,orDiauine,) "theday 
 of the woman god" (Venus) ; and Dia Saihrain, 
 " the day of Saturn" (Saturday.) It was from the 
 Celts the Romans, at a comparatively late period 
 of their history, under the reign of the emperors, 
 adopted this computation of time by the week, 
 and bestowed on the days the names of the 
 gods. Dio, who flourished under Severus, says 
 this change took place a little before his own 
 time. It may, perhaps, be not out of place here 
 to observe that the English words King and 
 Queen are derived from the Celtic. English 
 scholars are unable to tell us their roots, or what 
 they originally meant. " King" is formed from 
 Ceann-ion, that is, "head high lord :" Ceann 
 being " a head," and ion (pronounced eeon) " a 
 high lord" in the Celtic language. "Queen" 
 is formed from the original Bean-ion or Ven-ion^ 
 that is "woman high lady." In a depraved 
 sense, in allusion to Venus, Bean-ion sometimes 
 meant a woman of free and unsteady morals. 
 This Celtic word Bean-ion is the root of Venus 
 of the Latins, as the change from Bean-ion, 
 or Venion, to Venus is very trifling; and she was 
 the woman by way of excellence. 
 
 The Latin words Deus and Dies, " a day," and 
 also the Greek word T/ieos, " God," are derived 
 from the Celtic Dia. The school-boy is taught 
 to derive Theos of the Greeks, from T/ieo, "to 
 
1 6" THE DRUIDS. 
 
 run," because his dictionaries and teachers can 
 furnish no better derivation. The name Dia, 
 itself, appears to be a variation of Ta, pronounced 
 Thah, which is apparently the original Celtic 
 name of God. In sound and in meaning Ta, of 
 the Celtic, corresponds with Yak or Jah, "God," 
 or, "the Great I AM," of the Hebrew; for Ta 
 means " am or is," God alone having existence 
 by excellence, and of himself. This is a curious 
 coincidence which exhibits the affinity of these 
 two languages, and yet leaves it doubtful which 
 of the two is the older or the original one. Could 
 this word Ta, " God," have given rise to the 
 ancient mysterious monogram T, tau, which 
 some believe to have been of Hebrew, others of 
 Egyptian origin, but which, perhaps, in reality, 
 was Celtic, and belonged to man's primitive lan- 
 guage ? The trine Tau, would, of itself, indicate 
 a Druidical origin ; for with the Druids " three " 
 was a mystical number into which almost all 
 things resolved themselves. 
 
 The word Ta enters into the formation of 
 Tuesday and Thursday of the Saxons. Tues is 
 a compound of Ta, " god," and ess or aise, 
 "death;" that is, the god of death or destruction, 
 viz., Mars. TJwr, or Ihur, is formed from Ta, 
 "god," and ur, " fire," that is, the god of fire, or 
 lightning, Jove. But how is Oudeus or Wodens 
 (Wednesday) formed ? The rest are easy, with 
 the exception of Frcita, or Friday. Perhaps 
 
THE DRUIDS. 1 7 
 
 Onden is formed from Uadh, " chief," or " singu- 
 lar," and Ta, " god ;" for Mercury held the first 
 •rank among the gods of the Druidical Celts. 
 Freita (Friday) comes from fear, "man," i, "she," 
 and ta, " god," that is, the woman god, Venus. 
 Another derivation wo uld make it from fear 
 " man," and uith (pronounced od) " udder," that 
 is, the udder-man, or female, and ta "god." The 
 English word woman, and, perhaps, the Latin 
 name mulier, would seem to point to this latter 
 root as the true one. Woman appears to be 
 formed from uith, " udder," and an, " man ;" 
 mulier from uith, "udder," and fear, "man." 
 Vir, "man," of the Latin, comes from fear, "man," 
 of the Celtic. 
 
 Some of the ancient Greek and Latin writers 
 mention Esus, or Essus, as a god of high repute 
 among the Gauls. He is also sometimes called 
 Estar, or Esar. Esus, or Essus, is evidently 
 formed from Essta, the god of death and destruc- 
 tion, that is, Mars, who was the great protector 
 of the Gallic nation. He was specially wor- 
 shipped about the month of March, which derives 
 its name from him. From him also is derived 
 the name of Easter, as applied to the Paschal 
 time, which always occurs at that season of the 
 year. 
 
 The sacrifices of the Druids consisted chiefly 
 of the products of the earth, grain, milk, 
 fruits, and animals. It is also certain that on 
 
1 8 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 solemn occasions, when visited by a famine, hard- 
 pressed by the enemy, or about to enter on some 
 arduous undertaking, they offered up human 
 sacrifices to conciliate the favour or avert the 
 anger of their gods. Malefactors, felons, and 
 even captives of war, were easily disposed of in 
 this way, by a people who had neither a Cayenne, 
 a Botany Bay, nor a convict-hulk to send them 
 to ; and perhaps it was a comfort to the poor vic- 
 tims themselves to be told that they were bene- 
 fiting their friends, while pleasing the deities, by 
 their death. Still innocent victims were not un- 
 frequent, and Diodorus Siculus says that the 
 Phoenicians in this way sometimes offered up a 
 holocaust, or sacrifice, of thirty helpless children 
 together. How far this gloomy and dreadful 
 system prevailed in Ireland is not known ; but 
 as the Druids were educated and trained under 
 the same stern rule and discipline, it is likely 
 that their principles and practice were every- 
 where the same, though, perhaps, as it is to be 
 hoped, occasionally modified by national in- 
 fluences. 
 
 Caesar tells us how these human sacrifices 
 sometimes took place. They constructed gigan- 
 tic images of osiers and wicker-work, partly 
 filled with inflammable materials, and in the 
 round enormous legs and arms of these hideous 
 effigies living men were enclosed. At the ap- 
 pointed time for the sacrifice, fire was applied to 
 
THE DRUIDS. 19 
 
 this structure, and presently the whole mass was 
 enveloped in flame and smoke, and soon reduced 
 to ashes. Over the horrid scene the Druids pre- 
 sided as usual in their official capacity, with great 
 ceremony, using incantations and spells to make 
 the sacrifice more effective in propitiating the 
 god. And so little did these grim spectacles 
 shock the feelings of the people, that many 
 amongst them, of their own free choice, and 
 without any compulsion, offered themselves as 
 victims on such occasions. The Romans en- 
 deavoured to abolish or check this barbarous 
 custom, but, generally, their efforts in that way 
 were not of much avail. 
 
 Was the burning at the stake, which even in 
 England, and other countries, continued to a 
 late period, a remnant of this ? Or was it used 
 against persons on account of offences against 
 religion, because, perhaps, it had been the special 
 punishment with the Druids of impiety to their 
 gods ? 
 
 Though the Romans endeavoured, as their 
 writers tell us, to restrain the Druids on this 
 point of their worship, they were not themselves 
 without their human sacrifices. " By an ancient 
 law of Romulus," (says Adam, Roman Anti- 
 quities), persons guilty " of certain crimes such as 
 treachery or sedition, were devoted to Pluto and 
 the infernal gods. In after times, a consul, 
 dictator, or praetor, might devote not only 
 
20 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 himself, but any one of the legion, and slay him 
 as an expiatory victim. In the first ages of the 
 republic human sacrifices seem to have been 
 offered annually; and it was not till the year 
 of the city 657, that a decree of the senate was 
 made to prohibit them. Boys used to be cruelly 
 put to death, in the time of Cicero and Horace, 
 for magical purposes." 
 
 Among the Jews there were many sacrifices of 
 animals appointed by God himself. Could the 
 perversion among other nations with respect to 
 human sacrifices be the result of a false and 
 erroneous tradition or interpretation of an 
 early revelation or belief regarding the great 
 sacrifice which was to redeem mankind ? 
 
 The Druids had temples, altars, and sacred 
 places for the performance of their worship. 
 Some of these are still existing in Ireland, and 
 also in England, Scotland, and France. Perhaps 
 in this country we have the most numerous 
 specimens, though not of the most gigantic 
 proportions. We have the Siorcalleact (Circle 
 temple), the Cromleact, the Dalian, the Carnan, 
 and the Cam, with many other objects, the 
 uses and origin of which are now utterly un- 
 known. There is no proof that the Druids ever 
 used any covered temples, at least in this 
 country, or probably elsewhere. In France are 
 the remains of such temples, which are popularly 
 ascribed to the Druids ; but it is more likely 
 
THE DRUIDS. 21 
 
 that they belonged to the Romans, who had 
 conquered and occupied a great part of that 
 country. It appears to have been a prominent 
 article of the Druidical creed, that to worship 
 their gods within covered temples was contrary 
 to the notion that ought to be entertained of the 
 divine immensity. We have this on the tes- 
 timony of Tacitus, and other ancient writers. 
 It is, however, stated that owing to Roman ideas 
 the Druids of France erected temples of unusual 
 magnitude, some roofed, and others open and 
 roofless according to the ancient rule. In a 
 part of that country, called Montmorillon, was 
 a stately edifice of this kind, having on the 
 entrance over the gate the statues of eight gods, 
 which were believed to be Druidical divinities. 
 These were probably the effigies of the gods, 
 whose names were bestowed on the seven days 
 of the week, together with that of Minerva, who 
 was a favourite deity of Druidism. It is not 
 known whether this temple, and its rude statues, 
 were erected by the Druids themselves, or by 
 the Romans, who generally adopted the gods of 
 the conquered countries, and who, by construct- 
 ing an edifice of this kind in Gaul, would have 
 performed an act highly calculated to flatter 
 and conciliate a people of strong religious 
 feelings. 
 
 The earliest simple specimen of their temple 
 was a circular portion of ground, inscribed all 
 
22 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 round with a furrow, or enclosed within stakes. 
 This temporary construction was called teavipul, 
 (temple,) from the word timchcal, or tiomchal, 
 which means " round." But where there was an 
 opportunity of surrounding the place with grow- 
 ing oak trees, it was much preferred for their 
 teampul by the Druids. All the temples of this 
 kind have, of course, disappeared ; but there are 
 others of a more permanent construction which 
 have survived the lapse of ages, and now raise 
 up their grey heads on the hill-side and in the 
 valley, awakening the curiosity of the beholder, 
 and the deep interest of the antiquary. 
 
 These are the Siorcalleachts, which are com- 
 posed or constructed of large pillar stones, set 
 on the ends, round a space of ground in the 
 form of a circle. Of these there is a large 
 variety. Some attain to majestic proportions, 
 both with respect to the size of the stones and 
 the quantity of ground enclosed. Others are 
 small and unpretending in their structure. The 
 presumption is, that they were made small or 
 larcre according to the numbers of the wor- 
 shippers, the relative importance of the Druidical 
 stations, or, perhaps, the extent of the religious 
 ceremonial offices in connexion with them. It 
 appears they were composed of twelve pillars, or 
 of the multiples of twelve, and it is conjectured 
 that these were emblematic of the twelve signs 
 of the zodiac, as, probably, the Siorcalleacht was 
 
THE DRUIDS. 2$ 
 
 a temple of the sun. Sometimes there were three 
 circles of these pillars, one outside the other, and 
 the whole surrounded by a lios, that is, by a 
 fosse or trench, in which were two or three open- 
 ings or passages, to admit ingress and egress. 
 No doubt, there was some symbolic meaning in 
 the three circles of pillars which, perhaps, it is 
 now difficult to find out or conjecture. They 
 might, not inappropriately, have been intended 
 to represent a crown of rays, which was typical 
 of the sun, and also, perhaps, to express some 
 points of their belief, indicated by the number 
 three, which was a mystical number with them, 
 in reference to God, Time, and Eternity. It is 
 also certain that, in many instances, the erect 
 pillars had horizontal cross-stones placed over 
 them, reaching from one to the other, in the 
 shape of a rude binding course. This, however, 
 was not essential to the Siorcalleacht, and many 
 there are without it. It is not easy to say that 
 any particular species of site or situation was 
 needed for these temples, as they are found on 
 the hill, in the valley, and by the sea-side. Altar 
 stones have been found in the centre of the Sior- 
 calleachts, as at Stonehenge in England, laid 
 east and west; for the Druids worshipped with 
 their faces turned to the rising of the sun, or the 
 east. In some instances only a semi-circle of 
 stones is to be found, and it is supposed that the 
 corresponding portion was made up of temporary 
 
24 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 stakes fixed in the ground. There is a semi-circle 
 of this kind, consisting of six stones, at a place 
 called Bin-na-leacht, near Mallow, and the name 
 given to it, from time immemorial, by the peo- 
 ple, is Seisearleacht, that is the "six-stone heap, 
 or altar structure." Bin-na-leacht means " the 
 hill of the stone of death;" Icacht being a com- 
 pound word formed from Ha, " a stone," and 
 audhacht, " death." This is in allusion to the 
 victims slaughtered there. There are some who 
 are of opinion that the semi-circle was a temple 
 of the moon, which often assumes that figure, 
 while the full circle always represented the sun. 
 Siorcalleacht is a compound word, from siorcal, 
 "a circle," and Icacht, " the flag-stone of death ;" 
 while siorcal, or circle, itself, is made up of sior, 
 " continual, or always," and cal, " to surround." 
 Cal is also " to surround or embrace," in the He- 
 brew. It is from this word siorcal, or siorcalleacht, 
 that the English word " church," is probably de- 
 rived; as also circulus, "circle," of the Latins, 
 and kuklos of the Greeks. If we look in our dic- 
 tionaries for the derivation of the word "church," 
 we will find for our information, circc, of the 
 Saxons, and kirk of the Scotch. The lexico- 
 graphers cannot go higher. But here in the 
 Celtic we find the original root siorcalleacht, " the 
 pillared temple of the Druids," from which comes 
 in plain regular succession, the Saxon " circe," 
 the Scotch " kirk," and the modern English word 
 
THE DRUIDS. 2$ 
 
 " church." The word " church," however, as we 
 shall see hereafter, may have been formed from 
 cai-erc, " the house of heaven." 
 
 The Druidical temples may be said to have 
 been composed of rude pillar-stones; and we 
 find that, however elaborate and ornamental 
 might have been the temples of other nations, 
 such as the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians, 
 they all invariably exhibited the peculiar fea- 
 ture of the column, or the pillar. It is a curious 
 fact that, however large these structures, and 
 sumptuous their details, the peculiar forms of the 
 primitive rude Druidical pillars were still pre- 
 served, in all the gorgeousness of both portico 
 and peristyle, with scrupulous, and, as it would 
 seem, with religious fidelity. 
 
 The word teampul, " temple," has the same 
 meaning as siorcallcacht, though springing from a 
 different root with respect to the first part of its 
 compound. It is formed from tiomchal, which 
 means " round," and tiomclial itself is composed 
 of the word tint (pronounced teem), which means 
 " time," and cat, "to catch," or "embrace," that is, 
 the endless circuit of time, or the eternal circle 
 of existence. How appropriately was this idea 
 exemplified and symbolized in these sacred round 
 places of the Druids, the teampul and the sior- 
 callcacht ; the endless circle representing the 
 circuit of the sun and the endless course of time, 
 
 and of existence, according to their religious 
 
 c 
 
26 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 convictions! Many places in Ireland retain to 
 this day the name of tcampul, which they derived 
 from the presence there, at one time, of the old 
 Druidical temple. 
 
 " It was," says Caesar, " a special point of 
 the belief of the Druids, that the soul did not 
 perish ; non inter ire animas. They also believed 
 that they themselves were descended from the 
 Deity before all ages, and that they formed a part 
 of the eternal existence ; as, after death, they were 
 to enter other bodies, and others again, till at 
 last they joined the circle of happiness, according 
 to their doctrine of the transmigration of souls. 
 Thus, the Irish expression for " he died " is do 
 fitar se bas, that is, literally, " he got death." 
 Bas (pronounced bazus), is a compound word from 
 bi, " living or being," and aise, " death ;" do fuetr 
 se bas, thus meaning, " he got the life or being of 
 death." In the popular language is still preserved 
 the interpretation of this, for it says, " Ni fJinil 
 an sa bhas ach athraghadh beatlia" " there is no- 
 thing in death but a change or alteration of 
 life." 
 
 The divinity they sprung from was Dene, or 
 Tene-ion, the " fire-god," or the Sun, which, 
 from them, received among other nations the 
 name of Titan. Virgil and Ovid may be specially 
 mentioned as among those who gave it that 
 title, evidently formed from Tene-ion. 
 
 They were thus the famous Tuatha De De- 
 
THE DRUIDS. 2J 
 
 nan, or Dene-ion, that is, the princes or descend- 
 ants of the god-fire-god, which was the Sun. 
 In treating of the Druids, some ancient writers 
 state that the great object of their worship was 
 Teutate, that is, Mercury. No doubt he occupied 
 a high place in their mythology, and, for some 
 reason unknown, they called him the "first god." 
 The word, Teutate, is of foreign manufacture, 
 from the Celtic Ta-taithcheannacli, that is, " the 
 god of commerce ;" from ta, "god," and taitJiccau- 
 nachy "commerce." Possibly from the similarity 
 of names, these ancient writers might have con- 
 founded him with Dia-tenne-ion, the " fire-god." 
 The word Teutonic, as applied to the Germans 
 and other neighbouring nations, bears a strong 
 resemblance to the name of this divinity. It is, 
 however, formed from toutli, " north," and 
 thane, " a country," that is, " a northern man." 
 
 Whatever may be the origin of the name, the 
 divinity who bore it was held in high veneration 
 by the Druids. To him they sacrificed many 
 bulls, laying on their altars of stone their palpi- 
 tating members, and the blood, from the appear- 
 ance of which they pretended to know the mind 
 and the will of the Deity. The ceremony was 
 accompanied by hymns, incantations, and spells. 
 In very grave and peculiar circumstances, they 
 demanded even human victims for this purpose. 
 If a condemned malefactor were within reach, 
 or an outlawed robber, a captured spy, or prisoner 
 
28 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 of war, he would be the first to succumb to the 
 call, and in default of him, the stern choice fell 
 on some slave or miserable old man. The will 
 of Dia-tenne-ion, or of any other special god, was 
 then sure to be ascertained beyond all doubt, by 
 such an agreeable sacrifice, and the proofs of the 
 divine manifestation and favour were solemnly 
 announced to the people. Where it was a human 
 victim the blood was received, with much cere- 
 mony, in a vessel of gold, to make observations 
 on it when about to be poured on the altar. In 
 augury, on important occasions, every change 
 and feature of the victim were most minutely 
 observed. 
 
 The large stones or flags known in Ireland by 
 the name of Cromleacht and Leaba, or Liaba, 
 were evidently the altars used for these various 
 purposes. The general Irish name of altar is 
 alloir, or alioir. In the Welsh dialect of the 
 Celtic tongue it is allor, or allawr. Alloir, or 
 allaivr is a compound word, formed from al, " a 
 stone," and adhradh (pronounced a rah) " adora- 
 tion," that is, the stone of adoration. The word 
 adhradh (adoration) is also a compound formed 
 from iau, or tor, " God," and radh (pronounced 
 raw, or rah) "speaking," that is, speaking to God. 
 To this is sometimes added the intensitive adh, 
 making adh-adhradh, that is, speaking to God 
 with great intensity. From this has come the 
 udoro (adore) of the Latins ; and from adhradh 
 
THE DRUIDS, 29 
 
 is derived their ara, " altar, or shrine," as well as 
 are (prayers) of the Greeks. The second general 
 Celtic name for altar, that is altoir, appears to be 
 the basis of their altare. Altoir is formed from 
 alt, "a high place, or hillock," and adhradh, 
 " adoration," for many of the Druidical altars were 
 established on the high places, or on the tops of 
 the hills. Latin scholars attempt to give deri- 
 vations of their own for ara, altare, and adoro ; 
 but these are puerile, far-fetched, and destitute 
 of real meaning. Another name given to a stone 
 of adoration, or an altar, in the Celtic, is cloch- 
 adJiradh, abbreviated clochar, from clock, " a 
 stone," and adhradh, " adoration." The town of 
 Clogher, in Tyrone, derives its name from the 
 presence there, at one time, of a stone of this kind. 
 The altars of the Druids were invariably of 
 stone ; and crom-lcaclit and Icaba, or liaba, were 
 different kinds of them. According to some, 
 crom-leacJit means the stone or altar of Crom, an 
 idol or image of the sun. In the opinion of 
 others, it means the bent stone, or altar. It is, 
 rather, formed from cromadh (pronounced cromaJi), 
 " bending," and Icacht, " a stone of death," that is, 
 "the bending or rocking stone of death." These 
 are flat, of an oblong shape, and sometimes 
 of enormous size, with the long ends facing to 
 the east and west. They have a bend or dip to 
 the east, doubtless to promote the flowing of the 
 blood in that direction. They are poised on 
 
30 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 another stone, placed under the centre in such a 
 way that the force of a man's hand can rock 
 them up and down. Evidently this contrivance 
 was designed as a means of agitating the blood 
 and palpitating members of the victim, and from 
 the appearance thus presented, of better ena- 
 bling the priests to augur the willof the gods, with 
 respect to the object or undertaking they had in 
 view. The whole structure, consisting of the 
 upper flag, the two or three supporting stones, 
 and generally another large flag lying near them, 
 was called by the general name of crom-leacht, 
 "the bending stone of death." 
 
 Leaba, or liaba, appears to be a compound 
 word formed from iia % 4< a flag-stone," and iobadh 
 " death ;" that is, the stone on which the victims 
 or animals were immolated. In confirmation of 
 this it may be stated that the name of altar in 
 Greek is thitsiastcrion, from ihuicin, "to kill, or 
 immolate;" and the name of it in Hebrew is 
 misbcach, from zabach, "to kill." Leabigh-na- 
 Feine is a name often given to these large stones 
 in this country, that is, the immolating stones of 
 the Fenians, or Scythians. 
 
 These altars are stationary, resting firmly on 
 two or three stones placed under them. Crom- 
 leacJit and leaba mean the same thing, that is, 
 the stone altar ; but crom-leackt seems to be the 
 rocking-altar, for agitating the blood and mem- 
 bers of the victim. For what other object, or in 
 
THE DRUIDS. 3 1 
 
 what other particulars, its use might have been 
 distinguished from that of the leaba, is not 
 known. To give an idea of the size of these 
 fixed altars, I may say that here, at Castlemary, 
 near Rostellan, there is one fourteen feet long by 
 twelve broad, and more than four feet thick. At 
 Glanworth, near Fermoy, is one seventeen feet 
 long, eight feet wide, and three feet deep, and it 
 was at one time surrounded by a siorcalleacht, 
 or stone circle, twenty-eight feet in diameter. 
 Near each of these altars was a smaller, but still 
 massive flag-stone, which it is supposed was the 
 pedestal for the image, or rather the emblem of 
 the deity to whom the altar was dedicated, or 
 the sacrifice offered. Another stone was there too, 
 having a concave surface, for, as some think, con- 
 taining water with which the priest sprinkled him- 
 self and the victim, when he was about to offer 
 sacrifice. It is, however, more likely that this was 
 a smaller altar, which, by its construction and 
 hollow face, was specially designed for receiving 
 and retaining the blood of the victim. In the 
 Celtic language the word pitas (pronounced 
 pteeas) means an altar, and this is commonly 
 understood as meaning a hollow vessel of stone 
 or wood. It also means a dish, as well as a dish- 
 shaped altar. In many instances the surfaces of 
 the large altars were not calculated to retain the 
 blood. They were, like the one at Castlemary, near 
 Cloyne, more convex than even, or flat ; and thus 
 
32 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 another altar might have been required for the 
 special purpose of retaining the blood. 
 
 All these stones were considered as forming a 
 part of the sacrificial structure, and around them, 
 for their protection, was always erected the Lios, 
 or mound of circumvallation, composed of rude 
 materials, such as earth, or undressed stones, or 
 both combined. Trees, and especially the oak, 
 were for these places a most important feature. 
 The popular language has, probably from local 
 circumstances or events, given qualifying names 
 to some of these structures, such as Liaba- 
 chaillighy " the immolation-stone of an old 
 woman" (the victim), near Fermoy ; Liaba-na~ 
 bo-finnc, " the altar, or immolation stone of the 
 white cow," nearRostellan; and Liaba-imillaghga, 
 near Mitchelstown. They are also, in their 
 various localities, made the subjects of many 
 popular legends, teeming alike with the wonder- 
 ful and the impossible. 
 
 These two kinds of altars must have been nu- 
 merous, and are now found in many parts of the 
 country. The people have been, and still are, 
 very reluctant to destroy them, whether it is from 
 superstitious fear, from the influence of old asso- 
 ciations, from the traditional stories regarding 
 them, or from the natural respect generally en- 
 tertained for the venerable monuments of anti- 
 quity. The antiquarian and the scholar will never 
 regret this virtue or weakness on the part of the 
 
THE DRUIDS. 33 
 
 people, whatever view unimpressible obtuseness, 
 or selfish political economy, may take of the 
 subject. 
 
 In some instances, sepulchral urns and bones 
 have been found under or near these stones ; and, 
 from this fact, many have inferred that they were 
 not altars, but monuments of the dead. Their 
 character, as altars, however, is fully established, 
 and surely a religious feeling might have induced 
 a Druid, or an old chief, to request that his ashes 
 may be permitted to repose near that which was 
 to him, in life, an object of respect and venera- 
 tion. Besides, as there were human sacrifices, 
 the poor enthusiast, who would have given his 
 life for the good of his people, might have been 
 deemed worthy of an urn or a sod near the altar 
 on which he would have been immolated a volun- 
 tary victim. The presence of ashes near these 
 places can be accounted for by this supposition, 
 and also by remembering that the Celts, like 
 other nations, had burnt offerings. There is 
 another species of altar in Ireland, and also in 
 France, Britain, and Scotland, called, in the Celtic 
 language, cam. The brow of a hill, or an ele- 
 vated spot here and there, is called by this name. 
 It was certainly an altar, for earn, in the Irish 
 language, means " an altar," and also "a priest," 
 probably, the peculiar, or special priest of the 
 earn. What were the object and uses of this 
 kind of altar ? 
 
34 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 Csesar tells us, that before going to war they 
 solemnly invoked the favour and aid of Mars, the 
 god of battles, and vowed, as an offering to him, 
 all that they would capture from the enemy. A 
 part of the spoils thus taken was burned in a place 
 consecrated for that purpose, and another part was 
 collected to another consecrated spot, where every- 
 thing was religiously and scrupulously allowed 
 to remain, as a votive offering to the god. So 
 great was the veneration, inspired by religion and 
 patriotism, for these monuments, that even gold, 
 and silver, and precious stones, taken from the 
 enemy, were allowed to remain there untouched 
 till the arrival of that period of the year when, 
 perhaps, they were to be removed away, by 
 public authority, and in a public procession, to be 
 formally distributed amongthe victors. Theslight- 
 est violation of this rule was inexorably punished 
 by the infliction of torture and of death. 
 
 The earn was probably the place where these 
 spoils, consisting of horses, cattle, and even the 
 bodies of the slain warriors, were burned ; and 
 the car nan, another of the national sacred places, 
 was the spot to which the other portion of them 
 was gathered, to remain there a monument of 
 the victory. Even to this day some of the earns 
 of our country bear the names of the slain chiefs 
 whose bodies were burned on them ; and, in 
 many instances, their soil exhibits quantities of 
 calcined and vitrified substances, which must be 
 
THE DRUIDS. 35 
 
 regarded as the clear and certain results of great 
 heat and fusion. 
 
 The word cam, (pronounced kawrn), seems 
 to be formed from ca, "a house, or structure," 
 adhradh (pronounced arrah), "adoration," and a?i, 
 " a place of," that is, " the place of the house or 
 structure of adoration ;" or it may be a compound 
 of caidk, " holy," and aran, " a high mound, or 
 hill." With the Druids these were favourite places 
 for celebrating the worship of the gods. On some 
 the Beal fires were lighted in honour of the Sun, 
 and on others, in thanksgiving to Mars, was so- 
 lemnly consumed a large portion of the spoils 
 taken from the enemy. From the presence of 
 large heaps of stones on these places it is con- 
 jectured that, at the ceremony of burning the 
 enemy's spoils, the people threw stones on the 
 pile to express horror and detestation, according 
 to an Oriental custom. Even, very recently, in 
 this country, stones were heaped in this way on 
 the graves of murderers, and on the places where 
 persons were supposed or known to have been 
 maliciously killed. In Wales they have a bad 
 wish, conveyed in these terms : — " May your 
 monument be a earn;" that is, may you die the 
 death of the execrable, or, according to the 
 original interpretation — " May you be burned 
 together with the spoils taken from you by your 
 enemy, and may your ashes lie scattered among 
 the stones on the top of the hi 1." 
 
36 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 On the earn of Dia-Mart (Mars), a sacrifice 
 was offered before battle to propitiate the favour 
 of the god. The victim here was, probably, the 
 horse or the ass ; while, after the battle, they 
 offered him a portion of the animals taken from 
 the enemy. Where a sacrifice was offered to 
 Mars, the ceremony was accompanied by the 
 presence of a naked sword, which was the 
 emblem of the god, and which, on these occa- 
 sions, was stuck in the ground. Carnach is, in 
 Irish, one of the names of a priest, doubtless 
 from the word earn, or " the structure of ador- 
 ation." 
 
 The places selected for the earn and carnan 
 were, generally, the brows or summits of the 
 highest hills, commanding the best view of the 
 country. It was there the local chief, or king, 
 was solemnly installed and proclaimed. Stand- 
 ing near the altar of the god, and those spoils, 
 or monuments, which his ancestors and his 
 people had taken from the enemy, that is, the 
 burnt earn on the one side, and carnan of still 
 remaining spoils on the other, he swore that 
 he would be ever faithful to his trust, and defend 
 his territory against all foes, no matter from 
 what quarter they may come. While making 
 this declaration, he cut with his sword suc- 
 cessively to the east, west, north, and south. 
 On these occasions he was surrounded by his 
 people, with their implements of war, and all 
 
THE DRUIDS. 37 
 
 the barbaric magnificence at their command. 
 This singular custom still continues in a few 
 countries formerly occupied by the ancient 
 Celts. It was lately observed at the magni- 
 ficent ceremony of the crowning of the Em- 
 peror Francis Joseph of Austria, as king of 
 Hungary. Probably the hurling of the arrow or 
 dart out to sea at their boundaries, as practised 
 by our city corporations on anniversary days, is 
 a remnant, or a modification of it. 
 
 Carnan (pronounced kawrnawn) is formed 
 from carna, " booty or spoils, and an, " one" or 
 " definite," meaning the particular site, that is, 
 " the place or heap of the spoils taken from the 
 enemy." It was highly impious to violate that 
 heap by taking, or appropriating, any of the 
 articles deposited there. In Ireland there is 
 still commonly used an expression which is 
 thought to have originated at the ceremony of 
 depositing these spoils. It is this — " May God 
 increase the heap." Go meadaighe Dia an car- 
 nan; that is, according to the original meaning, 
 " May God increase the heap of spoils by giving 
 us other victories over the enemy." Most likely 
 the warriors and their priests used these words 
 when conveying the trophies to the place, and 
 depositing them there. 
 
 The Dalian (pronounced dhallawn) is another 
 of the Druidical monuments. It consists of a 
 large pillar stone stuck deep into the ground, and 
 
38 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 standing from six to twelve feet or more above 
 the surface. In some instances, two of these are 
 found standing side by side, at the distance of 
 two or three feet asunder, with a massive large 
 flag-stone resting on the ground beside them. 
 What is the meaning of Dalian, and what were 
 its uses ? Dalian is a compound word formed 
 from de-ail and ain, that is, " the god-stone oi 
 the circle," or, perhaps, an, "one," "definite." It 
 was, like all their other monuments, surrounded 
 by the lis, or circular enclosure, to separate it 
 from profane use, and to indicate that it was con- 
 secrated ground. This was the general place of 
 assembly for the transaction of temporal matters, 
 for fairs, perhaps, and markets, and it was also 
 the judgment seat or court of the Druid. It was 
 the duty of the Druid to frame laws and dispense 
 justice, as well as to preside over the public wor- 
 ship. Here, then, at the dallan, he held his open 
 air court, to ratify agreements and contracts, to 
 adjudicate on minor cases of litigation and dis- 
 pute, and pass judgment on criminals for certain 
 offences. It appears that it was usual to swear 
 by the dallan, with the hand restfng on it. Con- 
 tracts and covenants were ratified there by per- 
 sons Hieing each other while placing their hands, 
 in token of faith and solemnity, on the sacred 
 stone, and kissing it at the same time. It is 
 surmised that the stone crosses erected by the 
 early Christians in their market places, were in- 
 
THE DRUIDS. 39 
 
 tended for a similar purpose, when the Druidical 
 courts and their ceremonies had passed away. 
 Even some of the dhallawns of the country have 
 had rude crosses inscribed on them, apparently 
 for this object. Among the early Christians in 
 Ireland, it was a usual custom to swear by the 
 cross, and by the memorials of the saints ; and, 
 probably, the presence of the cross on the books 
 of the Evangelists in our courts of justice at the 
 present day, is a remnant of the practice. The 
 two-pillared dhallawn was probably a higher 
 court than that of the one pillar ; and it is con- 
 jectured that the large flag-stone lying beside it, 
 was the judgment seat of the presiding Druids. 
 The dallan is to be found in all the countries 
 formerly held by the Celts. In parts of France 
 they are very numerous, and are called by the 
 name of dolman, which is evidently a corruption 
 of the original name dallan. 
 
 In the names which these monuments still 
 bear in Scotland, are clearly traceable some of 
 the uses to which they were devoted. The 
 places where the erect pillars stood are, in many 
 instances, called dalmany and dunmany. Dal- 
 many is a corruption of dal-na-mionna, which 
 means " the god-stone of the oaths," and clun- 
 many is cluain-na-mionna, that is, " the circum- 
 vallated place of the oaths." The Roman oath 
 Per Jovcm lapidem, " by the stone Jupiter," was, 
 in all probability, derived from the dallan ; and 
 
40 
 
 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 among the Irish the asseveration, Dar an gcloch 
 
 sco, " by this stone," prevails even to this day. 
 A pompous popular asseveration of this kind was 
 the following, at one time much used : — " Dar 
 an leac Phadric ata a Gcasiol, " by the stone of 
 St. Patrick that is at Cashel." The vassal 
 often received the grant of his lands, and, in 
 return, swore fealty to his chief at these sacred 
 stones. In the old castle of Blarney, near Cork, 
 is a famous stone which adventurous tourists and 
 travellers, as well as the natives, are fond of kiss- 
 ing, to make them polite, truthful, and fascinating 
 for ever ! It is surmised that this was once a 
 part of an old Druidical dallan existing near the 
 place, and that from some whim or fancy, the 
 local chief, M'Carthy, ordered it to be built up 
 in the front wall of the square tower of his new 
 fortress. 
 
 The word, dallan, enters into the names of 
 many places in Ireland. There is, for instance, 
 near the harbour of . Queenstown, a fine old 
 manor, called Rusdhallain, (Rostellan,) from 
 rus (a plain), and 'dallan, "the god-stone." 
 The two-pillared dallan, from which the name 
 is derived, still stands there on the sea shore, in 
 despite of the continual progressive encroach- 
 ment of the tide. To this class of monuments, 
 most probably, belongs a perforated stone that 
 is found at a place popularly called Leac-an- 
 dha-arrah, in the parish of Kilpadder, near 
 
THE DRUIDS. 4 1 
 
 Mallow. Leac-an-darrah means " the stone of 
 the double pledge," and it is thought that the 
 persons entering into the engagement there, 
 grasped or touched hands through this aper- 
 ture in the stone. This hole in it, however, 
 must have been natural, as the chisel was 
 scrupulously excluded from all our Druidical 
 monuments. 
 
 Caesar says that the Druids of France held 
 a high court of justice once every year, at a 
 consecrated place in the centre of their country, 
 where grave matters of dispute about boundaries 
 and property, were finally adjusted. There 
 was a similar court in Ireland, and for it, in 
 all probability, all the heavy suits and important 
 cases were reserved, while the minor points 
 were decided at the local tribunals, that is, the 
 dallans. 
 
 In the ancient province of Meath, and not far 
 from the boundaries of the other four provinces, 
 there is an old territory which was known by 
 the name of Uisneach. It was called the navel 
 of Ireland, either from its geographical position, 
 or perhaps for some reason in connexion with 
 ancient Mythology, just as Delphi, the seat of 
 the famous oracle in Greece, was named the 
 navel of the earth. Ancient legend said that it 
 was here, on the arrival of the Druids in Ire- 
 land, the first sacred fire was lighted in the 
 country by an Archdruid, named Midhe. On 
 
4 2 
 
 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 a hill there is a large stone called Ail-na- 
 mireann, that is, the stone of the parts or the 
 divisions. This was the high court to which 
 the Druids, with all others interested in these 
 matters, came every year, to hear and decide the 
 various heavy cases of dispute and litigation, 
 that might have arisen in the country. Prob- 
 ably important criminal cases were disposed oi 
 there too. The sentence here pronounced was 
 final. As in all other matters decided by the 
 Druids, the person, opposing or violating their 
 judgment, was declared to be execrable, and ex- 
 communicated from society, as well as from 
 the offices and rites of religion. The hill of 
 Uisneach enjoyed its high privilege, while Druid- 
 ism prevailed in the land ; and we find that 
 even in Christian times, it continued to be used 
 as a place for the ratification of solemn contracts. 
 Probably, the stone on it was called Ail-na-mire- 
 am, from the fact that the five divisions of Ire- 
 land, or the five provinces, met here. 
 
 The objects or monuments of Druidical wor- 
 ship and veneration, as still existing in this coun- 
 try, we have now passed in review. There is 
 one feature peculiar to them, and it is this, 
 that they bear no evidence of the operation of 
 the hammer or the chisel. It was probably a 
 matter of religious rule with them to select, 
 for their altars and their temples, stones which 
 had been found lying on the plains, and which 
 
THE DRUIDS. 43 
 
 had been cut, without hands, from the sides of the 
 mountains. Their monuments exhibit, in this 
 way, every form of rudeness and originality. 
 Possibly, however, there may have been no objec- 
 tion to stones raised from the ground, or detached 
 from the parent rock by means of wooden spikes 
 or levers. 
 
 Other ancient objects there are which bear the 
 impress or marks of the edged instrument, and 
 which probably existed in the time of the Druids ; 
 but these did not belong to their religious wor- 
 ship. There is, for instance, the Ogham, or 
 sepulchral monument, inscribed with its mysterious 
 vertical and horizontal straight lines. The word 
 Ogham (pronounced owem), seems to be a com- 
 pound of eo> "a grave or monument," and uaimh, 
 " a cave or burying place." It is, however, to the 
 stone or monument, bearing the peculiar inscrip- 
 tion, in vertical and horizontal lines, that the term 
 Ogham is generally applied. A monument of 
 this kind is called by the country people, Ogham 
 craobhach, that is, " the branchy Ogham," from 
 the resemblance of these lines and cross-lines 
 to the tree with its branches. It is now estab- 
 lished beyond all doubt, that these scores, or 
 lines, contain a real inscription, and that this 
 species of sepulchral and memorial writing in 
 Ireland, which probably had commenced at a 
 very early period, was used even in Christian 
 times, and on the graves or tombs of Christians. 
 
44 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 The late Mr. Windele, of Cork, and other indus- 
 trious Irish Archaeologists, have done much to 
 decipher this long mysterious writing, and to give 
 us an intelligible key for it. 
 
 Nothing could be more simple or more suitable, 
 in a rude state of the arts, for memorial or sepul- 
 chral writing, than the Ogham. With any edged 
 instrument of flint, or hard metal, a person can 
 write his thoughts permanently in this way, on the 
 rudest flag-stone, or pillar. No polish, nor expen- 
 sive preparation, is required, nor any previous 
 practical handling of the engraver's chisel. All is 
 effected by means of simple straight lines, which 
 may be easily traced on wood, or stone, or metal, 
 and yet convey the full force of all the letters of 
 the alphabet. This writing, or the like, must date 
 from a very high period ; in fact, from the mo- 
 ment when man first cut a scar or a notch in 
 any object, for the purpose of numbering the 
 days, or the years of his life, or making a 
 rude record of his work, his cattle, his losses, or 
 his property. In the Ogham these original lines 
 are brought under fixed rule, and made to 
 answer for all the letters of the alphabet. Some 
 fine specimens of this kind of writing have been 
 found in Wales and other countries, as well as 
 in Ireland. 
 
 The popular name of Ogliam craobhacJi (the 
 branchy Ogham), given to them in this country, 
 is very natural and appropriate. They resemble 
 
THE DRUIDS. 45 
 
 the branch of a tree, or perhaps better, a tree 
 trained to a wall, with its branches or limbs 
 spreading, at almost right angles, to the right 
 and the left. A group of limbs, or horizontal 
 lines, to the right of the trunk, that is, to the 
 fleasg (vertical line or trunk) will stand for a 
 certain letter. A line, or group of lines (hori- 
 zontal) to the left of the trunk, or fleasg, will 
 stand for another letter ; and a line, or score, 
 or a group of scores, drawn across the trunk, 
 or fleasg, will be another certain letter. For 
 instance, if the name G Brian should be written 
 on an Ogham pillar, or flag-stone, it would 
 be produced as in the following wood-cut ; 
 the writing and reading commencing from the 
 base upwards, or according to the comparison 
 of the tree, from the root to the branches. 
 Where there are two lines of writing, as it often 
 happens, running along the outer surface, or the 
 angles of the flag, the reading of it, as the 
 writing, always commences from the left angle, 
 and generally follows down on the opposite 
 side. 
 
 It is not to be inferred from the existence of 
 the Ogham that this was the only kind of 
 writing known to the Druids, and to the ancient 
 Irish. It was merely the monumental writing, 
 and very suitable it was for that purpose. Caesar 
 tells us that the Druids of France wrote in 
 Greek letters. These were, probably, the original 
 
46 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 SCALE OF THE OGHAM , 
 
 SPECIMEN OF WRITING. 
 
THE DRUIDS. 47 
 
 Phoenician characters, carried by Cadmus to 
 Greece ; and, as the Druids of Ireland received 
 the same education and training as their 
 brethren of Gaul, it is to be inferred that they, 
 too, were in possession of that general Druidical 
 writing. 
 
 Another monument or relic, which certainly 
 belonged to the Druids of Ireland, has, for 
 many ages, been kept in captivity in other 
 countries. This is the famous Lia-fail, or stone 
 of destiny, as it is called, on which, in ancient 
 times, the monarchs or supreme kings of this 
 country were crowned or solemnly installed. 
 The name Lia-fail means "the stone of the 
 king," from lia } " a stone," and fa/, " a king." It 
 is commonly called the " stone of destiny," from 
 a certain legend in connexion with it, which, 
 in the Latin, as preserved by Hector Boetius, 
 runs as follows : — 
 
 " Ni fallat fatum, Scoti quocumque locatum, 
 Invenient lapidem regnare tenentur ibidem." 
 
 This Latin legend is evidently formed from 
 the Irish, of which the following is the English 
 translation : — 
 
 " Unless the fixed decrees of fate give way, 
 The Scots shall govern, and the sceptre sway, 
 Where'er this stone they find, and its dread sound obey." 
 
 The Scots were the Scythians of Ireland, that 
 
48 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 is, the ancient Irish ; and it is stated that when 
 a member of that princely race was placed on 
 the stone for coronation or solemn instalment, 
 the venerable relic gave its approbation in strange 
 supernatural sounds, which were sometimes as 
 loud as thunder. And the legend said, that if the 
 persons elected happened not to be of the royal 
 blood of Scythia, the stone gave no sign of assent, 
 but was perfectly dumb, thus intimating a silent 
 disapprobation. 
 
 In the sixth century, in the reign of Heremon, 
 king of Ireland, this stone was sent to Scotland 
 to add to the solemnity of the coronation of 
 his brother Fergus, who, with a number of kins- 
 men and other followers, had invaded and con- 
 quered a part of that country. It is not well 
 known whether the black stone gave out its 
 mysterious sounds on that occasion, recommend- 
 ing the new king to the loyalty and affection 
 of the Celts of ancient Alba. It, however, was 
 detained in that country, for the purpose of serving 
 at the coronation of all future kings, contrary, 
 probably, to the wishes of the people of Ireland. 
 It was first kept at Argyle, which was the chief scat 
 and early important place of the Scots in that 
 country. About the year 842 it was transferred 
 to Scone by Kenneth the Second, on the occasion 
 of his having greatly enlarged and extended 
 his territories by successive victories over the 
 native Picts. There it was committed to the 
 
THE DRUIDS. 49 
 
 custody of the monks of the local monastery 
 by whom it was brought forward, as occasion 
 required, to serve at the coronation of the Scot- 
 tish kings. Probably it was there the words, 
 " Ni fallat fatum," &c, which it was said to 
 bear, were inscribed on it from the original 
 Irish legend, by a monkish lover of antiquities. 
 In that monastery it enjoyed a repose of five 
 hundred years. 
 
 It was, however, again fated to travel. In the 
 year 1300, Edward the First of England made 
 a hostile incursion into Scotland to enforce the 
 rights of feudal sovereignty which he claimed 
 over that country. After subduing William 
 Wallace and his brave followers, he brought with 
 him to England, among other trophies, the 
 famous Lia-fail, and deposited it at Westminster 
 Abbey, in charge of the religious community 
 that existed there. Its history since is not varied 
 by legend or story, and it rests now, silent and 
 unimpressible, under the coronation chair of the 
 English monarchs, though, for even some of 
 them could be vindicated a claim to the ancient 
 blood of Scythia. In its absence, the Irish 
 kings were compelled to adopt another corona- 
 tion stone, and probably this may be the black 
 pillar-stone over the " '98 men's graves" at the 
 rath of Tara, which Dr. Petrie imagined was the 
 ancient Lia-fail. It was on this mound of Tara 
 
50 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 the monarchs of Ireland in former times were 
 installed and crowned; and this stone, which had 
 lain there for centuries, was brought by the 
 country people to mark the resting place of the 
 insurgents who had fallen there in battle. 
 
 Our ancient annals state that the Lia-fail was 
 brought to Ireland by the Tuatha-de-Danans, 
 and these were, as I have already proved, the 
 Druids and their people who believed that they 
 were descended from the Deity, that is, from 
 Dia-tene-ion (god the fire lord), the great object 
 of their worship. There were many curious stories 
 and legends among the Irish and Albanian 
 Scots respecting this stone. It was stated to 
 have been one of four very remarkable relics, 
 or curiosities, brought by the Tuatha-de-Danans 
 from the north of Europe, where they had 
 fixed a temporary residence, and that the 
 place in which it had been kept there was 
 called Falias. With respect to its previous his- 
 tory, we are left in a mysterious darkness. But 
 it was said that it was called Lia-fail from 
 Falias, just as it was also said that Ireland 
 was called Inis-fail from it. Lia-fail, however, 
 means "the stone of the king," and Inis-fail 
 means " the island of the king," because the 
 country was, from time immemorial, under the 
 authority of one supreme monarch. 
 
 The Irish legend or oracle respecting the 
 
THE DRUIDS. 5 I 
 
 stone, and which was in all probability of Druid- 
 ical origin, is contained in these words: — 
 
 Cioniodh Scuit, saor an fine, 
 Munab breag an Faisdine, 
 Mar a bhfuighid an Lia-fail, 
 Dlighid flaitheas do ghabhail. 
 
 In English it is literally — 
 
 The Scottish tribe — a noble race — 
 If a lie be not the prophecy, 
 Where'er they find the Lia-fail, 
 Must sovereignty obtain. 
 
 The lowland Scots have it thus : — 
 
 Except old saws do feign, 
 
 And wizard's wits be blind, 
 The Scots in place must reign, 
 
 Where they this stone shall find. 
 
 And an English poet has rendered the Latin 
 legend in this way : — 
 
 Consider, Scot, where'er you find this stone, 
 If fates fail not, there fixed must be your throne. 
 
 The age of the original lines, and of the stone 
 to which they refer, cannot be less than three or, 
 perhaps, four thousand years. 
 
 Did the Druid use that singular old cooking 
 apparatus, the folach fiadJi? It is most pro- 
 bable that it existed in his day, and as he required 
 nourishment and support like other people, it is 
 
52 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 more than likely that, when performing his reli- 
 gious offices in the wilds and forests, he found 
 the contents of the folach fiadh both useful and 
 necessary. The folach fiadh was a trough for 
 boiling meat, fish, vegetables, and other articles 
 of food. Folach means " a covering or conceal- 
 ment," and fiadh means " food." Fiadh also 
 means "deer," and thus, some think that this 
 trough was specially intended for boiling venison, 
 which, at one time, was very abundant in Ireland. 
 The name folach fiadh is well known to the 
 country people, and they bestow it on a heap of 
 burnt stones, of which, as a rule, they know 
 neither the origin nor the use. These stones, 
 however, indicate the presence, in their immediate 
 proximity, of the tub or trough used by the 
 ancient Irish for cooking their food or boiling 
 their deer. It is found deeply buried in the 
 ground, and imbedded in marl, near a running 
 stream, or in a place where a little stream for- 
 merly flowed. The writer of this essay was present 
 at the exhumation of one in the year 1353, at 
 Carrigclina, near Mallow ; and the description of 
 it, as written at the moment for the Cork Ex- 
 aminer newspaper, by one of the antiquaries 
 who met there, will explain its use with a fresh- 
 ness and vigour which, probably, words from 
 memory at this distance of time would attempt 
 in vain: — 
 
 " Towards the close of this month, June," says 
 
THE DRUIDS. 53 
 
 the writer, " some members of the South Mini- 
 ster Antiquarian Society devoted a few days to 
 the investigation of congenial objects and monu- 
 ments in the district lying at either side of the 
 Blackwater, to the west of Mallow. They visited 
 the interesting sites of the castles of Drimmineen, 
 of Ballyclough, of Castlemagner, and Lohort, 
 including the ' abbey' of Ballygibblin, and the 
 battle-field of Knockannuss, where young Alister 
 Macdonald, of the legends, fought and fell at the 
 head of his brave troops in 1647. 
 
 " On a fine morning they visited, by appoint- 
 ment, that curious massive rock, or mound, called 
 Carrigclina. Clina was the Queen of the fairies 
 of South Minister, and this rock is called after 
 her name. It is a most remarkable place ; one 
 would say, a fantastic freak of nature, composed 
 of huge rocks of every imaginable form, and 
 scattered about in every direction. The group 
 of antiquaries consisted of John Windele of Cork, 
 William Hacket, Richard Brash, Rev. Justin 
 McCarthy, P.P. Mallow, Rev. Thomas Murry, P.P. 
 Glauntane, Rev. Richard Smiddy, C.C. Mallow, 
 and Rev. David Coleman, C.C. Glauntane. An 
 exchange of civilities took place with some local 
 peasant professors of legendary lore, whose 
 rhapsodies, wild and mythic as this place where 
 they were related by them, carried the mind back 
 to remote periods of legendary history. After a 
 look at the wild scenery around, they proceeded 
 
54 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 to the site of the Fenian hunter's cooking ap- 
 paratus. 
 
 " It was situated at the western base of Carrig- 
 clina, near, as is usual, a small running stream. 
 At the invitation of the antiquaries some 
 stalwart young men of the place had come 
 there to perform the work of exhumation. The 
 operations were conducted under the direction 
 of Windele, whose experienced eye at once 
 pointed out the spot where to begin, and where 
 the trough would be found. The countrymen 
 used their spades and shovels in right good 
 earnest, though to one another, they unmistak- 
 ably hinted their incredulity as to the existence 
 of any tub or trough in that place. An hour's 
 hard work, however, produced a change in their 
 opinions, for the implement of one of them 
 struck something hard down deep in the soil. 
 Another quarter of an hour, and the upper 
 surface of the tub made its appearance. No- 
 thing could now exceed their amazement, when 
 their labour resulted in the clear discovery of a 
 wooden reservoir or trough, of rude workman- 
 ship, and in the identical spot which Windele 
 had pointed out to them. It was found im- 
 bedded in a compost of tempered marl, which 
 appeared to have been carefully packed under 
 and about it. From the level at which the 
 delving commenced, to the bottom of the vessel, 
 was a depth of six feet. When the tub showed 
 
THE DRUIDS. 55 
 
 itself full and clear, the farmers' sons and 
 labourers gave loud expressions to their joy and 
 amazement. The old rustic patriarch of the 
 family seemed even more lost in surprise and 
 wonder. Taking his stand on a crescent-shaped 
 heap of burnt stones, which nearly surrounded 
 the spot where the delving had commenced, and 
 which was some three feet higher than that level, 
 that is to say, nine feet above the bottom of the 
 vessel, he said that, in his youth, the burnt stones 
 were not on the surface at all, as now, that the 
 place was covered by a turf bog, more than four 
 feet deep, but that, from time to time, this was 
 cut, and carted away for fuel, and that it was 
 thus the burnt stones had first made their 
 appearance. He was completely bewildered at 
 what his eyes beheld there now. 
 
 " The vessel itself, as may be supposed, was 
 thoroughly saturated with wet, and much de- 
 cayed ; so that when it came to the surface, the 
 jointed pieces fell asunder. It was composed of 
 planks, eight in number, four of which formed 
 the sides and ends, and four the bottom. Its 
 dimensions were six feet long, four feet broad, 
 and its depth two feet. The workmanship was 
 such as might have been effected with stone-axes. 
 There were no nails of either iron, metal, or wood. 
 A rude groove at each end of both sides received 
 the cross-planks which formed the ends, and, 
 through the middle of the bottom, a rough 
 
56 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 wooden bar, somewhat rounded, penetrated into 
 the marl below. The outside of the planks had 
 not received much attention from chisel or 
 hatchet, as they were nearly as rough as when 
 felled from their native oak-forest. 
 
 " The use ascribed to these vessels by traditions 
 collected elsewhere was, that of heating water by 
 the immersion into them of large stones pre- 
 viously made red hot in wood-fires. In the tub 
 were found some large stones bearing indications 
 of fire, while the crescent, or mound of burnt 
 stones outside was formed of smaller ones, of 
 the size of macadamised pavement, such as are 
 used at the present day in New Zealand, and the 
 South Sea Islands, by the natives for cooking 
 purposes. In this heap of stones were found 
 mixed some particles of charcoal. The large 
 stones in the tub had been the fire, that is, the 
 heated and ignited lumps, which had boiled the 
 last meal in it. How many ages have passed 
 away since the ancient hunter at his vocation, 
 and, perhaps, the Druidical priest at his, lighted 
 their faces at that fire ? Is it much short of 
 three thousand years ?" 
 
 Owing to the presence and preserving qualities 
 of the peat that surrounded this tub, the heart of 
 the planks was so firm that the writer of this 
 essay had a frame for an old map of Ireland 
 made of one of them ; and, at this day it is as 
 sound and as black as ebony. But how frail and 
 
THE DRUIDS. 57 
 
 fleeting is man compared with even the rudest 
 objects of his workmanship ! Of the small group 
 of antiquarian explorers who witnessed the ex- 
 humation of that relic, nearly half have departed 
 for "that bourn from which no traveller ever 
 returns." Windele, their chief, sleeps in the 
 Father Mathew Cemetery at Cork, beside the 
 magnificent stone cross which some fellow-citizens 
 and other admiring friends have erected to his 
 memory. Hacket reposes near him in the same 
 grave-yard ; and Father McCarthy rests near his 
 own altar at Mallow. When the others follow 
 them, the folach fiadhs of South Munster will, to 
 all appearance, enjoy another period of their 
 ancient undisturbed repose. 
 
 Of a kin with the folach fiadh, though perhaps 
 not of the same remote origin, is the brewing vat 
 and mill, which is also found deeply imbedded 
 in the soil, in various parts of the country. The 
 traditions of the people speak of a beoir or lion, 
 " beer or drink," which was produced from the 
 heath, and is reputed to have possessed very in- 
 vigorating qualities. The process by which this 
 was made, is now unknown ; though it is certain 
 that these old wooden mills, which are often 
 massive structures, composed of beams and 
 cross-beams, with tubs, or vats, were used in the 
 production of it. Near them have been frequently 
 found large quantities of decayed heath. It is 
 not certain whether the heath was the chief 
 
 D 2 
 
58 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 ingredient of this old Irish or Danish drink, or 
 whether the tops of it and the berries were used 
 to give it a preserving quality, and an agreeable 
 bitter taste, or, perhaps, to produce in the in- 
 gredients the necessary fermentation. At all 
 events, its reputation is high in the popular tra- 
 ditions, and probably it was old enough to have 
 existed in the days of the Druids. But what- 
 ever were the ingredients, whether corn, heath, 
 or both, if the rude old brewing mill contributed 
 to the subjoined state of things, as described by 
 the venerable Book of Rights (Leabhar na 
 Gceart), its operations were surely not to be 
 despised : — 
 
 " There are com, and fruit, and goodness 
 In smooth Mumha (Munster), of much prosperity ; 
 Mead and drinking horns, and ale and music, 
 To the men of Mumha are well known/' 
 
 Had the Druid any connexion with those 
 large conical mounds of earth that exist in many 
 parts of Ireland ? Probably he witnessed the 
 construction of them ; and possibly the mortal 
 remains or ashes of some of his order might 
 have found a worthy tomb in one of these gigan- 
 tic structures ; but they were chiefly raised over 
 the ashes of princes and kings of the Scythian 
 blood, as there is ample proof that they are 
 themselves of Scythian origin. They are a 
 
THE DRUIDS. 59 
 
 species of pyramid, and of the same family as 
 the mound tombs of the Scythian kings, on the 
 banks of the Borystenes or Dnieper, the great 
 mound at Haliattes, near Sardis, and that of Sil- 
 bury hill, in Wiltshire. A fine specimen of this 
 kind of structure may be seen at a place called 
 Bruigh-righ, in the county of Limerick ; and the 
 name of the place, which is evidently derived 
 from the mound itself, indicates the nature and 
 object of it. Bruigh-righ means " the king's 
 sepulchral mound," from bru, " a grave mound," 
 natural or artificial, and righ, " a king." It is 
 pronounced Brue-ree. This place was the prin- 
 cipal seat of Oilioll Olum, king of Munster, in 
 the second century ; and probably, here, too, 
 he found a monumental grave. These sepulchral 
 mounds were raised high and large, in proportion 
 to the dignity of the dead, and the respect enter- 
 tained for them. In many instances they con- 
 tained caves, or chambers, arched, or flagged 
 over, for the reception of the bodies. The word 
 brugh seems to be formed from bar, " top or 
 head," and uaigh, "a grave." By some it has 
 been confounded with brigh, "a hill or hillock," 
 which is formed from bar, " top or head," and 
 ?', pronounced ee, " a country." The English 
 word barrow, as allied to this subject, is evidently 
 formed from brugh, or bar-uaigh, " the head or 
 eminence of the grave." 
 
 It would appear that, even in the Druidical 
 
60 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 times in this country, the dead bodies were often 
 buried whole and entire. Cremation, for burials, 
 was, perhaps, at a very early period generally 
 practised. It had been introduced, probably, 
 from the feeling of religious reverence entertained 
 by the Celts for fire. 
 
 It is, however, certain that among them, as 
 among the Greeks, who had probably imitated 
 their customs, the dead bodies were not always 
 burned, but were often interred whole and entire, 
 and, as it sometimes happened, with respect to 
 dead kings and princes, clad in full armour, and 
 adorned with valuable ornaments of gold. They 
 were sometimes buried in a lying position, some- 
 times in a sittingposition,and sometimes standing 
 erect. They faced indiscriminately any point 
 of the heavens, while the position towards the 
 rising of the sun was in great favour ; but the 
 dead chief, who had fallen in battle, was often 
 buried, sword in hand, with his face and right 
 arm turned menacingly against the territories of 
 the enemy. 
 
 When cremation, or burning, took place, the 
 bones and ashes were generally put into an 
 earthen vase or urn, and then deposited in their 
 last resting-place under the soil. Many of these 
 urns have been found in different parts of Ireland. 
 
 Are there any remains of the houses or habita- 
 tions of the Druids in Ireland ? We have still 
 the names, with the vestiges and ruins, of ancient 
 
THE DRUIDS. 6 1 
 
 habitations, which certainly sprang from a period 
 remote enough to reach the Druid, but which 
 probably belonged to no class in particular, and 
 were possessed by all according to their rank, 
 position, or temporal resources. Of these are 
 the Rath, the Lios, and the Dun, the Teamhair, 
 the Caislean, the Caisiol, the Pallis, and the 
 Cathair. 
 
 Rath (pronounced raJi) is by some regarded 
 as a primitive word — by others as a compound. 
 It would seem to be formed from reidh (pro- 
 nounced ree) a plain, and a, an eminence or 
 ascent. Very numerous are the places which, in 
 Ireland, are called by the name of Rath. For 
 the most part they exhibit an elevation of ground 
 where, in many instances, circular mounds of 
 earth or stones surrounding a level space within, 
 are found standing even to the present day. The 
 rath sometimes consists of two, three, and even 
 more concentric circles of mounds, with corres- 
 ponding deep moats. These structures were 
 strongholds of the clans, tribes, or families. In 
 one of them the local chief or king usually 
 fixed his residence, and, where this was the case, 
 the place was called by the name of an riogh- 
 rath, that is, the king's rath or fortress. The 
 word riogh-rath ("ree-raw") is still common 
 among our people as meaning a festive scene of 
 drinking, talking, and wild enjoyment. It is, 
 apparently, in allusion to the free and boisterous 
 
62 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 hospitality which friends and followers often 
 enjoyed under the roofs of the ancient Irish 
 chiefs. Could the English word, "row," as mean- 
 ing a scene of noisy disorder, be an offshoot of 
 this Celtic expression ? 
 
 The lios was a habitation, or structure, much 
 in the form of the rath, but of more modest 
 pretensions. It, too, consisted of a circular 
 mound within which the people housed them- 
 selves, in the best way they could, under the 
 roofs of huts composed of timber, straw, or 
 reeds. In the lios, as well as in the rath, are 
 frequently found subterraneous passages and 
 caverns rudely formed with stones, and covered 
 with stone-flags. It is believed that these served 
 as places of refuge for the inmates when hard- 
 pressed by the enemy, and that they much con- 
 tributed to the safety of the place by admitting 
 ingress and egress without making an opening or 
 passage through the surrounding mounds. In 
 these caves, or underground chambers, have often 
 been found human bones and skeletons, the sad 
 remains, perhaps, of those who, having taken 
 refuge there, were not allowed by the besieging 
 foe to emerge from them, or to escape in any 
 way ; and that thus a slow death put an end to 
 their sufferings. Indeed, it would be difficult for 
 even a small number of persons to live for any 
 considerable time in caves so devoid of air and 
 ventilation. That which, in the south and other 
 
THE DRUIDS. 63 
 
 parts of Ireland is known by the name of lios, is 
 in Connaught called uaigh-thalloon (the cave of the 
 earth), from the presence of these subterraneous 
 caverns, or perhaps because some of them were 
 used as cemeteries. In the rath and in the lios 
 has often been found that peculiar sepulchral 
 monument called the Ogham flag-stone. The 
 word lios is probably formed from Ugh, " a cinc- 
 ture, or surrounding girdle," and ais, " a fortress, 
 or strong-hold." 
 
 Dun, which appears to be a primitive root, 
 means " a military fortress." It, too, enters into 
 the names of many places in Ireland, and in 
 other countries. Such are, for instance, out of 
 numberless others, Bran-dun (the black fortress), 
 in Kerry ; Dun-na-raitliah-aile (the fortress of 
 the stone raths), that is Doneraile, in Cork ; and 
 Lun-dun (the fortress of the ships), or London, 
 in England. The English word dungeon is 
 formed from dun-daingcon (the close, or strong 
 fortress). 
 
 Teamhair, which is Anglicised Tara, is a 
 compound word formed from teach, " a house, 
 or dwelling," and mor, " large, or spacious." It 
 thus means " the large, spacious, and princely 
 residence, or the palace." Besides the famous 
 one in Meath, where the kings and princes of 
 Ireland met every third year in council, there 
 are several places in the country still known 
 by the name of Teamhair. Of these may be 
 
64 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 mentioned Teamhair-Luachra> in the county of 
 Kerry, which in all probability was once distin- 
 guished for its princely and hospitable mansion. 
 
 Caislcan is a compound word formed from ca, 
 " a house," ais, " a stronghold," and leathan, 
 " wide." It thus means " a large and strong 
 house " for military men in the fort or fortress. 
 
 Caisiol is also a compound word formed from 
 ca, " a house," ais, " a stronghold," and ail, " a 
 stone," that is, "the strong stone-house" of the 
 fort or fortress. From this is evidently derived 
 the Latin word castcllum, as well as its English 
 representative castle. 
 
 Pallis, or palas, is a compound word formed 
 from fal, "a king," and Itos, "a house," that is, 
 "the king's house or residence." Palas is an 
 inflection or corruption of pallis. The Latin 
 word palatium is derived from this, and the 
 Palatine hill at Rome owes its name to the fact 
 that Romulus, as Evander before him, fixed 
 there his palatium, or pallis (fail-lios), that is, 
 " the king's house or residence." 
 
 The word catJiair seems to be formed from ca, 
 " a house," and tara, " a multitude," that is, "the 
 residence of many persons." In the Irish lan- 
 guage this name is bestowed on a city or very 
 populous town. It still clings to places of little 
 importance at the present time, but which, pro- 
 bably, once possessed large populations, and 
 influential local princes. 
 
THE DRUIDS. 65 
 
 There is one other structure which claims to 
 be coeval with the Druid. This is a small bee- 
 hive-shaped or round building, composed of 
 stones without cement, and of which the roof is 
 formed of flag-stones, hanging in from the walls 
 in horizontal diminished series, till the top is 
 closed in by a single stone. The name of cro, 
 and sometimes of clocan, is bestowed on this kind 
 of house. Cro means " a hut or hovel," and 
 clocan signifies " a stony place, or a structure of 
 stone." Many specimens of these, more or less 
 injured by time, are to be found in various parts 
 of Ireland, particularly along the south and 
 western coasts. From the fact that they were 
 generally, within the walls, at most eighteen feet 
 long, by seven feet broad, and eight feet high, with 
 a narrow door, and two small apertures for air, 
 smoke, and light, it may be easily imagined that 
 they were far from being luxurious or comfort- 
 able habitations. The country people, however, 
 ascribe them to the Pagan priests; for in their 
 language one of them is often called teach-an- 
 Dhroi, that is, " the house of the Druid." 
 
 The names of two other objects of personal 
 and social convenience, and coeval with the 
 Druids, are well-known in Ireland. These are 
 crannog and citracJi. Crannog meant "a wooden 
 or ozier house," and it also signified " a boat." 
 Crannog means " young trees," from cranna, 
 " trees," and oge, " young." When it referred to 
 
66 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 a house, it was tcacJi-cranna-oge, that is, "the 
 house of young trees," and it was abbreviated 
 crannog. When by it was meant a boat, it was 
 barc-cranna-ogc y that is "the boat of young trees," 
 and was also abbreviated crannog. In these 
 boats the frame work or body was formed of 
 woven oziers, which were covered with the hides 
 of animals. In some parts of Ireland such boats 
 are still used, and they were common among the 
 ancient Egyptians. 
 
 Curach was also the name of a boat of this 
 description. The word seems to be formed from 
 coirt, " the bark or hide," and each, " a horse," as 
 such skins were best suited for them. Other 
 objects may be mentioned as having belonged 
 to the Druidical times, but they are unimpor- 
 tant. 
 
 The reader will here probably ask, " Why are 
 the enigmatical Round Towers of Erin omitted 
 from this enumeration of our ancient Pagan and 
 Druidical Monuments ?" The reason is this, 
 that a special chapter will be devoted to these 
 Round Towers, to shew that they are of Chris- 
 tian origin, and that the Druid had no connexion 
 with them, except when, having been converted 
 to Christianity, he came, like the rest of the 
 people, to be regenerated in the waters of 
 Baptism. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 Sacrifices of the Druids. — The Animals Sacrificed. — 
 The Sacred Animals. — Dress of the Druid at 
 Sacrifice.— His Movements, Prayers, and Incanta- 
 tions. — The Famous Egg or Badge of the Druid. — 
 The Serpent, and Serpent Worship. — The Fairies, 
 and how they could not pass over a running stream. 
 — Traditions about them at the East Ferry. — The 
 four great Religious Festivals of the Druids. — 
 
 NUADHULLIG, OR CHRISTMAS. — THE MISTLETOE, OR ALL- 
 HEAL, THE SACRED PLANT OF THE DRUIDS. — THE 
 
 Festival of Beil-tinne, that is, the Fire of Beal in 
 May.— Remnants of it still existing. — The Festival 
 
 OF LUGH-NAS, OR LAMMAS IN AUGUST. — THE FESTIVAL 
 
 of Samhain in November. — The great Idol, Crom. — 
 The Festival of Beineid, or Minerva — The Carrying 
 Home of the Spoils of the Enemy.— The Names of 
 the four Seasons of the Year in Irish. — The several 
 Orders or Classes of the Druids.— Their Education 
 and Literary Acquirements. — The Priests, the 
 Judges, the Physicians, the Astrologers, the 
 Bards. —The Dress of the Druids and of the Celts. 
 — A Druid named Abaris visits Greece, and a 
 Description of him by Greek Writers. — At what 
 time the Druids first came to Ireland. — The Celtic 
 Names of Ireland, of England, and of Scotland. — 
 The East, the Original Country of the Druids. — 
 Their Conversion in Ireland to Christianity. 
 
 A SACRIFICE is an offering made to the Deity 
 of a thing destroyed in his honour, to acknow- 
 ledge his sovereign authority over all things. 
 Sacrifices consisted, generally, of things useful to 
 man, of animals and of their produce, and of the 
 fruits of the earth. Of human victims also, as 
 
6S THE DRUIDS. 
 
 sacrifices, there were instances to be found among 
 almost all Pagan nations. In the Irish language 
 there are various names for a sacrifice, and from 
 one of these, in my opinion, is derived the word 
 sacrificium (sacrifice), of the LatinS. This Celtic 
 name is sacrail, or saithcrail. It is a compound 
 word, formed of saitli (pronounced saw) "piercing," 
 cri, "heart," and ail, "stone," that is, the piercing 
 of the heart at the stone, or at the altar; the Irish 
 name of altar being alloir, or altoir, from at, " a 
 stone," and adliradJi (pronounced arah) "adora- 
 tion." From this word sacrail manifestly comes 
 sacart, or sagard, the Irish name for " priest." 
 
 Another name for a sacrifice is iobhairt, which is 
 a compound word, formed from iobadh, pro- 
 nounced ccba, "death," and art, "a stone," that is 
 " death at the stone, or at the altar." Art is also 
 a name for "God," and it may thus mean a 
 death given to God, or in honour of him. An- 
 other name for sacrifice, is offrail, which is 
 probably formed from iobadJi-air-ail, .that is, 
 " death on the stone, or the altar." Or, it may 
 be formed from oba-air-al, that is, " a stream on 
 the stone or altar ;" for the blood of the victim 
 was usually poured out on the altar in that man- 
 ner. The blood was received in a golden cup or 
 vessel, and then poured on the altar. Iomailt 
 is another name for sacrifice ; and the word is 
 formed from iobadh, "death," and alt, " a high 
 place." Altars were often erected on the hills. 
 
THE DRUIDS. 69 
 
 From iomailt comes immolatio, "immolation," of 
 the Latins. 
 
 The worship of the Druids consisted princi- 
 pally of sacrifice. Indeed, whether it arose from 
 natural instinct, or from primary Divine reve- 
 lation, it was by sacrifice that man, from the 
 beginning, rendered homage to the Deity. The 
 sacrifices of the Druids, as has been already stated, 
 consisted chiefly of the products of the earth, 
 grain, milk, animals. It is also an incontro- 
 vertible fact, that, on great and solemn occasions, 
 human beings were offered up in sacrifice by 
 them. A condemned criminal was the first to 
 fall under their stern choice ; but when that 
 victim was wanting, they hesitated not to im- 
 molate the aged and the innocent. And the 
 spirit of their religion exercised such an in- 
 fluence over the minds of their people, that many, 
 on the more solemn occasions of their religious 
 ceremonies, offered themselves as victims, to 
 appease the anger, or to propitiate the favour of 
 their gods. 
 
 The animals sacrificed by them were generally 
 the bull, the cow, the horse, the ass, the boar- 
 pig, the sow, the goat, and the sheep. Of 
 these, some were offered to one god, and some 
 to another, as was the case with those nations, 
 which, in all probability, had borrowed from them 
 in these matters, that is, the Romans, and the 
 Greeks. There are still traditions and names of 
 
JO THE DRUIDS. 
 
 places in the country which clearly indicate the 
 peculiar kinds of victims which were offered up 
 in certain localities in these Druidical times. 
 For instance, here at Castlemary, near Ros- 
 tellan, is a Druidical altar ; and a place in 
 the immediate neighbourhood of it, is called 
 Bo1uir-iia-bo-fi}ine, that is, " the road of the 
 white cow." Leaba-ua-bo-finnc, that is, " the 
 death stone, or altar of the white cow," still 
 lives there, too, in the language of the people. 
 The road of the white cow, which comes from 
 the north-west, towards the altar, was the passage 
 through which, according to ancient usage, and 
 mystical rite, the victim, that is, the white cow, 
 was brought, or driven to be sacrificed. In 
 total ignorance of this fact, the people, whose 
 very language preserves the memory of these 
 things, will tell you that this was a fairy, or en- 
 chanted cow, which made mysterious journeys 
 through the country. At one place they say 
 it met the bull ; at another place it gave away 
 its all-healing milk ; at another it drank the 
 water of its cherished well ; and at another place 
 it browsed till morning on its favourite meadow. 
 The Irish term for enclianted, is fe Dhraoid- 
 hcachd, that is " under Druidism ;" because 
 these priests had the reputation of being won- 
 derfully skilled in the arts of astrology, sorcery, 
 and magic. It is this term, when speaking of 
 the cow, and its wanderings, that the people of 
 the district employ. 
 
THE DRUIDS. 7 I 
 
 According to ancient mythology, the white 
 cow was sacrificed to the celestial deities ; the 
 black cow to the infernal deities ; and the red 
 or brown cow to the terrestrial deities. It is a 
 singular fact, that while in Ireland, there are 
 many places called after the name of the white 
 cow, and of the red or brown cow, there is sel- 
 dom or never any mention of the black cow in 
 connexion with these Druidical remains. This 
 is accounted for on the supposition, that with 
 the Druids, who were believers in the doctrines of 
 the metempsychosis, or transmigration of souls, 
 a belief in the existence of the infernal regions 
 and infernal deities, did not form a part of 
 religion at all. The souls of the good and of 
 the virtuous were, according to them, transferred 
 after a few happy transmigrations, to the circle 
 of happiness ; while the souls of the wicked 
 passed into the bodies of the lower animals, 
 perhaps for many successions and generations, 
 till at last, they were cleansed and purified by 
 that terrible process. The names of the boar- 
 pig, of the sow, of the horse, of the ass, and of 
 other animals, still cling to many localities ; and 
 though these are made enchanted, or fairy beings 
 by popular legends, it is likely that they origin- 
 ated in the Druidical religion, and the Druidical 
 sacrifice. In illustration of this, it may be 
 stated, that on the sea-coast, near Trabolgan, on 
 the eastern side of the entrance to the harbour 
 
72 • THE DRUIDS. 
 
 of Oueenstown, is a place called the Teampul, 
 or Temple. In it are lying large flat stones, 
 which have always been called by the name of 
 Leaca-na-ncacJi, that is, " the stones of the horses." 
 This was probably a temple of the sun, where, 
 on the verge of the cliff, horses were sacrificed 
 to that luminary as it rose in its majesty above 
 the surface of the waves. The name of the 
 horse is associated with many other places in Ire- 
 land, probably for the same reason. 
 
 Caesar tells us that the Druids had their sacred 
 animals, which they neither ate nor offered in 
 sacrifice. They were, as well as we can learn 
 from the Latin names, the hare, the hen, and the 
 goose. These they bred, however, and kept for 
 ornament, and, perhaps, for some other use or 
 object now unknown. It is difficult to under- 
 stand that at least all the varieties of these useful 
 birds should be so regarded by them ; but pos- 
 sibly the prohibition, or the sacredness, extended 
 only to certain species of them. 
 
 As a consequence, manifestly, of this belief, 
 certain ideas and impressions bordering on the 
 wonderful and the superstitious, exist to this day 
 among the peasantry of Ireland, with respect 
 to these animals, said to have been held sacred 
 by the Druids. Great importance, especially at 
 night, is attached sometimes to the crowing of 
 the cock ; and a hen that crows is held in abso- 
 lute detestation. It is believed that by the 
 
THE DRUIDS. 7 3 
 
 crowing of the cock at early morn or after mid- 
 night, all sprites and ghosts are obliged to quit 
 the haunts of men, and retire at once to their 
 own world of spirits. Similar ideas, and super- 
 stitions, respecting this graceful and favourite 
 bird, prevail in other countries too. He who was 
 always the domestic sentinel to give warning of 
 approaching day, and to call men to their toils, 
 their cares, or their pilgrimages, must have made 
 a lively impression on the mind and the imagina- 
 tion, at all times and in all countries. 
 
 Possibly, the cock alone of his tribe was the 
 privileged bird, for this was a maxim of 
 Pythagoras — " Feed the cock, but sacrifice him 
 not ; because he is sacred to the sun and the 
 moon." 
 
 Peculiar impressions also prevail among the 
 peasantry of this country respecting the hare. 
 They hesitate not to chase him, and to eat him 
 when caught ; but it is believed that the witch 
 comes sometimes in the shape of a hare, to take 
 away the milk of the cows, or inflict some other 
 injury, and that such a hare can never be cap- 
 tured by either spear, trap, or hound. How often 
 is the sportsman, in his disappointment and 
 failure, heard to exclaim that the " rascal of a 
 hare," which he has been pursuing, and which 
 had foiled him so often before, is not a hare at 
 all, but a witch. How wonderfully do these 
 traditions illustrate and verify the statement of 
 
 E 
 
74 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 Caesar, respecting the sacred animals of the 
 Druids. 
 
 The writer has not been able to trace any 
 peculiar ideas among our people respecting the 
 goose. There is, indeed, among them a bad 
 wish conveyed in these words — " Imtheachd ghe 
 an Main ort," which means, " may your departure 
 be that of the island goose ;" that is, may you 
 go and never return. But whether this originated 
 in any Druidical notions respecting the bird 
 is uncertain. The goose is, indeed, a great 
 favourite, though a noisy adjunct to the home- 
 stead, and no small terror to youngsters. He is 
 a grave and wakeful sentinel, whose cry of alarm 
 was, perhaps, often useful in giving notice of the 
 approach of the robber or of the beast of prey. 
 The Romans had a great veneration for the 
 goose, because it was stated that on a most 
 important occasion his cries had prevented the 
 enemy from seizing on their Capitol; but, perhaps, 
 their veneration for the bird was due to the more 
 ancient Druidical ideas, and that he gave this 
 important alarm while enjoying the privileges ol 
 his sanctity in the fortress. 
 
 When sacrificing, the Druid wore on his head 
 a chaplet formed of the leaves of his favourite 
 oak. He was then generally clad in a white 
 tunic ; an egg, or mysterious badge, was sus- 
 pended by a string from his neck, and he made 
 use of certain mystical, or appropriate gestures 
 
THE DRUIDS. 75 
 
 accompanied by prayers, incantations, and spells. 
 The words and sentences uttered by him were, 
 generally, in rhyme, and always pronounced from 
 memory. The prayers and sentences required 
 for these purposes were so numerous and varied, 
 that it took many years of hard study and severe 
 discipline from the young aspirant to the priest- 
 hood to store them up in his mind. All these 
 once-important Druidical rhymes and wild rhap- 
 sodies have died and passed away, with the 
 exception of a few fragments in the forms or 
 words of certain charms, or spells, which are still 
 found stored up in the memory of persons in 
 different parts of the country. 
 
 It was a part of the Druidical ceremony to 
 move round the altar while the incantations were 
 being uttered, or sung ; and that movement took 
 place in such a way as to have the altar and the 
 victim on the right side, or, in other words, to 
 follow the course of the sun. Hence, in augury, 
 the right side was lucky, and the left unlucky; a 
 feeling, or superstition, of which there may be 
 found vestiges existing even at this very day. It 
 appears that the victim was slain on the north side 
 of the altar, that the blood was poured on the altar 
 from the west, and that from the same point the 
 procession and other ceremonies were inaugurated. 
 It is a curious fact that the names of the cardinal 
 points, in the Celtic language, are derived from 
 the position of the Druid as he faced the mystic 
 
j6 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 and magical east, at sacrifice or at prayer. Deas 
 means right, and it also means south or southern, 
 as being on the right hand. Tuatk means left, 
 and it also means north, or northern, for a similar 
 reason. Iar is behind, and it also means west, 
 or western. Oir signifies fore-part, or beginning ; 
 and thus it also means the east, or eastern, or 
 rising of the sun ; for to that point the Druid 
 always turned the face at sacrifice and prayer. 
 Sior, or soir, the east, is formed from sia, "far off," 
 and oir, " fore-part." Star, the west, from sia, 
 " far off," and iar "behind." Odheas, the south, is 
 formed from o, " from," and deas, " the right." 
 Othuath, the north, from o, " from," and tuath, 
 " the left." 
 
 The egg, or mysterious badge, or talisman, 
 suspended from the neck of the Druid on the 
 occasion of sacrifice and other ministerial func- 
 tions, was, perhaps, the most singular and strik- 
 ing part of his attire. It was the chief distin- 
 guishing emblem of his office at the judgment 
 seat, as well as at the altar. This egg, a mystery 
 in itself, and full of varied mystic meaning, was 
 not the production of any fowl, wild or tame, 
 foreign or native. In all probability the source 
 from which it was derived, or the manner in 
 which it was produced, was kept a profound 
 secret, and cannot, by any means, be conjectured 
 at present. From the popular stories that were 
 current about it, the industrious Latin writer, Pliny, 
 gives the following account, which, probably, he 
 
THE DRUIDS. 77 
 
 himself ranked with the marvellous and the im- 
 possible. " There is, besides, a kind of egg held 
 in high estimation by the inhabitants of all the 
 Gauls, unnoticed by Greek writers. It is called 
 the serpent's egg, and in order to produce it an 
 immense number of serpents, twisted together in 
 summer, are rolled up in an artificial folding by 
 the saliva of their mouths and the slime of their 
 bodies. The Druids say that this egg is tossed 
 on high with hissings, and that it must be inter- 
 cepted in a cloak before it reaches the ground. The 
 person who seizes it flies on horseback ; for the 
 serpents pursue him till they are stopped by the 
 intervention of some river. The proof of this 
 e gg is, that though bound in gold it will swim 
 against the stream. And as the Magi (Druids) 
 are very artful and cunning in concealing their 
 frauds, they pretend that this egg can only be 
 obtained at a certain time of the moon, as if this 
 operation of the serpents could be rendered con- 
 gruous to human determination. I have, indeed, 
 seen that egg, of the size of an ordinary round 
 apple, worn by the Druids, in a chequered cover, 
 resembling the numerous calculi in the arms of 
 a polypus. Its virtue is highly extolled for gain- 
 ing law suits, and procuring access to kings ; and 
 it is worn with such great ostentation, that I knew 
 a Roman, by birth a Vocantian, who was slain 
 by the Emperor Claudius for no other cause 
 whatever, except wearing one of these eggs on 
 his breast during the dependence of a law suit." 
 
yS THE DRUIDS. 
 
 A multitude of mystic meanings is drawn 
 from, these wonderful facts mentioned by Pliny 
 in connexion with the Druid's egg. Its produc- 
 tion by the serpents, and its swimming against 
 the stream, are, it is stated, mere allegories of 
 caution, wisdom, union, strength, and persever- 
 ance. But in this serpent's egg there lies a 
 deeper meaning than appears on the surface, or 
 than, perhaps, presented itself to the eye of the 
 Latin writer. 
 
 With most of the ancient Pagan nations the 
 serpent was an object of great veneration, and 
 even, sometimes, of divine worship. How such 
 honours could have been bestowed on an animal 
 so odious and repulsive, it is not easy to conjec- 
 ture. Perhaps it was on account of the cunning 
 for which that reptile is proverbial, or in conse- 
 quence of some dark and perverted traditions 
 connected with the origin and fall of the first 
 man. This latter conjecture derives no small 
 confirmation from the fact, that serpent-worship 
 and tree-worship went, generally, hand-in-hand, 
 among these Pagan nations. For instance, the 
 Druids had a great veneration for the oak. 
 
 Most persons are acquainted with that emblem 
 of time and eternity, a serpent biting its tail, in 
 the form of a circle, which has come down to us 
 from the highest antiquity. This figure was so 
 adopted because the serpent itself was regarded 
 as an emblem of the deity, and, in many instances, 
 
THE DRUIDS. 79 
 
 even a god. It was in great repute with the sor- 
 cerer and enchanter, and in some countries, con- 
 tinues so still The origin of serpent worship is 
 traced to ancient Chaldea, which, it appears, was 
 the cradle of Druidism. In various countries 
 this singular creed, or idolatry, was known under 
 the titles of oub, ob, ops, opkis, python, &c, all 
 meaning a serpent The famous Witch of Endor 
 is called oub, or ob, which in the Chaldee or 
 Hebrew, signifies " the serpent," and a famous 
 soothsayer of antiquity was named OpJiioneus, 
 from ophis, meaning " a serpent," in Greek. The 
 priestess of the famous oracle of Delphi was 
 called Pythia, that is, " the serpent," or " of the 
 serpent." Thus, from some cause unknown, the 
 serpent and serpent-worship embraced that im- 
 portant portion of ancient mythology which is 
 known under the designation of witchcraft, sor- 
 cery, and magic, but which was then regarded 
 as a mysterious power, by which the priest or 
 priestess moved the invisible world, influenced 
 the actions and the motives of men, divined the 
 will of the gods, and foretold future events. 
 
 The Druids professed to possess these powers, 
 that is, to be skilled in divination and sorcery, 
 and hence their adoption of the serpent's egg, or, 
 perhaps, more properly, the serpent itself. From 
 the ancient mythology of Egypt, we learn that 
 the serpent was held in high veneration there, and 
 that the priests had the representation of serpents 
 
8o THE DRUIDS. 
 
 on their bonnets. The badge suspended from 
 the neck of the Druid was, probably, not an egg, 
 but a dead serpent, rolled up in the form of a 
 ball, or of " a round apple," as Pliny expresses 
 it. The skin would exhibit those colours or varie- 
 gated streaks, which he compares to the appear- 
 ance of the polypus. But why was it supposed 
 to be an egg ? Most likely from the similarity 
 in sound of the old cabalistic Chaldee or Hebrew 
 word oub y signifying "a serpent," and the Celtic 
 word ubh, which means " an egg." A person 
 not versed in the mysteries of the Druidical 
 profession, hearing the word oub (serpent) pro- 
 nounced, would have easily mistaken it for the 
 familiar name of ub/i, or egg } in the vulgar lan- 
 guage. No doubt there are such things as ser- 
 pents' eggs. They vary in size, according to 
 the size of the species by which they are pro- 
 duced ; but the serpent itself would have been 
 a more expressive symbol of the sun, of time, 
 and eternity, according to mythological rite, 
 and also, more in accordance with the usages 
 that prevailed among various Pagan nations. 
 According to this supposition, those strange 
 features, such as jumping high into the air, moving 
 with rapidity, and swimming against the stream, 
 as mentioned by Pliny, would be of compara- 
 tively easy explanation. 
 
 Even in parts of America, especially in Mexico, 
 serpent worship was once common ; and at 
 
THE DRUIDS. 8 1 
 
 Dahomey, in Africa, at the present day, it forms 
 the sole, or chief, religion of the country. There, 
 for this purpose, are kept thousands of snakes, 
 all descended, it is said, from the great primeval 
 serpent, whatever that was. It is suspected that 
 the Caduceus, or wonder-working rod of Mer- 
 cury, adorned with two serpents, was derived 
 from Druidical ideas. 
 
 I have not been able to discover any distinct 
 traces or vestiges of the Druid's egg, either in 
 the language or traditions of the people of this 
 country. But there is a general, constant, and 
 unfailing tradition, which says that Saint Patrick 
 banished serpents out of Ireland. In ancient 
 pictures and carved figures of the saint, he is 
 represented with the serpent flying before him, 
 or coiled dead, around, or near the lower end of 
 his crozier. How is this to be explained, or ac- 
 counted for, in reference to an animal which, as 
 far as history can reach, was never known to 
 exist in Ireland, and which, whether it is owing 
 to the influence of the soil or of climate, or of 
 both, cannot prolong its existence there ? Our 
 ancient annals, reaching far beyond the Christian 
 era, give an account of the various strange acci- 
 dents by which men sometimes lost their lives ; 
 but they contain no instance of death or danger 
 occurring from the bite of a serpent, nor, indeed. 
 any reference to that dreaded creature, as existing 
 in the country. 
 
 E 2. 
 
82 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 It is most likely the tradition originated in the 
 fact that the reign of the Druidical priests, or of 
 the serpents, as they were, probably, called, was 
 abolished by the mission and ministry of Saint 
 Patrick, and that the country no longer witnessed 
 the spectacle of a venomous reptile, dead, alive, 
 or in embryo, adorning the breast of the public 
 minister of religion. This is a natural, and, as I 
 believe, the true meaning of the tradition, or 
 legend. Perhaps the dead or flying serpent was 
 intended simply to mean that he was the Apostle 
 of the country so highly favoured as to have in it 
 no venomous reptile. Most of the great saints 
 had their peculiar distinctive marks. In an 
 age of poetry, allegory, and romance, some strik- 
 ing object or event, in connexion with the life 
 or labours of a saint, was selected as his 
 emblematical badge. Thus, Saint George of 
 England has a dragon, Saint Clement an anchor, 
 and the martyred Saint Denis, of Paris, was re- 
 presented with his head under his arm. The 
 popular mind, so fond of legend, allegory, and 
 wonder, often founded on these emblems the most 
 extravagant stories. 
 
 The circumstance of a running stream, or 
 river, not being passable to the witch or fairy, 
 still lives in our popular traditions, which are, 
 so far, confirmatory of the words of Pliny. It will 
 be illustrated by an incident that occurred in this 
 neighbourhood a short time ago, and the rela- 
 
THE DRUIDS. 83 
 
 tion of it may be as agreeable to the reader as 
 it is to the writer, after this grim subject of the 
 serpents and their eggs. 
 
 Near Queenstown is a place called the East 
 Ferry, a calm, beautiful, and picturesque spot, 
 where a fairy would like to dwell, especially in 
 summer. From time immemorial a ferry-boat 
 has been established there to convey travellers 
 and traders from one side of the river to the 
 other. It was at one time, when trains and 
 steamers were unknown, the great passage and 
 thoroughfare to the markets of old Cove and 
 of Cork. The smaller ferry-boat is, at present, 
 manned by a tall, brawny-armed oarsman, whose 
 name is Paddy Higgins. He is, besides, a good 
 piper, and can sing a good song, and thus 
 combines in himself the triple character of water- 
 man, poet, and musician. But his dress partakes 
 more of the land than of the sea. He never 
 appears in the short jacket and peculiar head- 
 gear which watermen generally wear. His dress 
 always exhibits the long coat and high- crowned 
 hat of the peasant, as more befitting an occa- 
 sional worker on the farm, and an humble 
 representative of the old musical bards of his 
 country. 
 
 One fine night in summer, just an hour or two 
 after dark, as he was standing on his own side of 
 the ferry, after having secured his boat at its 
 mooring-place, he heard a loud, shrill whistle 
 
84 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 coming from the opposite shore. Thinking that 
 it was some traveller who wanted a ferry, Paddy- 
 put out his boat in all haste, and was soon at the 
 opposite side. Not a living being was there to 
 require his services. He rowed back the boat in 
 a hurry, but her keel had scarcely touched the 
 shore, when he heard another beautiful whistle, 
 even louder than the first, coming from the west- 
 ern bank again. Paddy, in his anger, muttered 
 some hard things on the perverse stupidity of the 
 wanderer, whoever he was, but he turned towards 
 him the bow of his boat, and soon reached the 
 opposite side. All was silence as before. No 
 one appeared, nor was there any response 
 to Paddy's repeated — " Halloo, is there any one 
 there ? " except the solemn echo of the hills. 
 With a feeling of disappointment and anger, he 
 rowed the boat quickly back. Just as he was 
 taking leave of the craft, after having secured her 
 at her mooring, three whistles in rapid succession 
 — the most beautiful he had ever heard — pene- 
 trated his ears. 
 
 Paddy, as a musician, had a very quick ear for 
 sound. " That whistle," said he to himself, " never 
 came from mortal lips, and I thought there was 
 something of the same kind about the other 
 whistles I heard before." He reflected for a 
 moment. He remembered the local stories 
 which said that the " good people" were fond of 
 that place, especially at that hour of the night. 
 
THE DRUIDS. 85 
 
 His feelings now alternated between awe, hope, 
 and fear ; but, wishing that they would be always 
 friendly to him at that often dangerous post, he 
 stirred up his courage, and, returning breathless 
 to the boat, he unloosed the rope, grasped the 
 oars, and was soon on the opposite side. When 
 the craft grated on the shore, he put out the 
 movable gangway or stepping-plank, and then 
 retired reverently towards the stern. An invita- 
 tion to embark was given in a manly but respect- 
 ful tone. " Come on, friends, now," said he, 
 " ten minutes are allowed you to enter, and you 
 shall have a free ferry over from me." 
 
 Paddy's sense of hearing was silently exercised 
 to its utmost tension at that solemn moment. 
 Perhaps it was the gentle rippling of the waves, 
 but he imagined that he heard invisible feet 
 gliding up the plank, and streaming to the side- 
 seats of the boat. A little more than the ten 
 minutes having passed, according to his mental 
 calculation, he hauled in the plank with reverence 
 and awe, and rowed back the boat without utter- 
 ing a syllable. He saw nobody ; but from the 
 steady bearing of the boat in the water, and her 
 weight on the oars, he calculated that she was 
 very full. 
 
 On reaching the opposite side the plank 
 was again put out, and ten minutes allowed them 
 to land, after which, in his usual phrase, the oars- 
 man wished them all " good luck and a safe 
 
86 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 journey." The boat was then secured to the 
 mooring-post, and, though he remained near it 
 for a considerable time, not a whistle nor a 
 whisper was heard any more by him that night. 
 
 They were, in Paddy's estimation, the " good 
 people" of Bally more graveyard , who were com- 
 ing to visit their friends of the graveyard of 
 Gurrawn, on the opposite side of the river. 
 
 Paddy did not conceal the strange occurrence 
 from friend or foe. I have heard the story from 
 him myself. Paddy is a very correct, sober, 
 and industrious man, but some of his neighbours 
 suspected that he was a little mellow that 
 evening, and in somewhat an elevated and 
 poetic mood. In any case he was not the less 
 capacitated to receive and transmit those tra- 
 ditions of ancient fairy-tale which had come 
 down to him, through, perhaps, thousands of 
 years, from the old Druid of Rostellan, whose 
 altar and judgment seat still stand near the 
 verge of that beautiful salt lake and river, where 
 Paddy, with his oars, has been for many a long 
 day earning an honest and honourable subsis- 
 tence. 
 
 As we have already seen, Druidism dedicated 
 every day in the week to one of their gods, and 
 probably assigned to it special religious obser- 
 vances. But there were four periods or seasons 
 of the year, at which the public worship was 
 conducted on a scale of extraordinary magni- 
 
THE DRUIDS. 87 
 
 ficence. The names of these seasons are still 
 preserved in the Irish language, as commonly- 
 spoken by the people. The first was Nuadhirflig, 
 which corresponds with Christmas, and is still, 
 in Irish, the name of Christmas. The second 
 was Beiltinne, which corresponds with May, and 
 is still the Irish name of May. The third was 
 Lunas, which corresponds with the month of 
 August, and is still the Irish name of that 
 period. The fourth was Samhain (or La-Samhm), 
 corresponding with the month of November, of 
 which it is still the name in the Irish language. 
 
 What were the principal religious observances 
 of that period called Nuadhullig, Christmas ? 
 
 NuadJadlig, or NodlUag, is an abbreviation of 
 N iiadh-uile-iceadh, which means the New All- 
 heal, that is, the New Mistletoe. At that period, 
 when the new year was about to commence, the 
 Druidical priests assembled in a large body 
 outside the dwellings of their people, and set up 
 the shout of Nuadh-iiile-iceadli ! Nuadh-uile 
 iccadh ! New All-heal ! New All-heal ! This 
 was the thrilling note which announced that 
 they were going to the woods in search of their 
 sacred plant, the mistletoe. Immediately, all 
 the people flocked around them to join in the 
 solemn procession. 
 
 On reaching the forest they made the most 
 diligent search for the plant, and when it was 
 found, especially if growing upon their favourite 
 
88 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 oak, they gave expression to their great joy in 
 loud shouts of exultation. Then, with much 
 ceremony and form, the priest, highest in dignity 
 amongst them, ascended the tree, and with a 
 golden pruning-knife cut from its branches the 
 divine plant, which was received by those below 
 in a large linen cloth of unspotted whiteness. 
 Two white bulls, which had been conducted to 
 the place for that purpose, were sacrificed to the 
 gocls ; after which, tlie Mistletoe, or wonderful 
 Ali-heal, was brought home in solemn pro- 
 cession, amidst shouts of joy, mingled with 
 prayers, incantations, and hymns. Then fol- 
 lowed a general religious feast, and a prolonged 
 scene of boisterous merry enjoyment, to which 
 all were admitted without any distinction. 
 
 A curious and particular account of this 
 ceremony of the All-heal is given by the Latin 
 writer, Pliny, in the 1 6th Book and 44th 
 chapter of his Natural History. His words are, 
 " The Druids (for so they call their Magi), have 
 nothing more sacred than the mistletoe, and the 
 tree on which it grows, provided it be an oak. 
 They select particular groves of oaks, and per- 
 form no sacred rites without oak leaves, so that 
 from this custom they may seem to have been 
 called Druids according to the Greek derivation. 
 For they think that whatever grows on these 
 trees is sent to them from heaven, and is a proof 
 that the tree itself is chosen by the deity. But 
 
THE DRUIDS. 89 
 
 the plant is very rarely found, and when found 
 is sought for with the greatest religious ardour, 
 and principally in the sixth moon, which is the 
 beginning of their months and years, and when 
 the tree is thirty years old, because it is then 
 not only half grown, but has attained its full 
 vigour. They call it All-HEALING in their own 
 language ; and having prepared sacrifices and 
 feasts under the tree with great solemnity, they 
 bring up two white bulls, whose horns are then 
 first bound. The priest, clothed in a white 
 garment, ascends the tree, and cuts it off with a 
 golden pruning knife, and it is received in a 
 white sheet or cloth. Then they sacrifice the 
 victims, and pray that God would render his 
 own gift prosperous to those on whom he has 
 bestowed it. They believe that, administered in 
 a potion, it will impart fecundity to any barren 
 animal, and that it is a remedy against all kinds 
 of poison." 
 
 Pliny renders the name uile-iceadh (pro- 
 nounced uil-eckcy), all-healing, very accurately 
 in his own language, by the term, omnia-sancuis. 
 It appears that the sixth moon, in which it 
 was gathered, counted from the beginning of 
 August, when the great religious feasts and 
 solemnities of Lunas took place in honour 
 of the moon. The mistletoe is a graceful 
 branchy plant, which grows, like wood-ferns, on 
 the branches of the oak, the apple, the pear, 
 
90 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 the hazel, the elm, and various other trees. It 
 will not grow on the beech, holly, or walnut 
 Climate affects it much. It is seldom found in 
 some localities, though abundant in others ; but 
 under the care and culture of the Druids it was 
 made to take root in almost every orchard and 
 forest. It grows to about the height of twc 
 feet. It is of an olive-green colour; but, with the 
 toning influence of age, assumes a yellow or 
 golden hue, and looks very pretty, with its 
 white berries, in winter. It is now, perhaps, 
 impossible to account for the veneration in which 
 it was held, and the wonderful qualities which 
 it was supposed to possess. Religion, legend, 
 and poetry, threw a halo of power and mystery 
 around it. Even it has been gathered by the 
 muse of Virgil to grace the beauty of his im- 
 mortal lines. In the sixth book of the AZneid, 
 is a beautiful passage, describing the interview 
 between ^Eneas and the Cumsean Sibyl. It is 
 too long to be inserted here, but the allusion to 
 the " golden branch," and to its power over even 
 the invisible world, will justify a short quotation 
 from it. 
 
 When the Trojan hero had formed the resolu- 
 tion of visiting the realms of Pluto in search of 
 his deceased father, he applied to this famous 
 priestess for instruction and counsel in the matter. 
 She informed him that, even for the son of a 
 goddess, it was a most perilous undertaking ; 
 
THE DRUIDS. 9 1 
 
 but that it may be accomplished with the aid of 
 a certain golden branch which grew in the dark 
 recesses of the forest. "A branch with golden 
 leaves and a slender stalk," she said, " is con- 
 cealed in a dark tree, and no one can descend 
 to the infernal regions till he has first plucked this 
 plant from its parent trunk." By the guidance 
 of two mysterious doves, JEncas discovers the 
 treasure in the woods. It is thus described : — 
 " Such was the appearance of this golden branch 
 on the dark oak, as when the mistletoe doth 
 flourish with new vigour in the woods during 
 the winter's cold." 
 
 It is manifest that the poet had here in view 
 the sacred plant of the Druids. Nor was it in 
 this case without its utility. On the verge of 
 the Stygian lake the progress of the hero was 
 opposed, with wrath and threatening accents, by 
 the grim Charon, thus : — 
 
 " Mortal, whoe'er thou art, in arms arrayed, 
 Stand off; approach not; but, at distance, say, 
 Why to these waters dar'st thou bend thy way ?" 
 
 But the appearance of the branch disarmed his 
 anger — 
 
 ' ' Then show'd the bough that lay beneath the vest ; 
 At once his rising wrath was hushed to rest, 
 At once stood reconcil'd the ruthless god, 
 And bowed with reverence to the golden rod." 
 
 That was, surely, a high character for sacred- 
 
92 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 ness and mysterious power, which reached up 
 even beyond the foundation of Rome. And yet, 
 in all probability, the reputation of the All-heal 
 of the Druids ascended many ages higher. We 
 have no means of ascertaining all the uses to 
 which it was converted. It appears that at the 
 great annual solemnity the plant was broken or 
 cut up in small fragments by the Druids, and 
 distributed to the people as a remedy against 
 all evil, and the pledge or harbinger of every 
 good. Even the tree on which it was found grow- 
 ing was not without its reputed virtue. It appears 
 that it, too, was cut down and distributed in 
 small logs to the people for their fires, and that 
 no small virtue was attached to the half-burnt 
 fragments of them. 
 
 Of all these proceedings and ceremonies we 
 have still living traditions in Ireland. Persons 
 proceed to the woods to bring home the Christ- 
 mas tree and the Christmas branches, and as the 
 All-heal cannot often be found, its place is 
 abundantly supplied by the holly and the ivy. 
 With these the cottage is adorned, as also the 
 temples of religion. Even the uile-eekey, or All- 
 heal, is brought from great distances for the 
 occasion, by those whose circumstances enable 
 them to procure it in that way. But what was 
 once in honour of Paganism, is now in honour of 
 Christianity, and to celebrate the great festival 
 of Christmas. 
 
THE DRUIDS.. 93 
 
 Nor is the famous log ever forgotten. In 
 Irish it is called bloc-na-nuadh-uile-iceadh, abbre- 
 viated, bloc-na-nodlrfog, that is, the log or block 
 of the new All-heal. It is a singular fact that 
 other countries still retain a fragment of this 
 word All-heal, as the name for Christmas, and, 
 yet, even the learned there are totally ignorant 
 of its meaning. 
 
 The word, Yule, has puzzled all the antiqua- 
 ries of England and Scotland, and they have 
 given it up in despair. It is simply an abbrevia- 
 tion of Uilc-ici, which means All-heal, the Celtic 
 name of that season, now called Christmas. In 
 France, another Celtic country, the name of 
 Christmas is Noel, a term that has completely 
 baffled all their antiquarian researches. Some 
 there think it comes from Emmanuel, or from the 
 Latin word Nativitas, nativity, or from Nova, 
 new things, or news. It is simply formed of 
 Nuadh and Uile, that is No-tde, an abbreviation 
 of the Celtic term, meaning new All-heal. 
 
 Thus it is that the fossil, here dug up whole 
 and entire from the Irish soil, indicates the 
 species to which the disjointed members found 
 in other countries are to be assigned. 
 
 A most expressive emblem, thus, of Christ- 
 mas is the branch of mistletoe, which, in the 
 Celtic language, has given a name, for centuries 
 without number, to that season of the year ; and 
 when properly understood, and purified from the 
 
94 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 grossness which, in some instances, a depraved 
 custom has attached to it, its presence will, not 
 inappropriately, typify the great All-heal of the 
 Christians, that is, the birth of a Redeemer. 
 
 The great ceremonies of Bcil-tinnc, which took 
 place in May, were undoubtedly performed in 
 honour of the god Beal. Beal-tinne means 
 the fire of Beal. The sun being the great 
 visible object of the worship of the Druids, 
 fire, which for the occasion was procured by some 
 simple mechanism from its rays, was made a 
 particular object of veneration at this season of 
 the year, when the grand luminary had already 
 commenced to ascend high in the heavens and 
 exercise its influence on the face of the earth. 
 
 Beal was the universal name of God, or of the 
 Great Spirit and Universal Being, among the 
 Druidical nations. They believed that this Great 
 Spirit united himself to certain great bodies in 
 the universe, especially and pre-eminently to the 
 sun, and to every other body containing fire or 
 light. Their belief was something like that which 
 the shade of Anchises explained to his son, 
 ^Eneas, in the sixth book of the ^Eneid of Virgil : 
 
 "Know, first, a Spirit with an active flame, 
 Fills, feeds, and animates the mighty frame ; 
 Runs through the wat'ry worlds and fields of air, 
 The ponderous earth, the depths of the heav'n, and there 
 Burns in the sun and moon, and every brilliant star. 
 Thus, mingling with the mass, the general soul 
 Lives in the parts, and agitates the whole." 
 
THE DRUIDS. 95 
 
 The word Beal is supposed to be formed from 
 hi (pronounced bee,) " living, or being, or life," 
 and trilc, "all," that is, all life, the life of all, or 
 the Universal Being, which corresponds perfectly 
 with the " fills, feeds, and animates," of the poet, 
 in the above passage. 
 
 It is now impossible to ascertain the particu- 
 lar ceremonies that marked the celebration of the 
 Fire-worship, or Beil-tinne, among the Celts. It 
 appears, however, that the fresh fire, like that of 
 the vestals at Rome, was procured from the rays 
 of the sun ; and that previously all the fires in 
 the country were ordered to be extinguished at 
 a certain time, and to continue so till the first 
 religious fire was lighted at night, on the top of 
 the Cam, or high hill, by the Druids. Then was 
 lighted a fire on the next hill, and on the next, 
 and so on, till the entire country was in a sacred 
 blaze. Feasts and sacrifices followed. Victims 
 were given to the flames, and among them, prob- 
 ably, were included human beings. As on all 
 other occasions of prayer and sacrifice, both 
 priests and people placed themselves at the west 
 of the fires, with their faces turned to the mys- 
 tical and magical east. Most probably these 
 ceremonies took place at an advanced hour of 
 the night, and were continued till morning, 
 when the sun, the great form of Beal, appeared 
 in his glory above the horizon. 
 
 Was this veneration or worship rendered by 
 
96 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 the Druids to fire, a corruption of any ancient 
 truth, or primitive revelation ? We know that 
 among the people, who had received and re- 
 tained the true and original revelation, light, 
 or fire, was an emblem of the Deity. God ap- 
 peared to Moses in the burning bush, and He 
 went before the Israelites, in a pillar of light, 
 on their great journey through the desert. In 
 various passages of the sacred writings, it is 
 stated that God is light. It was ordained that 
 there should be lights in the temple, and in it 
 was kept the sacred fire, which had descended 
 from heaven to consume the sacrifices. Pos- 
 sibly the delusion and corruption, which, among 
 the Druids, made a god of more than one of 
 God's creatures, reached this point of fire also, 
 perverting and confounding both the object and 
 the emblem. It is stated that from the fires 
 lighted by the Druids on this solemn occasion, 
 the people carried home burning brands, or live 
 embers, with which to rekindle the domestic 
 hearths, and that the seed of it, siol na tiuin\ 
 was preserved and continued among them till 
 the next anniversary of Beil-tinne again. In 
 an age of lucifcr matches, and almost spon- 
 taneous ignition, like the present, it is not easy 
 to comprehend the care and attention, and even 
 the difficulty, with which the " seed of the fire," 
 as it was called, was preserved in past times. 
 The Druids believed that in this way they kept 
 
THE DRUIDS. 97 
 
 the sacred fire of Beal perpetually burning, and 
 that great were the benefits which their people 
 derived from its presence and influence among 
 them. Even the fields, at this season, received 
 portions of it, to ensure a fruithful year and an 
 abundant harvest. It is likely that the sacred 
 fire of ancient Rome, which was committed to 
 the care of the vestal virgins, was borrowed 
 from Druidism. 
 
 In what part of the country the first fire was 
 lighted on these occasions, is not exactly known. 
 But as the hill of Uisneach, in Meath — the navel 
 of Ireland, as it was called in the language of 
 Mythology — was honoured with the residence 
 and the altar of the Arch-Druid, it is likely that 
 the first flame issued from that place, and thence 
 flew, from hill to hill, with almost the rapidity 
 of lightning. The electric telegraph of modern 
 times is a speedy messenger, and yet it could 
 scarcely traverse the land with greater velocity 
 than the Beal fire of the Druids. Some say 
 that the first fire was lighted on the hill of 
 Tara. 
 
 There was a sort of poetry and of mystery 
 about this system which, certainly, exercised a 
 powerful fascination over the human mind. 
 The altar and the earn of the Druid have been 
 deserted for ages ; and yet, to this day, there 
 are living vestiges and memorials of his anni- 
 versary fire, in Ireland. At a certain period of 
 
98 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 the summer, when the shades of evening gather 
 over the face of the land, flames of fire are 
 seen to spring like magic, from hill to hill, 
 through the whole expanse of the country. 
 They are also lighted in the hamlets and vil- 
 lages, and in many of the towns. A few of 
 these take place at Beil-tinne, that is, at the 
 beginning of May ; but the great blaze is re- 
 served for the eve of the nativity of St. John 
 the Baptist, the 23rd of June. 
 
 These are evidently a remnant of the ancient 
 Beal fires. But why do they chiefly occur on the 
 night before the festival of the saint, instead of 
 the old period of Beil-tinne, which was the be- 
 ginning of May ? I do not believe that a satis- 
 factory explanation of this circumstance has been 
 yet given by any of our antiquaries. It was, 
 perhaps, to transfer the practice or custom of 
 lighting these fires from a Pagan to a Christian 
 object. The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist 
 was a great and solemn festival of the Church. 
 Like those of the other great festivals of martyrs, 
 the eve or vigil of it was, in the early ages, com- 
 memorated with appropriate ceremonies. The 
 public devotions were kept up all night in the 
 churches of which the saint was the patron ; and 
 the solemnities of the next day were ushered in 
 amidst types and figures appropriate to the occa- 
 sion. Among these was probably introduced a 
 large and unusual exhibition of lights to typify 
 
THE DRUIDS. 99 
 
 the Baptist, who, in the Gospel, is called, by the 
 Saviour himself, " a burning and shining light." 
 What could have been more natural than that 
 the early Christian missioners would have directed 
 the people to light their anniversary fires on the 
 eve of this saint, and thus give to the national 
 custom a Christian instead of a Pagan object ? 
 To this feeling, most likely, are due the transfer 
 of the fires to the 23rd of June, and perhaps, too, 
 their perpetuation to this day among the people. 
 The seventh and eighth centuries were periods of 
 plagues and other physical calamities in Ireland. 
 Our ancient annals state that at that time some 
 wild prophecies, respecting a fiery blast which 
 was to sweep over the land and destroy most of 
 the inhabitants, about the festival of Saint John, 
 greatly agitated the minds of all classes in the 
 country. Could the fires of Saint John's Eve 
 have had any connexion with these alarming 
 predictions ? 
 
 Still, perhaps, the fires of the 24th of June 
 were fixed for that time by Druidical rite. In 
 Wilcock's " History of Russia," it is stated that 
 the ancient tribes of that country had a god 
 named Kupalo, the patron deity of the fruits 
 of the earth, in whose honour they lighted fires 
 on the 24th of June. The youths of both sexes, 
 it says, adorned with wreaths and garlands of 
 flowers, met in dance, and leaped nimbly over 
 the fires kindled on this occasion. This would 
 
IOO THE DRUIDS. 
 
 correspond with the Irish custom, as the day 
 commenced in the evening. 
 
 An ancient popular custom of May-ing and 
 May-poling, at this season of the year, still 
 prevails in Ireland. There are now no means 
 of ascertaining whether this anniversary visit to 
 the woods, and the bringing home, in solemn 
 procession, of the tree decorated with flags and 
 flowers, could be any remnant of the Druidical 
 ceremonies. Perhaps it was a substitute for 
 them, and a popular remnant, or part, of some 
 outdoor religious Christian ceremony of visiting 
 and blessing the fields, which was calculated to 
 engage the minds of the people, and withdraw 
 them from the old Druidical practices. 
 
 Among the various characters that formerly 
 figured in these processions, was a person robed 
 as a friar or a priest, which would seem to in- 
 dicate that the custom had its origin in some 
 ancient religious observance. How difficult it 
 was to withdraw the minds of the people from 
 the old heathen practices, may be inferred from 
 the fact that, not very long ago, the herdsmen in 
 the highlands of Scotland were accustomed, on 
 May-day, to perform a kind of rustic charm and 
 sacrifice they called beal-tinne, to secure, as they 
 imagined, the protection of their flocks from all 
 evil during the course of the year. If the May 
 procession was originally of a religious character, 
 the erection of the May-pole was evidently in- 
 
THE DRUIDS. IOt 
 
 tended to be a memorial of it, and, perhaps, also, 
 to indicate that it was to heaven men should 
 look for the prosperity of the season and its 
 fruits. 
 
 In the history of the life of Saint Patrick, it is 
 stated that it was at the period of the Fire- 
 worship, and shortly after his arrival in Ireland, 
 he appeared in the neighbourhood of Tara, 
 where the kings, princes, and many of the 
 Druidical priests were assembled at the great 
 council of the nation. Here he intended to 
 face the Paganism of the land in its great strong- 
 hold. It was the Paschal time, and as it is 
 stated, or perhaps surmised, Easter Saturday. 
 In the religious office, at which the saint and his 
 companions were engaged, the Paschal fire, or 
 light, was exhibited according to the rule of the 
 church. The appearance of this fire or light, at 
 a time when all the fires of the country were 
 extinguished, awaiting the usual signal from the 
 Druids, excited the surprise and indignation of 
 both the priests and nobles assembled at Tara. 
 They rushed to the place of this violation of 
 their rites, with the intention of punishing 
 those who were guilty of the outrage. Their 
 visit was received by Patrick with the calmness 
 of a martyr ; and it is stated that the words of 
 explanation and exhortation, which he addressed 
 to them at that moment, made a deep impres- 
 sion on their minds in favour of the divine 
 
102 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 religion which, he said, he had come to preach 
 to the people of the country. 
 
 The circumstances of the relation of this event 
 by the old writers, would appear to involve 
 something like a chronological discrepancy. 
 According to the strict rule for fixing the time 
 of Easter, that solemnity can never be later than 
 the 25th of April, whereas the Pagan cere- 
 monies of Beil-tinne took place in the beginning 
 of May. It may be that, in the absence of 
 accurate chronological tables, an error of a few 
 days might have occurred on one side, or the 
 other, and that thus the two periods happened 
 to coincide. Or it may be explained by sup- 
 posing that Saint Patrick exhibited the Paschal 
 light, not exactly on Easter Saturday, but on 
 some day within the Paschal time, which extends 
 to Ascension Thursday, a period which is 
 always sure to include the first of May, and 
 during which, on certain solemn days, the 
 Paschal light was used at the morning and 
 evening offices of the Church. Perhaps it was 
 on a Sunday evening at Vespers, repeating his 
 accustomed portions of the Psalms, the Saint 
 was engaged, when the Paschal light attracted 
 the attention of the ^Pagans. Another suppo- 
 sition, not very probable however, is, that the 
 Druids were, at this time, preparing for a fire- 
 worship different from the great one of Beil- 
 tinne or May, and that minor celebrations of 
 
THE DRUIDS. 103 
 
 that kind took place at, perhaps, two or three 
 other different seasons of the year. 
 
 The next great solemnity, in the order of time, 
 was Lugh-nas, or La Lugh-nasa, which, as occur- 
 ring about the beginning of August, has given 
 its name, in Irish, to this month, and also to 
 that season of the year. Of this word the true 
 derivation seems to be luan, "moon," and nas, 
 " anniversary ;" that is, the anniversary festival of 
 the moon. It is now impossible to ascertain the 
 particular rites and ceremonies with which this 
 festival was celebrated by the Druids. As on 
 other religious occasions, there were, of course, 
 feasts, and prayers, and sacrifices. To these, at 
 Luain-nas, were added games, processions, eques- 
 trian sports, and athletic exercises, which lasted 
 for several successive days. Something corres- 
 ponding with these took place, in reference to 
 the same subject of the moon, among other 
 Pagan nations, such as the Greeks, Romans, and 
 Egyptians. The only vestiges of this solemnity 
 now remaining in Ireland are the name Lugh- 
 nas (Luain-nas), that is, "anniversary of the moon," 
 which is given by it to the month of August, and 
 a sort of indistinct popular conviction that some- 
 thing important was connected with it in ancient 
 times. It appears that though the religious fea- 
 tures of the solemnity had been abolished by 
 the introduction of Christianity, the games and 
 athletic sports were, in some shape, continued 
 
104 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 to the seventh and eighth centuries, and that 
 many visitors and competitors came every year, 
 from even England and Scotland, to be present 
 at them. 
 
 Some antiquaries derive the word Liigh-nas 
 from LugJi, " a man's name," and nasa, " fairs ;" 
 that is, fairs with games and sports, established by 
 LugJi-lamJi-fhadah, which means " Lugh of the 
 long hand," monarch of Ireland. According to 
 the computation of our Irish annals, this occurred 
 nearly two thousand years before the Christian 
 era. It was at Tailltean, in Meath, the fair is 
 stated to have been established by him, and in 
 remembrance or honour of his foster-mother, 
 Taillte. It is, however, more likely that Lugh- 
 nas is a slight variation of Luain-nas, a Druidical 
 anniversary in honour of the moon, and that the 
 observance of this festival was general through- 
 out all the Celtic countries. Lugh-of-the-long- 
 hand, who was probably a man fond of athletic 
 exercises himself, might have given great en- 
 couragement to the games and sports always 
 united to the religious feasts of this period ; and 
 his name might thus have become popularly asso- 
 ciated with them. The English word, Lammas, 
 is manifestly a form or corruption of this Laaiiu 
 nas, " anniversary of the moon ;" for the language 
 of the ancient Britons was the Celtic, and they, 
 too, rendered the accustomed honours to the 
 moon, as well as to the mistletoe and the sun, in 
 the days of their Druids. 
 
THE DRUIDS. 105 
 
 It is stated by the eminent Irish scholar, the 
 late Professor Eugene O'Curry, that the name of 
 Crom-dnbh is still connected with the first Sun- 
 day of August among the people of the provinces 
 of Munster and Connaught. Crom was the great 
 idol of the Druidical worship in Ireland. There 
 were two Croms — Crom-dubh, that is, the black 
 Crom, which is supposed to be an image or idol 
 of the moon, and Crom-cruach, the bloody or 
 red Crom, which, as we shall see hereafter, is be- 
 lieved to be their image or idol of the sun. 
 
 But why was the moon of August selected for 
 these extraordinary honours ? Possibly the cause 
 cannot now be ascertained. There are, however, 
 certain features connected with that moon which 
 are not observable in any other moon of the year. 
 Owing to its relative position to the sun, the full 
 moon of this season rises more immediately 
 opposite to the sun-set than the full moon of any 
 other season of the year. Thus, as the sun dis- 
 appears in the north-west this full moon rises in 
 the opposite direction, in the south-east, spreading 
 her illumining rays over that portion of the earth 
 which the great luminary has just abandoned. 
 This singular coincidence, which the science of 
 astronomy explains on purely natural principles, 
 might have presented something mysterious and 
 supernatural to the mind of the Druid. In the 
 popular language of Ireland, there is still a certain 
 virtue ascribed to Re-an-fhogJunhair, that is, to 
 
 f 2 
 
106 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 the moon of the harvest, or the harvest moon. 
 Some think that this arises from the light which it 
 affords for continuing the harvest-work after sun- 
 set. It is, however, more likely that it has derived 
 its distinctive name and its reputed virtue from 
 the Druidical worship which made it a special ob- 
 ject of observance and veneration at that season 
 of the year. It appears that this was counted 
 the first of their moons by the Druids ; and 
 Strabo says that it was their custom to dance 
 before the full moon from evening till morning. 
 
 We now come to Samhain, which may be 
 called the last and the first, the first and the 
 last, of the great Druidical festivals. Samhain 
 is a compound word, formed of samk> "the 
 sun," and ain, " a circle," that is, the circle or 
 anniversary of the sun. This was, by excellence, 
 the great festival of the Druidical Celts, who, 
 believing that they were descended from the 
 mighty luminary, always professed themselves 
 its devoted worshippers. It was on this account 
 they called themselves Celts, that is, Celestials, 
 and probably, also, that the Sunburst became 
 the national escutcheon of Ireland. We cannot 
 now discover the various ceremonies with which 
 they celebrated this anniversary of the sun, which 
 took place in the beginning of November, and to 
 this day gives its name in Irish to that season of 
 the year. There were, of course, sacrifices and 
 feasts, and, as it is thought, also, an unusual dis- 
 
THE DRUIDS. 107 
 
 play of fires. The horse was offered as a victim 
 to the sun, and, perhaps, the human being, too, 
 in Ireland, as it certainly was in other countries. 
 Upon this occasion was exhibited, for special 
 veneration, the great idol, Crom-craach, that is, 
 the red or bloody Crom, which was a huge image 
 or emblem of the sun. Crom is familiar to the 
 language of the Irish, and many a place in Ire- 
 land still bears its name ; yet, it is from the 
 " Tripartite Life of Saint Patrick" only, we derive 
 a description, imperfect however, of this famous 
 and dreaded idol. The ancient biographer de- 
 scribes the miraculous destruction of the idol, 
 or the god, by Saint Patrick, in the following 
 quaint language, which is a literal translation 
 of the original Irish : — 
 
 " Patrick, after that, went over the water to 
 Magh-Slecht, where stood the chief idol of Erin, 
 i.e., Cenn Cruaich, ornamented with gold and 
 silver, and twelve other idols ornamented with 
 brass around him. When Patrick saw the idol 
 from the water which is called Guthard (loud 
 voice, i.e., he elevated his voice), and when he 
 approached near the idol, he raised his arm to 
 lay the staff of Jesus on him, and it did not 
 reach him ; he bent back from the attempt 
 upon his right side, for it was to the south his 
 face was, and the mark of the staff lives in his 
 left side still, although the staff did not leave 
 Patrick's hand, and the earth swallowed the 
 
108 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 other twelve idols to their heads, and they arc- 
 in that condition in commemoration of the 
 miracle." 
 
 This " staff of Jesus," or Bachall Josa, as it is 
 called in Irish, with which Saint Patrick assailed 
 the idol, was his wonder-working crozier, which 
 was afterwards preserved for many centuries in 
 Ireland. From this narrative it appears that the 
 wreck of the idol and of its twelve satellites, or 
 attendants, was still to be seen in the time of the 
 saint's biographer. Here is the only description 
 of the image which has come down to us ; and 
 from it we infer that this idol of the Celts was 
 very gorgeous, massive, and costly. From the 
 presence of the twelve attendants surrounding it, 
 the inference is, that it represented the sun and 
 the twelve signs of the zodiac, which was a 
 favourite idea of the Druids. 
 
 The name Croni, or Crom-cruacJi, at this dis- 
 tance of time, fails to supply any clue to the 
 object or character of the idol. Crom, indeed, 
 means "a maggot," and eruacJi, "red or bloody." 
 If the literal meaning of these Celtic words were 
 a guide in the matter, it would signify " the red 
 or bloody maggot." Yet, perhaps, there is some- 
 thing in them. Beel-zebub is, in Scripture, called 
 " the god of Accaron," and the meaning of Beel- 
 zebub is "the god of flies," or, perhaps, more 
 properly, and originally, u the flies of Beal." The 
 maggot, being an incipient or embryo fly, perhaps, 
 
THE DRUIDS. IO9 
 
 was intended, too, to convey the idea of an em- 
 blem of life and of the sun, and so far of their 
 deity. We are told that in ancient Egypt a 
 blue-bottle fly received divine honours. Probably 
 the delusion and the practice were based on the 
 same curious idea. 
 
 There are no means of ascertaining, with ac- 
 curacy, what peculiar forms Crom and his attend- 
 ants assumed, whether of men, of other animals, 
 or of inanimate beings. The designation of Cenn- 
 Cruaich, bestowed on it in the Tripartite Life of 
 the Saint, means " the red or bloody heads." The 
 name of Magh-Slecht given to this place where 
 the idol stood, was not inappropriate. It means 
 the " plain of adoration," from viagh, "a plain," 
 and sleachd, " adoration ;" and it is supposed to 
 have been situated in the present county of 
 Cavan. 
 
 This festival of the sun was chiefly intended as 
 a thanksgiving to the great luminary for the fruits 
 and products of the season, which were generally 
 saved and collected into the granaries at that 
 season of the year. The produce of the field, of 
 the vineyard, and of the garden, was represented 
 in the loaves and fruits with which the religious 
 feast was supplied. It was a solemn season of 
 merriment, of joy, and of religious thanksgivings, 
 according to the ideas that prevailed among that 
 people. 
 
 There are still to be found in Ireland some 
 
110 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 vestiges of these proceedings. Our All-hallow 
 Eve was the Samhain of the Druids. It was, 
 probably, dedicated to All Saints, to withdraw the 
 minds of the people from the Pagan observances. 
 But, in despite of time and alteration, the bread 
 and the fruits are introduced into the Christian 
 commemoration ; and there are some who pre- 
 tend to think, in their silliness or levity, that a 
 knowledge of futurity may be obtained by the 
 performance of certain mystic signs, and that the 
 heavenly bodies exercise, at that season, a pecu- 
 liar influence over the destinies of men. It 
 appears, however, that the few who now indulge 
 in these things, seek for amusement more than 
 anything else in these endeavours to discover the 
 events of the dark and invisible future. These 
 four great periodical religious festivals brought 
 round in its entirety the bliadliain, or "year" of 
 the Druids. It would appear, too, that their year 
 was called bliadhain, from this very circumstance, 
 for bliadJiain is a compound word, formed from 
 beil, " of god," and ain, "circle," that is, "the 
 circle of Beal," or "the circle of the worship of 
 Beal." Even the Celtic word ratlia, which means 
 " a quarter," or fourth part of the year, would 
 seem to be derived from these four religious 
 celebrations. Ratha appears to be an abbreviated 
 compound word formed from re, " time," and 
 adliradJi (pronounced ard) " adoration," or 
 "worship." The name of spring in Irish is 
 
THE DRUIDS. Ill 
 
 ratha-an-araig, that is, "the quarter (or adoration 
 time) of the plough." The name of summer is 
 samhra, that is, " the sun quarter," from samh, 
 "the sun," and ratha, "quarter," or adoration 
 time. It was originally, perhaps, stunner, and 
 borrowed from the Celtic. The name of autumn, 
 or harvest, is foghmhar, from fogh, " fulness," or 
 " abundance," and ratha, " quarter," that is, the 
 time of the new fruits, and of abundance. The 
 name of winter is geimhre, that is, " the quarter 
 of the winds or storms," from gaotk, " wind," and 
 ratha, "quarter," or time of adoration. Was winter 
 originally windter, and derived from the Celtic ? 
 
 The Irish commonly count the months by 
 saying, the first month of winter, the second 
 month of winter, the third month of winter, and 
 so on. Their language, however, supplies even 
 a variety of names for every month in the year, 
 and some of these names are very expressive. 
 For instance, the name of April is Abran (pro- 
 nounced abbrawn), a word formed from abaidh, 
 " budding," re, " time," and an, " year ;" the bud- 
 ding season of the year. 
 
 In addition to the four great festivals there are 
 in the popular language of the country the vestiges 
 of another religious feast of, perhaps, secondary 
 importance. The period of the year commonly 
 called Shrovetide is, in Irish, named Innid. What 
 is Innid? It is, at all events, a complete puzzle 
 to antiquaries. Innid is certainly a corruption, 
 
112 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 or variation, of Beineid, the Celtic name of 
 Minerva, the goddess of war, wisdom, and the 
 liberal arts. Beineid is a compound word formed 
 from bean, a " woman", and eide, " armour ;" 
 the armour-bearing woman. The Latin name, 
 Minerva, seems to be formed from the Celtic 
 words, bean, " woman," and arma, of " arms." 
 This is more natural than Cicero's derivation 
 from " minitando," threatening, or " minando," 
 warning. Beineid, or Minerva, was a favourite 
 divinity of the Celts ; and the Irish name Innid, 
 as applied to Shrovetide, would indicate that her 
 festival was celebrated about that season of the 
 year. From Roman mythology we learn that 
 her festival took place about the middle of March 
 amonsf the Latins, and that it was celebrated 
 with great pomp and magnificence for several 
 days. It was a festive season of public proces- 
 sions, of marriages, and of every kind of amuse- 
 ment and enjoyment. In Ireland the idea 
 of feasting and enjoyment is still attached 
 to Innid. The Thursday next before Lent 
 is, in the popular language, called Diardion 
 mcith na Innide, that is, "the fat Thursday 
 of Innid," or of Minerva. It is also remark- 
 able that in the Irish-speaking districts more 
 marriages take place at this season than at any 
 other period of the year. The feasts and the 
 marriages are at present ascribed to the near 
 approach of the season of Lent ; but, perhaps, 
 
THE DRUIDS. 113 
 
 like the other popular festivities of the year, 
 they had their origin in something more remote, 
 though now forgotten. 
 
 Mars, the god of war, must have been also 
 specially honoured by the Druids at this season 
 of the year, which, in the common language, bears 
 his name, Marta. From him is also derived the 
 English word March. It would appear that at 
 this season were brought home in public proces- 
 sion the spoils taken in war, and which, up to 
 that time, had been allowed to remain on the 
 open ground in a heap, or carnan, sacred to the 
 god of battles. Philologists are unable to give 
 us the certain derivation of the word carnival, 
 which is a popular festival of great merriment in 
 some Celtic countries, and takes place in Shrove- 
 tide, or Innid. Some say it is formed from the 
 Latin words, caro vale, "farewell meat." It is 
 more likely that it had its origin in the festival of 
 Mars. The French name caruaval, and the 
 Italian carnavale, resemble much the Celtic words 
 carna-a-vbaille, which mean, " the booty to home," 
 or the hauling home of the spoils. " In corrupt 
 Latin," says Du-Cange, " it was called carnc- 
 levamen, and in Spanish cames tollendas." These 
 names imply the removal, or the taking away, 
 of the carna, carnc\ and carries, whatever 
 was originally meant by them. I believe 
 they were the Celtic cama, or spoils of war, 
 which had been, according to Druidical rule, 
 
I 14 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 allowed to remain after the battle in the 
 carnan, or sacred heap, and which now, at this 
 season dedicated to Mars, and Minerva, were 
 brought home with rejoicing, in public procession. 
 From the monuments, sacrifices, and religious 
 anniversaries of the Druids we now pass to the 
 character and qualifications of the Druids them- 
 selves. These men are universally reputed to 
 have been very learned, and to have possessed 
 great influence among their people. By the 
 ancient writers they are divided into several 
 classes, such as the Vacerri, the Eubages, the 
 Saronidae, and the Bardi. These curious names 
 were evidently manufactured by foreigners from 
 the Celtic language itself. The Vacerri were the 
 Saggairt, that is, the priests ; the Eubages were 
 the Ouhihe or UbhcJie, that is, the " wise men of 
 the serpent," or serpent's egg, by which were 
 meant the astrologers, diviners, and soothsayers; 
 the Saronidae were the Aram, that is, the judges; 
 and the Bardi were the Baird, that is, the poets 
 and chroniclers. Their offices were various. 
 As we have already seen, the root of the word 
 sacairt, or saggart, is sadh, to " cut," and cri" the 
 heart ;" from the office which required of them 
 to pierce the heart of the victim. The root of 
 nbJicJie is ubh, or o?ib, the serpent's egg, or the 
 coiled serpent, which they wore on the breast. 
 "The root of Am, a judge, seems to be adhradk, 
 " prayer or adoration/' and an, "a man," that is. 
 
THE DRUIDS. 115 
 
 a man of prayer, or, in other words, a Druidical 
 priest. And of Bard, the root seems to be, bagh, 
 " a word," and ard, " noble," or high ; for he used 
 noble or fine language. Some derive it from the 
 Hebrew word, bardam, " to modulate;" but, per- 
 haps, bar dam itself comes from the Celtic root, 
 bagh-ard. 
 
 Each class had its special department and pecu- 
 liar field of labours. But it appears that, in addi- 
 tion to the usual functions of the sacerdotal office, 
 the members of the priesthood were charged with 
 the education of the youth of the nobility, and the 
 higher classes. " They teach," says Caesar, " their 
 pupils many things concerning the stars, and 
 their motions ; concerning the size of the world, 
 and its different parts." Their schools were much 
 frequented here by native and foreign pupils, to 
 whom they imparted their own knowledge of 
 the arts and sciences. Their knowledge of 
 astronomy, mechanics, and medicine was very 
 considerable. In the other departments the 
 members were equally clever. The judge should 
 know the law, which was never consigned to 
 writing. It was probably the basis of the com- 
 mon law of modern times. The astrologer should 
 know all the mystic means by which the will of 
 the gods could be ascertained ; and the bard 
 should have his piece of verse or prose ready 
 for every important object, and every stirring 
 occasion. Upon, almost, all subjects the know- 
 
Il6 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 ledge and instruction of the Druids were con- 
 veyed to their pupils in rhyme. The number of 
 verses with which the memory was, in this way, 
 burthened, is stated to have been prodigious. 
 But the training and education of the Druid him- 
 self, and of the young aspirants to his office, far 
 surpassed in severity anything to which ordinary 
 pupils were subjected. His educational course 
 occupied twenty years of the most intense intel- 
 lectual application. The discipline of both body 
 and mind were equally severe. Twenty years of 
 retirement and study with their masters, in caves 
 and in the recesses of the forest, were well cal- 
 culated to try the endurance of both mind and 
 muscle, and, also, the sincerity of the dispositions 
 with which they aspired to the high office. Even 
 still in Ireland there lingers the conviction that 
 the educational training of the old Druid was 
 no trifle, as appears by the following popular 
 lines : — 
 
 Seacht mblian do ceart fe leac a dting feihey — 
 Gan bheaha gean bhlas, act an tart ad shior ceasa. 
 Dlighe arain do ceact, is an araidh do vbearla, 
 Is ma vmarrir le teact, 
 Beir seal ad Dhroi, beidir. 
 
 The following is the verbal and literal trans- 
 lation : — 
 
 " Seven years your right, under a flag-stone in a quagmire, 
 Without food, without taste, but the thirst you ever torturing. 
 
THE DRUIDS. 117 
 
 The law of the judge your lesson, and prayer your language ; 
 And if you live to return, 
 You will be, for a time, a Druid, perhaps. " 
 
 That was surely a severe code which pre- 
 scribed a seven years' fast, prayer, and 
 study, in such circumstances, and still ensured 
 to the recipient of all this discipline only the 
 consolation that he may possibly be, for 
 a time, a wise man of the oak. But, likely, the 
 ardent Celtic popular imagination has added 
 a little from itself to the reality of the process, 
 especially, as the words would seem to refer to 
 some ambitious aspirant, not highly distin- 
 guished for the possession of any great natural 
 abilities. 
 
 The order of astrologers was held in very high 
 repute among the Druidical nations. These men 
 drew their knowledge of futurity from the 
 changing aspect of the heavenly bodies, from 
 the flights of birds, from the appearance of the 
 sacrificed victims, and from innumerable other 
 circumstances. It was under their guidance and 
 encouragement the first Scythian colonies quitted 
 the barren regions of the north, and pushed their 
 way, through almost insurmountable difficulties, 
 to the genial latitudes and smiling valleys of the 
 south. Indeed, among all Pagan nations, whether 
 young or old, the diviner was considered an im- 
 portant and almost indispensable personage. 
 But, perhaps, Druidism was the very parent of 
 
Il8 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 astrology and divination. The ancient Greeks 
 and Romans had their oracles and sibyls. These 
 two words are quite familiar to the readers of the 
 old classics ; and yet, even the learned are unable 
 to give of them a satisfactory derivation. The 
 language of the Druids seems to supply the defi- 
 ciency. Sibyl, in Latin, sibylla, is formed from 
 suil-bheil, which means "the eye of the mouth ;" or 
 " the eye-mouth," that is, " the eye that sees, and 
 the mouth that announces future events." Even 
 in Scripture, those who foretold future events 
 were called seers. The Latin word, oraculum, 
 " oracle," appears to be the literal representative, 
 in that language, of the Celtic words suil-bheil, 
 that is, oris-oculus, " the eye of the mouth." 
 Sibyl and oracle thus appear to be the same, 
 both in the words and in the meaning, and, also, 
 to be derived from a Druidical source. It appears 
 that females were, at one time, admitted to the 
 order or fraternity of the Druids, and that they 
 were appointed to fill certain offices in connexion 
 with the oracles or suil-bhcil. Hence, the name 
 of sibyl or sibylla, of the Latins. A female of 
 this class was called a bedn-draoi, that is, " a 
 woman Druid ;" and by the name was meant a 
 priestess, prophetess, or enchantress. 
 
 Some vestiges of the ancient divination and 
 wonder-working can still be traced in the 
 customs and language of the people of this 
 country. Fortune-telling still lives, though con- 
 
THE DRUIDS. 1 19 
 
 fined to the few knaves who practise it, and the 
 silly dupes by whom it is accepted. The fairy 
 of the inexhaustible purse of gold is known to 
 be walking abroad; but no one can capture him. 
 The Banshee, or supernatural wailer, is reported 
 as having been often seen in her white robes, by 
 lonely stream and in deep valley, announcing in 
 the mournful tones of the native caoine, or funeral 
 wail, the approaching death of some worthy 
 member, young or old, of the ancient respectable 
 families. The word fairy is formed from the 
 Celtic fear-si, which means "a man of the super- 
 natural world," from fear, "a man" and si, (pro- 
 nounced shee), " the mysterious world." Ban- 
 shee means " a woman of the supernatural life," 
 from bean, " a woman," and si, " the supernatural 
 existence." In the Irish language, a male fortune- 
 teller is called fear-feasa, "a man of knowledge," 
 and a female of the craft, bean-feasa, " a woman 
 of knowledge." This knowledge is understood to 
 be derived from some supernatural or mysterious 
 source. Even some of the old Druidical cabalistic 
 expressions used in evoking, or calling up, the 
 spirit of divination, still exist ; such, for instance, 
 as cuith-an-puca, that is, " the spright, or the 
 hobgoblin, to you !" This expression is pre- 
 served in England among the divining craft, as 
 " hobble in, goblin !" and " hocus pocus !" These 
 latter words seem to be a sort of barbarous 
 Latin form of the Celtic expression, and are 
 
120 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 easily resolved into line est pocus, that is, " here is 
 the pooka, or the hobgoblin," the old enchanter's 
 wonder-working spirit. Perhaps it is he that is 
 turning and rapping the tables for some believers 
 at present. 
 
 With the Druids medicine was an important 
 branch of study. The names of the different 
 plants and herbs in Irish are derived from the 
 Druids ; and these names indicate the healing, or 
 medicinal, qualities for which they were distin- 
 guished. Thus, plantain is, in Irish, called slan- 
 his, from slan, "healthy," and his, "an herb," 
 that is, the healing herb. To herbal medicine 
 was chiefly confined all the curing code of the 
 Druids. When this failed, they had recourse to 
 charms and spells. For an extreme emergency 
 of this kind they had their si-adJiradJi-na-fnilla, 
 that is, the prayer or adoration (charm) of the 
 blood ; their si-adltradJi-na-peiste, that is, the 
 prayer, or adoration, (charm) of the worm ; and 
 in the same way, a si-adhradh, or " charm," for 
 every evil, accident, or disease, to which man or 
 beast was liable. By these means they pretended 
 to be able to stop the blood, kill the worm, or 
 produce any other desirable effect where natural 
 remedies had failed. Si-adhradh (pronounced 
 sJicc-araJi), means, literally, " the fairy, or super- 
 natural prayer." From si-adhradh are formed 
 " charmc" of the French, and " charm," of the 
 English, and also Siren. 
 
THE DRUIDS. 121 
 
 It is a singular fact that some of these charms 
 are still preserved, and, even, sometimes used 
 in defiance of time, change, and advanced civil- 
 ization. Even the traditional knowledge of the 
 medicinal qualities of certain herbs still prevails 
 among the people. This knowledge is some- 
 times reduced to practice by certain experienced 
 persons ; but the want of proper discrimination 
 makes it, often, more detrimental than useful 
 to the health. It is, however, to be expected 
 that the results were far different in the profes- 
 sional hands of the Druid. 
 
 The mechanical skill of the Druids, as dis- 
 played in the number and magnitude of their 
 monumental remains, has excited the wonder 
 and astonishment of ages. I was present at the 
 erection of the Luxhur Obelisk in Paris, and 
 yet, I think that I would have felt greater 
 emotion and surprise if I had witnessed the 
 successful performance of the old Celtic engineer 
 who placed on its three pedestals of stone the 
 enormous rock which constitutes the Druidical 
 altar here at Castle-Mary, near Cloyne. The 
 most stupendous remains of this order in the 
 western countries of the ancient Celts are, per- 
 haps, Carnach, in France, and Stonehenge, in 
 England. The former consists of four hundred 
 stones, varying from five to twenty-seven feet 
 in height, and ranged in eleven concentric lines. 
 The latter contains one hundred and thirty-nine 
 
 G 
 
122 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 stones, of an enormous size, forming a circle. 
 Carnach is a compound word formed from cairn, 
 " Druidical altars," and achadh, " a field," that 
 is, " the field or plain of the Druidical altars." 
 It is to be regretted that the original Celtic 
 name of Stonehenge has not been preserved. By 
 the common people of this country, our enor- 
 mous Druidical remains are ascribed to some 
 imaginary beings, whom they designate by the 
 name of "the giants of old." And, certainly, 
 they were giants in the mechanical art. 
 
 The bards exercised great influence, and en- 
 joyed high privileges, among their countrymen. 
 They were divided into several classes, of which 
 the principal were the poets, the historians, the 
 antiquaries, the genealogists, and minstrels. The 
 favourite instrument of the Celtic minstrels was 
 the harp, which was supposed to have been the 
 invention of their chief god, Mercury, and which, 
 perhaps, from this circumstance, became, at an 
 early period, one of the national emblems of 
 Erin. It was played on by almost every man 
 and woman having any pretensions to polite 
 education among the Celts. Music was believed 
 to be of divine origin. One of its names in the 
 Celtic is oirfcadaclit, from oir, " beautiful," and 
 fcad, " a whistle." The harmonized or modulated 
 whistle was, certainly, the first species of music, 
 as it is, even now, and ever will be, the most 
 general in grove, field, and hamlet. From this 
 
THE DRUIDS. 123 
 
 Celtic word, oirfeadacht, " music," was, probably, 
 formed the name of the famous Orpheus of the 
 ancient poets, whose lute or lyre charmed savage 
 beasts, and even the gruff sentinels of the in- 
 fernal regions. The duties of the bard were 
 almost as various as the scenes of human exist- 
 ence. He presided at the festive board, to 
 contribute to the general hilarity by his vocal 
 or instrumental talent ; and he was present on 
 the field of battle, to cheer and encourage the 
 warriors, to sketch the bloody fray in words of 
 fire, and prepare an enduring record of all the 
 heroic actions. Tacitus states that from the 
 bard's words and gestures on these occasions 
 were drawn omens, and signs, which exercised a 
 powerful influence on the minds of the men, 
 and thus, often, decided the fate of the coming 
 battle. Lucan, another ancient writer, alludes 
 to this portion of the duties of the bards in the 
 following terms, which are a translation of the 
 original Latin : — 
 
 You, too, ye bards ! whom sacred raptures fire, 
 To chant your heroes to your country's lyre ; 
 Who consecrate in your immortal strain, 
 Brave patriot souls in freedom's battle slain. 
 
 The bards survived the fall of the Druidism 
 of which they formed an important order. 
 Poetry, history, and music were, if possible, cul- 
 tivated with, even, greater ardour under the 
 
124 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 
 influence of Christianity ; and for centuries, their 
 ancient honours and privileges were enjoyed 
 in their plenitude by the successors and repre- 
 sentatives of the old Druidical bards. They 
 even survived the reign of Elizabeth, when severe 
 edicts were hurled againt them for endeavouring, 
 by music and song, to keep alive the sentiments 
 of national independence. Till 1746 the bards 
 of Munster continued to hold their half-yearly 
 sessions at Bruree of the Kings, in the county 
 of Limerick, since which period, bard after bard 
 has disappeared, leaving scarcely the shadow of 
 a successor to represent him. 
 
 The Druids enjoyed great immunities and 
 privileges among their people. " They are," 
 says Caesar, " wont to be absent from war, and 
 pay no tributes like the rest ; the law exempt- 
 ing them from military service, and granting 
 them immunity in all things." Among the 
 Celtic nations the person of the Druid was 
 always sacred and inviolable. This was even 
 the case with respect to the Bard who was cap- 
 tured while encouraging his warriors in the 
 midst of the conflict. The Romans, however, 
 did not recognise the rule ; for when they found 
 him in the ranks of the enemy, they often con- 
 signed him to, even, a worse fate than that of 
 the rest of the captives. 
 
 Like the Bards, the Arain, or Judges, also 
 survived the fall of the Druidical system. They 
 
THE DRUIDS. 1 25 
 
 had for successors and representatives those 
 who, in English, arc called Brehons, from the 
 Celtic word, brcatliamJi, (pronounced breahuv), 
 which means "a judge." Through many vicis- 
 situdes, and for many ages, these continued to 
 dispense justice, and enforce the old laws of the 
 country, till the national customs and institu- 
 tions at length fell prostrate under the power of 
 England. 
 
 As we have already seen, the name Aran, is 
 formed from adhradh, "adorationor prayer," and 
 an, "man." Could the name of Aaron in Scripture 
 be derived from the same root ? And their 
 decisions were received with great respect by 
 the people. Even Chief Baron Finglas, who 
 wrote in the interest of England in the reign 
 of Henry VIII., bears testimony to this fact, 
 in such a way, as to contrast it with the want of 
 respect for English law within the Pale. "It is 
 a great abuse and reproach," he says, " that 
 the laws and statutes made in this land are not 
 observed, nor kept after the making of them 
 eight days, while divers Irishmen doth observe 
 and keep such laws and statutes, which they 
 make upon hills in their country, firm and 
 stable, without breaking them for any favour 
 or reward." By a statute of a Parliament held 
 at Kilkenny, it was made high treason to ad- 
 minister or observe these old Brchon laws. 
 Gabhail-cinne and Eirlc were specially obnoxious. 
 
126 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 Gabhail-cinnc ('anglicized Gavelkind), was the 
 law by which the land of a family belonged to 
 all the members of the family, and descended 
 from the father in equal proportions, to all his 
 sons, and to his daughters, in the same way, 
 when there were no sons. The word is formed 
 from gabhail, " prize, or booty," and cinne, 
 " tribe, or family." Tanistry was the law or 
 custom by which a chief or prince was elected 
 by the tribe to succeed the ruling prince when 
 death should deprive them of his counsel and 
 presence. The chief should belong to the royal 
 family. He was not, however, to succeed by 
 age, or primogeniture, but was elected by general 
 suffrage. A remote member of the chief's 
 family was, often, the object of the people's 
 favour and selection. He was then styled 
 Tanaiste, that is, the thane, or chief, of death, 
 from tann, "a chief," and ais, "death," as he was 
 to succeed at the death of the actual ruler. 
 
 Eiric was the law by which a certain fine, 
 large and heavy in proportion to the rank of the 
 slain, was to be paid for murder, or manslaughter. 
 Eiric seems to be formed from etre, " burthen," 
 and ic, " death." 
 
 The Druid was, in all the relations of life, a 
 most important personage among his people. 
 He was their priest, their prophet, their judge, 
 their bard, and physician. By his profession he 
 was exempted from taxes and the obligation of 
 
THE DRUIDS. \2J 
 
 arms. But when an enemy invaded his country, 
 as in the case of the Romans against Gaul and 
 Britain, he hesitated not to fling himself into 
 the ranks of the combatants, or, even, to take the 
 command, where another worthy leader was 
 wanting, or slain. 
 
 In each Celtic country there was anArd-draoi, 
 that is, " an Arch, or High-Druid," who exercised 
 a supreme authority over the whole order, as 
 well as over their professional and religious 
 functions. On the occasion of his death, if 
 there happened to be another Druid among them, 
 of great ability and transcendent merits, he was 
 at once elected, by the common consent of the 
 brethren, to fill the vacant office. But when there 
 were many of equal merits and attainments, the 
 choice was not so easy ; and, sometimes, the 
 selection was not made without tumult, violence, 
 and even bloodshed. It was this Arch-Druid 
 who presided at the great annual council which 
 was held for the regulation of the affairs of their 
 order, and the final settlement of cases of dispute 
 or disagreement, among their people. It is be- 
 lieved that at Uisneach, in Meath, this council 
 was held every year, at first, and that it sub- 
 sequently led to the great meeting of priests, 
 nobles, bards, and warriors, at the famous 
 periodical convocation of the nation, " at Tara 
 of the Kings." 
 
 A natural curiosity is felt here to know 
 
128 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 something about the personal appearance and 
 ordinary dress of the Druid. If he appeared 
 like the rest of his countrymen, the Celts, he 
 wore the long-flowing hair, called the glib, which 
 hung loosely on the shoulders or on the breast, 
 or the same hair twisted on the poll into an 
 ornamental knot, called the culin (pronounced 
 cooleen), and the tuft of beard called the crom- 
 bheal t vA\\d\. adorned the upper lip under the nose. 
 The lower chin was shaved, but, perhaps, not the 
 side-face. At least, it is so on heads introduced 
 into a rich cornice on the Round Tower of Devenish. 
 Glib seems to be a primitive word signifying a 
 lock or coil of hair. Culin means the diminished, 
 or tied up,poll ; from nil, "the poll," and in, or em, 
 "small." Or, perhaps, it is formed from cul, 
 " the poll," and I in, " threads, or ringlets." 
 crombheal (pronounced cromvecal), appears to 
 be an expressive compound word formed from 
 crom, "bent, or arched," and bcal, " mouth," that 
 is, " the arched mouth," and by it was meant 
 the hair-adorned upper lip, which was the mous- 
 tache of modern times. Among the Celts the 
 long-flowing locks were highly prized ; and, often 
 even, did the possession of them by a candidate 
 influence the choice of the people when they 
 were electing their military chief, or their mon- 
 arch. These two words, glib and culin ("culeen") 
 still live among us in song, and story ; for it 
 required many a severe edict and many an age 
 
THE DRUIDS. I 29 
 
 of repression to compel the Irish Celt to aban- 
 don these national appendages of his person for 
 what was called in the language of the statute, 
 " the English dress and fashion." It appears, 
 however, that the Druids, like the Jewish priests, 
 wore the full beard, and that their dress, too, 
 differed, in some particulars, from that of the 
 other two classes of the state, namely, the 
 nobles and the common people. At least, when 
 officiating at sacrifice, they wore a white tunic, 
 probably of linen ; while a many-coloured, or 
 variegated tunic, formed the ordinary dress of 
 their countrymen. The favourite colours for the 
 Celtic dress, were the yellow, the red, and the 
 blue. As the Celts were close observers and de- 
 voted worshippers of the heavenly bodies, and 
 as they, even, claimed for themselves a celestial 
 origin, it is thought that their predilection for 
 these colours was derived from what we term 
 the golden morning, the purple evening, and the 
 deep blue sky. The tunic was a large and long 
 outer body-dress, which was bound round the 
 waist with a girdle, or cincture, called a crios. 
 These girdles, being sometimes embroidered, and 
 sometimes fringed with gold, and going round 
 the body and the breast two or three times, 
 formed a most ornamentalpart of the Celtic dress. 
 From the Celtic word, crois-aill " the noble or 
 beautiful cincture," have been formed cyrtel of 
 the Saxons, and girdle of the English. The 
 
I30 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 females wore girdles, too, round their peculiar 
 tunics. It appears that the priests were clad in 
 the usual close-fitting under-dress, or breeches, 
 reaching in one piece from the waist to the soles 
 of the feet. To all these the nobles and wealthy- 
 classes added ornaments of massive gold for the 
 neck and shoulders, and bracelets of the same 
 material for the arms and wrists. From this, 
 even imperfect description, one can easily infer 
 that the full dress of the Celt and of the Druid 
 was both graceful and picturesque. 
 
 The large and loose tunic of the Celts, was 
 the garment called by the name of shirt in 
 the English statutes, and against which these 
 statutes contained several curious penal enact- 
 ments. Of course, it was only with certain 
 peculiarities, such as size, colour, and cost, they 
 pretended to find fault ; but the real object 
 was to abolish the distinctive national dress, and 
 through it, the national character. Colour was 
 an important feature of the ancient Celtic cos- 
 tume. By it and its various shades, caste, class, 
 condition, and profession, were marked and in- 
 dicated among the people. Blue was the usual 
 colour of the serfs and tillers of the soil, yellow 
 of the aristocracy, and red of the kings and 
 princes. Those who belonged to the order of 
 the Druids, whether priests, judges, or bards, 
 were privileged to wear the most honourable 
 colour in all its variety of shade and ornament. 
 
THE DRUIDS. 131 
 
 The scarlet was also the badge of the ladies. 
 And to that colour the fair sex in Ireland clung 
 with inflexible tenacity for centuries after the 
 English invasion. Nothing could induce them 
 to exchange the graceful red cloak and simple 
 head dress of their country, for the foreign garb, 
 of which the capacious old bonnet constituted a 
 prominent feature. Even at this day a fair face 
 and bright eye are often seen under the scarlet 
 hood, in remote parts of Ireland, which the stern 
 barrier of moor and mountain had long protected 
 against the influence of foreign ideas. 
 
 About six hundred years before the birth of 
 Christ, a Druid from one of these western islands 
 visited Greece, and the description given of his 
 person and dress by some of the Greek writers 
 is very interesting. The name of this Druid- 
 traveller was Abaris, a word which signifies the 
 father, or master, of knowledge ; from ab, 
 " father," and air is, " knowledge." This title was 
 something like that of Rabbi among the Jews ; 
 and, even in sound, it resembles it somewhat. 
 This priest of the sun, as he is called, went to 
 Greece for the purposes of study and observation ; 
 and also to renew, by his personal presence and 
 his gifts, the old friendship which, it appears, had 
 existed for ages, between the Greeks and the 
 Celts. By the Greeks he was called a Hyper- 
 borean, that is, a northern, a term which they 
 applied to the Celtic nations bordering on the 
 
132 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 Euxine, and also to the colonies or peoples sprung 
 from them and inhabiting northern latitudes. 
 The Greek writer, Strabo, says that Abaris was 
 much admired by even the learned men of Greece, 
 for his politeness, justice, and integrity. "He 
 came to Athens," says Himerius, another Greek 
 writer, " not clad in skins, like a Scythian, but 
 with a bow in his hand, and a quiver hanging on 
 his shoulders, and a plaid wrapped about his body, 
 a gilded belt encircling his loins, and trousers 
 reaching from the waist down to the soles of his 
 feet. He was easy in his address, agreeable in 
 his conversation, active in the despatch, and 
 secret in the management of great affairs ; quick 
 in judging of present occurrences, and ready to 
 take his party in any sudden emergency ; pro- 
 vident, withal, in guarding against futurity : 
 diligent in quest of wisdom ; fond of friendship ; 
 trusting very little to fortune ; yet having the 
 entire confidence of others, and trusted with 
 everything for his prudence. He spoke Greek 
 with so much fluency that you would have 
 thought that he had been bred, or brought up, 
 in the Lyceum, and had conversed all his life 
 with the academy of Athens." 
 
 Such is the singularly flattering character 
 which the Greek writers give of this Druid-tra- 
 veller, from the Hyperborean island. They, also, 
 state that he had frequent interviews with Pytha- 
 goras, whom he astonished by the variety and 
 
THE DRUIDS. 1 33 
 
 extent of his knowledge. Now, to which of 
 these northern Celtic, or Hyperborean, islands 
 did Abaris belong ? The place of his abode is 
 thus described by Greek writers, whose imperfect 
 knowledge of geography, however, rendered it 
 impossible for them to be very accurate in all 
 particulars : — " It is the place where Latona 
 was born, lying far north of Ccltica and as big as 
 Sicily, the inhabitants of which enjoy a temperate 
 air and a very fruitful soil They adore Apollo 
 and the Sun, preferably to all other deities, paying 
 him the highest honours, and singing his praises 
 so continually, that they all seemed to be priests 
 appropriated to his service, and their town itself 
 dedicated to his worship. There was a fine grove 
 and circular temple, consecrated to him, in which 
 choirs of his votaries say hymns, celebrating his 
 actions, and set to music ; whilst others, playing 
 on the harp, which most of the inhabitants under- 
 stood, answered to their voices, and formed a 
 delightful symphony. They had a peculiar dialect 
 of their ozun, and a singular regard for the Greeks, 
 particularly the Athenians and Delleans, with 
 whom they had, from ancient times, cultivated a 
 friendship, confirmed by mutual visits, which, 
 however, as they had been intermitted for some 
 time, Abaris was sent by the Hyperboreans to 
 renew, and, in return, several of the Greeks, 
 passing to their island, left there several sacred 
 presents to their deities, with inscriptions in 
 Greek characters." 
 
134 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 Several features noticed in this description, 
 such as the size and situation of the island, the 
 worship of the sun, the use of the harp, its position 
 beyond Celtic Gaul, and the peculiar language 
 spoken by the people, evidently point to Erin, 
 as the residence of this " father, or master, of 
 knowledge" who had travelled into Greece. Still, 
 English writers claim him for England, and 
 perhaps the Scotch, too, for their own country. 
 For want of knowledge of the Celtic tongue these 
 writers have not been able to give the meaning 
 of the name Abaris ; and I believe that they 
 have equally failed in establishing their national 
 claims to the distinguished Druid who bore it. 
 In any case, the three countries, which all 
 belonged to the great Celtic family, may well 
 afford to share the honour between them. 
 Tacitus states that the harbours and ports of 
 Ireland were better known to foreigners than 
 those of Britain ; a fact which may, perhaps, shed 
 some light on this subject ; whilst, to any candid 
 reader, it is manifest that the size of Sicily cor- 
 responds better with that of Ireland than with 
 the far larger island comprising England, Scot- 
 land, and Wales. The knowledge of the Greek 
 language, which Abaris possessed in an eminent 
 degree, throws no particular light on his nation- 
 ality ; for it appears that the study of that tongue 
 formed an important portion of the ordinary 
 education of the Druids. It was the lano-ua^e 
 
THE DRUIDS. 135 
 
 of their correspondence and commerce with 
 foreign nations. 
 
 At what time the Druids first came to Ireland 
 is not known. It is possible that some members 
 of the order arrived there in the train of the most 
 early colonies. From its connexion with Druid- 
 ism, Ireland has derived its most ancient and 
 enduring names. Eirinn, or Erinn, is a com- 
 pound word, formed from i, (pronounced ee) 
 "an island," and arain, " of the judges," that is, as 
 the name Aran imports, the island of the men of 
 prayer and adoration, or of the Druidical legis- 
 lators. Ieme, or lame, another very ancient 
 name of Ireland, from which is evidently formed 
 Hibernia, with its many variations, is a compound 
 of i, " an island," and earneqdh? " propagation 
 of knowledge ;" from the fact, perhaps, that to it 
 resorted, for instruction, foreign students and 
 scholars, in the Druidical times. Or, this name 
 may have been formed from i, " an island," and 
 shiar, " west," that is, the western island. It is 
 more likely, however, that the name referred to 
 it as a school of knowledge ; and that to it flocked 
 the greater number of those, who, as Csesar says, 
 went from Gaul and other countries to Britain 
 to be educated by the Druids. The name of 
 Inisfail, is also ascribed to the Druids, as being 
 derived from the presence of the Liafail, or stone 
 of the king, called the stone of destiny, which 
 they had brought with them to Ireland. Inis- 
 
136 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 fail, however, means the island of the king, from 
 iniSy "an island," and fal, " a king;" because from 
 the earliest ages, Ireland was under one supreme 
 monarch, who exercised authority over the pro- 
 vincial kings and princes. Britain was differently 
 circumstanced in this respect, as having its 
 several independent petty monarchs, or kings. 
 It would appear that the name Britain is formed 
 from BreitJi, " a compact, or confederacy," and 
 tan, " land," that is, the land of confederacy, or 
 the confederated states. Some derive it from 
 Britanach, which means a painted or coloured 
 man, from brit, " spotted," and an, " man." They 
 painted their clothes and the naked parts of 
 their bodies in various lively colours. Thus, 
 they are said to have been the Picti, or Picts. 
 The name Picts, was, however, more probably 
 derived from ficJi, a " fee-farm," and thus meant 
 the feudal men, or clansmen. The Celtic name 
 of Alba was given to that part of Britain now 
 called Scotland, from alb, " a height." It was an 
 abbreviation of "Britane-alba,"that is, the heights, 
 or high parts of the land of the confederated 
 states, or of the painted or coloured people, just 
 as Wales was called Britane-cisg, that is, the 
 watery parts of the land of confederation. Cymry 
 comes from coinara, " deep valleys." Some de- 
 rive it from Gomer, son of Japheth, son of Noe. 
 The name of Albion is erroneously derived from 
 the Latin, albus, " white," as referring to its white 
 
THE DRUIDS. I 3/ 
 
 chalk cliffs. It, manifestly, comes from Alba, 
 the Celtic name of the heights of Britain. Some, 
 however, derive it from ail, " stones," and ban, 
 if white." 
 
 In even Pagan times Ireland was called by- 
 foreigners, Insula Sacra, or the Sacred Isle ; a 
 title which it clearly derived from its own Celtic 
 names, Eirinn and I erne t which meant the island 
 of the learned Druids, and of knowledge. 
 
 Like the ancient sages and philosophers of 
 other countries, the Druids were fond of travel. 
 As others came to Ireland in search of know- 
 ledge, many went from Ireland to foreign places 
 for the same object. Between the Druids of 
 Erin and those of Britain and Gaul, a constant 
 communication was maintained. A few hours' 
 sail brought the bark of the Gallic student 
 to the shores of Britain, which, at the nearest 
 points, only a little more than a dozen 
 miles separated from the more western sacred 
 Isle. In the Irish Sea, and close to that part of 
 Britain now called Wales, stands the Isle of 
 Anglesey, which formerly was called Mona or 
 more properly, MuincadJi-i (pronounced moon- 
 ah-ee) Here was a high training school, which 
 was the great international seminary of the 
 Druids of the west. From this circumstance 
 the isle derived its name of Muineadh-i, which 
 means " the island of teaching," from vmineadh, 
 " teaching," and L " an island." It was the last 
 
138 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 resting place of the Druids of Britain, when the 
 Roman legions had driven them out of the main 
 land for having encourged resistance to the 
 foreign invasion ; and when the vengeance of the 
 enemy again pursued them to that secluded 
 retreat, those who were able to escape the sword 
 were compelled to fly, in their boats, to the shores 
 of Ireland. The Druids are gone, and the Roman 
 legions have passed away. Still, in that island, 
 there are yet remaining many striking memorials 
 of its ancient character. It has the Druidical circle, 
 the cairn, the cromleacht, and the dhallawn ; and 
 it was not without' a struggle it parted with its 
 ancient name, which, however, clings to the now 
 famous strait which separates it from the main- 
 land. 
 
 From whence the Druids first came to Ireland 
 we know not, though they can, themselves, be 
 traced to the east as the place that gave their 
 doctrines birth. It appears that ancient Chaldea 
 was the cradle of Druidism. In language and 
 customs, in rites and ceremonies, these priests of 
 the Celts closely resembled the peculiar Pagan 
 people of whom the ancient Scriptures frequently 
 speak as existing in that country. In reference 
 to them, Baal and his worship are often men- 
 tioned as a great danger, and in terms of repro- 
 bation. This Beal, as the Celtic word means, 
 was the universal being, or god, of the Druids. 
 There is also mention in Scripture of Moloch, 
 
THE DRUIDS. 1 39 
 
 which was an idol or god of the Phoenicians. 
 Moloch seems to be a Celtic word formed from 
 mo, great, or chief, and logk, god ; by which was, 
 probably, meant Mercury, or the Sun. Eastern 
 writers tell us that, to this divinity human 
 victims were sacrificed by enclosing them in the 
 hollow arms and legs of a huge image of brass 
 or copper, which was then exposed to the severe 
 action of fire. This was, manifestly, the 
 prototype and model of the ozier images used 
 for the same purpose by the Druids of Gaul. 
 It would, even, appear that Druidism was the first 
 great permanent error which broke off from the 
 primitive divine revelation made to man. Its 
 sacrifices were an imitation, or perversion of 
 the sacrifices of the patriarchs, with the single 
 exception of the human victim, which, probably, 
 was suggested by some shadowy and false 
 notions respecting the promised future atone- 
 ment in behalf of a fallen race. Even the 
 " stones of adoration " of the Druids and their 
 " libation stones" would appear to be an imi- 
 tation of the rude store-altars erected, for 
 sacrifice, on hill and in valley, by the ancient 
 patriarchs. Doubtless, it was from these pri- 
 mitive traditions Druidism derived its belief 
 in the existence of a Supreme Being, and in 
 the immortality of the soul. We have already 
 seen that the suil-bcal, that is, the sibyl, 
 or oracle, was an institution of the Druids. 
 
140 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 This, too, was an imitation, or perversion of 
 what, among the Hebrews, or Jews, was un- 
 derstood by the simple designation of con- 
 sulting the Lord. It is stated that some of 
 these oracles, or sibyls, uttered matters in con- 
 nexion with the life of the future Redeemer, and 
 with the day of judgment. By some these 
 utterances are regarded as the pious frauds and 
 fabrications of a subsequent age. It is, however, 
 possible, that these fragments of an original 
 revelation might have been preserved by tra- 
 dition among the Druids, and that, for some 
 special object, either to excite awe or create 
 astonishment, they might have been made to 
 pass through the channel of the suil-bcal, or the 
 sibyl's prophecy. " Balaam," that is, the man 
 of Baal, as the name imports, in all probability, 
 belonged to this Pagan order, or profession ; 
 and he uttered a singular prophesy in the same 
 direction. The Witch of Endor, who is called 
 the serpent, after the serpent-worship, was, 
 likely, too, a member of the Druidical order, and 
 a sort of priestess. Even there are those who 
 think that the wise men, who came to worship 
 the infant Saviour, were Druids, or pontiff- 
 princes of that order, in their own country. 
 They are called in scripture Magi, a name, 
 which, if traced to a Celtic root, would mean the 
 wise men of the plain, from viagh, " a plain," 
 and i (pronounced a) " wise or learned." They 
 
THE DRUIDS. 141 
 
 were close observers of the heavenly bodies, and 
 made the laws of the universe, and of morals, a 
 particular study. Perhaps the name was formed 
 from viaigJuie, " great," and i " wise," the great 
 wise man. From whatever cause it arose, the 
 Druids were far from being the most obstinate 
 of the Pagans in accepting the doctrines of 
 Christianity. No doubt, their belief in the 
 existence of a Supreme Being, and in the 
 immortality of the human soul, together with 
 any other fragments of the original revelation 
 which might have been preserved amongst them, 
 greatly facilitated their conversion. We collect 
 from the ancient writings and the traditions of 
 Ireland, that the Druids had absolutely foretold 
 the arrival of the Christian Missionaries a long 
 time before they had come to this country. It 
 is certain, at all events, that distinguished 
 members of the order were among the first 
 converts to Christianity here, and that by their 
 learning and influence, they much contributed 
 to the success of, even, Saint Patrick himself, in 
 extending the true religion, and in erecting 
 churches to the worship of the true God, all 
 over the island. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE ANCIENT CHURCHES OF IRELAND. 
 
 When the first Christian Missionaries came to Ire- 
 land, Christianity had in other places passed 
 
 THROUGH A PERSECUTION OF THREE HUNDRED YEARS. — 
 
 Where the Faithful met for prayer, during that 
 time. — The Ancient Churches of Ireland resemble 
 the Ancient Churches of Greece. — The Ancient 
 Churches built east and west, with the Altar in 
 the east end, like those of Greece. — The dead 
 Buried near the Churches on the south side. — 
 Faces of the dead towards the Altar and the east. 
 — Form, Masonry, Doors, Windows, and Architec- 
 tural Peculiarities of the Ancient Churches. — 
 Irish Names of Churches. — Their Meaning, and 
 from what source derived. — Deartheach, the 
 House of Tears, and the Public Penances. — Chief 
 Stations of Public Penances. — Remains of them still 
 existing. — Afrionn, or Afrionn De, the Ancient 
 Irish Name for the Mass ; its Meaning. — The Names, 
 Baile, Cluain, and Cill, and what they mean.— The 
 Age of the Ancient Churches an age of Learning. — 
 Foreign Students came to Ireland, and Irish 
 Missionaries went to Foreign Countries. — Chief 
 Schools of Learning in Ireland. — The Schools 
 destroyed by the danes, and also the churches. — 
 The Cele-De, or Culdee. — The famous Irish Archi- 
 tect, Goban Saor, his cleverness, and the Traditions 
 still existing in his regard. 
 
 When the first Christian Missionary came to 
 Ireland to plant the truths of the Gospel in the 
 waste or perverted minds of its Pagan people, 
 Christianity had, already, in other places, passed 
 through a persecution of three hundred years. 
 
THE ANCIENT CHURCHES. 143 
 
 During that glorious, but stern and dreary 
 period, the Christians had neither temples, 
 churches, nor chapels for the performance of 
 their worship, except in very few favoured 
 places, and within the fitful short intervals of 
 peace. For prayer and for the celebration of 
 the mysteries of their religion, they were com- 
 pelled to assemble, stealthily, in the private 
 houses of fellow-believers, in the caves of the 
 rocks, and, very often, in the caverns, or spacious 
 tombs of the dead. Whether it was owing to 
 the silent attraction of sorrow, or to the love and 
 veneration entertained for those who had died 
 for the faith, the dark abodes of the dead were 
 their favourite meeting places. From the early 
 Christian writers we learn that a movable 
 wooden altar, somewhat hollow on the upper 
 surface, after the pattern of the altar of the 
 Mosaic Arc, was carried to these places, and 
 that on it were performed the mysteries, or 
 sacred rites, of their religion. 
 
 After the conversion to Christianity of the 
 Emperor Constantine, this persecution ceased. 
 The Christians were then allowed the free 
 exercise of their religion, with permission, even, 
 to erect edifices for the public performance of 
 their worship. The places where they had 
 formerly assembled for that purpose were 
 regarded by them with a peculiar veneration, 
 and there, according to favouring circumstances, 
 
144 THE ANCIENT CHURCHES. 
 
 they erected the house, or the structure, destined 
 for the worship of God. It was thus that so 
 many of the early churches rose up in the 
 cemeteries over the graves and the tombs of the 
 martyrs. 
 
 These early churches in other lands served as 
 models for the first houses dedicated to the 
 Christian worship in Ireland. It has been remarked 
 that the early Irish churches resembled, in many 
 features, the simple primitive churches of Greece. 
 Like these, they are, invariably, built east and 
 west, with the altar in the east end, or gable, 
 and the entrance in the west. At the door, or 
 entrance, was placed a font of water with which 
 those entering the church or chapel sprinkled 
 themselves. In facing the east at prayer, they 
 were following the custom of the Hebrews ; and 
 by it also, they expressed a belief in the future 
 resurrection. In Isaias, chapter xli., the Just 
 One is expected from the east, and in Psalm lxvii. 
 It is a curious fact, as we have already seen, that 
 the Druids, too, faced the east at prayer and 
 sacrifice. In an old treatise on the consecration 
 of a church, still preserved in Ireland, and which 
 is ascribed to the seventh or eighth century, there 
 are laid down rules and instructions which sup- 
 pose that the altar was always at the east end, 
 and the general entrance, or door, at the west 
 end, of the edifice. Even an older document, in 
 the shape of a prophecy by the Druids, quoted 
 
OF IRELAND. 1 45 
 
 in the ancient life of Saint Patrick, indicates the 
 same thing. Three years before the arrival of 
 the saint in Ireland, it is stated that two chief 
 Druids announced his speedy coming to the 
 monarch Laeghaire, in the following words : — 
 
 " A Tailcean will come over the raging sea ; 
 With his perforated garment, his crooked-headed staff, 
 And his table at the east end of his house." 
 
 In the Greek or Eastern Church this eastern 
 position for the altar has been most scrupulously 
 observed even to this day ; while in the Latin, 
 or Western Church, it may face indifferently any 
 point of the heavens. 
 
 Till lately this rule with respect to the position 
 of the church was observed in Ireland with 
 scrupulous fidelity. In the year 1575, Gerald, 
 the great Earl of Desmond, after escaping from 
 the keepers of his prison in Dublin Castle, rode 
 rapidly all the way to Munster on horseback. 
 He and his faithful follower and attendant, 
 Gowran M 'Sweeney, found it necessary to con- 
 ceal themselves in the glens and woods by day, 
 and continue the journey at night ; and it is 
 stated that their course to the south, over hill 
 and dale, was directed by the invariable position 
 of the churches. The confiscations and wars of 
 a subsequent period produced confusion and 
 disorder in, almost, everything ; but even now 
 the old rule for the position of a church is observed 
 
146 THE ANCIENT CHURCHES 
 
 wherever the circumstances of site and space are 
 found to be favourable for it. 
 
 The eastern position is, in Ireland, most 
 strictly observed in the burial of the dead. Ac- 
 cording to the general rule, or rubric, of the 
 Church, the laity are to be buried with the face 
 turned in the direction of the altar, while the 
 priests, or the clergy, are to be buried in the 
 opposite direction, that is, facing the people, or 
 their flocks. But so universal was the rule 
 in Ireland of having the churches and chapels 
 built east and west, with the altar in the east 
 end, that even now the ancient custom of bury- 
 ing the dead with the face to the east, is scarcely 
 ever deviated from, in the cemetery, whatever 
 may be the position of the altar. This rule is 
 scrupulously observed by persons of all classes, 
 in deference to the ancient custom of the 
 country. Like those of the early Christians in 
 foreign lands, the churches in Ireland were 
 generally erected near the graves of the dead ; 
 or the dead were brought to repose near the 
 churches. For the most part the graves are 
 always found to be placed on one side of these 
 ancient sacred structures, and that side was the 
 south. Hence the Irish saying, Is mo la bhcig 
 aguinn air thaob lian tcampuil ; " Many a day 
 we shall have on the side of the church." Even 
 at present, there seems to be some reluctance 
 on the part of the people to bury their dead on 
 
OF IRELAND. 1 47 
 
 the north side. From what does this arise ? It 
 was only on the south side there were any 
 windows, or apertures for light and air in these 
 old churches ; and it is surmised that the people 
 wished to have the graves of their dead in view 
 from the church, that they might, so far, hold 
 with them a communion of sympathy and 
 prayer. Perhaps, also, this position on the right 
 of the priest and of the altar was intended to 
 express the hope that they would be found on 
 the right hand of Christ, at the last day, to 
 receive a favourable judgment. There was, 
 certainly, something very touching and sugges- 
 tive in these old churches ; the living worship- 
 ing inside, and their dead reposing outside, with 
 their faces to the east, awaiting the great Resur- 
 rection. 
 
 Compared with modern edifices, these ancient 
 structures were, in architectural details and in 
 size, of very modest pretensions. We have no 
 proof that churches of a circular, or circular- 
 polygonal, form, were erected in Ireland as in 
 other Christian countries. Some think that 
 there were such here, but that under the 
 influence of time and change, all vestiges of 
 them have disappeared. These oval structures 
 have been found in the Eastern and Western 
 countries of Christendom ; and, even, in Abys- 
 sinia some of the same form were discovered on 
 the occasion of the late English expedition 
 
148 THE ANCIENT CHURCHES 
 
 against the empire of Theodore. By them it 
 was intended to represent and perpetuate the 
 old idea of the Temple, that is, of the round 
 structure dedicated to divine worship. If they 
 ever existed in Ireland they have wholly 
 disappeared ; and the oldest sacred structures 
 now remaining are of the quadrangular form. 
 These are generally of an oblong shape, varying 
 from sixty to eighty feet in length, and from 
 twelve to sixteen feet in breadth. Even there 
 are many of still smaller dimensions ; but, 
 perhaps, these latter are to be regarded as 
 private oratories or chapels, and not as public 
 churches. It is stated in the Life of St. Patrick, 
 that the original Cathedral of Armagh was one 
 hundred and forty feet long. Few, however, of 
 even the Episcopal Churches approached to that 
 magnitude. 
 
 While, in most of these old churches, the 
 edifice consisted of a plain single quadrangle, 
 there were some that had a prolongation or 
 section, running or extending to the east, and 
 constituting the chancel, or place for the altar 
 and clergy, and which was connected with the 
 main house by a triumphal arch of a semi- 
 circular form. The walls of these houses, 
 generally about twelve feet high, were composed 
 of stones, with, and sometimes without, lime' 
 cement. The walls were always perpendicular, 
 and generally formed of large polygonal, or 
 
OF IRELAND. 149 
 
 many-sided, stones, carefully fitted to each other 
 on the inner and outer surfaces. The centre of 
 the walls was filled, or packed up, with rubble 
 and grouting. The material of the roofs con- 
 sisted of timber, covered over with straw, flags, 
 heath, rushes, or shingles. In many instances, 
 especially with respect to the smaller churches, 
 the roofs were entirely of stones, or stone 
 flags, continued up to the apex of the roof, 
 in diminished series, from the perpendicular 
 walls. 
 
 The windows and doors were of very simple 
 form, and of small dimensions. If these, in their 
 plainness, can be said to possess any architectural 
 style, it is of somewhat a confused or varied 
 character. And, yet, the general features appear 
 to have been produced according to some 
 common model. The door, invariably placed 
 in the middle of the west gable, had a square 
 head formed by a horizontal stone lintel, often 
 running through the breadth of the wall. The 
 height of the doors varied from five to six feet six 
 inches high, and their breadth from two feet ten 
 inches to three feet six inches. For the most 
 part the doorways were wider at the bottom 
 than at the top, as their sides inclined ; and 
 they were generally formed of very massive 
 stones. In many instances a cross was inscribed 
 on the outer surface of the stone lintel. The 
 east window was of a semi-circular form, the 
 
I50 THE AXCIEXT CHURCHES 
 
 head of the arch being sometimes composed of 
 a single cut stone, and sometimes of two hollowed 
 stones meeting at the apex. Where there was 
 a chancel, or sanctuary, distinct from the body 
 of the edifice, it had, on the south side, one or 
 two windows of, generally, an angular shape, 
 the heads being often formed by two large 
 stones or flags, inclining to each other at the 
 upper edges, and running through the thickness 
 of the wall. Sometimes these windows were of 
 a semicircular form. The nave, or body, of the 
 church, which was not, generally, as well lighted 
 as the chancel, had two or three windows, some- 
 times of a circular, and sometimes of the 
 angular form, and sometimes, even, of the square 
 form, by being covered over with a horizontal 
 stone lintel. These were all on the south side. 
 In the chancel sometimes a window opened 
 to the north. A window, angular-headed, or 
 circular-headed externally, is often quadran- 
 gular internally, being there covered by a lintel. 
 With respect to the nave, there was seldom any 
 opening, or aperture, on the north side ; a solid 
 dead wall being opposed to the raw breezes 
 from that quarter. It is possible that, in an age 
 of allegory and figures, this combination and 
 variety expressed some sacred meaning, with 
 which we are unacquainted at present. All the 
 windows splayed inwards for the better trans- 
 mission of light, the outer edges, or reveals, 
 
OF IRELAND. I 5 I 
 
 being narrow and sharp, doubtless, as a protec- 
 tion against the wind and rain. The sides of 
 the windows, as well as of the door, incline, or 
 hang in, from the perpendicular, in the form or 
 shape of what is called Cyclopean building, and, 
 thus, they are, generally, more narrow at the 
 head than at the base. They seldom exhibit 
 any architectural decorations. 
 
 With what materials were these apertures, or 
 windows, protected against the storm and rain ? 
 It does not appear that there was any provision 
 made for the insertion in them of glass, or of 
 any similar solid substance of a transparent 
 nature. Some think that parchment and horn 
 might have been employed for that purpose. It 
 Is, however, more likely that they were provided 
 with only screens of wicker-work or of boards, 
 which might be put up, or taken down, accord- 
 ing to the exigencies of the weather. Some 
 of the windows splayed outwards, as well as 
 inwards, and it is supposed that this contrivance 
 was intended for the reception of the screens in 
 stormy or bad weather. As candles, or lights, 
 were always used in the church, at divine wor- 
 ship, the occasional closing of the windows, in 
 this way, produced no serious inconvenience. 
 Large stone crosses, of that which is called the 
 Celtic, or round form, were erected near many 
 of those old churches of the fifth, sixth, seventh, 
 and eicrhth centuries. These churches must have 
 
152 THE ANCIENT CHURCHES 
 
 been very numerous even at a very early period; 
 for our ancient annals state that Saint Patrick 
 himself founded over three hundred monasteries, 
 consecrated about three hundred bishops, and 
 ordained three thousand priests. 
 
 An erroneous idea prevailed at one time to 
 the effect that, in the early periods of Christianity 
 in this country, the Irish had neither stone-built 
 houses, nor stone-built churches. It was even 
 believed that they were ignorant of the use of 
 stone and mortar for the erection of such edifices. 
 Saint Bernard himself was led into an error of 
 this kind.. Facts, however, prove the contrary. 
 Even in the times of the Druids, as we have 
 seen, there were stone buildings, rude, no doubt, 
 and perhaps without lime cement, as far as we 
 can judge by the specimens that remain. These 
 had not the arch ; because, perhaps, the stone 
 lintel was found to be more ready and conve- 
 nient, and, for the buildings then in use, equally 
 solid. But to suppose that the early Christians 
 of this country, who had for religious instructors 
 men of learning from foreign lands, continued 
 to be ignorant of the uses of stone and mortar 
 for building purposes, is as much against facts, 
 as it is against universal experience. Undoubtedly 
 wooden and wicker-work edifices were some- 
 times used as houses of worship here, as well as 
 in other countries ; but their presence in some 
 places did not necessarily imply the total absence 
 
OF IRELAND. I 53 
 
 of stone and mortar edifices elsewhere. Modern 
 inquiry has settled the matter fully in the opposite 
 direction. 
 
 Parts of the structures of some of the ancient 
 churches, still remaining, are found combined 
 with additions and improvemenls of a more 
 modern date, of, perhaps, the ninth, tenth, and 
 eleventh centuries. In some instances a new 
 nave was added to the original building, and the 
 whole of the old church was converted into a 
 chancel. In other cases a new chancel was added, 
 and the whole of the old church was made the 
 nave, doubtless, in both cases, to give increased 
 accomodation to both priests and people. These 
 changes and additions are easily discerned by 
 the difference of the masonry and the materials ; 
 the primitive building always exhibiting the Cy- 
 clopean, or irregular, laying of the stones, and the 
 more modern portions shewing the stones laid 
 in courses more regular. 
 
 Some minor changes and transformations, too, 
 are noticed in these old churches. In Corkbegg, 
 on the harbour of Queenstown, are the ruins of 
 a very old church, not perhaps of the original 
 type, but belonging to the second generation of 
 these ancient edifices. It has the usual narrow 
 windows splaying inwards. They are angular- 
 headed externally, but quadangular internally, 
 being there covered with lintels. The church is 
 fifty-three feet long, and eighteen broad within 
 
 II 2 
 
154 THE ANCIENT CHURCHES 
 
 the walls. The masonry exhibits, to a consider- 
 able extent, the usual irregular laying of the 
 stones. This old church underwent a change, or 
 transformation, by the removal of the door from 
 the west to the south side, and by the introduction 
 of dressed stone into the reveals of the side 
 windows. The jambs of the door have also 
 chiseled stones, among which is introduced in- 
 side, to the right, the old honey-combed holy- 
 water font which, probably, belonged to the 
 original entrance. The east window is destroyed ; 
 but in the wall, on the right side of it, is a 
 dressed stone corbel, on which, most likely, rested 
 one end of the altar. That part, too, probably 
 had its share of the general improvement, or 
 remodelling. These changes would appear to 
 have been effected about the year 1587 ; for 
 these figures are deeply cut on a stone near the 
 holy-water font. 
 
 It would seem, however, that it did not continue 
 Jong after to be used as a house of worship. In 
 the body of the church is now growing an ash 
 tree, which must be two hundred years old, and 
 which, probably, was planted there by the hand 
 of nature after the destruction of the roof and 
 a portion of the walls. It throws its brawny 
 arms aloft, and looks like a sad old sentinel 
 keeping watch and ward over the few graves 
 and tombs that have found their way into the 
 body of the church. 
 
OF IRELAND. I 55 
 
 There are many names for churches in the 
 Irish language. They are fine expressive com- 
 pounds, formed from pure Celtic roots, and are, 
 manifestly, representatives of the names which 
 the early Christians in other countries, particularly 
 in the East, bestowed on their churches. The 
 general name of church, both in the east and 
 west, was ecclesia, which meant the assembly of 
 the faithful, as well as the place where they met 
 for divine worship. To the sacred structure, 
 however, were often given various other names. 
 From Saint Clement of Rome, from Saint 
 Isidore, from Tertullian and other ancient writers, 
 we learn that among the early Christians, ecclesia, 
 or the church, was called the " House of God," 
 the " House of the Lord," or the " Lord's Struc- 
 ture," the " House of the Dove," (in reference to 
 the Holy Ghost), and Basilick, the "House of the 
 King" or of the Lord, that is, of the Kingof Kings, 
 from the Greek word basileus, which signifies 
 "a king." These names were suggested by various 
 passages of the Sacred Scriptures, and especially 
 by the words of the Patriarch Jacob, who, in re- 
 ference to the spot where he had seen the wonder- 
 ful vision, exclaimed, "How terrible is this place! 
 " This is no other than the house of God and 
 " the gate of heaven." The same ancient writers 
 tell us that the churches were also often called 
 the Memorials of the Martyrs, of the Apostles, 
 of the Dead, &c, &c. It is stated that during 
 
156 THE ANCIENT CHURCHES 
 
 the first four centuries of the Church, trie name 
 of temple was seldom bestowed on these edifices, 
 to avoid even the appearance of any connexion 
 with Pagan practices. But when paganism dis- 
 appeared, this abstention was not necessary nor 
 observed. The following are the principal names 
 of churches in the Irish language : — 
 
 Ceall, or Cill, 
 
 Domhnach. 
 
 Daimhliag, 
 
 Reiglios, 
 
 Eclios, 
 
 Teampull. 
 
 Ceall (pronounced kaycl), is commonly de- 
 rived from the Latin word, cella, which means 
 " a cell." It is, however, a Celtic name ; for, 
 undoubtedly, the Celtic word cai, or ea which 
 means " a house," enters into the formation of 
 it. Ceall appears to be a compound word formed 
 from cai, "a house," and ell, "a flock or mul- 
 titude;" or from cat, "a house," and ail, "a 
 stone." "The house of the flock," however, 
 appears to be more natural than the " house of 
 stone." The modern Irish name of a church, 
 as, at present, used in Connaught and other 
 parts of Ireland, is teaeh pobuil, that is, " the 
 house of the people," or " of the congregation," 
 which corresponds perfectly with the ancient 
 
OF IRELAND. I 57 
 
 ceall, or " the house of the flock." At a very 
 early period the Christian congregations had 
 the name of flock bestowed on them, as we see 
 by Acts xx. 28, where it is said — " Take heed 
 to yourselves and to the whole flock wherein 
 the Holy Ghost hath placed you bishops." 
 Possibly the word ceall, or "house of the flock," 
 originally meant "the house of the religious 
 community and its chapel," while afterwards, 
 the name passed to an isolated church or chapel 
 in the country. As a proof that the word cat, 
 " a house," enters into the formation of ceall, it 
 may be stated that near Cloyne is the lone rem- 
 nant of the ruins of an ancient religious estab- 
 lishment which is, indifferently, called ccall-tes- 
 kin> and tigh-teskin. TigJi-teskin, means " the 
 house of teskin ;" that is, "the house either of 
 the barren head," or " the house of the head of 
 the water." The particular ceall was generally 
 qualified or distinguished by the addition of the 
 name of the patron saint, or of the founder, or 
 of some local peculiarity, such as ceall-MJmire, 
 " the flock house of Mary ;" ceall-Colmain, the 
 flock house of Coleman ;" ceall duibli-duin, " the 
 flock or congregation house of the black fortress." 
 The number of these churches must have been 
 very great in Ireland at one time, as it would 
 be difficult to enumerate all the places which 
 from them are called by the name of ceall, or 
 cilL 
 
158 THE AXCIEXT CHURCHES 
 
 Another derivation would deduce the name 
 from cai, " a house," and ceal, " heaven," the c 
 in ceal being left out by ellipsis, as is usual in 
 formations of the kind. This would make it 
 in accordance with the words of the Scriptures — 
 "house of God and gate of heaven." In the 
 same way would the Scottish word kirk, be 
 formed from cai, " a house," and care, " heaven ;" 
 and the English word church would only be a 
 variation of the original Celtic name. This 
 derivation appears very natural and expres- 
 sive. 
 
 Cill (pronounced keel) is generally regarded 
 as only an inflection of the name, ccall Yet, I 
 believe they regarded different objects. Cill 
 would appear to be formed from cai, " a house," 
 and il y "of the rock;" that is, a rock residence, 
 whether natural or artificial. This would point 
 to the anchoretical life which great numbers 
 embraced, in the early ages of the Church in 
 Ireland, as well as in other countries. The 
 ancient hermit built for himself a little hut of 
 stones, and was, as often, content with the 
 natural cave in the rock. I believe that his 
 lonely residence was designated by the name 
 of cill, while the term ccall was bestowed on 
 the church. The two words are pronounced 
 differently, with distinct accuracy, in the parts 
 of the country where the Irish language is well 
 spoken ; and this would indicate that they 
 
OF IRELAND. 1 59 
 
 meant different objects. But in many places 
 now, owing to the gradual decline of Irish, 
 ceall and cill, and even coill, " a wood," are con- 
 fused and pronounced commonly as " keel." 
 
 The name Domlinach is the softened pronun- 
 ciation of domJitacJi, which is formed of dom y 
 "a house," and tach, "of God," or " godly;" 
 that is, " the house of God." Tach comes from 
 ta, which seems to be the original name of God 
 in the Celtic language. In the Irish annals we 
 also meet the word, cathach, which means, like- 
 wise, " the house of God," from ca, " a house," 
 and tach, " of God," or " godly." The late 
 Professor O'Curry, introduces these two words 
 in his fifteenth lecture on Irish manuscripts, 
 and avows his inability to discover the roots 
 or the real meaning of them. A very curious 
 and ancient box, containing a Latin manuscript 
 of the Gospels, which is believed to have come 
 down from Saint Patrick, is called by the name 
 of Domlinach airgid. Domlinach airgid means 
 "the house of God of silver." This box, or 
 case, is richly ornamented with that metal. 
 Another box containing a copy of the Psalms 
 supposed to be as old as Saint Columba, is 
 called cathach. Cathach means, also, " the house 
 of God." It was usual to give the name of 
 church, or house of God, to an ancient case 
 containing relics. In other countries the name 
 of apsis, or apse, which means " the chancel of a 
 
l6o THE ANCIENT CHURCHES 
 
 church," was given to a reliquary, or case in which 
 relics were preserved. In treating of the old 
 manuscripts, O' Curry declares that he is unable 
 to discover the roots or meaning of the Irish 
 words domhnach and cathach. 
 
 The name domhnach is traced up to the highest 
 ages of Christianity in Ireland; and there are 
 many places called by that name, doubtless, 
 because they possessed some of these early 
 churches. 
 
 The word domhnach has, also, given its modern 
 Irish name to Sunday. In the Druidical times 
 it was called Dia-suil, " the day of the sun." It 
 is at present, and perhaps since the introduction 
 of Christianity, called Dia-domhnuig, that is, "the 
 day of the house of God." 
 
 Daimhliag is an abbreviated pronunciation of 
 dom-uile-ic, that is, " the house of all the dead," 
 from dom, "a house," idle, " all," and ccc, " dead." 
 It got this name, because most of the churches 
 were attached to the graveyards ; for the dead 
 were brought to repose near theirwalls. This name 
 of daimhliag has been misinterpreted by even 
 some of the best Irish antiquaries. They make 
 it " the house of stone," from dom, " a house," 
 and leac, " a stone." That, manifestly, is not 
 as appropriate or as natural a formation of the 
 word as " the house of all the dead," or of the 
 grave-yard. And this is confirmed by even the 
 name of grave-yard in the Irish language which 
 
OF IRELAND. l6l 
 
 is reileig, from rcidh, " a piece of ground," uile, 
 "all," and <?dg-, or *#:, "dead;" that is, "the place, 
 or field, of all the dead." The grave itself is 
 called uaimhig from uahnh, " a cave," and ecc, 
 "dead." 
 
 The word rciglios, is an abbreviated pro- 
 nunciation of reileiglios, and means " the house 
 of the grave-yard ;" from rcidh " a piece of 
 ground," uile " all," ecc " dead," and lios " a 
 house." 
 
 The next name, eclios, means also, " the 
 house of the dead ;" from ecc, " dead," and lios, 
 " a house." The churches and chapels, called by 
 these names, had always graves or grave-yards 
 attached to them. Eclios, however, is commonly 
 derived from the Latin word ecclesia, which 
 means " a church." 
 
 The name, tcampull, as applied to a house, 
 or place, of worship, has come down from even 
 the Druidical times. For some special reasons, 
 perhaps to avoid any reference to Paganism, this 
 name was not generally bestowed by the early 
 Christians of this country on their churches. 
 The name was revived and used, for this pur- 
 pose, only when the Druids and their worship 
 had passed away. Teampull means " the 
 round house, or structure ;" from tint (pro- 
 nounced teem), " time," and cal, " to surround ;" 
 that is, the endless circle of time, which was a 
 favourite idea of the Druids, and of which the 
 
1 62 THE ANCIENT CHURCHES 
 
 teampull, or round pillared temple, was an 
 emblem. 
 
 It was usual in Ireland to add the word 
 Dior, which signifies " large," to these names of 
 churches. We are told that the same custom 
 prevailed in the East. Thus we have domhnach 
 mor, " the large house of God," damhliag mor, 
 the "large house of all the dead," &c, &c. 
 In many localities there were seven churches 
 grouped within a short distance of one another. 
 They represented the mystical number of the 
 Apocalypse, and of, perhaps, the seven sacred 
 Orders of Ireland. Clonmicnois had its seven 
 churches, as, also, Glendalough, Roscrea, 
 Devenish, Scattery Island, and many other 
 
 places 
 
 The custom of blessing wells, or natural water 
 fonts, prevailed in the age of these early 
 churches. In the Leabhar Breac, or Speckled 
 Book, it is stated that St. Columbkille blessed 
 three hundred of them, " and these were of con- 
 stant flow." 
 
 In connexion with the ancient churches we 
 have the names, DcarthcacJi, Cuilctlicacli, Cloic- 
 thcach, Cloigthcach, which have been complete 
 puzzles to our antiquaries. Cuilctlicacli, Cloic- 
 tlicach, and Cloigthcach are names bestowed on 
 the famous Round Tower of our country, an 
 object to which I intend to devote a separate 
 chapter. But what was the Dcarthcach ? Some of 
 
OF IRELAND. 163 
 
 our antiquaries say it was an hospital, and others 
 think it was an oratory, or a hermitage. 
 
 Dcartheachy or deortkeach, means "the house 
 of tears ;" from dcor, " a tear," and teach, " a 
 house." But, what is the meaning of the house 
 of tears ? An ancient Christian practice will 
 throw some light upon it. 
 
 In the early ages of Christianity, public 
 penance was, very generally, practised both in 
 the Greek and Latin Churches. Upon those 
 who had been guilty of grievous public crimes, 
 it was enforced with great severity, and often 
 extended over a period of twenty years, and, 
 sometimes, even during life. In a modified form 
 it was voluntarily adopted and practised by even 
 good and virtuous people,, as an atonement for 
 their offences, and as a means of obtaining 
 additional grace and favour from God. In the 
 fourth century, certain canons, or rules, were 
 framed for the regulation of the pious exercises 
 connected with this practice, and these were 
 called the Penitential Canons. From the clergy 
 of the penitentiary church certain officers were 
 selected and appointed to direct the exercises. 
 The penitents were generally divided into four 
 classes, or sections, in each of which they were 
 to pass a certain time, according to the length 
 and severity of the penitential course prescribed 
 for them. The first act was to receive sack- 
 cloth and ashes from the hands of the bishop at 
 
1 64 THE ANCIENT CHURCHES 
 
 the church door, as a symbol of sorrow and 
 repentance. The second step was to fall into 
 the ranks of those who, in the language of the 
 Latin Church, were called the Flentes ; that is, 
 " the weeping or sorrowful." Here we have the 
 meaning of dcartJicacJi, or " the house of tears ;" 
 for it was the lodging, or apartment, assigned to 
 these penitents. There were, often, several of 
 these attached to the penitentiary church for the 
 accommodation of all classes, and, perhaps, of 
 both sexes. They were sometimes constructed 
 of wood and sometimes of stone ; and were from 
 twenty to thirty feet long, by twelve or fifteen 
 feet broad. Like the churches, they had the 
 door in the west gable, and a window at the 
 east, with scarcely any aperture in the side 
 walls, in accordance, perhaps, with the ideas of 
 sorrow and gloom. They must, however, have 
 been, in some instances, of much larger dimen- 
 sions ; for we read in the Irish Annals, that 
 about the year 849, the dearteacJi of Trevet was 
 struck by lightning, and that two hundred and 
 sixty persons perished in it. The victims of 
 this calamity, doubtless, were the pilgrims and 
 penitents, who were reposing, or performing their 
 devotions, in the "house of tears." 
 
 It is unnecessary here to state the various 
 exercises to be performed by the penitents in 
 each of the four grades, or classes. It will 
 suffice to say that certain restraints were 
 
OF IRELAND. 165 
 
 removed, and certain spiritual privileges granted, 
 according as they passed from one grade to the 
 other, and that, in the end, they received 
 absolution, and were admitted to Holy Com- 
 munion. Then followed their very often, per- 
 haps, reluctant departure from the penitential 
 station and its "tears." 
 
 And the name of dearteach, or " the house of 
 tears," was not simply a figurative expression. 
 In speaking of the public penances of his own 
 time, St. Ambrose, the great bishop of Milan, 
 in Italy, who wrote about the year 380, says — 
 " I have known many persons who, during the 
 period of their penance, disfigured their faces by 
 dint of weeping for their sins, whose cheeks 
 were furrowed by the constant rush of tears, 
 and whose fastings and austerities were such as 
 to produce in them the very image of death." 
 The penitential canons of Ireland were, accord- 
 ing to ancient rule, very severe. For instance, 
 the crime of murder was to be expiated by a 
 penance of seven years on bread and water, and 
 by being excluded from Holy Communion till 
 the period of death. The penance for other crimes 
 was proportionably heavy. Even it was enacted 
 that a person who refused to receive guests under 
 his roof, to give alms, or to exercise hospitality, 
 should, for the time he spent in that course, do 
 penance for an equal period on bread and water ; 
 and if he remained obstinate in his avarice, he 
 
1 66 THE ANCIENT CHURCHES 
 
 was to be separated from the body of the 
 faithful. 
 
 It appears that these public penances were 
 continued in Ireland down to a comparatively 
 late period, to the twelfth, thirteenth, and 
 perhaps, the fourteenth century. We learn 
 from some Irish documents that deartcachs 
 were erected in this country up to the twelfth 
 century, and that payment for their erection 
 was made in cows ; that is, that the artificer, or 
 builder, received so many cows for each struc- 
 ture, according to the durability and expense of 
 the materials. In the same way was payment, 
 also, made for the erection of churches. 
 
 Even to this day there are to be found in 
 Ireland vestiges, or remains, of the ancient 
 public penances. The pilgrimages which are 
 performed at the sites of the old churches and 
 monasteries are, manifestly, remnants of them ; 
 and it is most likely that the places which are 
 frequented for this purpose were formerly 
 regularly established penitential stations. Among 
 these stands conspicuously the station of Clon- 
 micnois, otherwise called the Seven Churches, 
 on the Shannon. It got the name of Clontnic- 
 nois, from Clou, "a residence," mic, "sons," and 
 nois, " noble ;" because it was a famous school 
 for the sons of the nobility in former ages. And 
 it was called the Seven Churches, because the 
 group of buildings consisted of seven churches, 
 
OF IRELAND. 167 
 
 and was, perhaps, composed of a church belong- 
 ing to each of the seven Religious Orders of 
 Ireland, or perhaps, because they were made to 
 represent the mystical: number, seven, of the 
 Apocalypse, and of the Scriptures. But, perhaps, 
 the most frequented of these penitential places 
 now is Saints' Island, in Lough Dearg, on the 
 confines of Donegal and Fermanagh. To this 
 station pilgrims resort from all parts of the 
 surrounding country, and spend there three, 
 six, and sometimes eight days. In the olden 
 times, princes and nobles from foreign lands 
 came there, accompanied by large retinues of 
 friends and followers, to perform their devotions. 
 The station opens about the beginning of 
 June, and lasts to the fifteenth of August. The 
 exercises commence in the evening, and the first 
 night is spent in perfect silence and wakeful- 
 ness in the church, or chapel. The succeeding 
 days are devoted to prayer and meditation ; and 
 the penitential course is concluded when they 
 go to confession and receive Holy Communion. 
 In all these exercises, particularly with respect 
 to Confession and Communion, the penitents 
 receive the kindest attention from the local 
 Friars, and, often, from the secular clergy. Of 
 course, among such numbers there are noticed 
 various shades of devotional anxiety and atten- 
 tion ; but all seem to be animated by a desire 
 of performing the exercises well. It is mar- 
 
1 68 THE ANCIENT CHURCHES 
 
 vellous to see how some of the features of the 
 old Public Penances are here preserved. There 
 is no bishop to give them the sack-cloth and 
 ashes ; but as a substitute for them they cover 
 their heads with a cloth, perhaps with a dark- 
 coloured handkerchief; and they go through 
 the exercises barefooted. Even the stern Peni- 
 tentiary of old, with his whip, is, in a manner, 
 represented there. In the chapel, on the first 
 night of silence and wakefulness, is a person 
 carrying in his hand an ozier twig, or branch, 
 with which he touches slightly on the head, or 
 cheek, any of those on whom he would perceive 
 the indications of sleep. And his monitions are 
 always received with the most perfect good 
 humour. 
 
 This station is called in the language of the 
 country, Purgadorcct Naor PJiadriug, which 
 means literally, " the Purgatory of St. Patrick." 
 In the Irish language Purgadorcct means a 
 severe penitential course, and, also, suffering, or 
 purgatory ; and it is supposed that it got its 
 name from the fact of its having been appointed, 
 or inaugurated, as a station for Public Penance, 
 by the great Apostle of Ireland. 
 
 And the people, even under their own guid- 
 ance, cling to these ancient pious customs, or 
 practices, with wonderful tenacity. At Glen- 
 dha-lough, in the county of Wicklow, a place 
 which, also, had its seven churches, the mystical 
 
OF IRELAND. 169 
 
 seven of the Apocalypse and of high antiquity, 
 there is a famous station for penitential pilgrims. 
 Some time ago, in consequence of abuses which 
 had occurred there in the way of rioting and 
 drunkenness, a neighbouring bishop resolved to 
 keep the people from the usual annual obser- 
 vance. The priests were directed to com- 
 municate his instructions to their flocks ; but 
 still great numbers went there as usual. Among 
 these was a carman named Jemmy O'Rourke, 
 who, when he next met the priest, was brought 
 to an account for having violated the prohibi- 
 tion. Jemmy's answer was very characteristic, 
 and probably conveyed the sentiments of all 
 those who had followed the same course. " I 
 have been," said he, " going to that place for 
 the last thirty-five years ; I don't go there to 
 drink or to fight, but to say a few prayers, 
 and do a little penance. It is only pickpockets 
 and scoundrels that go there for a bad purpose, 
 and, sure, they go everywhere. My father and 
 grandfather went there, and, I believe, all my 
 fathers up to the days of St. Patrick ; and, 
 bedad, Father John, with all due respect, what- 
 ever bishop or archbishop may say, I'll go 
 there to the end." 
 
 Remains, in a modified form, of the old pen- 
 ances are still, however, conducted under eccle- 
 siastical guidance. For instance, the abbot of 
 Mount Melleray, in the county of Waterford, 
 
170 THE ANCIENT CHURCHES 
 
 receives at his monastery persons, whether priests 
 or laymen, who may be disposed to spend some 
 time there in spiritual retreat or retirement. 
 His "house of tears," with its apartments for 
 penitents, may not equal in rigour and austerity 
 the dearteacli of the olden times; but it, certainly, 
 is not inferior to it in neatness, hospitality, and 
 godly refinement. 
 
 In many of the dearteacJis stone altars were 
 placed, as in the churches, under the east win- 
 dow ; and it is inferred from this fact that 
 they were occasionally, perhaps, for the con- 
 venience of the penitents, used as oratories, or 
 private chapels. It is much to be regretted that 
 the religious fanaticism of a subsequent age fell 
 with peculiar destruction on these ancient altars, 
 as, otherwise, they would now, certainly, be 
 very interesting objects of antiquarian and artistic 
 study. The action, or religious service, per- 
 formed on these altars, is, in the Irish language, 
 called afrionn, or afrionn-de, a name that is 
 traced up to the earliest period of Christianity 
 in Ireland, and which is still familiar to the 
 tongues of the native population. 
 
 What is the meaning of this word africmn ? 
 All the dictionaries of the Celtic language say 
 that it means the Mass ; but they give us no 
 further explanation of it. Some of the lexico- 
 graphers, such as O'Brien, say that it is an 
 original Celtic word meaning " a sacrifice." Of 
 
OF IRELAND. 171 
 
 this, however, they fail to give any proof. 
 Others endeavour to derive it from the Latin 
 root, offero y " to offer," and others, again, such 
 as the author of the Gaelic Dictionary of Scot- 
 land, strive to trace it to the Arabic and Chal- 
 daic languages. It is, certainly, a singular fact, 
 that Ireland is the only country of the Western 
 Church which has a peculiar name of its own 
 for the Mass. In all the rest it is a variation 
 of the Latin word Missa, such as Mass, Messe, 
 Misa, Missa, Masse, &c. of the English, 
 French, Spanish, Italian, German, &c. In 
 the Irish it is afrionn-de, or afrionn, and it was 
 so, too, in the ancient language of Britain, 
 Scotland, and Wales. 
 
 The word, afrionn, is not derived from the 
 Latin, Arabic, Chaldaic, or any other foreign 
 language. It is a compound word, formed from 
 pure Celtic roots. It means "the very true lamb," 
 from a, " very," for, "true," and nan, "lamb." 
 It is popularly called afrionn-de, which means 
 " the very true Lamb of God." Manifestly, 
 this word was formed in the Celtic language by 
 the early Irish Christians or their missionaries, 
 from the following expressions of holy Scripture: 
 " The next day John saw Jesus coming to him, 
 and he saith : Behold the Lamb of God, behold 
 Him who taketh away the sin of the world." 
 John i: 29. " For Christ our pasch, is sacri- 
 ficed." 1 Cor. v. 7. " But with the precious 
 
I J2 THE ANCIENT CHURCHES 
 
 blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and 
 undefiled." I Peter i. 19. "White in the blood 
 of the Lamb." Rev. vii. 14. "The Lamb, which 
 was slain from the beginning of the world," 
 Rev. xiii. 8. 
 
 In the service of the Church reference is often 
 made to the Lamb, especially in the Mass, where 
 it says, " Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him 
 who taketh away the sins of the world," and in 
 the Preface for the blessing of the Paschal candle 
 on Easter Saturday, where it says, "This is the 
 Paschal solemnity in which that true Lamb is 
 slain." 
 
 These expressions of Scripture and the words 
 of the Church service are beautifully rendered, 
 condensed, in this Irish word, afrion, or a-fior- 
 uan-de, " the very true Lamb of God." It is not 
 alone by words this idea is expressed, but also 
 by signs and emblems. The figure of the lamb 
 with the cross is often inscribed on the front ot 
 the altar, and woven in the vestments of the 
 priest. There is no particular rule for this 
 practice, but it appears that in Ireland it may 
 be traced up to the most early Christian period. 
 The popular language and tradition hand down 
 to us a form of oath, or mode of swearing, that 
 is intimately connected with this word afrionn. 
 It was at one time, during the middle ages, 
 customary to swear by the Mass, and by the 
 Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. The same 
 
OF IRELAND. 173 
 
 practice existed, to some extent, in Ireland ; and 
 the form of the oath was, Bar an afrionn cum- 
 hachdach, that is, " By the powerful very true 
 Lamb." This oath still lives in the language of 
 the people ; but from a feeling of reverence, it is 
 very seldom used. It does not belong to the 
 province of the antiquary to discuss the pro- 
 priety of these oaths on any occasions, or per- 
 haps the still greater propriety of their abolition. 
 The matter is referred to here merely because 
 it throws an additional ray of light on the 
 meaning of the word afrionn, for which, I trust, 
 it will not be necessary, any more, to hunt in the 
 Arabic and Chaldaic languages. 
 
 Here the question naturally suggests itself — 
 Why has Ireland a name for the Mass different 
 from that which prevails in all the other 
 countries of the Western Church? It must 
 have been that either the first Christian Mission- 
 aries to Ireland came from the East, or that Chris- 
 tianity was preached in the country before the 
 word, Missa, or Mass, was generally adopted to 
 designate this great action of the altar. It is a 
 singular fact, that for the Mass, for the Churches, 
 for the Sacraments, and for the offices of 
 religion, there are in Ireland purely Celtic names, 
 formed from pure Celtic roots, without any 
 foreign admixture. Thus, among other nations, 
 the general names for the Sacrament of the 
 altar are Eucharist, and the Lord's Supper ; while 
 
174 THE ANCIENT CHURCHES 
 
 in Ireland it is Corp C/irtost, that is, " the Body 
 of Christ." This Celtic name seems to have 
 been formed directly from the words of our 
 Saviour, Tonto esti to soma mou, "this is my 
 body." When Christianity reached this country, 
 it found there a copious, expressive, and settled 
 language, which, by its fecundity in primitive 
 roots and beautiful compounds, was capable of 
 supplying words for all the points of practice 
 and of belief, without the intervention of any 
 foreign admixture. 
 
 In connexion with the sites of the ancient 
 churches of Ireland, there is frequent men- 
 tion of the names of Baile, Cluain, and CM, 
 such as Baile-Tobair-Phadraig, "the Bally of 
 the well of Patrick;" Cluain-mic-nois, "the 
 Cloy ne of the sons of the nobility ;" and 
 Cill-Mhuire, "the Cill of Mary." Baile is a 
 compound word, formed from ball, " a part," 
 and i (pronounced ec), "a country ;" that is, a 
 definite, or circumscribed, part of a country. 
 Cluain is a compound word, formed from clui, 
 "a ditch, or ridge of earth," and ain, "a circle ;" 
 that is, a circumvallation round a church, a 
 monastery, or a residence. An illustration of 
 this is to be found in a description which is given 
 of Clonagh, in the County of Kildare, as it 
 existed at one time. " In it," it says, "was a 
 piece of ground surrounded by a ditch, and In 
 the centre of the circle were a stone cross, a 
 church, and two yew-trees, from one of which 
 
OF IRELAND. 175 
 
 hung a bell." Cea I and ci/f, as we have already 
 seen, mean "the house of Heaven, or the house 
 of the flock, and the house, or cell, of stone." 
 The one refers to the church, and the other, 
 probably, to the cell, or hut, of the hermit 
 They are now commonly confused in the single 
 name, keel, and often, even, confounded with 
 colli, " a wood," In the popular language ceal, 
 or till, means a " grave-yard," as the dead were 
 buried near the churches. No spot on earth was 
 more ardently desired by the Irishman for a 
 last resting-place than the side of the church 
 where he and his forefathers had worshipped. 
 
 Among the structures, or places of this class, 
 there is frequent mention of cill-mor, " the 
 large till," and cilleen, the " small, or lesser till" 
 or church. From the primitive church the 
 name of ceall was, in many instances, at an early 
 period, communicated to a portion of the sur- 
 rounding country, to an entire parish, and, even, 
 to a diocese ; and it continues attached to them 
 to this day. The same has occurred with respect 
 to the name cluain. 
 
 The age of the ancient churches shone out 
 like a bright star in Ireland. Among the Celtic 
 nations the Erin of this period was, in the old 
 tongue, called u Oilcan Naoimh agus OllaimJi ;" 
 that is, " the Island of Saints and of Learned 
 Men ;" or, as it was expressed by the monastic 
 writers in Latin, Insula Sanctorum atque Doc- 
 
176 THE ANCIENT CHURCHES 
 
 torutn. The disturbing influences arising from 
 intestine wars and foreign invasions, which con- 
 vulsed other countries, were not at this time felt in 
 Ireland. No Roman legion had touched her 
 shores, and no horde of barbarians from the 
 north had, as yet, established a footing on her 
 soil. This peaceful period was devoted to the 
 cultivation of sacred and secular knowledge, in 
 such a way, as to attract the foreign student 
 from beyond the seas, and to inspire the natives 
 with zeal for the advancement of religion and of 
 learning. It may appear something like romance 
 or wild fiction to be told, in a material age like 
 the present, that to ancient Christian Ireland 
 flocked thousands of foreign students from 
 various countries of Europe ; that they received 
 a free education in its colleges and monasteries, 
 and were, moreover, supplied gratuitously with 
 food, raiment, and books. Yet, these facts 
 are testified to, not alone by the native anna- 
 lists, but by Venerable Bede, and other foreign 
 writers. Besides her immunity from foreign 
 wars and invasions, at this time, Ireland also 
 enjoyed another peculiar advantage. While 
 other nations, such as England, France, Spain, 
 and even Italy, were endeavouring to form new 
 languages for themselves, out of the scattered 
 fragments of confused native and foreign mate- 
 rials, she possessed an ancient, settled, and 
 copious tongue, which had received cultivation 
 
OF IRELAND. 177 
 
 and polish from the old Druidical teacher, as 
 well as from the more recent Christian scholar. 
 
 With these advantages, the fame of her schools 
 shed a halo of glory on the Ireland of this 
 period. Foreigners called her the school of the 
 west. Without mentioning various other places 
 that may be named, the colleges of Armagh, 
 Clonard, Clonfert, Clonmicnois, and Bangor 
 counted their pupils by hundreds, and even, in 
 some instances, by thousands. On the south- 
 western coast of the island, is a now comparatively 
 insignificant place called Rosscarberry. In 
 the age of the early churches it was called Ros- 
 ailerig, that is, the " plain of the pilgrims," from 
 the numbers of students, native and foreign, who 
 flocked to its schools. Ailerig, or oilerig, is a 
 compound word, formed from aill y " a journey," 
 air, "on," and /(pronounced ee) t "land." Lismore, 
 another place in the south, was extolled, by 
 even foreigners, for its generous hospitality, and 
 for the number and excellence of its halls of 
 learning. Ireland has also a right to claim Iona, 
 an island on the western coast of Scotland, as 
 the seat of one of her ancient schools ; for its 
 famous monastery and halls of learning were 
 the creation of the zeal and genius of St. Co- 
 lumcille, a native of Erin. There, in the sixth 
 century, was lighted the torch of faith which 
 shed an illumining ray on the Islands and High- 
 lands of ancient Alba, and attracted pilgrims of 
 
178 THE ANCIENT CHURCHES 
 
 learning and of piety from many of the countries 
 of Europe. This place, which even still exhibits, 
 in their ruins, many interesting monuments of 
 its ancient greatness and sanctity, was called Iona, 
 that is " the island of the monks," from i, " an 
 island," and mana, " monks." It was, also, called, 
 early, I-colum-cille, the " Island of Columcille," 
 from the name of its great saint and founder. 
 Ireland, Scotland, and even Norway, have sent 
 the ashes of many of their monarchs to repose 
 there, in its sacred soil. 
 
 The name of Columcille, or Columba, recalls 
 a custom which prevailed among those whom we 
 call the early saints of Ireland. It was that of 
 assuming or receiving certain names when they 
 had embraced the religious state. Columcille 
 means the dove of the church, or of the churches, 
 from colum, "a dove," and cille, " of the church." 
 The name of the dove was in great favour with 
 them,, probably, from the words of the Gospel, 
 " Be simple as doves." Thus, many bore the 
 name of Colman, which means the dove-like 
 man ; from colum, " a dove," and an, " a man." 
 Moculmoge was another form of it, from mo, 
 " a man," colum, " a dove," and oge, " young." 
 Other names were assumed, such as Dtglan, "the 
 man of the fear of God," from De, " of God," 
 eagla, " fear," and an, " man ;" Fachtnan, " the 
 just man," from faclitlinacht, "just," and an, 
 " man ;" Uanan, " the lamb-like man," from uan t 
 
OF IRELAND. 1 79 
 
 "a lamb," and an, " man ;" Cainneach, " Canice," 
 "the just person," from cain, "just," and nedck, 
 " any one," &c. 
 
 From many of the ancient schools and monas- 
 teries of Ireland, numbers of trained preachers 
 and scholars went, every year, to foreign lands, 
 some to announce the Gospel to those who 
 were still pagans, and others to found churches, 
 monasteries, colleges, and even universities, in 
 the land of the stranger. In this work of men- 
 tal culture all classes of the clergy, even the 
 high prelates themselves, took an active part. 
 The Annals of the Four Masters, in recording 
 the death of a prelate, at this period, very often 
 speak of him in the triple character of " Bishop, 
 Abbot, and Writer;" " epscob. abb. agus scribh- 
 noir ;" and they frequently add, " a vessel of 
 sanctity and a select doctor." This state of 
 things continued till about the end of the eighth 
 century, when the black ships of the northern 
 pirates, called the Danes, commenced to crowd 
 into the harbours, bays, and large rivers of 
 the island. In the native Annals these un- 
 welcome visitors are called by the name of 
 Almhiirig, from all, "wild, or foreign," muir, 
 "the sea," diXid eagk y "a person of;" that is, "wild 
 men of the sea ;" Gallav, that is "foreigners," 
 or, perhaps, " Gauls," as they had founded 
 a settlement in Gaul, or France ; LocJilanig, 
 from loch, " a lake," for they lived in their ships 
 
l80 THE ANCIENT CHURCHES 
 
 principally; Northmauniv, "men of the north;" 
 and Gentlidhligy " Gentiles, or Pagans." Then 
 commence our Annals to record, in words of 
 sorrow, the plunder of churches, the burning of 
 monasteries and their colleges, the preys of 
 women, and the massacre of bishops, priests, 
 and other ecclesiastics. Wide-spread desolation 
 swept over the ancient schools, and many of the 
 churches were left in ruins. It was only after a 
 fearful struggle of two centuries that the men of 
 Ireland, under the command of " Brien the 
 Brave," struck a final blow at these foreigners 
 on the bloody field of Clontarf. 
 
 The staff of ecclesiastical officers connected 
 with the ancient churches, especially the epis- 
 copal or large churches, was very considerable. 
 In the Annals of the Four Masters we find 
 notices, in connexion with Clonmicnois alone, of 
 bishops, bishops and abbots, cele-dc (Culdee), deans, 
 archdeacons, economists, lectors, chief lectors, 
 priests, chief priests, great priests, priors, doctors, 
 scribes, seniors, porters, and bell-ringers. The 
 modern reader can understand all these names 
 and the offices attached to them, with the ex- 
 ception, perhaps, of the celc-de (pronounced 
 kay-lc-dhay), or Culdees, as they are called in 
 English. The Irish word cele-dc, from which 
 are formed the Latin Colidcus and the English 
 Culdee, means "the servant, or the vassal of God." 
 The celidhe-de were, it appears, a strict religious 
 
OF IRELAND. l8l 
 
 order, consisting of priests and associated lay- 
 brothers. Their priests went, often, on special 
 missions of preaching to different places, and had 
 a high reputation for wisdom, learning, and 
 sanctity. The Annals of the Four Masters thus 
 record the death of one of the order at the year 
 1200: — " Uaireirghe, son of Mulmora, a noble 
 sage of the sages of Clonmicnoise, a man full of 
 the love of God, and of every virtue, the head of 
 the Culdees of Clonmicnoise, died on the tenth 
 of March." Romance, allegory, and legend have 
 not failed to throw their halo of wonder round the 
 person and office of the ancient Culdee, as will 
 appear by the following curious entry, at the 
 year 806, supplied by the Four Masters from 
 some old record or tradition : — " In this year the 
 cele-de came over the sea with dry feet without 
 a vessel; and a written roll was given him from 
 heaven out of which he preached to the Irish ; 
 and it was carried up again when the sermon was 
 finished. This ecclesiastic used to go every day 
 southwards across the sea, after finishing his 
 preaching." The words of this extract, in the 
 original Irish, would seem to indicate that they 
 were borrowed from a very ancient source by the 
 compilers of the Annals. Among the Irish 
 manuscripts preserved in the Library of Trinity 
 College, Dublin, the late Professor O'Curry dis- 
 covered a small tract, containing the rules, or 
 disciplinary regulations, of these " servants of 
 
1 82 THE ANCIENT CHURCHES 
 
 God." It consists of nine pages quarto ; and the 
 authorship of it is ascribed to St. Maelruain, of 
 Tallaght, in the county of Dublin, who died in 
 the year 787. " It contains," says O'Curry, " a 
 minute series of rules for the regulation of the 
 lives of the celidJie-de, of their prayers, their 
 preachings, their conversations, their confessions 
 theircommunions, their absolutions, their fastings, 
 their abstinences, their relaxations, their sleep, 
 their celebrations of Mass, and so forth." 
 
 This little tract, which, by the merest accident, 
 was discovered by O'Curry, is one of the scat- 
 tered fragments of the noble pile of manuscripts 
 which Ireland once possessed, and which were 
 the cherished productions of her ancient schools. 
 It has some surviving companions, a few at 
 home, and others scattered through the dif- 
 ferent countries of Europe. But most of the 
 once numerous family have perished. Those 
 that remain, in the shape of biblical and litur- 
 gical manuscripts, are some of the oldest and 
 finest in the world. " I have often," says the 
 late Dr. Todd, of Trinity College, " felt the 
 greatest wonder, not only at the number and 
 almost incredible antiquity of the Irish biblical 
 manuscripts that still remain, but at the amazing 
 ignorance that exists about them, and the small 
 amount of interest they appear to excite. 
 Whoever examines the annals of Ireland, will 
 find them one mass of records of burnings and 
 
OF IRELAND. 1 83 
 
 slaughters, battles, murders, and the destruction 
 of monasteries. Books were not then spared. 
 And when it is remembered that, at the period 
 of the Reformation, church books were specially- 
 sought out for destruction, we cannot but won- 
 der that so many of them now remain." 
 
 In treating of the ancient churches it would, 
 perhaps, be ungracious to pass over in silence 
 the name of a celebrated native architect of that 
 period. This was the Goban Saor, whose name 
 still lives in the traditions of the people, and 
 who, in story and legend, is represented as a 
 prodigy in the architectural and mechanical arts. 
 Among other works ascribed to him, tradition 
 states that he was the builder of the old church 
 of Kilmacduagh, in the county of Galway, and 
 of the round tower near it, which, like that of 
 Pisa in Italy, exhibits the singular feature of 
 leaning or declining many feet from the perpen- 
 dicular. 
 
 Goban Saor means {Goban, pronounced gnb- 
 bawn), " the artificer or mechanist," a title be- 
 stowed on him by universal consent on account 
 of his great preeminence as a working architect. 
 There is scarcely a stone-mason or carpenter in 
 Ireland of any standing, and with any preten- 
 sions to a knowledge of professional lore, who 
 cannot tell a dozen stories respecting the won- 
 derful powers of Goban Saor. It is stated that, 
 when a very young man, and in want of employ- 
 
1 84 THE ANCIENT CHURCHES 
 
 ment, he came to a place where a large number 
 of tradesmen were building a church for an old 
 abbot. He applied to the overseer, or foreman, 
 for employment on the work. The young man's 
 statement of his accomplishments and of what 
 he was able to do, appeared rather pompous to 
 the surly old official. Still he consented to take 
 him on trial for a few days. It was just about 
 noon, the time of the day when the men went 
 to dinner. The overseer was also retiring ; nor 
 did he remember to invite the stranger to par- 
 take of his hospitality. Goban asked him what 
 might he himself be making (doing) while they 
 were away. The foreman replied, in half irony, 
 half indifference, that he may make a cat with 
 two tails if he liked {dean cat is dha earbaill, mas 
 math leat e), " Very well," said Goban. With the 
 assistance of the working tools which lay scat- 
 tered on the ground, he, at once, commenced 
 to execute the apparently impossible task. It was 
 in the hot season of summer, and the workmen 
 were in no great hurry to return from their repast, 
 and mid-day repose, or rest. Tradition does not 
 say by what means Goban accomplished the feat, 
 whether it was by secret springs or by a combi- 
 nation of wheels, artfully introduced into the body 
 of the automaton ; but when the men returned 
 to their work, they beheld the strange sight of 
 a cat with two tails jumping about on the 
 grounds. As the old foreman could not resist 
 
OF IRELAND. 1 85 
 
 the evidence of his eyes in the matter, he ascribed 
 the whole thing to magic. The abbot himself 
 was called to behold the wonder. After admir- 
 ing it for some time, he called the young artist 
 to his presence. The words of this interview are 
 not recorded ; but Goban was invited by him 
 into the monastery, where refreshments were 
 immediately provided for the stranger, and a 
 promise given him that while he was employed 
 on these works every just consideration should 
 be extended to him. Before the church and 
 other edifices in connection with it were finished, 
 Goban was universally acknowledged to be the 
 most clever of his fellow-workmen, and pre- 
 eminently the master of all in everything that 
 required either creative genius or delicate hand- 
 ling. In reference to a person of great mechani- 
 cal abilities, there is still in Ireland often used 
 the expression, that " he would make a cat with 
 two tails which would jump over a house, like 
 the Goban Saor." 
 
 Another story says that Goban was, at one 
 time, engaged to build a grand residence for a 
 local chief, or petty king, in a remote part of the 
 country. When the work was approaching com- 
 pletion, and fully displaying its beautiful pro- 
 portions, this savage chief was so enchanted with 
 it, that he conceived the horrid idea of putting 
 the architect to death, to prevent any other man 
 in the land from ever possessing a similar resi- 
 
1 86 THE ANCIENT CHURCHES 
 
 dence. When Goban was a young man, leaving 
 home to seek his fortune in the world, his clever 
 mother, while giving her consent and her bless- 
 ing, among other admonitions, advised him, 
 wherever he should go, to make for himself friends 
 among the women. His genius and fine natural 
 qualities, coupled with the advice thus imparted, 
 made him a great favourite in that quarter. It 
 was very useful to him now. A female of the 
 family, who by some means had discovered the 
 intentions of the chief, informed him of the 
 danger, and advised him to escape from it with 
 all the tact and expedition he could command. 
 In a day or two the chief went to inspect the 
 work, and inquired of the architect how soon he 
 expected to have it finished. This inquiry was 
 suggestive of serious thought, and no small 
 apprehension. Goban, without exhibiting any 
 emotion, said that it was now fast approaching 
 completion, and that it only wanted a few finish- 
 ing touches, for which it would be necessary for 
 him to go to his own home to bring with him a 
 certain instrument, which was specially designed 
 for effecting such improvement. The chief would 
 not listen to any proposition for his departure. 
 He said that he would send his own son, a youth 
 of about twenty years old, with two servants, on 
 horses, to bring the instrument. Goban had to 
 submit. His resources, however, did not fail him. 
 When the youth, who probably knew nothing of 
 
OF IRELAND. 1 87 
 
 the intentions of the cruel father, was brought 
 to Goban, to obtain from him the name of this 
 engine, or tool, the architect told him, in the 
 presence of the chief, that it was called " the 
 crooked and the straight," an cam is an direach ; 
 that the members of his family were well ac- 
 quainted with these things, and that his daughter- 
 in-law, especially, knew where to find it. 
 
 Goban's residence was situated at a consider- 
 able distance, in the territories of another petty 
 king. The youth and his attendants, on arriv- 
 ing at the place, delivered their message. They 
 were received with kindness and hospitality. 
 The name of the strange tool, however, excited 
 some suspicion. In the architect's entire collec- 
 tion there was no such thing as the cam is an 
 direach, the crooked and the straight, and the 
 daughter-in-law, who was a sharp clever woman, 
 at once suspected that there was some mystery 
 in that strange name. She was not satisfied 
 with the reasons they gave why Goban himself 
 had not come for it, and why he had not visited 
 his home, at all, for so long a time. After some 
 consultation by the family, it was decided that 
 the two attendants would be permitted to 
 return to the chief for further explanations, but 
 that his son should be retained as hostage, till 
 inquiry should be made respecting the circum- 
 stances and the safety of Goban. The result 
 was, that not only was the architect permitted to 
 
188 THE ANCIENT CHURCHES OF IRELAND. 
 
 return safe from the territory of his would-be 
 murderer, but that he was also enabled to bring 
 with him the cattle, corn, and even the orna- 
 ments of gold which he was to receive as payment 
 for the execution of the work. 
 
 The stories in circulation about this celebrated 
 mechanist would fill a volume. Of these some 
 are the written productions of bardic chroniclers, 
 others are handed down solely by oral tradition. 
 In them, even, is preserved the memory of his 
 father Traigh Tuirbi, and of his wonderful feats, 
 also, as a wielder of the hatchet, and an architect. 
 The legend may be silly, extravagant, and highly 
 incredible in itself, but its presence is generally 
 indicative of some remarkable qualities in the 
 character or person whom it follows. It follows 
 Goban Saor, and he was one of the long line of 
 clever artificers who built the ancient churches 
 of Ireland, and, also, erected those tall, graceful, 
 and solid Round Towers which bear upon them 
 the marks of great age, and which, in valley, 
 island, and on hill-side, are now found standing, 
 in single and mystic loneliness, near a ruin 
 which was once a church, or near a church 
 which is only the distant successor of the original 
 sacred structure. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE ROUND TOWERS OF IRELAND. 
 
 The origin and use of the Towers hitherto unknown. 
 — Form, Masonry, and Architectural Features of 
 the Round Towers — Probable number of the Round 
 Towers in Ireland.— Found near ancient Churches. 
 —Their great age — Various Theories respecting 
 them.— The Name of the Round Tower in Irish, and 
 the light it throws on the subject.— It means a 
 Reed-house — They were ancient Baptisteries. — 
 Description of the ancient Christian Baptisteries 
 of the early Christians in other countries by 
 writers ancient and modern. — many features of 
 the Round Towers prove that they were of the 
 same class.— The Round Tower of Brechin in 
 Scotland.— The Round Tower of Keneigh in the 
 County of Cork. — In the early ages Baptism was 
 performed by immersion. — easter and pentecost 
 the principal periods for solemn baptisms — the 
 lowest compartment of the round tower, the place 
 for baptism, has no light, or window. — the meaning 
 of the four windows facing the cardinal points. — 
 The ancient Baptisteries called Houses of Illumi- 
 nation. — Tradition couples fire or light with 
 the Round Towers. — White lime-stone not used in 
 the walls of the towers. — the reed the model of the 
 Round Tower. — Peculiar features of the reed. — 
 The Round Tower generally single. — Two in a few 
 places. — Stumps of Towers. — Miniature Towers- 
 Architecture of the Towers resembles that of the 
 old Churches. — The Round Tower, or Reed-house 
 an emblematic structure. — a very ancient manu- 
 SCRIPT Baptismal Ritual of Ireland throws light on 
 the Reed-house.— The Round Tower a proof of 
 early Christian Civilization, and of an early 
 connection with the East. 
 
 Is it not a shame and a wonder that the true 
 idea of the origin and use of the Round Towers 
 of Ireland, should have been buried in the 
 darkness of, perhaps, a thousand years ? Yet it 
 
190 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 is so. These objects, so striking and remarkable, 
 have been made the subject of many Essays, 
 and of, almost, innumerable discussions. Still, 
 no published theory respecting them has been 
 accepted, as true or as satisfactory, by public 
 opinion. The latest distinguished writer on 
 Irish history says, that " probably the question 
 of their origin and of their use will for ever remain 
 in obscurity." In the face of such discourage- 
 ment and failure, it requires no slight energy to 
 approach the subject now with a hope of success. 
 It will not be out of place here to describe 
 briefly the general features, form, and charac- 
 teristics of these ancient structures. They are 
 round, or circular, stone edifices, varying in 
 height from fifty, to one hundred and thirty, or 
 forty feet, and in circumference from forty, 
 to sixty, or more, feet at the base. They are 
 tapering, or slightly lessening in size, from the 
 foundation upwards ; and they terminate at the 
 top in a conical head, varying from ten to fifteen, 
 or perhaps twenty, feet high. This cap or top 
 sometimes exhibits a projection in a ring or 
 cornice, at the point where it springs from the 
 body of the tower, and it is supposed that it 
 terminated in a stone cross. At the base, the 
 tower, also, usually projects outwards, in the 
 form of two or three steps, in so many courses 
 of circular masonry. In many cases, especially 
 where there is not a solid rock foundation, these 
 
OF IRELAND. 191 
 
 are only partially visible above the soil. The 
 wall at the base, is never less than three feet 
 thick, and is sometimes even five feet, when 
 required by the height and massiveness of the 
 superstructure. The body of the tower is 
 divided into stories, or landings, varying from 
 four to eight in number, according to the height 
 of the tower ; and the distance between each of 
 the stories is about twelve feet. Each of the stories 
 is lighted by an opening, or window, indiffer- 
 ently placed east, west, north, or south ; but the 
 upper story,under the conical head, is generally 
 lighted by four windows facing the cardinal points. 
 The lowest story, at, or under, the doorway, has 
 no window or aperture whatever for the trans- 
 mission of light. The windows in the stories are 
 generally narrow and small, and only one in 
 each ; while, in a few instances, in the upper- 
 most story, there are two or three openings or 
 windows, in addition to those facing the cardinal 
 points. The character of the door is very pecu- 
 liar. In some instances it is placed in the wall, 
 only five or six feet from the ground, and then 
 varies in elevation till it reaches twenty-four, or 
 perhaps, thirty feet, from the foundation of the 
 building. Its average height, however, is, per- 
 haps, about twelve or thirteen feet ; and, in some 
 instances, there is over it an aperture, or window, 
 by its largeness, resembling a second door. The 
 doorways are generally small, and hanging in 
 
192 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 from the perpendicular. The heads of them are 
 sometimes square, being formed by a stone lintel, 
 sometimes semicircular, formed by an arch, or 
 hollowed stone, and sometimes angular, being 
 formed of two massive stones, hanging in from 
 the perpendicular sides, and meeting at the apex. 
 The tops of the windows present the same varied 
 features. The masonry of the towers resembles 
 that of the ancient churches, but is more solid 
 and substantial. There is in them the same 
 irregular laying of the stones in the style called 
 Cyclopean, and also the grouting, or packing of 
 mortar, in the centre of the walls. The door- 
 ways seldom exhibit any architectural decora- 
 tions ; but there is sometimes on the lintel, or 
 over the arch, an engraved cross, or a figure of 
 the crucifixion ; and in some cases a cornice runs 
 along the outer edges. The round tower of 
 Brechin in Scotland, has on it some figures or 
 sacred emblems externally, which shall be noticed 
 hereafter. Immediately under the conical head 
 of the Round Tower of Devenish Island, in the 
 county of Fermanagh, is a richly-sculptured 
 cornice, in which are introduced four human 
 heads, one facing each of the cardinal points. 
 
 The round tower is invariably found standing 
 near an old church, or the ruins of an old church, 
 or in a place where an ancient church is known 
 to have existed. 
 
 The elevated door was reached by a flight of 
 
OF IRELAND. 
 
 193 
 
 steps, or a ladder from the outside; and the stories 
 were reached by a ladder erected inside from one 
 to the other. In them the different landings 
 were formed of wooden flooring, for the joists or 
 supports of which there were either off-sets, or 
 resting-places, made in the construction of the 
 walls. In many of the towers the stories are 
 marked externally by set-offs. They are indi- 
 cated in the one at Ardmore by bands or belts. 
 The ancient stone steps to the door, having, 
 apparently, in the lapse of ages, undergone' 
 many repairs and restorations, are still found 
 in connexion with the perfect round tower of 
 Clondalkin, near Dublin. They wind round, 
 and close to, the outer base, resting on a support 
 of stone and mortar rubble- work, and they spring 
 from a point on the south side which, by an easy 
 ascent, leads to the elevated door on the east. 
 The solidity of the materials and of the work- 
 manship in the walls of the lowers has been well 
 tested and proved by the frosts, heats, storms, 
 and rains of many hundred years. In most of 
 them, however, the sharp conical head has been 
 injured or destroyed, more, probably, by the 
 effects of lightning than any other cause. It is 
 only in very {qw specimens that this peculiar 
 cap is perfect ; but they all possessed it at one 
 time. Possibly, not a few owe its disappearance 
 or destruction, to Vandal ignorance, or vulgar 
 utility, as in many cases it might have been 
 
194 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 removed to make the top more open for trans- 
 mitting the sound of a bell. Something of this 
 kind has occurred to the round tower of Cloyne. 
 About the year 1683 a bell was hung in it. The 
 top was then open ; but it is not ascertained 
 whether that was the result of design or of acci- 
 dent. It was subsequently struck by lightning 
 and the bell broken. For the protection of the 
 new bell, its successor, ten feet of masonry were 
 added to the top of the tower. This part was 
 made to terminate in a castellated form, instead 
 of the ancient conical head. The inner walls of 
 the top of the tower of Ardmore have been 
 scooped out, or cut away, to permit the swinging 
 of a bell, though the conical head has been spared. 
 There were, probably, in Ireland, at one time, 
 more than one hundred of these curious structures, 
 of which seventy or eighty now remain in various 
 stages of preservation and dilapidation. The 
 Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge 
 professed to have traced out the existence of 
 one hundred and eighteen of them. Their list, 
 which included fallen towers as well as those 
 standing, was published in the year 1845, and is, 
 perhaps, as accurate as it could be in circum- 
 stances of the kind. Possibly, it was somewhat 
 in excess of the real number. In many of the 
 towers the masonry and materials are of a very 
 superior and durable quality. All, however, were 
 of the same form, or model, that is, rotund, 
 
OF IRELAND. 195 
 
 tapering to the top, and terminating in a conical 
 head. 
 
 It must be admitted that, in not a few in- 
 stances, human hands have assisted the elements 
 in obliterating all vestiges of many Round Towers. 
 This was the case with respect to the Round 
 Tower of Rosscarbery, of which not a trace now 
 remains, and, also, with regard to the Round 
 Tower which stood near the church of Saint 
 Finbarr, in the city of Cork. In the year 
 1720, a violent storm threw down the Round 
 Tower of Brigowne, near Mitchelstown, leaving 
 standing of it only a fragment or stump about 
 fifteen feet high from the base. In that state it 
 continued till about fifty years ago, when this 
 fragment was taken down, and the stones used 
 in the erection of a new glebe-house or parson- 
 age, in its immediate neighbourhood. The 
 key-stone or lintel over the door, which had on 
 it an inscribed cross, the workmen refused to 
 take away; and that is either buried in the 
 adjoining cemetery, or, perhaps, forms there 
 now the foot-stone of an unknown grave. 
 
 Saint Finneachan, or Finnchu, was, at an 
 early period, bishop and abbot of Brigowne. 
 His staff or crozier was kept there for ages as a 
 venerable relic, and of himself there is in the 
 ancient book of Lismore a curious biography, 
 replete, according to the taste of the age in 
 which it was written, with legends, wonders, and 
 
196 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 supernatural incidents. Finncu means the " fair 
 hero or warrior," a name which, probably, he 
 obtained because, as this record of his life states, 
 he had often, even on the battle-field, personally 
 assisted his friends, in the cause of right against 
 might. The site of his monastery was called 
 Bruig;he-amhane, which means the field or farm 
 of the river. Though the Round Tower and mo- 
 nastery have disappeared, the ruins of the old 
 church are still standing there, and the memory 
 of Finneachan himself lives distinct and undy- 
 ing in the local traditions of the people. 
 
 The age of the towers is truly great. In even 
 the twelfth century, at the period of the English 
 invasion, legend and story had gathered round 
 them, on account of their great antiquity. In 
 recording the physical wonders of Ireland, an 
 English priest, Sylvester Gerald Barry (Giraldus 
 Cambrensis), who had come with King John to 
 this country, says that the fishermen of Lough 
 Neagh, at certain 1 times, saw the submerged 
 round towers of past ages shining at the bottom 
 of that lake. Or, as the poet Moore has ren- 
 dered it : — 
 
 On Lough Neagh's bank as the fisherman strays, 
 
 When the clear cold eve's declining, 
 ~Ie sees the round towers of other days 
 
 In the wave beneath him shining. 
 
 Now, what was the use or origin of these 
 
OF IRELAND. 197 
 
 singular structures ? By many they have been 
 regarded as works erected under the reign of 
 Druidism, and, in some way connected with the 
 rites and ceremonies of that mysterious system. 
 Some, with Valiancy, Dr. Lanigan, O'Brien, 
 Dalton, Beaufort, and Moore, believed that they 
 were houses, or temples, for the Pagan fire-wor- 
 ship, or for the performance of some ceremonies 
 connected with the old Druidicai religion. 
 Others, with Dr. O'Connor, thought that they 
 were used by the Druids as observatories for 
 astronomical purposes. Others have said that 
 they were high places used for proclaiming, by 
 sound or light, or both, the Druidicai festivals ; 
 and others, with Windele and Father Horgan, 
 maintained that they were, in Pagan times, places 
 of sepulture, or mausoleums for distinguished 
 personages. All these theories are founded on 
 conjecture, or on some facts or circumstances 
 from which, undoubtedly, no convincing proof can 
 be deduced. 
 
 There is another large host of writers and anti- 
 quaries who claim forthe Round Towers a Christian 
 origin, and say that they were erected for some 
 purpose in connexion with the rites and practices 
 of the Christian religion. On the particular pur- 
 pose or object, however, for which they were 
 erected, these writers are not agreed. Some say 
 they were built by the Danes ; but for what use 
 
198 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 they know not. Others say that they were 
 used by the early anchorites as penitential 
 stations. Others assert that they were used as 
 beacons, or bell-towers, in connexion with ancient 
 churches. Lastly, Dr. Petrie, whose essay on 
 the subject obtained a prize and gold medal 
 from the Royal Irish Academy, maintained that 
 they were intended to serve as belfries and also 
 as keeps, or places of strength, in which the 
 sacred utensils, books, relics, and other valuables 
 of the adjoining church were preserved, and into 
 which the ecclesiastics to whom they belonged 
 could retire for security, in cases of sudden pre- 
 datory attacks. 
 
 It would be an almost endless task to examine 
 the grounds for these various theories, with a 
 view to their refutation. It is only the true 
 theory that can accomplish the work, and, if 
 that can be discovered, it will demolish all these 
 at one stroke. But with respect to Dr. Petrie's 
 theory, one would imagine that a slight and 
 narrow tower, one hundred, or one hundred and 
 thirty, feet high, would be a poor place to fly to 
 with one's treasures, when a few stones taken 
 out of the foundation with a crow-bar would 
 soon bring the whole structure crashing to the 
 ground. That elevation, too, would not be the 
 best suited for the ringing of a bell, or the 
 transmission of its sound, especially when we 
 know how small were the bells of early times, 
 
OF IRELAND, 1 99 
 
 compared with those in use at present. Possibly, 
 to the circumstance of their never having pos- 
 sessed any treasure, is mainly due the preserva- 
 tion of so many of the Round Towers to this 
 day. 
 
 Perhaps, according to our motto, Antiquum 
 exquirite matrcm, — " Search out the ancient 
 mother" — the name of the Round Tower in the 
 Irish language may throw some light on its use 
 and origin. In the Irish Annals and old 
 Chronicles we find the names, Cloictheach, and 
 Cloigtheach applied to the Round Towers and to 
 other structures. Cloictheach means " the house 
 of stone," and cloigtheach, "the house of the 
 bell," or bellfry. But the universal popular 
 name of the Round Tower in Munster,Connaught, 
 and other Irish-speaking parts of Ireland is 
 cuilccach, or cuktheach. This name is formed 
 from cuilc, " a reed," and theach, " a house," that 
 is, the reed-house, or reed-shaped structure. 
 Thus, the people have always said, with constant 
 unerring accuracy, when speaking of these struc- 
 tures, cuilccach Cluina ,the Round Towerof Cloyne ; 
 cuilccach Colmain, the Round Tower of Colman, 
 (the patron saint) ; cuilccach Deaglain, the Round 
 Tower of Deaglan (of Ardmore), and so on. 
 Some have said that cuilccach is a mere corrup- 
 tion of cloigtheach, " the bell-house." It is no 
 such thing. It is the real, true name of the 
 Round Tower in Irish, and is pronounced by the 
 
200 TIIK ROUND TOWERS 
 
 people with unmistakable accuracy. There is 
 growing in the bogs and rivers of Ireland a large 
 kind of cuilc, or reed, with a conical head, which, 
 in form and shape, resembles the lines of the 
 Round Tower, and which, I am sure, was originally 
 taken as the model for it. Any one looking at 
 the perfect Round Tower of Ratoo in Kerry, and 
 at the reeds growing in the water near it, must 
 be, at once, struck by the great resemblance in 
 shape which they bear to one another. 
 
 But what meaning, or mystery, is there in the 
 reed, which it could communicate to the reed- 
 house, or the round tower ? The reed is an 
 emblem of Saint John the Baptist, and, 
 naturally, an emblem, or indication, of the water 
 by which it is produced. Our Saviour in the 
 Gospel compares Saint John to a reed shaken 
 by the wind. ".What went you out into the 
 desert to see ? A reed shaken by the wind ?" 
 Or, as it is in the Irish, " Cuilc luasgah lets an 
 ngaoith ?" Luke vii. 24. This points to the Round 
 Towers as being of that class of structures called 
 Baptisteries, which, in the early ages of Chris- 
 tianity, were attached to the Episcopal Churches, 
 and in which adults of both sexes, as well as 
 young persons, were baptised by immersion, and 
 received, immediately after, the sacrament of 
 confirmation from the hands of the bishop. 
 There are various facts and circumstances, to be 
 stated hereafter, which I think will place this 
 
OF IRELAND. 201 
 
 matter beyond all doubt. As a preparation for 
 the proof, however, it will be useful to reproduce 
 here what the learned French writer, Bergier, 
 says of these ancient Baptisteries in his Ency- 
 clopaedia of Theology, at Article Baptistere. 
 
 " The early Christians, as we are told by Saint 
 Justin, Martyr, and by Tertullian, had no other 
 baptisteries than the streams, the rivers, lakes, 
 or the sea, near which they happened to be, or 
 to reside, and as, at times, persecution did not 
 permit them to baptize by day, they went there 
 for the purpose by night, and they sometimes 
 baptized in private houses. But when the 
 Christian religion was embraced and protected 
 by the emperors, besides the churches, particular 
 structures were erected specially for administer- 
 ing baptism in them, and these were called 
 baptisteries. Some authors have believed that 
 these baptisteries were placed within the 
 entrance or body of the church, as are our 
 baptismal fonts at present. This is a mistake. 
 The baptisteries were edifices placed altogether 
 outside the churches, and standing at some dis- 
 tance from their external walls. The words of 
 St. Paulinus, of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, and of 
 St. Augustin, leave no room for doubt on this 
 subject. These baptisteries continued to be 
 separated from the churches to the end of the 
 sixth century, at which time baptismal fonts 
 commenced to be placed in the inner entrance 
 
 K 2 
 
202 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 to the church, such as that in which Clovis re- 
 ceived baptism from the hand of St. Remis. 
 This usage, afterwards, became general, except 
 with respect to some churches which continued 
 to retain the ancient practice, such as the church 
 of Florence, and the Episcopal churches of 
 Tuscany, the Metropolitan Church of Ravenna, 
 and the Church of St. John of Latteran, at 
 Rome. 
 
 " These edifices were of very large dimen- 
 sions, considering that early period ; and bap- 
 tism was administered in them by immersion, or 
 by dipping the whole body in the water ; and, 
 except in cases of necessity, it was only at 
 the two most solemn festivals of the year, that 
 is, at Easter and at Pentecost, that such baptism 
 was administered. The immense number of 
 persons who presented themselves for baptism on 
 these occasions, and the necessity of baptizing 
 females separately from the males, rendered it 
 necessary to have these places large. In them 
 even altars and other matters were required to 
 administer the sacraments of Confirmation and 
 of the Eucharist to the neophytes immediately 
 after their baptism. These baptisteries had 
 different names, such as Piscina, and also Houses 
 of Illumination, &c, &c, all referring to the 
 graces which were received through the sacra- 
 ments there administered." 
 
 " We find very little in the writings of the 
 
OF IRELAND. 203 
 
 ancients relative to the form and ornaments of 
 these baptisteries. The following is what Fleury 
 has collected on the subject from the writings of 
 St. Athanatius, of Gregory of Tours, and of 
 others : — ' The baptistery was generally a round 
 building, in which it was necessary to descend, 
 or go down, a few steps to reach the water-font, 
 or bath. The baptistery was ornamented with 
 pictures or engravings suitable to the sacrament, 
 and provided with vessels of gold and silver to 
 contain the holy oils, and also to pour out the 
 water. These had often on them the figure of 
 a lamb, or of a hind, to represent the lamb in 
 whose blood we are purified, and the desire of 
 the souls who sought God, like the hind that 
 panteth for the waters. There was on them the 
 figure or image of St. John the Baptist, and also 
 a suspended dove of gold or silver, to represent 
 the history of the baptism of Jesus Christ, and 
 the virtue of the Holy Ghost descending on the 
 baptismal water.' So far the words of Fleury 
 in his work ' On the Manners of the Early Chris- 
 tians (Mceurs des anciens Chretiens)! " Bergier then 
 continues :—" At first the baptisteries were only 
 in the episcopal cities or towns ; and from this it 
 follows that, even at the present day, the Ambro- 
 sian rite does not permit the blessing of the fonts, 
 on the eves of Easter and Pentecost, to be per- 
 formed anywhere but in the metropolitan church, 
 from which the parochial churches are to take 
 
204 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 the water thus blessed, to mix it with the water 
 used in them for baptism. In the church of 
 Meaux it is the custom for the priests of the 
 country to come in, and assist in baptizing the 
 children, from Holy Saturday to the Saturday 
 following, in the fonts of the cathedral church." 
 
 One or two extracts from an English London 
 Cyclopaedia on this subject of the ancient bap- 
 tisteries, may be of some service. It says : — 
 " These baptisteries generally stand near the 
 churches to which they belong: the form is, for the 
 most part, hexagonal, although many are circular. 
 The baptistery of Florence, which is octangular, 
 stands opposite to the principal entrance of the 
 cathedral, and in the centre of it stood a very fine 
 octagonal basin. The baptistery of Pisa is cir- 
 cular. The building is raised on three steps, and 
 surmounted with a dome in the shape of a pear, 
 and on it is placed a statue of St. John. The 
 city of Ravenna, and the episcopal cities of 
 Tuscany, have also their baptisteries. The bap- 
 tismal font, or basin, was always placed in the 
 building. At the close of the sixth century, the 
 baptismal fonts belonging to the baptisteries 
 began to be placed in the churches." — Penny 
 Cyclopaedia. 
 
 Are there any features in the Irish Round 
 Towers to correspond with the characteristics of 
 the ancient baptisteries as described in these 
 extracts ? There are many ; and every circum- 
 
OF IRELAND. 205 
 
 stance connected with them can be easily ex- 
 plained by supposing that they are buildings of 
 this class. In the first place, they are found 
 near the old Episcopal Churches, where the 
 bishop was present to administer the sacra- 
 ment of confirmation, which, in the early ages of 
 Christianity, was always received immediately 
 after baptism. This is the practice in the East- 
 ern, or Greek, Church to the present day. In 
 the second place, the Round Towers, in many 
 instances, exhibit the figures and emblems pecu- 
 liar to the ancient baptisteries. 
 
 Firstly, they are found near the Episcopal 
 churches of the early ages. Among these are to 
 be included the churches of monasteries governed 
 by mitred abbots, who, in the early periods of 
 Christianity in Ireland, performed Episcopal 
 functions for the people in their immediate neigh- 
 bourhood. In many instances a small diocese 
 was attached to a monastery thus circumstanced. 
 The Irish Annals, especially those of the Four 
 Masters, make frequent mention of the mitred 
 abbot, or as they call him, "bishop and abbot," 
 in recording his death and his virtues, or some 
 other important circumstance connected with 
 him. By the side of his church stood the ancient 
 Round Tower, or the reed-house ; and there, in 
 many instances, it stands to-day, when the 
 church and the monastery have totally disap- 
 peared. Those who received the waters of 
 
206 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 regeneration in the lower compartment of that 
 baptistery, were immediately afterwards con- 
 firmed by the bishop-abbot, and they were also 
 admitted to holy communion. This sufficiently 
 accounts for the fact, hitherto unexplained, of 
 the Round Tower being found near certain 
 churches, while near others no trace of it has 
 ever been seen. 
 
 Secondly, the Irish Round Tower has, in form, 
 site, and emblem, the peculiarities of the ancient 
 baptisteries. These were round, high, and large, 
 and so is the Round Tower. They were generally 
 placed opposite to the principal entrance to the 
 church, and so was the Round Tower. As we 
 have already seen, the door in our ancient 
 churches was always placed in the western gable ; 
 and in that direction, at a little distance away, 
 stands the cuilccach, or reed-house, with its 
 elevated door generally facing the door of the 
 church. In some instances it is found a little to 
 the right or to the left of the western gable of 
 the present church standing near it ; but, per- 
 haps, that present church is only a successor of 
 the original sacred structure which stood more 
 directly opposite to its reed-house. The door of 
 the ancient church was always in the western 
 gable, and the Round Tower was invariably in 
 that direction. Where the door of the Round 
 Tower deviates, to the right or to the left, from 
 due east, it is to be inferred that the west end of 
 
OF IRELAND. 2QJ 
 
 its early church was a little to the right or to the 
 left of it ; for the door of the tower always looked 
 towards the door of the church. 
 
 The emblems will fully establish our theory. 
 In the description of the ancient Baptis- 
 teries it is stated that they generally had an 
 emblem, a figure, or image, of Saint John the 
 Baptist. The Irish Round Tower is, in itself, 
 an emblem of him. In the Gospel, he is com- 
 pared to the " reed shaken by the wind," from 
 the circumstance, perhaps, of his having appeared 
 among the reeds, when baptizing the people in 
 the waters of the Jordan. The Round Tower is, 
 in the language of the country, called the reed- 
 house, and, in form and shape, resembles the 
 large reed that grows in the lakes and rivers of 
 Ireland. Here, then, in every case is an emblem 
 of the Saint, as also of the water. 
 
 But this is not all. We find in the description 
 of the ancient baptisteries that they had on them 
 often an image of Saint John the Baptist, and also 
 of a lamb. These identical figures are found on 
 one of the Round Towers. In Scotland, there 
 are two Round Towers in exact shape and form 
 like those of Ireland. One stands near the old 
 Episcopal Church of Brechin, the other near the 
 old Episcopal Church of Abernethy. These were 
 manifestly erected by the Irish ecclesiastics who 
 followed their countrymen, Fearghus Mor and 
 his brothers, into Scotland, when Fearghus was 
 
208 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 elected and crowned king of that country about 
 the year 500. It was he and his followers who, 
 for this occasion, carried the famous Lia-fail, or 
 " Stone of Destiny," more properly, the " Stone 
 of the King," with them, from Ireland, to serve 
 at his coronation. On the Round Tower of 
 Brechin is the figure of Saint John the Baptist, 
 holding a lamb in his arms, and a cup in his 
 hand. Ledwich, in his work on Irish Antiquities, 
 gives a good lithograph illustration of the door- 
 way of this tower with these figures on the 
 wall. The meaning of these figures is to convey 
 a representation of the baptism of Jesus Christ 
 by St. John in the Jordan, as it is thus recorded 
 in the Gospel : — " These things were done in 
 Bethania beyond the Jordan, where John was 
 baptizing. The next day John saw Jesus 
 coming to him, and he saith : Behold the Lamb 
 of God, behold Him who taketh away the sin of 
 the world." — John i. 28, 29. 
 
 St. Luke adds, that when Jesus w r as baptized 
 by John, the Holy Ghost descended on him as 
 he was coming out of the water. The figures on 
 Brechin Round Tower, being an illustration, or 
 representation, of the baptism of Jesus Christ, 
 indicate that this structure was a place for bap- 
 tism, too. But what means the cup in the hand 
 of St. John ? It is the vessel with which the 
 water was poured on the head, or body, of the 
 person to be baptized ; a circumstance which 
 
OF IRELAND. 209 
 
 tells us that in these reed-houses, or baptisteries, 
 baptism was sometimes performed by infusion, 
 that is, by pouring the water on the body, as 
 well as by immersion, that is, by dipping the 
 whole body in the water. It depended, perhaps, 
 much on the health, or convenience, of the 
 person, as to what way he was to receive baptism, 
 whether by immersion or infusion. 
 
 These figures place the object for which the 
 Round Towers were erected beyond all doubt. 
 Here Ledwich had in his hands the silken clue 
 to the origin and use of that tower at Brechin, if 
 he had been sufficiently acquainted with the 
 ecclesiastical history of the early ages of Chris- 
 tianity. But, in his ardour for polemical warfare, 
 Ledwich was always looking out for horrors and 
 monsters in that direction. 
 
 Another distinctive feature, peculiar to the 
 ancient baptisteries, is found in one of the Round 
 Towers of Ireland. In the description of the old 
 baptismal structures, both in the Eastern and 
 Western Churches, it is stated that some of them 
 were of an hexagonal form, and others octangu- 
 lar, and that the bason, or font, in them was 
 often octangular, too. Six and eight were mystic 
 numbers. The one was emblematical of the 
 manifold gifts of the Holy Ghost ; the other of 
 the eight Beatitudes. These emblematical num- 
 bers are still found on many of the fonts of 
 ancient churches in various countries. And, as if 
 
210 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 in a special manner, to indicate the class of 
 buildings to which it belongs, a lonely Round 
 Tower, in the county of Cork, has on its external 
 surface, in its six sides and six angles, the old 
 mystic number of the ancient baptisteries. The 
 first story of the Round Tower of Keneigh, near 
 Bandon, is of the hexagonal form, while the rest 
 of the structure from that to the summit is round. 
 The first story, or lower compartment, was 
 that which contained within it the bason or 
 baptismal font ; and here it has on it the old 
 emblem of the manifold gifts of the Holy 
 Ghost, in allusion to the descent of the Holy 
 Ghost on Jesus, as he came out of the water. 
 Keneigh, at an early age, had its monastery, and, 
 as it is stated also, its " bishop and abbot," though 
 now almost every vestige of the monastery has 
 disappeared, leaving the round tower there in 
 real mystic loneliness. The name Keneigh, or 
 Kinneierh, would seem to be formed from cinn, 
 "heads," and eigh, "horses ;" as the high rocky 
 eminences around it seem to resemble the heads 
 of horses. The history of Keneigh, of its monas- 
 tery, abbots, and Round Tower, has almost passed 
 into the dark night of oblivion. Its first abbot 
 and founder is said to have been Mocoemoge, 
 or Mocolmoge, by whom also, in all probability, 
 was erected the reed-house or Round Tower, 
 built up in the mystic hexagonal form, to the 
 height of sixteen feet from the foundation, the 
 
OF IRELAND. 211 
 
 tower itself being seventy-five feet high, and 
 sixty-five feet in circumference at the base. It 
 was much higher at one time, as the conical 
 head and a part of the uppermost shaft are 
 wanting, having, probably, been destroyed by 
 the lightning and rains of ages. In the Annals 
 of the Four Masters, there is one short notice of 
 this place at the year 850, where it is said that 
 "Forbhasach, son of Maeluidhir, abbot of the 
 Large Church of Cinnech, died." Over the rest 
 of its subsequent history reigns an unbroken 
 silence. Many religious traditions and usages, 
 however, prevail around the place, owing, doubt- 
 less, to its ancient character. 
 
 The hexagonal form of this Keneigh Tower, or 
 " reed-house," is most important in determining 
 the class of buildings to which it belongs. The 
 Cyclopaedia, already quoted, says that the ancient 
 baptisteries of other countries were for the most 
 part hexagonal and round. Here we have these 
 characteristics; and if the hexagonal form is not 
 found in any of the other towers, it was owing, 
 perhaps, to the difficulty of building up such high 
 and narrow structures in that shape. Even the 
 one of Keneigh is not carried up higher than the 
 first story in that form. Roundness was equally 
 peculiar to the ancient baptisteries, and, probably, 
 that feature was universally borrowed from the 
 reed, the acknowledged emblem of St. John the 
 Baptist, 
 
212 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 Keneigh Tower has, also, another feature 
 worth remarking. It is the original floor, at 
 the door, over the lowest compartment, which 
 contained the baptismal font In most other 
 towers this is wanting, as, very likely, it consisted 
 of timber or boards resting on joists and covering 
 the whole space, having, however, a hole or open- 
 ing in it to allow an entrance to the compartment 
 below. In the Keneigh tower this floor consists 
 of large flag-stones inserted in the side-walls, and 
 extending from them so far as to cover the whole 
 space over the lowest compartment, leaving, how- 
 ever, a hole, or opening, in the centre of the floor, 
 about three feet in diameter. That was the 
 entrance to the underneath apartment, the place 
 for baptism. These flag-stones extending from 
 the side-walls are so nicely cut and fitted as to 
 form a level and even floor. For ages, even to the 
 lowest compartment, the tower was the habitation 
 of rock pigeons ; but as lately a bell was placed 
 in it, these birds have taken their departure. 
 
 This original floor, and the opening in it, supply 
 an additional proof of the accuracy of the present 
 theory. It shows that the under compartment 
 was one of importance, and that there should be 
 easy access to it, while it was to be wholly and 
 absolutely secluded and private. Not an accent 
 could be heard outside from that apartment, nor 
 a ray of light seen. 
 
 Keneigh is now lonely and desolate ; but one 
 
OF IRELAND. 213 
 
 can, in imagination, carry himself back to a scene 
 which presented itself there when the symbolical 
 reed-house was used for its original purpose. He 
 can imagine the time to be Easter, one of the 
 great festivals of the year at which the solemn 
 public baptisms were performed in the early ages 
 of Christianity. The foundation of the old church 
 in the grave-yard, still indicated by a broken and 
 rugged elevation of the ground, shows that the 
 reed-house, or Round Tower, stood, as usual, at a 
 short distance from its western gable, in which 
 was the entrance or doorway. A fragment of 
 this gable was standing about thirty years ago, 
 when it was pulled down, and the stones used in 
 the construction of a new glebe-house. The door 
 of the tower is fourteen feet from the ground, 
 and faced the door of the church. In some 
 towers the door is as low as five feet from the 
 foundation, while in very few it rises above 
 twenty feet, making the average height, perhaps, 
 about eleven or twelve feet. 
 
 Here at Keneigh are great multitudes of people 
 assembled for this solemn occasion. The priests, 
 too, are there in large numbers. Some of them 
 have come there in company with their people 
 from distant parts of the country: others belonged 
 to the monastery of the bishop-abbot. An easy 
 flight of stone, or wooden, steps, or stairs, leads 
 from the ground to the door of the reed-house, 
 and up this passage are seen persons ascending, 
 
214 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 and then, from the landing at the doorway, de- 
 scending into the lower compartment of the 
 building through that opening found there to this 
 day. They are now inside that hexagon-shaped 
 compartment, and, in a short time, they are seen 
 descending to the outer ground again, and proceed- 
 ing to the church where the mitred abbot is, in his 
 episcopal robes, ready to administer to them the 
 sacrament of Confirmation. Who are these that 
 are going up into the reed-house, and coming back 
 in that manner again ? They are those who, up to 
 this time, have been designated by the name of 
 Catechumens, that is, persons placed under a course 
 of instruction preparatory to baptism. Hitherto 
 they were permitted only to listen to sermons and 
 holy reading, but never to be present at the per- 
 formance of the mysteries of the altar. In that 
 compartment of the tower which they have entered 
 there are lights burning, and there stands, also, 
 the large font of water which has received the 
 solemn blessing prescribed by the Church. In 
 that font they have received the trine immersion, 
 and been baptised in the name of the Father, 
 and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Some, 
 perhaps, in consequence of delicate health, have 
 received the sacrament by infusion or aspersion, 
 that is, by pouring or sprinkling the water on 
 their heads or bodies. They are now in the 
 church, receiving confirmation from the hands of 
 the bishop, and, after that, they are to be imme- 
 
OF IRELAND. 21 5 
 
 diately admitted to Holy Communion. Hence- 
 forward they are permitted to be present at the 
 holy mysteries of the altar, and to enjoy all the 
 privileges of a Christian. 
 
 The enthusiasm and religious joy that swayed 
 the neophytes and their friends, on these occa- 
 sions, could scarcely be imagined at present. 
 There were often among those who received the 
 regenerating waters of baptism, on such occa- 
 sions, the reclaimed sanguinary chief, the young- 
 men from foreign lands who had come in quest 
 of learning to Erin, and, even, the converted 
 Druid, who, till very lately, had clung to his 
 pillar-temple and stone altar, in the distant 
 recesses of the mountains. 
 
 While these proceedings were going on at 
 Keneigh, the bishop of Rosscarberry was using, 
 for the same purpose, the reed-house which stood 
 near the church of his monastery ; the Bishop of 
 Cork, the reed-house which stood near his 
 Cathedral ; the Bishop of Cloyne, the reed- 
 house which stands there still ; and so on, 
 through the length and breadth of Ireland. 
 
 On these occasions, the neophytes, or newly 
 baptized persons, received, at the religious cere- 
 mony, a white garment, or veil, which they wore 
 for several days after. From this circumstance, 
 Low Sunday, or the next after Easter, is, in the 
 language of the church, called the " Sunday in 
 White." Special reference was made to them in 
 
2l6 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 the public liturgy of that day, and a fervent 
 prayer offered up to God in their behalf. From the 
 same appearance of the neophytes baptized at 
 Pentecost, Pentecost Sunday is popularly called 
 White, or Whit Sunday. These two great solemn 
 festivals occurred within that period of the 
 ecclesiastical year which, in the language of the 
 church, is called the Paschal time. Thus, in 
 Irish, Easter Sunday is called Domhnach Caisce, 
 the Sunday of the Pasch, and Pentecost Sunday, 
 Domhnach cinnchishe, that is, the Sunday of the 
 head, or end of the Pasch. In some places 
 solemn baptisms w r ere also performed on the 
 festivals of Christmas, of the Epiphany, and of 
 St. John the Baptist. 
 
 It has been remarked by Dr. Petrie, and other 
 writers on the subject of the Round Towers, that 
 the lowest compartment has, in no case, a 
 window or aperture for the transmission of light, 
 while each of the other stories has always one or 
 more windows. For this peculiar feature they 
 are utterly unable to account. They have also 
 observed that, in this lowest compartment, have 
 been, often, found, mixed with the materials of 
 the floor, ashes, the remains of charcoal, and 
 other indications of fire, together with broken 
 pieces of pottery. The cause of these appear- 
 ances, too, they have failed to explain. 
 
 But, in the true theory, these details and ap- 
 pearances will fit with admirable exactness. 
 
OF IRELAND. 217 
 
 There is no window in the lowest compartment ; 
 for here candles were lighted at the ceremony of 
 baptism ; and it was proper that the persons 
 engaged there, and who had often to alter their 
 dresses for the occasion, could not, by any pos- 
 sibility, be seen from the outside. As, in the 
 ancient baptisteries of foreign lands, there were 
 places partitioned off there for undressing and 
 redressing. On the days appointed for women, 
 these were accompanied to the place by their 
 female friends. This arrangement accounts for 
 the total exclusion of light from without, while 
 the interior was sufficiently illumined by the 
 candles, or lamps, used at the sacred ceremony. 
 As for the ashes, charcoal, and other indications 
 of fire, together with the broken pieces of 
 pottery, these may be naturally expected in a 
 place to which fire must have been carried in 
 some vessels, most likely of burned clay, to light 
 the candles, and, as it was probably required at 
 times, to air or heat the apartment, and temper 
 the water used at baptism. The often severe 
 weather at Easter, would suggest the necessity 
 for a provision of this kind. Vessels of that sort 
 might have been often also used for holding or 
 pouring out the water on occasions of baptism. 
 
 But what of the four windows, at the upper- 
 most story of the tower, facing the cardinal 
 points ? Can they be accounted for in any 
 rational manner, in reference to these buildings, 
 
21 8 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 as baptisteries, in connection with the ancient 
 churches? They can. Even in the site and con- 
 struction of the churches themselves, the cardinal 
 points were scrupulously observed. Their walls 
 ran east and west, north and south ; the altar 
 window being always in the east gable, and 
 the door in the west. What, then, could be 
 more natural than that, in an important edifice 
 of a religious character, in connection with them, 
 the cardinal points, too, would be indicated by 
 some features of the building ? But it appears 
 that these four windows had, in themselves, a 
 peculiar symbolical meaning. Four is a mystic 
 number of the sacred Scriptures. It is frequently 
 used in the Old Testament, and in the New. In 
 the Gospel it is said : — " And he shall send his 
 angels with a trumpet and a great voice : and 
 they shall gather together his elect, from the 
 four winds/' Matt. xxiv. 31. St. Augustin, com- 
 menting on the mystic meaning of this passage, 
 says, " For the parts of the world are four, the 
 east, the west, the north, and the south. These 
 four parts are frequently mentioned in Scripture. 
 From these four winds, as the Lord says in the 
 Gospel, from the four winds he is to collect his 
 elect : therefore from all these four winds is the 
 church called. How is it called ? It is from all 
 parts called in the Trinity. It is not called but 
 by baptism, in the name of the Father, and of 
 the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." (Expos. 
 
OF IRELAND. 219 
 
 Super Psalmum 86). This was the mystic mean- 
 ing of the four windows of the reed-house, 
 facing, as we now express it, the four cardinal 
 points of the compass, or the four winds. Per- 
 sons were here called to baptism and to the 
 church, from the east, west, north, and south. 
 
 As a striking and singular illustration of the 
 subject, there is a reference to this Scriptural 
 figure in the Church's prayer of the blessing of 
 the baptismal font for Easter and other seasons of 
 the year, where it says, " Here the priest divides 
 the water with his hands, and throws some of it 
 outside the margin of the font, towards the four 
 quarters of the globe." Hie manu aquam dividat, 
 et deinde de ea effundat extra marginem font is 
 versus quatuor orbis partes. The four windows 
 were, manifestly, an emblem of this figure. That 
 the cardinal points had an allegorical meaning 
 in reference to baptism is certain. In addition 
 to what has been already stated on the subject, 
 it may be observed, that an ancient manuscript 
 Ritual of the Cathedral Church of Saltzburgh, 
 in Germany, directed that the head of the per- 
 son who is being baptized should be dipped in 
 the water, first towards the east, then towards 
 the south, and then towards the north, in the 
 name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
 Holy Ghost. St. Virgilius, a native of Ireland, 
 was, at an early period, bishop of this church. 
 Perhaps, it may not be unlikely that the same 
 
220 THE ROUND TOWERS. 
 
 rule or rubric was observed in Ireland, the native 
 country of Virgilius, where the cardinal points 
 were conspicuously indicated in the very struc- 
 tures in which baptism was performed. How- 
 ever this may be, it is manifest that the mystical 
 meaning, expressed in it, was also conveyed by 
 the four windows respectively facing the east, 
 south, north, and west. The coincidence be- 
 tween this and the construction of the large vat, 
 or " molten sea," for containing water in the 
 temple of Solomon, is very striking and sugges- 
 tive. This vat, which contained more than 
 twelve thousand gallons of water, was placed upon 
 supports which consisted of the brazen figures of 
 twelve oxen. Three of these faced each of the 
 four winds, or of the cardinal points. " It 
 stood," says 3rd of Kings, verse 25, "upon 
 twelve oxen, of which three looked towards the 
 north, and three towards the west, and three to- 
 wards the south, and three towards the east." 
 This molten sea, or large water-vessel, in the 
 temple of Solomon, was, probably, regarded as a 
 symbol of baptism and of the baptismal font. 
 At all events, its peculiar features with respect 
 to the cardinal points exhibit a close and singu- 
 lar analogy to that ceremony of the blessing of 
 the baptismal water which regards the four 
 quarters of the globe, and, also, to the four win- 
 dows of the Irish baptistery, or reed-house. 
 And if, as it is supposed, lights were placed at 
 
OF IRELAND. 22 1 
 
 night in that part of the reed-house, during the 
 great festivals, the additional feature would give to 
 the figure a deeper and more expressive signifi- 
 cance. The ancient baptisteries of other lands, 
 as the extracts from the French writers have 
 stated, were called houses of illumination, or of 
 light. Hence in the early ages of Christianity, 
 baptized persons were called, in the Latin lan- 
 guage, Illiiminati, that is "the Illuminated, or En- 
 lightened." It is not known for what special reason 
 these edifices were called by that name ; whether 
 it was because the persons baptized in them had 
 gone through a long course of instruction before 
 they received the sacrament, or becausethrough it 
 the graces and enlightenment of the Holy Ghost 
 descended on them, or because St. John the 
 Baptist, the acknowledged patron of the baptist- 
 eries, is, in the Gospel, called a burning and 
 shining light, or, as it is in the Latin version of 
 the Church, Lticerna ardens et lucens. John v. 
 35. From one or other of these causes, or, per- 
 haps, from all combined, the baptismal structure 
 was called a house of light, and the persons 
 baptized in it, the illuminated. The burning 
 candle, which was always placed in the hand of 
 the newly baptized person, had, of course, a 
 reference to the same mystic meaning. Saint 
 Justin, a native of Sichim, in Palestine, who 
 was born in t T ne beginning of the second century, 
 and who, for priority of time, is regarded as the 
 
222 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 first of the Fathers of the Church, says that 
 " Baptism is called illumination." 
 
 It is a curious fact, that in the traditions of the 
 people of Ireland there has been always found 
 the idea of fire or light in connexion with the 
 Round Towers. The Round Tower of Kilkenny 
 was called "the lamp of Ireland," in Irish, lampa 
 na Eireann. This title it obtained, perhaps, 
 because it had been erected at a very early 
 period, or, perhaps, on account of its great height, 
 or because it was originally attached to a church 
 dedicated to St. John the Baptist. Dr. Petrie 
 says that his attention was called by a literary 
 friend to the existence of a tower mentioned 
 by Mabillon, in his Iter Germanicum, in con- 
 nexion with the church of the monastery of 
 St. Columbanus, at Luxiuil, in Burgundy. 
 Mabillon says that it was called a Luceriia, that 
 is, a " light," or " lantern." Cemitur prope ma- 
 jor em ecclesice portam pliarus quam Lucernam 
 voccint. " There is seen near the great door of 
 the church, a tower which they call a lamp or 
 light." St. Columbanus was an Irishman of 
 great learning, zeal, and piety, who, in the sixth 
 century, with twelve clerical associates, departed 
 from one of the schools of Erin, and went across 
 the seas, to carry the light of the faith to foreign 
 nations. After much travel he at length settled 
 down at Luxiuil, in France, where he erected 
 a splendid monastery and church, and soon 
 
OF IRELAND. 223 
 
 attracted great numbers of students to his 
 college. This tower, erected near the principal 
 gate of the church, and called a Lucerna, or 
 lamp, was, in all probability, a reed-house, or bap- 
 tistery, erected after the model of those which 
 existed in Ireland. Its very name would indicate 
 that it belonged to that class of sacred structures 
 which, in the early ages of Christianity, were 
 called "houses of illumination/' This fact, how- 
 ever, escaped the observation of both Mabillon 
 and Petrie. 
 
 The peculiar feature of the four windows in the 
 Round Towers facing the cardinal points, has been 
 a complete puzzle to Irish antiquaries. Whether 
 they adopted the Pagan theory of their origin, or 
 the Christian, this point was to them a mystery 
 which they could not attempt to explain. Even 
 the sacred emblems on the towers, such as the in- 
 scribed cross, or the figure of the crucifixion above 
 the door-way, presented most untoward difficulties 
 to almost every system. The advocates of the 
 Pagan origin were obliged to imagine that these 
 emblems were the production of the chisel of 
 some monks of the middle ages, who, for some 
 object not known, endeavoured to give a Chris- 
 tian character to these old structures. Nor was 
 the theory of the Christian origin without its 
 difficulty in the matter. It was natural enough 
 that an inscribed cross, or the figure of the 
 Crucifixion, should be over the door of a church; 
 
224 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 but why should it appear on a structure which 
 was a sort of fortress, a belfry, a beacon, or a 
 store-house ? The sacred emblems are not out 
 of place in the true theory. In the sacred struc- 
 ture of the baptistery, which was the entrance to 
 the church and its privileges, and in which persons 
 received the first and most important of the 
 sacraments of Christianity, they were quite 
 appropriate. The baptistery of the present day, 
 too, both in the Western and Eastern Churches, 
 has generally the cross inscribed or placed upon 
 it. In most cases a small stone cross, says 
 Petrie, surmounted the conical head of the Round 
 Tower. This is a striking analogy. 
 
 It has been remarked, that in places where 
 lime-stone abounds, and was at all times easily 
 procured for building purposes, the Round Towers 
 are constructed of brown stone, which must have 
 been brought from a great distance, with much 
 toil and trouble. This is the case with respect 
 to Cloyne, Cashel, and other localities. What 
 was the cause of this ? No light is thrown upon 
 it by those who have written on the Towers. 
 Some enthusiastic advocates of the fire-worship 
 have ventured the opinion that the brown stone 
 was selected as being better able to resist the 
 action of fire. But, unfortunately for them, the 
 Round Towers are found to be built of limestone 
 in places where the limestone is of a dark or 
 black colour. The true theory sufficiently 
 
OF IRELAND. 225 
 
 explains the matter. The reed-house should 
 approximate as near as possible to the natural 
 colour of the living reed. The perfect Round 
 Tower, when viewed at a distance in the valley 
 or on the hill's side, appears like a gigantic reed 
 in the midst and above the trees by which it is 
 surrounded. This would not be the case, if the 
 external walls were composed of a light or white- 
 coloured limestone ; and thus the dark stone is 
 selected for the purpose. 
 
 The plainest tower follows the model of the 
 reed. In some of these structures, features have 
 been introduced by the skill and taste of the 
 builders, to make the likeness still more perfect. 
 Thus thedifferent stories are sometimes externally 
 marked by off-sets, or by bands which were, 
 undoubtedly, intended to imitate the knots on 
 the body or stalk of the natural reed. The Round 
 Tower of Ardmore presents a beautiful specimen 
 of this kind. There is at Kilmacduach a bending 
 tower which hangs seventeen feet from the per- 
 pendicular. Tradition says that it was built by 
 the famous Irish architect named Goban Saor. 
 The hanging feature, strange as it may appear, 
 certainly entered into the original design ; and 
 by it, in all probability, was intended to be repre- 
 sented the reed bending with the wind, an 
 expressive emblem of St. John the Baptist. The 
 bold design, surely, would have been worthy of 
 
 the genius of Goban, and the many ages of rain 
 
 L 2 
 
226 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 and storm, which have passed over that remark- 
 able structure, are a convincing proof of the 
 correct calculation and skill of the architect. 
 Some of the towers have been raised very high, 
 to make them the more striking and impressive. 
 The peculiarities of the ancient baptisteries of 
 other lands consisted in their being round, in 
 their being of a striking or imposing size and 
 height, and in their being placed at a short 
 distance from the walls of the churches. 
 These features are fully represented in the reed- 
 house. 
 
 Two kinds of the very remarkable large reeds 
 with conical heads, which served as models for 
 the towers, are to be found in Ireland. The 
 one has several knots and joints on the stalk. 
 This would be the model for the Round Towers 
 which have off-sets or bands on the external sur- 
 face of the walls. The other has a clean, smooth 
 stalk, and would be the model for the towers 
 exhibiting a smooth and even surface. This 
 latter reed is the more common, and so is the 
 reed-house, or Round Tower, which follows it 
 as a model. Both reeds exhibit the same outlines, 
 being tall, graceful, and tapering up to the conical 
 heads. On the borders of slimy lakes and 
 sluggish rivers, these reeds grow to a great height : 
 in dry soils they are short and stunted. 
 
 It is a curious fact that one kind of these reeds, 
 namely, the knotted, has, at the lower joints or 
 
OF IRELAND. 227 
 
 knots, a film, or bag, which holds and retains a 
 considerable quantity of water, even in very dry 
 weather. Was that peculiar feature, too, con- 
 sidered and taken into account by those who 
 selected it as a model for the reed-house which 
 was to contain the water of baptism ? The 
 coincidence, at all events, is very suggestive and 
 curious. The notice of the writer was first at- 
 tracted to this reed by its striking appearance 
 as it grew on the side of the cliff between Car- 
 lisle Fort and the Light House, on the harbour 
 of Queenstown. There it was, with its graceful 
 stalk, its knots, and its conical head, a perfect 
 model of that beautiful Cuilceach, or Reed-house, 
 which had been often seen and examined near 
 the sea-shore at Ardmore. The tourist, or the 
 traveller, often cuts down one of these reeds to 
 convert it into a walking cane, and little thinks that 
 what he carries under his arm was the original 
 model of the famous Round Tower of Ireland. 
 
 In general the reed-house, or Round Tower, 
 is found standing alone, and single. But some 
 few places in Ireland, such as Clonmicnois, Glen- 
 dalough, Ferbane, Roscrea, and Sligo, have been 
 distinguished by the presence of two of these 
 ancient v structures. Possibly there were in each 
 of these places, at one time, a bishop and a 
 mitred abbot, to whose churches these towers be- 
 longed. Or, the multitudes of people who came 
 there at Easter and Pentecost for baptism were 
 
228 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 so great that one baptistery would have been 
 insufficient. In this case, one reed-house would 
 have been assigned to the men and another to 
 the women, while, where there was only one 
 tower, certain days were appointed for each. In 
 no place were more than two reed-houses. 
 
 In a few places have been found mere stumps 
 of Round Towers, which, manifestly, were never 
 raised higher than the first or second story. 
 These contained only the baptistery, which was 
 destitute of its emblematical superstructure. It 
 is likely that they were used for the purposes 
 of baptism, just as an unfinished or imperfect 
 church is sometimes used for the celebration of 
 the sacred mysteries. A temporary covering of 
 boards or shingles could have been placed on them 
 for the purpose. The original design of carrying 
 them to the proper height might have been pre- 
 vented by war, by want of means, or, perhaps, 
 by their near approach to the time when these 
 structures were getting out of use, that is, as the 
 ancient Christian writers tell us, about the end 
 of the sixth, or beginning of the seventh century. 
 
 The Round Tower, or reed-house, is found in 
 connection with only a very ancient Episcopal 
 church. The very old sees, and the very old 
 monasteries, or rather the churches of the old 
 monasteries, where mitred abbots resided, had 
 their reed-houses, while those of a later date are 
 found to have been without them. This is 
 
OF IRELAND. 229 
 
 easily accounted for. About the end of the 
 sixth century the baptismal fonts commenced to 
 be placed in the interior of the churches, and 
 the large baptisteries outside gradually went out 
 of use. In most of the countries of the East at 
 that period, the great body of the adult popu- 
 lation had been baptized, and the fonts in the 
 churches answered sufficiently well for the 
 of baptism of infants even by immersion. In the 
 West about that time, or a little later, baptism 
 by infusion began generally to be administered 
 both to the old and the young. Hence there 
 was no necessity for the large old baptisteries 
 outside the churches, and they went gradually 
 out of use. Perhaps, they were continued in 
 Ireland to a comparatively later period ; but the 
 fact of their use and origin having been involved 
 in darkness and mystery in the twelfth century, 
 proves that they had then long been disused, 
 and that probably baptisms had not been per- 
 formed in them for four hundred years. The 
 incursions of the northern pirates, the extinction 
 of learning, the suppression of the schools, the 
 destruction of the churches, and the general con- 
 fusion, caused their use and origin to be entirely 
 forgotten. 
 
 In some instances, a diminutive or miniature 
 Round Tower is found standing within the walls 
 of an old church. It is generally placed inside, 
 at the West end, near the door, and the top of 
 
230 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 it rose many feet above the roof. Only a few- 
 specimens of these structures, which were pro- 
 bably at one time very numerous, now remain. 
 What were they ? The advocates of no former 
 theory on the Round Towers have been able to 
 venture a probable opinion. These were baptis- 
 teries. When the large old towers were disused, 
 and the ceremony of baptism was transferred to 
 the churches, becoming structures, or places, 
 were erected in them to contain the baptismal 
 font. In most instances four slight walls, or 
 perhaps a partition of boards, were made to 
 answer for the purpose. But where artistic or 
 antiquarian taste prevailed, the baptistery was 
 made to assume the form of the reed-house, and 
 thus exhibit the ancient expressive emblem. In 
 these the door is on a level with the ground, 
 and not high up, as in the old towers, because 
 they were surrounded by the walls of the church, 
 and there was now no longer any necessity for 
 the precaution or privacy required at a former 
 time, when adults were baptized by immersion. 
 It is here seen with what admirable exactness 
 even these remote details are explained by the 
 true theory of the reed-house. 
 
 It has been already observed that the archi- 
 tecture of the Round Towers resembled, in many 
 features, that of the ancient churches of Ireland. 
 The heads of the door-ways and side windows 
 of the old churches were sometimes square, 
 
OF IRELAND. 231 
 
 sometimes angular, and sometimes semicircular. 
 The same is the case with respect to the Round 
 Towers, and it is likely that each reed-house 
 corresponded in these features with the original 
 old church near which it was erected. 
 
 The Round Tower, or reed-house, was truly an 
 emblematic structure. That of Keneigh, which 
 has been already noticed, will serve as an illus- 
 tration. The three steps, or receding off-sets, of 
 solid rock and circular masonry, which con- 
 stituted the foundation of the tower, were, like 
 those of the gigantic baptistery of Pisa in Italy, 
 emblematical of the Holy Trinity, in whose 
 name baptism is administered. The remark- 
 able triangular figure, or window, over the 
 door in some of the towers, was also an emblem 
 of the Holy Trinity. The elevated door look- 
 ing towards the door of the church, with the 
 entire group of buildings, represented that 
 which was uttered by Jacob, after seeing the 
 vision of the mysterious ladder : " This is no 
 other than the house of God and the gate of 
 heaven." And, probably, it was intended even 
 to emphasize this figure by the great elevation 
 to which the door was, in many instances, 
 raised. The descent into the lower compart- 
 ment of the tower, the place of the baptismal 
 font, where there was no window nor aperture for 
 light, was, in a manner, an entrance to the grave, 
 and represented that which Saint Paul says in 
 
232 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 his Epistle to the Romans : " We, who are 
 baptized in Christ Jesus, are baptized in his 
 death : for we are buried together with him by- 
 baptism into death." The ascent from that 
 lower compartment again, after the baptism 
 received there, was an expressive symbol of 
 regeneration and a new life. The hexagonal 
 figure of the lower compartment in this particu- 
 lar tower, was, as in the symbolic baptisteries of 
 the early Christians in other countries, an 
 emblem of the manifold gifts of the Holy Ghost 
 and of His sanctifying graces. The high and 
 imposing superstructure, terminating in a cone, 
 was an expressive index pointing to heaven ; 
 while the entire building, or reed-house, was an 
 emblem of Saint John the Baptist, the recog- 
 nised patron and prototype of the early Christian 
 baptistery. And if, as it is likely, light was 
 placed at night in the four uppermost windows, 
 facing the cardinal points, the reed-house would 
 be alternately a symbol of the pillar of cloud 
 and of the pillar of fire that conducted the 
 Israelites through the wilderness on their 
 journey to the land of promise. The cross on 
 the door-head and on the top, and the figure of 
 Saint John with the cup and lamb, as on the 
 Round Tower of Brechin, would, of course, impart 
 additional emblematical features tothe reed-house. 
 The arrangement in the reed-house, which 
 comprised and necessitated a descent to the 
 
OF IRELAND. 233 
 
 font in a lower compartment, throws an import- 
 ant light on an old baptismal rubric, which has 
 hitherto appeared obscure and unintelligible. A 
 short preliminary notice of the ancient I rish literary- 
 relic, or liturgical fragment, in which this rubric 
 is found, will not be out of place here. There is 
 at present in the possession of Lord Ashburnham 
 in England, an ancient Manuscript Missal, which 
 at one time belonged to a church or monastery 
 in Ireland. According to the opinion of Dr. 
 O'Connor, Dr. Todd, and other antiquaries, who 
 have examined this manuscript, its production 
 cannot be assigned to a later period than the 
 fifth century. It is encased in a stout oaken 
 box, richly ornamented with silver plates. On 
 this case are inscriptions in Irish bearing the 
 names of several donors or repairers, among 
 whom are Donnchadh, son of Brian, King of 
 Ireland, and Mac-Raith-Hii-Dunnchadha, King 
 of Cashel, who both lived in the beginning of the 
 eleventh century. From this it appears that, 
 even at that early period, the manuscript was an 
 old and precious relic, on which kings and princes 
 were anxious to bestow their valuable gifts, with 
 a view to preserve it from the corroding hand of 
 time. The name of the original scribe or writer 
 of the manuscript, which is attached to the end 
 of the Gospel of St. John, in Ogham characters, 
 representing the word, Sonid> throws no light on 
 the age or period at which it was produced, as 
 
234 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 this Sonid, who was, probably, a distinguished 
 scholar in his own time, is now utterly unknown. 
 
 The manuscript has got the name of the Stowe 
 Missal, as it formed one of the valuable collection 
 of manuscripts for a long time preserved at that 
 place. It is written on vellum, in an ancient 
 Lombardic character, and in the Latin language. 
 Besides the Ordo Misscz, or the Order of the 
 Mass, the Missal contains the Gospel of St. John, 
 and other portions of the New Testament. Some 
 of the rubrics, or directions for the priest at Mass, 
 are in the Irish language. 
 
 With this Manuscript Missal is combined a 
 Ritual of Baptism, exhibiting the same style of 
 writing and material, and equal evidences of 
 great antiquity. The Ordo Baptismi, or Order 
 of Baptism, commences at page 70 of the 
 manuscript, and occupies forty-one additional 
 pages. Here is found the rubric on which the 
 descent into the under compartment of the Round 
 Tower or reed-house throws a remarkable light. 
 
 After the exorcisms, the introductory prayers, 
 and the questions asked and answered on the 
 principal articles of faith, the priest is directed 
 to descend with the catechumen into the font. 
 The words of the rubric are, desceudit in fontcni, 
 " he descends into the fountain." What is the 
 meaning of these words ? The writer of a clever 
 article in a late number of the Irish Ecclesiastical 
 Record says, " Some have supposed that these 
 
OF IRELAND. 235 
 
 words imply that the priest himself entered the 
 fountain with the person who was about to re" 
 ceive baptism ; but without further proof we 
 cannot accept this as the meaning of the rubric." 
 That the priest should go into the font appeared 
 incongruous and unnatural to this writer; and 
 yet he was unable to offer or supply a better 
 explanation of the rubric himself. The descent 
 into the lower compartment of the reed-house, 
 where the baptismal font was placed, explains it 
 most satisfactorily. " He descends into the 
 fountain," that is, he goes down to the compart- 
 ment where the font was, and which from that 
 circumstance received the general name of the 
 fountain. It appears that all the preliminary 
 prayers and ceremonies, and also the concluding 
 ones, took place above on the door-flooring, and 
 that they descended into the lower compartment 
 merely for the purpose of the baptism-immersion. 
 A writer contemporary with St. Ambrose, in the 
 fourth century, speaking of the practice of the 
 Church of Milan, which, also, had its separate or 
 distinct baptistery, says, addressing himself to the 
 newly-baptized person, " Thou hast ascended from 
 the font ; what followed ? You have heard the lec- 
 ture or instruction : the priest has girded him- 
 self, and washed your feet." Ascendisti defoute; 
 quid secutum est ? Audisti lectionem ; sacciiictus 
 est sacerdos : pedes tibi lavit. Here this writer 
 states that the concluding ceremonies after the 
 
236 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 immersion took place above ; and it is inferred 
 from the Irish Manuscript Ritual, that it was 
 only after the preliminary prayers they descended 
 to the fountain. This arrangement was both 
 natural and convenient. It permitted the 
 baptism or immersion of the adult persons to 
 proceed without interruption, and, also, secured 
 for them the privacy and propriety required in 
 the circumstances. It has been already stated 
 that, in some instances, there is a large window, 
 like a smaller door, placed over the regular door 
 of the Round Tower. It would appear that this 
 was intended to throw additional light from 
 above on the place where the prayers were read, 
 and the introductory and concluding ceremonies 
 performed. Or, perhaps, it was for the purpose, 
 when a large number presented themselves for 
 baptism, of conducting a second separate service 
 for them in the upper story. 
 
 The ceremony of washing the feet of the 
 newly-baptised, of which there is mention in 
 connection with the church of Milan, is also 
 prescribed in this ancient Manuscript Ritual of 
 Ireland. This practice prevailed at an early 
 period in many of the churches of Italy, of 
 Gaul, of Spain, and of Africa. It was not 
 practised in Rome. It was a ceremony intended 
 to inculcate charity and humility after th< 
 example of our Saviour. On those, the rich and 
 the poor, who came to the same place to be 
 
OF IRELAND. 237 
 
 baptised, to go through the same ceremonies, 
 and use the same font, it, most likely, exercised 
 an humbling and conciliating effect. In some 
 instances, popular ignorance attached undue 
 importance to the ceremony; and it is stated that 
 at a council held at Elvira, in Spain, at a very 
 early period, as some say, about the year 300, 
 it was ordered to be discontinued, lest it should 
 be regarded as a distinct sacrament, or as an 
 essential part of baptism. 
 
 This Manuscript Ritual of Ireland, which 
 prescribes it, must have been used at a time 
 when Paganism still prevailed in the land, for it 
 contains a prayer of thanksgiving to God for 
 having rescued the newly baptised person from 
 the errors of the Gentiles. Quern liberasti de 
 errore Gentilium — " whom Thou hast freed from 
 the error of the Gentiles." In the Missal there 
 is, also, in the Canon of the Mass, a prayer 
 imploring God to guard the persons whom it 
 commemorates against the Pagan errors. The 
 following is the translation of the Latin text :— 
 "We beseech, O Lord, that mercifully thou 
 wouldst receive this tribute of our duty of the 
 church, and of all thy people, which we offer in 
 honour of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in com- 
 memoration of thy blessed martyrs, in this 
 I church, which thy servant erected unto the 
 honour of thy name and glory, and that thou 
 wouldst deliver him and all the people from the 
 
238 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 worship of idols, and convert them to the Lord, 
 the Father Omnipotent." 
 
 Here are most striking evidences of the great 
 antiquity of these Liturgical -fragments. The 
 Manuscript must be a copy of the very first 
 Missal, and of the very first Baptismal Ritual 
 used in Ireland. And it is the only copy of 
 them now remaining. Apparently, all the early 
 churches of the land were provided with similar 
 copies ; but these have all perished in the lapse 
 of ages. This manuscript is, by the inscriptions 
 and names on the cover, traced to the country 
 of Ormond ; and it is believed that it originally 
 belonged to some church or monastery in that 
 ancient district. Probably, it was used at 
 baptism in the fine Round Tower of Roscrea, 
 which still stands there, after having braved the 
 storms of ages. At all events, it is curious that 
 it should, if the present theory holds, come 
 again into connexion with the reed-house, after 
 having lost its acquaintance for a thousand 
 years. 
 
 Not only in a religious, but, also, in a national 
 and antiquarian view, is the Round Tower, or reed- 
 house, of Ireland highly interesting. It is an 
 expressive and unmistakable monument of the 
 early Christian civilization of this country. The 
 ancient Christian writers, in treating of the 
 institutions and manners of the early Christians 
 in the East, tell us that the large, round, high, 
 
OF IRELAND. 239 
 
 isolated baptisteries belonged to the very first 
 ages of Christianity, and that they went out of 
 use about the beginning of the seventh century. 
 For the most part, these ancient structures have 
 disappeared under the combined influence of 
 time, and of the ravages of the Moslem and of 
 the barbarian, to such a degree, that it is only 
 from the works of ancient writers their existence, 
 use, and peculiar features can be now collected. 
 But in Ireland there are still standing many 
 specimens of these structures of the early Chris- 
 tians, which, while they tell the long tale of time, 
 bear unerring witness to the high origin of 
 Christianity in the country. They are interest- 
 ing memorials of our early saints, for by them 
 they were designed and erected ; and they are, 
 also, expressive monuments of the faith, for they 
 performed an important part in baptizing and 
 Christianizing ancient Ireland. They are now 
 time-worn and neglected— those ancient struc- 
 tures, which were instrumental in bringing the 
 Druid and the Pagan to the true faith, and 
 which witnessed the arrival and departure of 
 many a generation of the students, native and 
 foreign, who flocked to the far-famed schools of 
 Erin. Will the time ever arrive which shall 
 behold the hand of restoration counteracting the 
 work of decay and of destruction, and placing 
 once more their old conical heads on these, per- 
 haps, the most interesting monuments of early 
 Christianity in the world ? 
 
240 THE ROUND TOWERS 
 
 It has been remarked, by even those who have 
 failed to discover the true theory of the Round 
 Towers, that the architecture and masonry of 
 these structures would appear to be of Eastern 
 style and origin. This observation is, probably, 
 correct. In treating of the ancient churches of 
 Ireland, it was observed that these edifices very 
 much resemble the old churches of Greece and 
 other places in the East. The old churches of 
 Palestine, Asia-Minor, and Greece consisted of 
 a nave and chancel, and so did the old churches 
 of Ireland. The churches of the East were 
 always built east and west, with the altar in the 
 east gable. It was the same in Ireland, while 
 in the Western church they faced indifferently 
 any point of the heavens. The various names, 
 which are given to the churches in Irish, are, for 
 the most part, Celtic representatives of the 
 names bestowed on them in the East, and, 
 especially, in the Greek-speaking countries. 
 The appellation of large and small churches 
 prevailed in the East, and so did it in Ireland, as 
 the frequent use of cill-mor and cill-beg fully 
 testifies. In the East the mystical number of 
 seven churches in one place had its origin, and 
 became very frequent. Many places in Ire- 
 land, too, had their seven churches. The 
 Cyclopean architecture of the ancient Irish 
 churches and of many of the towers resembles 
 also the Eastern pattern. What is to be inferred 
 
OF IRELAND. 241 
 
 from this ? That, in all probability, the first 
 Christian missionaries who visited Ireland had 
 come from the East, and that they planted the 
 Eastern customs in the country. The baptistery, 
 or house of illumination, was very much in use 
 in the East ; and so, the reed-house says, it was 
 in Ireland, far beyond any of the other countries 
 of the West. Even the ancient name of the 
 Mass in Ireland is different from that of all the 
 other Western countries. With these it is some 
 variation of the word Missa, while in Ireland it 
 is, and always has been, Afrion, or Afrioun-de, 
 a word which is fully explained in the chapter 
 on the ancient churches, and which means " the 
 very true Lamb of God." In the matter of 
 clerical tonsure, and in the computation of the 
 time of Easter, there were also some peculiarities 
 among the ancient Irish. It is well known that 
 a frequent mercantile intercourse existed be- 
 tween Ireland and the East, in early Christian, 
 and, even, in Druidical times. From that East 
 might not, at an early period, have been wafted 
 to this country a seedling of the faith which 
 took slow but sure root, and was brought to full 
 growth and perfection under the care and 
 culture of subsequent missionaries? Ireland, 
 which was beyond the power and the persecu- 
 tion of the Roman Empire, was, probably, in this 
 way, one of the first countries of the reed-house, 
 or of the ancient Christian baptistery. It, 
 
242 THE ROUND TOWERS OF IRELAND. 
 
 certainly, can exhibit it in greater strength 
 to-day than any other land. 
 
 How wonderfully tenacious of truth is tradi- 
 tion ! While learned theories were giving up 
 these structures to the Druids and to the fire- 
 worship, a universal living tradition among the 
 people asserted, and still asserts, that they were 
 erected by the " old saints." For what purpose, 
 however, they were erected, that tradition can- 
 didly confessed it could not tell. An old legend, 
 which says that each of them was built in one 
 night by the local saint, and that it would have 
 been raised to the heavens, if it had not been for 
 the interference of a woman, was, probably, a 
 simple allegory of some hidden fact, or, perhaps, 
 in some way, expressive of the mist and dark- 
 ness in which their original use was involved. 
 At all times they have been objects of much 
 popular curiosity, as well as of historical and 
 antiquarian interest. They are now, as the 
 writer believes, incontestably claimed for the 
 " old saints" and their churches, and connected 
 with an ancient Christian use and practice which 
 will not fail to commend them still more to 
 the respectful attention of the country and its 
 people. 
 
 THE END. 
 
NOTES. 
 
 SECOND EDITION. 
 
 THE CELTIC LANGUAGE 
 
 " For the perfection, or, at least, for the better elucidation of 
 Celtic literature, I consider a diligent study of the Irish language 
 to be of great importance." — Leibnitz. 
 
 " It is an incontrovertible fact that the old languages of Rome 
 and Greece drew largely on the Celtic for their component ma- 
 terials." — Preface. 
 
 There are many words in these languages the 
 roots of which are found solely in the Celtic. 
 The Latin word, lacns, " a lake," comes from 
 loch, " a lake," of the Celtic. The roots of it are 
 lo, "water," and acliadh, "a field," that is, an 
 expanse of water. In the Latin itself no root is 
 found for the word. The Latin word, villa, " a 
 village " or "house," is derived from the Celtic 
 word, baile, "a village," the root of which is boll, 
 "a place," and i, "a country," that is, a definite 
 place ; or perhaps from balla, " a wall," and z, 
 " a country," that is, a circumvallated, or walled 
 place. Polis, " a city," of the Greek, is from the 
 same root. 
 
 The word lingua, " a tongue," comes from the 
 
 N 
 
244 THE CELTIC LANGUAGE. 
 
 Celtic tcanga, " a tongue," of which the roots are, 
 dean, " to make," and guth, " voice." It was 
 originally written in Latin, dingua, " the voice- 
 maker." 
 
 The Latin word helium, " war," comes from 
 the Celtic biuxladh, " war," which is formed from 
 bualim, " I strike." 
 
 Scutum, " a shield," comes from the Celtic 
 sgiath, " a shield," and which also means in the 
 Celtic a basket of wickerwork, of the materials of 
 which shields were originally made. 
 
 The Latin word nihil, " nothing," is formed 
 from the Celtic, ni-fhuil, " there is not," or " ne- 
 gation." 
 
 Adas, "age," of the Latin, comes from aos, 
 "age," of the Celtic; and coclum, "heaven," is 
 formed from ccal, "heaven," of the Celtic. 
 
 Max Miiller is mistaken in deriving age," age" 
 of the French, from the Latin cetas, xi age." It 
 is derived from the Celtic aos, or aoisc. In old 
 French age was written eage, which comes near 
 aoise, pronounced eeshe. In the Sanskrit it is 
 ay-us, which would appear to be a mere form of 
 aoisc, of the Celtic, showing that these two are 
 kindred languages. 
 
 The Latin word scribo, " to write," comes from 
 the Celtic sgriobJi, " to write," and also " to 
 scrape," or " score." 
 
 Grapho, " to write," of the Greek, comes from 
 grafaim, " I scrape," of the Celtic. 
 
NOTES. 245 
 
 The Latin word liber, " a book," comes from 
 Icabhar of the Celtic, the roots of which are 
 IcigJi, "to read," and abJiar means " or matter," 
 that is, the thing with which to read. This has 
 a clear and definite meaning, which, certainly, the 
 derivation of the word by Latin scholars has not. 
 Even biblion, " a book," of the Greek, could with 
 greater propriety be derived from the Celtic than 
 from biblos, the skin of a plant. Biblion, if written 
 birlion, would have the same roots abhar and high, 
 the "means to read." Books were written cer- 
 tainly before the skin of a certain plant growing 
 in a particular country was discovered as a ma- 
 terial to write on. 
 
 From dom, " a house," of the Celtic, come 
 domus of the Latin, domos of the Greek, and 
 doma of the Sanskrit. The monosyllabic dom 
 is manifestly the primitive word, and from it 
 comes " home " of the English. 
 
 Tunis, "a tower," of the Latin, and purgos of 
 the Greek, come from tour, "tower," of the Celtic. 
 The roots of tour are, tigh, " a house," and ur, 
 " heavens," a house of the heavens, or an elevated 
 structure. The name of a spire in the Celtic is 
 fith-neamhuigh, "the spear of the heavens." 
 
 Edo, " to eat," of the Greek, and cdo, of the 
 Latin, come from ith of the Celtic. Ovum, "an 
 e gg>" °f the Latin, comes from ugh, or ubh, of 
 the Celtic. 
 
 The Latin word, vcllus, " a fleece," comes from 
 
246 THE CELTIC LANGUAGE. 
 
 the Celtic ollann, " wool," the roots of which are 
 uadJi, "a sheep," and Ian, " covering." For want of 
 a root, Latin scholars derive vcllus from vcllo, 
 "to tear," because it is sometimes torn from the 
 hide! 
 
 The Latin vicus, "a village," comes from fich 
 of the Celtic, and acer^ "sharp," of the Latin, 
 from gear, " sharp," of the Celtic. 
 
 Dies, " a day," comes from dia of the Celtic. 
 
 TJiura, " a door," of the Greek, comes from 
 dor, " a door," of the Celtic. Terra, " land," of 
 the Latin, comes from tir, pronounced theer, of 
 the Celtic. 
 
 Pater, " father," of the Greek and Latin, comes 
 from ahir, " father," of the Celtic. Jllater, 
 " mother," comes from mathair of the Celtic, 
 and f rater, " brother," or " relative," from bra- 
 thair. Zeus pater comes from tuis-ahir, " first 
 father," of the Celtic, as he was the father of 
 gods and men. 
 
 Barbarus, " a barbarian," comes from barba- 
 racli of the Celtic, the root being bar, "extre- 
 mity," bair, " of extremity," and i, " a country." 
 
 Carina, " a ship," of the Latin, comes from 
 curragh of the Celtic, the root being cor, " skin," 
 and each, " a horse," as these vessels were origi- 
 nally made of wickerwork covered with the skins 
 of horses. 
 
 Vents, " true," of the Latin, comes from fior 
 "true," of the Celtic. Bonus, "good," of the 
 
NOTES. 247 
 
 Latin, probably comes from maith, "good," of 
 the Celtic. Most likely bonus was, at first, monus, 
 as the comparative of it is melior. Lima, 
 "moon," of the Latin, comes from Luan, " moon," 
 of the Celtic. Luna of the Latin is feminine, 
 while luan of the Celtic is masculine ; and the 
 name of the moon in Sanskrit and other ancient 
 languages is also masculine, like the Celtic. The 
 termination of the names of countries in ia> as 
 in Italia, is borrowed from the Celtic, as ia in 
 the Celtic means " a country." Vita, " life," 
 of the Latin, comes from bi, " life," of the Celtic. 
 The Latin had not originally the letter v. 
 
 Camellus, " camel," of the Latin, comes from 
 carnal of the Celtic, the roots of which are cam, 
 " crooked," and a/, " a horse," or beast of 
 burthen, a most appropriate derivation, as the 
 animal is crooked from its nose to the tip of its 
 tail. 
 
 The Latin word homo, " a man," comes from 
 the Celtic umhan, "human," the root of which is 
 umh, " the earth," and an, " man." 
 
 Tectum, " a house," in Latin, comes from 
 teach, " a house," of the Celtic. 
 
 Rex, " king," of the Latin, comes from ri of 
 the Celtic, and lex, " law," of the Latin, from li 
 of the Celtic. The long i in the Celtic is pro- 
 nounced ee. It was the same in Latin, as it is 
 also in Italian and other languages immedi- 
 ately descended from that tongue. 
 
248 THE CELTIC LANGUAGE. 
 
 The Latin portus, " a harbour," comes from 
 port of the Celtic. 
 
 The Latin word marc, "the sea," comes from 
 muir of the Celtic, which signifies the same thing ; 
 and amnis, " a river," of the Latin, comes from 
 amhan of the Celtic. 
 
 Pallium, " a cloak," of the Latin, comes from 
 JillcadJi of the Celtic. The word means to fold 
 or encircle, there being no root for it in the Latin. 
 
 Folium, "a volume," though commonly derived 
 from folium, " a leaf," comes from the same root, 
 fillcadh, which better expresses the written roll 
 of parchment, or of any other material. 
 
 Folium, " a leaf," comes from billog, " a leaf," 
 of the Celtic, the roots of which are bil, " a bud" 
 or " blossom," and og, " young." 
 
 Icrcus, " a priest," and icros, " holy," of the 
 Greek, come from adliradh, or iadhradh, of the 
 Celtic, which means prayer or adoration. The 
 Druidical priests were called Araiu, that is, men 
 of prayer or adoration, and by the name is spe- 
 cially meant " a judge," for these priests were the 
 legislators and judges of their people. In ancient 
 history there is frequent mention of a great 
 people called the Aryans, whose original set- 
 tlement is traced to. Central Asia, and who 
 afterwards spread over vast countries of the 
 world, from India to Scythia. Their language, 
 the Aryan tongue, ranked high in antiquity. "In 
 the Sanskrit,", says Max Muller, " in the hymns 
 
NOTES. 249 
 
 of the Veda, Arya occurs frequently as a 
 national name, and as a name of honour, com- 
 prising the worshippers of the gods of the Brah- 
 mins." What is the root of this name, Aryan? 
 It is the Celtic alone which gives the true root, 
 namely, Arain, " men of prayer " or " adoration." 
 They were the Druidical people, and their re- 
 ligious tenets are to be found among the Brah- 
 mins even to this day. In the law-book of the 
 Manavas, India is called Arya-avarta, which 
 means " the abode of the Aryas." Ireland has 
 also derived one of her ancient names from them. 
 Erinn is formed from ia-arain, the island or 
 country of the men of prayer, that is, of the 
 Druidical legislators and judges. Max Miiller 
 derives the name Aryan from the Latin word 
 arare, " to plough," probably from his want of 
 knowledge of the Celtic. This, however, does 
 not take away from the great value of his 
 researches on the subject. It is curious that, 
 even to this day, Persia, an old Druidical 
 country, has the name of Irann, from 
 the Aryans. Aran, or Arain, is formed from 
 adhradh (pronounced arrah), "prayer," and an, 
 " man." The Latin word orare, "to pray," comes 
 from adhradh ; and, thus, if Max Miiller said 
 that Aryan came from orare, " to pray," instead 
 of arare, " to plough," he would be nearer the 
 truth. The Celtic is the Aryan tongue. 
 
 The Latin word bos, "a cow," comes from bo 
 
250 THE CELTIC LANGUAGE. 
 
 of the Celtic ; ovis, "a sheep," of the Latin, from 
 aodh of the Celtic ; cquus, " a horse," of the Latin, 
 from each of the Celtic ; pur, " fire," of the 
 Greek, and foure, "furnace," of the French, from 
 ur, " fire," of the Celtic ; anchora, " anchor," of 
 the Latin, from anchoire or ungchoire of the 
 Celtic. The roots of this word are ting, "a 
 claw " or " talon," and curach, " a boat," or 
 "ship." In the Latin there is no root of the 
 word. The claw, or talon, of the boat or ship, as 
 in the Celtic, is a beautiful derivation. The Latin 
 word unguis " a. nail," or "talon," comes from ung 
 of the Celtic. The Greek word keir, " a hand;' 
 comes from crobh, " a hand," of the Celtic ; the 
 Latin word caput, " a head," comes from the 
 Celtic name ceann ; os, u a mouth," of the Latin, 
 comes from os of the Celtic, and crinis, " hair," 
 of the Latin, from gruag, " hair," of the Celtic. 
 The root-words of the original language are 
 generally monosyllabic, and this we find to be 
 the case in the examples here given from the 
 Celtic. 
 
 The numerals, or the words which express 
 numbers, give a fair idea of the relative antiquity 
 of a language in their formation. They are 
 monosyllables in the Celtic, and from them are 
 manifestly formed those of the Latin and the 
 Greek. 
 

 NOTES 
 
 
 
 Celtic. 
 
 Latin. 
 
 Greek. 
 
 English. 
 
 Aon 
 
 Unus 
 
 Eis 
 
 One 
 
 Do 
 
 Duo 
 
 Duo 
 
 Two 
 
 Tri 
 
 Tres 
 
 Treis 
 
 Three 
 
 Ceathair 
 
 Quatuor 
 
 Tettares 
 
 Four 
 
 Cuig 
 
 Quinque 
 
 Pente 
 
 Five 
 
 Se 
 
 Sex 
 
 Ex 
 
 Six 
 
 Seachd 
 
 Septern 
 
 Epta 
 
 Seven 
 
 Ochd 
 
 Octo 
 
 Okto 
 
 Eight 
 
 Naoi 
 
 Novem 
 
 • Ennea 
 
 Nine 
 
 Deich 
 
 Decern 
 
 Deka 
 
 Ten. 
 
 251 
 
 i fe 
 
 The Celtic counts one on ten for eleven ; two 
 on te?i, twelve ; and so on to twenty, which is 
 twice-ten. Then one on twice-ten, twenty-one, 
 &c. The termination of ten would seem to have 
 been originally suggested by the counting of the 
 fingers of the two hands. 
 
 The name of God must be a striking and im- 
 portant word in any language. It is Theos in 
 the Greek, and Dens in the Latin. The word is 
 the same, with a slight variation, in both lan- 
 guages. But does any of these languages con- 
 tain the root of it ? No. Indeed, Greek 
 scholars ridiculously derive Theos, " God," from 
 thco, " to run," as if it were a hare, an antelope, 
 or a greyhound. It is only in the Celtic lan- 
 guage the root of this word is to be found. Ta, 
 
 fc> o ' 
 
 pronounced Thaw, is the name of God in the 
 Celtic, and the meaning of Ta is Is, or Am, the 
 same as Yah of the Hebrew. This indicates 
 that God is the universal Being, and that He 
 
 N 2 
 
252 THE CELTIC LANGUAGE. 
 
 alone has existence by excellence, and of Him- 
 self. How different that from thco, " to run," of 
 the dictionaries ! This word, Thau, as applied 
 to God, has been found in the languages of many 
 ancient peoples. Dia, as now generally used, is 
 merely a variation or formation of it. 
 
 The Museum of the Jesuits' College at Rome 
 contains a large number of ancient Etruscan 
 coins which were dug out of the earth in many 
 parts of Italy, especially in Tuscany. These 
 coins belonged to an Etrusco-Phcenician colony, 
 which inhabited that country long before the 
 States of Greece and Rome were founded. The 
 material of the coins is bronze. They exhibit 
 various figures and emblems, and also letters 
 and words in early Phoenician characters. On 
 many of these coins the word ThaJi, " God," is 
 inscribed, and it is generally written AT, or MAT. 
 (Ta or Tah) from the right to the left. This 
 would indicate that the Celtic or Phoenician lan- 
 guage was originally written from right to left, 
 like the Hebrew and other ancient Eastern lan- 
 guages. There is a very remarkable figure on 
 one of these coins which bears the word Tkak. 
 It is a human head in profile, proceeding from a 
 round conical sea-shell. According to learned 
 commentators, this figure means the Supreme 
 Deity, the involutes of the shell diminishing 
 gradually to an invisible point, being emblema- 
 tical of the revolving years of eternal existence. 
 
NOTES. 253 
 
 Here it may be remarked that the numerous 
 roots and words derived by the Latin language 
 from the Celtic can be naturally accounted for 
 by the fact, that Italy was, at a very remote age, 
 colonized by Phoenicians. 
 
 Vestiges of the word Thah are also found in 
 other countries. In China, from time immemorial, 
 it exists under the form of Tfiao, or Tao. Lao- 
 tseu and Confucius, two ancient sages and writers 
 of that country, call Tao the beginning and end 
 of all things ; the creator of all that grows and 
 perishes ; the beginning of heaven and earth, 
 who has a name that cannot be named, who is 
 immense, silent, and immutable. It is stated 
 that an ancient religious sage of that country 
 was asked by one of its emperors, who was Tao ? 
 and that he took three months to study the sub- 
 ject, and that his answer at length was, that Tao 
 is dark and obscure, that he cannot be seen, and 
 that he is the creator of everything that grows 
 and dies. The o in Tao is a Chinese termina- 
 tion, which being removed, leaves the word in 
 its primitive Celtic form, Ta. The os in Theos 
 is likewise a Greek termination. 
 
 Another name of God in the Celtic is Alia, 
 which is formed from all, universal, and ha, a 
 vocal inflexion of 7tf, that is, the universal Is, or 
 the universal Being. Allah of the Arabic 
 appears to be of the same formation, and also 
 Celtic. The Celtic names of God, like those of 
 
254 THE CELTIC LANGUAGE. 
 
 the Persian and the Hebrew, are expressive of 
 His essence as a necessary and self-existing 
 Being. Dia (in Latin Dens) is the most general 
 form of this name of God. Dia, pronounced 
 dheeah, is an abreviation of di-ha. Di (dhee) 
 means very, or intensive, and ha is a vocal 
 inflexion of Ta, that is, very Is, or very Being. 
 It is less abbreviated in Sanskrit, which has Diva 
 for the name of God, and was also less abbre- 
 viated in ancient German, which had Dicth for 
 the same name. Strange as it may appear, the 
 English name, God, came from this Dicth of the 
 ancient German. By the Goths Dieth was changed 
 to Goth, their name of God, and from Goth came 
 Gott of the modern German, Gud, or God, of the 
 Danish, God of the Saxon, and God of the Eng- 
 lish, all derived, through many peoples, and many 
 generations, from the original Celtic source, mean- 
 ing Very Is, or Very Being. 
 
 What was man's first language ? Or, in other 
 words, what is the oldest language ? This ques- 
 tion was asked more than six hundred years 
 before the Christian era, and about one hundred 
 years after the foundation of the city of Rome. 
 And the answer given to it was in favour of the 
 Phoenician or Celtic language. Herodotus, in 
 his second book, says that, at this period, the 
 question as to what was the oldest language was 
 discussed among many nations, and that Psam- 
 meticus, a learned and energetic king of Egypt, 
 
NOTES. 255 
 
 took part in the controversy. He confined two 
 young children, and fed them with milk. The 
 shepherd, to whose care they were entrusted, was 
 ordered never to speak to them, but to watch 
 diligently their articulations. After some time 
 the shepherd observed that whenever he entered 
 the place of their confinement, they repeatedly 
 exclaimed Beccos, Beccos, and he gave informa- 
 tion of this to the monarch. The king imme- 
 diately made inquiries, and found that the word 
 Beccos meant " food" or " bread" in the language 
 spoken in Phrygia, which was the Phoenician 
 tongue, and from this circumstance he concluded 
 that this language was of the greatest antiquity. 
 Of course, other antiquarian and philological 
 inquiries assisted in producing that conviction. 
 
 And the root of the word Beccos belongs to 
 the Celtic language to this day. The Celtic word, 
 biadhy means " food," " nourishment," or " bread," 
 and the root of it is bi, " living." 
 
 As Herodotus wrote in Greek, the os in Beccos 
 is manifestly a Greek termination, which being 
 removed, the word would be bee or bic, which 
 comes near bee and biadJi of the Celtic. This 
 coincidence, I believe, was never observed before. 
 Some have conjectured that the cry uttered by 
 these children might have been imitated from 
 the fowls or the four-footed animals that sur- 
 rounded their domicile. It has been remarked 
 that the young of a certain species of barn-fowl, 
 
256 THE CELTIC LANGUAGE. 
 
 when they come to look for their food, utter a 
 cry resembling biadh, pronounced beeah. 
 
 There are intrinsic features that make strong 
 the claims of the Celtic as a primitive language. 
 In it the names of animals are formed from the 
 natural sounds or cries emitted by these animals. 
 Thus bo is the name of a cow, and it is well 
 known that this animal emits the sound bo or 
 mho. Gaigheir is the name of a dog, and the 
 animal emits that sound from his deep throat. 
 AodJi is the name of a sheep, and the sound is 
 easily distinguished among the flock. Each is 
 the name of a horse, and the sound is emitted by 
 that animal. Muc is the name of a pig, and the 
 sound is found among the herd. Cuileac is the 
 name of a cock, and the bird emits that sound ; 
 cearc is the name of a hen, and its sound is heard 
 in the poultry yard ; shikeen is the name of a 
 chicken, and when it cries to its comrades, the 
 young bird is heard to emit that sound. Prcachan 
 is the name of a crow, and the bird is known to 
 emit the sound preach, pronounced preegh. 
 
 Even many of the names of objects or things 
 in the Celtic are imitations of the sounds of 
 nature. Thus toirucacJi, "thunder," is a close 
 imitation of the sound of nature ; goath, " wind," 
 is an imitation ; uisghe, " water," reminds one of 
 the running stream ; and tin or tinne t " fire," 
 is caught from the sound of the burning faggot. 
 Mcidklig, the bleating of sheep, well expresses 
 
NOTES. 257 
 
 the chorus of the flock. The sound of the word 
 crann, " a tree," is easily discerned in the crashing 
 branches in the storm ; and the word mutr, " the 
 sea," suggests the peculiar noise produced by 
 the winds on the mighty waters. The sound of 
 anthem, " a river," is easily caught by the ear when 
 one listens for a few moments on the banks of 
 the gliding stream. The word sdoirm, " a storm," 
 expresses the sound which the gale produces at 
 its high stern note; and baisteacJi, "heavy rain," 
 is typical of the falling torrents. If space per- 
 mitted it here, the stream of these typical sounds, 
 or, as they are called, phonetic types, could be 
 followed for an immense distance in the Celtic. 
 But a chord is touched which, perhaps, other 
 hands may cause to vibrate more effectually. 
 
 A strong proof of the originality and antiquity 
 of the Celtic language is deduced from the fact, 
 that the roots of all its words are to be found in 
 itself. This is not the case with respect to the 
 Greek, Latin, and other old languages. Cardinal 
 Wiseman admits that for many words of even 
 the Hebrew, the roots are not to be found in that 
 language itself, but are sought for in the Arabic 
 and other tongues. The Celtic contains a large 
 number of them. 
 
 But perhaps the most striking proof of the 
 antiquity of the Celtic lies in the fact, that frag- 
 ments of the language are found in all parts of the 
 world, even in India and among the original tribes 
 
258 THE CELTIC LANGUAGE. 
 
 of America. Cardinal Wiseman states that two- 
 thirds of the words of the languages of the origi- 
 nal tribes of America have been traced to the 
 Celtic. And assuredly a closer investigation 
 would discover even a larger proportion. For 
 instance, many of the tribes there bestow the 
 name of Inca on their kings. In no language, 
 except the Celtic, is the root of this word to be 
 found. The roots of it are ion, " a lord," and ccan, 
 " a head," the very roots of the Saxon word cyng y 
 of the German konigJi, and of the English king. 
 The word king is formed from cean and ion of 
 the Celtic, ccan, "a head," and ion, " a lord," that 
 is, the head high lord. Inca, or Incan, is merely 
 the same roots reversed, that is, ion-ccan, "the 
 lord-head." The title, Kan, of the Persian, and 
 Arabic, and other languages, comes from this word 
 ccan of the Celtic. In Ireland there is the word 
 Ri-in-ca as applied to certain localities, such as 
 the plain of the Ri-in-ca, the valley of the Ri-in- 
 ca, the town of the Ri-in-ca. The word is popu- 
 larly and commonly confounded with rinceadk, 
 " a dance," which it resembles in the pronuncia- 
 tion. But " the town or plain of the dance" is an 
 absurd expression. The real meaning of it is 
 that the town or plain belonged to, or was, by 
 residence or burial, connected with a Danish king 
 whose title among his people was Ri-in-ca, the 
 king, high lord, head, from ri, a "king/Vtftf, "lord," 
 and ccan, " a head." Not far from Youghal is a 
 
NOTES. 259 
 
 place called Insce-an-ri-in-ca, "the river-land of 
 the Ri-z/i-ca," and the presence of a series of 
 strong Danish forts in the neighbourhood still 
 testifies that the Northman once held sway there. 
 Near Castlemartyr is a place called Clais- 
 an-Ri-in-ca (the cave of the Ri-in-ca), and not 
 long since there, in a deep fissure of the rock, 
 were discovered the remains of the body of some 
 great personage who had been buried, with orna- 
 ments of gold. All these circumstances indicate 
 that the name of Inca among the original tribes 
 of America was derived from the Celtic. 
 
 Words of the Celtic are found in all countries, 
 in India, America, and even in New Zealand, such 
 as magh, " a plain," rath, " a fort," ou, " a river," 
 beal, "a mouth," or gap, thane, "a country," ben, " a 
 hillock," ra/, "a promontory," lock, a " lake," cahir 
 (Cairo), "a city," tnllagh, "adeclivity"or "height," 
 mota, " a mound," muis (formed from magh and 
 nisg), " a wet country." The Celtic has only two 
 genders, the masculine and feminine, like the 
 Hebrew and Sanskrit, while Greek and Latin, 
 and most other languages, have masculine, femi- 
 nine, and neuter. 
 
 There is in the Celtic an inexhaustible mine 
 for the elucidation of language. It is much to 
 be regretted that the first compilers of the 
 Greek and Latin dictionaries, and also of 
 those in English and other languages, 
 were so little acquainted with the Celtic, as, 
 otherwise, their great labours would have shed 
 
260 THE CELTIC LANGUAGE. 
 
 much light on philological science. Even still, 
 the dictionaries of derivations are travelling on 
 the wrong line. Instead of going to the original 
 source for the most familiar words of the English 
 language, they are endeavouring to wring them, 
 at second hand, from Greek, Latin, French, and 
 German. For instance, the homely word " door" 
 is by them derived from thura of the Greek, 
 instead of from the root of both, dor, of the Celtic. 
 Will an effort ever be made, understate patron- 
 age and support, to remedy this evil while the 
 old language still lives ? A most valuable ser- 
 vice could be here rendered to the English 
 language and to general literature. 
 
 At one time it was thought that the Hebrew 
 was man's original language. Recent investiga- 
 tions, however, would appear to place the Sanskrit 
 before it. The Sanskrit was the old language 
 of India which has ceased to be spoken for 
 hundreds of years, and which is now studied 
 from books and from the fragments of it that 
 remain in the living language of the country. 
 It would appear that the name Sanskrit is Celtic, 
 and means the " old writing," from scan, " old," 
 and sgribJiin, " writing." It is sometimes written 
 Shanscrit. 
 
 A large proportion of modern philologists 
 think that man's original language has perished, 
 and that the oldest tongue now known contains 
 only fragments of it. Professor Max Miiller is 
 of opinion that the word, which represents twenty 
 
 
NOTES. 26l 
 
 in the Sanskrit, in the Greek, and in the Latin, is 
 the mutilated fragment of a lost language, as the 
 root of it cannot now be found. The root of it, 
 he says, should be two tens or twice ten, and that 
 cannot be found in the word in either of these 
 languages. In Sanskrit the word " twenty " is 
 vinsatiy in Greek cikati, and in Latin viginti, the 
 three being evidently cognate formations. But 
 if he had known the Celtic, he would have easily 
 found the roots of the word in it. In the Celtic 
 it isfic/ie or fichid. In the Latin the word was 
 originally written figinti, as the letter v in that 
 language was adopted only at a comparatively 
 late period. Fiche of the Celtic, and figiuti of 
 the Latin, resemble each other much. But the 
 Latin supplies no root of the word itself. Is it 
 so with the Celtic ? No ; fiche is formed from 
 fe-dho-deich y which means " twice ten," the very 
 root which, Max Muller says, must have existed 
 in the original lost language. Thus, the Celtic 
 supplies the word and the meaning, which could 
 not be found elsewhere. 
 
 But it is sometimes asked : How could the 
 original language be found in a remote and small 
 country like Ireland ? It may be, just with as 
 much reason, asked : How could the oak tree, 
 and that large animal called the elk, have existed 
 there ? This old language exists in Ireland, and 
 it gave names to the rivers, lakes, and mountains 
 of the country many ages before the foundations 
 of the States of Greece and Rome. These names 
 
262 THE CELTIC LANGUAGE. 
 
 are continued to the present day, and those who 
 understand the old language can easily explain 
 their meaning. This is not the case with respect 
 to any other country on the face of the earth, 
 excepting, perhaps, parts of Scotland and Wales 
 where the Celtic language still subsists. In all 
 other places, by the change of languages and the 
 succession of races, the meaning of the names of 
 mountains, rivers, and lakes is involved in im- 
 penetrable obscurity. This is a great proof in fa- 
 vour of the stability of thelrish language, and its 
 antiquity too. Its pronunciation was thrown into 
 a uniform mould that has not yet been broken, 
 but when once broken, can never be recovered. 
 I have been able to converse in Celtic with a 
 native of the Highlands of Scotland with greater 
 facility than I could in English with a native of 
 Yorkshire, in England. But that which was the 
 refuge and defence of this old Celtic language 
 is now likely to be soon demolished by the 
 facilities of travelling, by the intercourse of 
 nations, and by the introduction of new lingual 
 elements. The natural barriers of distance and 
 retirement, which are now so invaded, were its 
 great protection in this country for thousands of 
 years, and, instead of being unfavourable to its 
 claims as an original language, they supply the 
 key to its great antiquity. The causes which 
 have produced about nine hundred languages 
 and dialects in the world, were not operating in 
 Ireland. It is not so now. 
 
263 
 
 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 " A necessary part of their personal outfit," 
 p. 2. — Ovid, who was for some time in exile 
 among them, thus writes of their warlike ap- 
 pearance : — Vox fera> trux vultus, verissima 
 Martis imago — " Their voice is fierce, their 
 countenance stern and savage, the very image of 
 the god of war." 
 
 " The name Scuit, ' Scots,' " p. 2, — They are 
 called Skuthai by Greek writers. 
 
 " The Celestials or Celts," p. 7. — The Tartars 
 are called by the Chinese historians Ta-Ta, as 
 they were descended from Ta-Ta. This claimed 
 for them a celestial origin, as Ta in the Celtic 
 language means God. The Spartans believed 
 that they were descended from Hercules. The 
 name Hercules appears to be formed from the 
 Celtic words ior-cclleacJi, which means the " lord 
 celestial." 
 
 " The Phoenician was a near relative of the 
 Hebrew," p. 9. — "The ancient language of Phoe- 
 nicia," says Max Muller, "to judge from inscrip- 
 tions-, was most closely allied to the Hebrew, and 
 the language of the Carthaginians too must be 
 referred to the same branch." 
 
 "And of whom they entertain similar notions," 
 p. 11. — In the Persian language the names of 
 God mean Is or " Being." 
 
264 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 " At the appointed time fire was applied to 
 the structure," p. 18.— It was, probably, this 
 practice of roasting human beings in sacrifice 
 that led some ancient Greek writers to believe 
 that the early inhabitants of Ireland were canni- 
 bals. The Greeks generally applied the terms 
 milk-eaters, horse-eaters, and man-eaters, to 
 different tribes of the old Scythians. Perhaps 
 they thought the Irish were descended from the 
 man-eaters, anthopophagi, the worst class of 
 those whom they called terrible barbarians. 
 
 " In which were two or three openings or 
 passages," p. 23. — In the large Druidical circle 
 at Avebury in England were two openings, which 
 consisted of two avenues a mile long, lined on 
 each side with rows of large stones. One passage 
 is on the west side of the circle, the other on the 
 south. The worshippers, probably, entered 
 through the west and came out by the south 
 passage. " The remains," says a modern writer, 
 " found at this place beneath the grass, suggest 
 sacrifice, and point to various tokens of high 
 antiquity." 
 
 " Ior-radh, 'speaking to God — prayer,'" p. 28. 
 — From this comes the exclamation " Hurrah," 
 which means a wish, a joy, or an encouragement 
 at the beginning or end of an action. Among 
 English-speaking persons it is corrupted into 
 u hurreh." In Germany, an old Scythian or Celtic 
 country, it is still uttered " Hurrah," just as it 
 
NOTES. 265 
 
 rang defiantly, many centuries ago, in the ears 
 of the invading Roman legions. 
 
 The Persian, or Indian word, gabhra, " fire- 
 worshipper," owes a component part to this ior- 
 radh, " adoration," of the Celtic. Gabhra is 
 formed from gath, "a ray," or "beam of light," 
 and adhradhy "adoration." From Gabhra comes 
 Giaour, "fire-worshipper," of the Arabic. The 
 eighteen different languages of India contain 
 fragments of the Celtic. From thane, "a country," 
 of the Celtic, comes tan or stan, so common in 
 the names of places in India. 
 
 "Near Mitchelstown," p. 32. — Here was a 
 Druidical temple or circle, of which five pillar 
 stones are still standing. Altars and stones, 
 similar to those in Ireland, have been found in 
 India and in America. The popular Irish name 
 of a Druidical circle is Cuairt an Droi, " the circle 
 of the Druid." 
 
 " It was there the local chief or king was 
 solemnly installed," p. 36. — In some places these 
 chiefs or princes were installed on large inaugu- 
 ration stones. Such was the case in Tirconnell, 
 where the O'Donnell chief was solemnly in- 
 augurated on a stone in which were cut the foot- 
 prints of the first of his race or clan who had 
 been installed on it. He stood in the same 
 foot-prints, and swore to be faithful to his people. 
 In Christian times the ceremony was conducted 
 under the direction of the local priest, who 
 
266 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 handed the chief a white, straight, and unknotted 
 rod, the emblem of purity, justice, and impar- 
 tiality. In more ancient times he received it 
 from the Druid. 
 
 " Dalian," p. 38. — Dalian and Liaba are pre- 
 historic monuments, and the Celtic language, 
 which is the only one that explains the meaning 
 of these names, must be regarded as pre-historic 
 too. 
 
 " By the stone of St. Patrick at Cashel." p. 40. 
 — After the introduction of Christianity, the 
 people swore on sacred Christian objects, such as 
 the Mass-books, the croziers of bishops and 
 abbots, and on reliquaries containing copies of 
 portions of the Holy Scriptures. 
 
 " A cave or burying-place," p. 43. — Or, per- 
 haps, Eug-uaimhy " the cave of death." It is a 
 curious fact that the word oum } formed of three 
 letters, is the symbol of the Trinity of the Brah- 
 mins of India. Could the Ogham (oum), or secret 
 and mystical writing of the Druids, have any 
 connexion with it ? 
 
 "When man first cut a scar or notch," p. 44. — 
 This was the first kind of writing. Hence the 
 Celtic word sgriobh, " to write," from which comes 
 scribo of the Latin, means to " scrape " or " scar." 
 Grapho, " to write," of the Greek, also comes 
 from grafaim, " to scrape," of the Celtic. The 
 pillar- writing of the Ogham exhibits this to 
 perfection. 
 
NOTES. 267 
 
 "Lia-fail, ' the stone of the king,'"p. 47. — One 
 of Ireland's names is Inis-fail, the " Island of the 
 King," and the beautiful island of Inisfallen, in 
 Killarney, is Inis-fail-lein y the " Island of the 
 King " of (loch) Lane. 
 
 "There fixed must be your throne," p. 51. — 
 Sir Walter Scott has given a version thus : — 
 
 "Unless the Fates are faithless grown, 
 And Prophet's voice be vain, 
 Where'er is found this sacred Stone, 
 The Scottish race shall reign." 
 
 We'll try it ourselves : — 
 
 Where, ancient noble Scottish race ! 
 
 The old King's Stone you find, 
 You there your certain throne shall place, 
 
 Or, Prophecy is blind ! 
 
 " Fiadh also means 'deer,'" p. 52. — The red 
 deer were very numerous on the mountains and 
 coarse lands of Ireland before fire-arms were in- 
 vented and used in their destruction. 
 
 " But whatever were the ingredients, whether 
 corn, heath, or both," p. 58.— It appears that the 
 Celtic ale was produced from steeped grain, 
 made to germinate, infused in a certain 
 quantity of water and fermented. To this, in 
 Ireland, was added some heath of a certain 
 species, age, and growth, to obtain the qualities 
 now perhaps better produced by the exotic hops. 
 This ale was the drink of kings, and far more 
 wholesome and invigorating than the whiskey 
 and champagne of the present day. Mead, a 
 
 O 
 
268 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 drink made from honey, was also much used by 
 the Celts. 
 
 " Bar-i" p. 59. — The extremity of a place or 
 country is called bar-i. Thus, the game of 
 hurling or foot-ball is called bar-i, which means 
 that the ball is to be sent to the extremity, the 
 same as goal. 
 
 " Brighy a 'hill,' or 'hillock,'" p. 59. — The 
 name deirc-i, " the end of a country," is also very 
 common in Ireland. This is erroneously derived 
 from dair y " the oak," as in Derry, Derrynane, 
 &c, &c. 
 
 " Entertained by the Celts for fire," p. 60. — The 
 Mahommedans of India, who call those of the 
 native religion Gabrahs or Giaours, that is, " fire- 
 worshippers," think that if their own bodies are 
 burned they will never see paradise. GabraJi 
 would appear to be a Celtic word formed from 
 gadhy "a ray of light," and adhradJi, "ado- 
 ration." 
 
 "And adorned with valuable ornaments of 
 gold," p. 60. — The Scythians had a great respect 
 for their dead. When Cyrus demanded their 
 submission, threatening that, in case of refusal, 
 he would invade their country, their reply was : 
 "We would advise you to abandon that inten- 
 tion, for we will defend the tombs of our fore- 
 fathers." 
 
 "In the Lios and RatJi are frequently found 
 subterraneous passages," p. 62. — Some are also 
 
NOTES. 269 
 
 found frequently in connexion with old castles ; 
 and at the present day they are considered of 
 much importance in the construction of land 
 batteries and coast defences. 
 
 " The rath and the lios" p. 63. — The lios 
 and the rath are ascribed to the Danes by the 
 popular traditions. Most likely such habitations 
 were used by these invaders. Others say they 
 were erected by the Tuatha-de-danan, and that 
 the popular name, Dane, in connexion with them, 
 came from Danan. 
 
 "Art is also a name for God," p. 6S. — From 
 <?r, " destruction," and fa, "god;" the god of 
 destruction, that is, Mars. 
 
 "Cleansed and purified by that terrible pro- 
 cess," p. 71. — Some light is thrown on this 
 subject by the belief prevalent in India at the 
 present day, respecting the transmigration of 
 souls. If a person once sinks, by his crimes, 
 from the human to the brute creation, he must 
 pass through many millions of births before he . 
 can resume the human form again. Then, again, 
 he must pass through thousands of births in the 
 lower grades of the human form, till at last he 
 reaches the highest grade from which, at death, 
 he is absorbed into the circle of happiness. 
 
 "Only certain species of them," p. 72. — At the 
 present day, in many parts of India, the natives 
 will not touch the tame barn-fowl, though they 
 will kill and eat the wild cock of the moor and 
 
2JQ THE DRUIDS. 
 
 the forest. This is manifestly a remnant of 
 Druidism ; and it is a curious fact that in cran- 
 nogs and other ancient human habitations, in 
 various countries, the bones of the hare, of the 
 hen, and the goose, have not been found among 
 the remains of animals and shell-fish used for 
 food by the original occupiers. 
 
 " The egg or mysterious badge suspended from 
 the neck of the Druid," p. 76. — The Egyptian 
 priests wore a jewel on which was written " truth." 
 
 It would seem that a class of variegated round 
 stones, preserved in Ireland from time imme- 
 morial, had some connexion with the Druid's 
 badge, and, perhaps, also with the Egyptian 
 jewel. They are of the size of a small apple, 
 and of a strong colour in various shades. The 
 number of them at present is very limited, not 
 more than two to be found in a whole province, 
 and in some not one at all. Great medicinal 
 qualities and strange powers have, from the 
 earliest times, been ascribed to them. They have, 
 in Irish, the name of Clock Omrci, " the amber 
 stone," though the substance is doubtful. They 
 are manifestly of the same family as the "amber 
 stones," and " ambrosial stones," which were 
 held in such high reputation by the Persians, the 
 Greeks, Romans, Arabs, and the early tribes of 
 northern Europe. The strong or bright colour, 
 or the latent virtue, was supposed to include 
 something celestial and divine, and the use, or 
 
NOTES. 271 
 
 the possession, of one of them was believed to 
 cure diseases, to avert dangers, and ensure suc- 
 cess even in the most perilous and desperate 
 undertakings. The incredulous, who had not 
 much confidence in their mystical power, often 
 admitted their potency, which they ascribed to 
 the medicinal qualities, especially the strong 
 electricity (amber) inherent in them. One of 
 these Irish stones, of which the origin is unknown, 
 has been preserved for centuries in the family of 
 the Geraldines, of Imokilly, in the county of 
 Cork. 
 
 " Often founded on these emblems the most 
 extravagant stories," p. 82. — For instance, among 
 the numerous legends respecting St. Patrick, one 
 says that it was through the region of Kerry he 
 drove the reptiles into the sea, and that, as a 
 memorial of the fact, one monstrous serpent was 
 chained at the bottom of Loch Lane in Killarney 
 to remain there to the day of judgment, while 
 another, its male comrade, was banished to the 
 mighty ocean, on the surface of which it is to 
 wander to the end of time, and to be often seen 
 by mortal eyes in various places, but never to be 
 killed or captured. Perhaps this is the famous 
 sea-serpent of modern times. 
 
 " The All-heal, was brought home amidst 
 shouts of joy," p. 88. — The popular salutation in 
 Ireland at Christmas is Go Dtugath Dia Uillig 
 tnhath dhuit y " May God give you a good Christ- 
 
272 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 mas." Could this have originated in Druidism, and 
 inreferencetothefindingofthe Uillig,or All-heal? 
 
 " Under the care of the Druids it was made 
 to root in almost every orchard and forest/' p. 90. 
 — It appears that, since the destruction of the 
 primeval forests in Ireland, the mistletoe does 
 not grow there naturally. It is now produced 
 by artificial culture. 
 
 " And it is said that the words which he ad- 
 dressed to them made a deep impression on their 
 minds," p. 101. — It is said that it was on this 
 occasion, when speaking of the Holy Trinity, he 
 pulled up from the green sward the trefoil plant 
 to illustrate the subject, and that from this cir- 
 cumstance the shamrock has become an emblem 
 of Erin. St. Patrick was well able to address 
 them in the language of the country, for the 
 Celtic was spoken in the part of France of which 
 he was a native, and he had also spent seven 
 years of captivity, when a boy, in Ireland. 
 
 " Always professed themselves its devoted 
 worshippers," p. 106. — The ancient tribes of 
 America, especially those of Mexico and Peru, 
 were also worshippers of the sun. Even at this 
 day, in India, many of the natives fall prostrate 
 before the sun in the morning, and also in the 
 evening. 
 
 " The large and loose tunic of the Celts," 
 p. 130. — The large outer garment was called 
 fillcadh mor, the inner small garment, filleadh 
 
NOTES. 273 
 
 beg. The latter name is still commonly retained 
 in Scotland for a part of the national dress.. 
 
 " By colour and its various shades, caste, con- 
 dition, &c, were marked," p. 130. — This was an 
 Eastern custom. We read in Genesis that Joseph 
 wore a coat of many colours. Even at this day 
 caste and rank among the Hindoos are indi- 
 cated by threads of various colours worn in the 
 garments. The Irish tunic much resembled that 
 worn by Indian chiefs at the present day. 
 
 " Staff of Jesus, or Bachall Josa" p. 108. — 
 It was called the Staff of Jesus because, accord- 
 ing to the legendary account of its origin, it 
 was believed that it had been received from 
 Christ himself. As early as the twelfth century 
 Giraldus Cambrensis, an English priest who had 
 come to Ireland with- King John, speaks of it 
 as the most remarkable and venerable relic in 
 Erin. " Its origin," he says, " is doubtful, but 
 not so its virtue ;" by which he meant the mira- 
 culous powers commonly ascribed to it. In the 
 Tripartite Life of St. Patrick is the legendary 
 account of its origin. It is said that before St. 
 Patrick went to preach to the Irish he embarked 
 with a few companions on board a sailing craft, 
 and that they were driven by a storm on an 
 unknown island. They sought and obtained 
 hospitality in a certain house there. The in- 
 mates were persons who, by a special favour 
 from Christ himself, had lived for centuries in 
 
274 THE DRUIDS. 
 
 that country. An aged-looking woman of the 
 family at once recognised Patrick, told him that 
 he would go to preach to the Gacdhil, and she 
 handed him a staff or crozier which would be the 
 badge of his authority. " I have," said she, " re- 
 ceived this staff from Christ himself, for when he 
 was upon earth, he visited this island ; he fore- 
 told that you would arrive here, and he com- 
 manded me to keep it till you would come, and 
 to hand it to you." She added, that she and 
 the other few members of her family would live, 
 childless and deathless there, to the day of judg- 
 ment. Another account says that it was an 
 angel that handed the staff to St. Patrick. 
 Whatever was the origin of the staff, it was the 
 companion of the Saint for many years, and, 
 probably, the actual support of his wearied and 
 feeble frame on many a long and rugged journey. 
 From the descendants of those whom he had 
 converted to the faith, these circumstances secured 
 for the relic great love and veneration. It was 
 encased in a costly frame, or cover, ornamented 
 with precious stones and metals. On it coven- 
 ants were ratified, and solemn oaths made. It 
 was for ages the badge of the successors of St. 
 Patrick in the See of Armagh. In the year 
 1180, it was brought from Armagh to Dublin 
 by William FitzAldhelm, and deposited in the 
 Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity. There 
 it remained, still an object of love and venera- 
 
NOTES. 2/5 
 
 tion, till the year 1538, when it was publicly 
 burned by the wretched agents whom Henry 
 VIII. employed to introduce changes in religion. 
 The vandal act created an intense feeling of 
 indignation in Ireland. 
 
 " For he used noble language," p. 115. — Or, 
 more probably, from bar, "a learned man," and 
 dan, "poetry." 
 
 "And iC) 'death,'" p. 126. — Or, perhaps, from 
 ar, "destruction or slain," and ic> "remedy or 
 compensation." It was called in ancient Saxom 
 We rh -geld. 
 
 " Colour was an important feature of the 
 ancient Celtic costume," p. 130. — The Annals of 
 the Four Masters, at the year 3664, state that 
 Eochaidh, King of Ireland, was the first to es- 
 tablish the variety of colours for the dress, and 
 that one colour was made the badge of the slave, 
 two of the soldier, three of a goodly hero, or 
 young lord of territory, six of the ollav, or man of 
 learning, and seven of the king and queen. 
 Probably this king only gave new form and 
 force to what had been the custom from time 
 immemorial. 
 
 " Some derive it from Gomer," p. 136. — Ger- 
 many is said to derive its name from the same 
 personage." 
 
 o2 
 
76 
 
 THE ANCIENT CHURCHES OE IRELAND. 
 
 11 Ancient buildings, especially the Churches, throw much light 
 on the general civilization of their times." — Anonym- 
 
 " From the cast," p. 144.— The Psalm says : 
 " Sing ye to God who mounteth above the 
 heaven of heavens, to the east." — lxvii., 34. In 
 a very few instances, owing to peculiar circum- 
 stances of ground and space, an old church was 
 found to be north and south, and it was called 
 by the peculiar name of sablial, which would 
 appear to mean " a barn," as St. Patrick had 
 received the gift of a large barn so placed, from 
 a certain great chief, to be converted into a church. 
 
 " Large stone crosses," p. 151. — In Monaster- 
 boice arc two finely-sculptured crosses of this 
 class, one 16 and the other 18 feet high. A cross, 
 15 feet high, stood near the western door of a 
 church at Clonmacnois. 
 
 " Undoubtedly wooden and wicker-work edi- 
 fices were sometimes used as houses of worship 
 here, as well as in other countries," p. 152. — 
 A wicker-work church is called in Irish CHI 
 Clcitlie, the "church of the hurdles." Kilclief, 
 in the county of Down, derived its name from 
 the existence there of one of these old churches. 
 Ccaluir was the name of a church of which 
 the walls were made of mud or earth, and 
 
NOTES. 2JJ 
 
 the term is now applied to an old structure 
 in ruins. 
 
 " Or from cat, ' a house,' and ail, a 'stone,'" 
 p. 156. — In Scotland the name of clogach, "a 
 house of stone," was sometimes given to a church, 
 and it is stated that the name was borrowed from 
 the stone-circle of the Druids. In this sense cill-de, 
 abbreviated cill, would mean " the stone house of 
 God," and kirk would, probably, be cai-erc, " the 
 house of the sun," that is, the Druidical circle. 
 Cill and kirk mean the same thing. A parish 
 in the county of Antrim was indifferently called 
 by the name of Kirkinriola and Kilkinriola. 
 
 " Killteskin," p. 157. — It would appear that 
 this place was an ancient penitential station, or 
 that its church enjoyed some special privileges 
 from, perhaps, the time of St. Colman, as thou- 
 sands of pilgrims are now, and have been, from 
 time immemorial, in the habit of visiting it for 
 devotional purposes on the Assumption of the 
 Blessed Virgin, and during the octave of that 
 festival. 
 
 " Cill Colmain, " the Church of Colman," p. 157. 
 — The name Cill-eigJi (Killeagh) occurs frequently 
 in Ireland. It is commonly thought to mean 
 Cil-liath, " the gray church." It means the 
 church of Aedh. Acdh, or " Hugh," was a very 
 frequent name among the early saints of Ireland. 
 A few miles to the west of Youghal is a place of 
 the name, It is also called Cill-eigh-cadk, that 
 
278 ANCIENT CHURCHES. 
 
 is, " the church of Aedh, the religious." This 
 saint was also called Abban, as he was abbot. 
 An abbess was called Bean-abb, " the woman- 
 abbot," while Abban meant the " Abbot-man." 
 
 A holy well on the east side of this village is 
 called Tobar FeargJiail, "the well of Feargal," 
 or Farrell. It is likely that AcdJi was of that 
 family, and, perhaps, a native of the place, as some 
 ploughlands in the neighbourhood have the name 
 of Bailc-mhic-cigh, " the bally of the son of A ed/i." 
 A small stream near the village is called Abhain- 
 cidJi-cadJi, "the river of Acdk, the religious," and 
 it is supposed that it flowed nearer to the site of 
 the well than it does at present. 
 
 " The word domJuiach has given its modern 
 Irish name to Sunday," p. 160. — Something 
 similar exists in the French. There, all the week- 
 days are called after the Druidical divinities ; but 
 Sunday is called Dimanclic, " the day of the 
 manse," and appears to be formed from Dei 
 mansus, " the house of God." In English and 
 German the Druidical name is retained, while in 
 Spanish, Italian, and other languages, it is formed 
 from the Latin Do minus, " lord," that is, the 
 Lord's day. 
 
 "An oratory or hermitage," p. 163. — The Irish 
 name of oratory is adhradJi-cill, from adhradh, 
 " prayer," and till, " a church." It is commonly 
 written and pronounced arriagal, arragell, or 
 aireagal. 
 
NOTES. 279 
 
 " Struck by lightning," p. 1 64. — Some authorities 
 say it was burned, others, struck by lightning. 
 
 " In Lough-dearg," p. 167. — It was called 
 Lough-bo-dliearg, that is, " the lough of the red 
 cow," from some circumstance now unknown. 
 
 "In which that true Lamb is slain," p. 172. — 
 The name of the Lamb was bestowed on the 
 Christian sacrifice from the time of the Apostles. 
 In an ancient account of the martyrdom of St. 
 Andrew, the Apostle, it is stated that, in reply 
 to those who asked him to sacrifice to false gods, 
 he said: "I offer to the Omnipotent God, who 
 is one and true, not the flesh of bulls or the blood 
 of goats, but the immaculate Lamb on the altar." 
 St. Andrew had preached in Scythia in Europe, 
 and afterwards in Epirus and Thrace. Perhaps 
 it was from that source this name for the Mass 
 reached the Scythians or Scots of Ireland. 
 
 " Circumscribed part of a country," p. 174. — 
 Or it may be from bulla, " a wall," and t, " a 
 country," a walled place, that is fortified. 
 
 "Cill Mhuirel p. 174. — This is the name of the 
 graveyard in the island of Skye, where the cele- 
 brated Flora MacDonald is buried, and where a 
 fine Celtic cross has been lately erected to her 
 memory. 
 
 "Iona," p. 178. — It appears that it was also 
 called Ion-i, " the island of the sun," from Druidi- 
 cal times. 
 
 "Churches were left in ruins," p. 180. — In parts 
 
280 ANCIENT CHURCHES. 
 
 of the country where they were dominant, these 
 barbarians demanded what was called nose- 
 money, in Irish airgid sliroin ; that is, they 
 required every head of a family to pay them 
 annually an ounce of gold, and, when it was not 
 paid, they cut off the nose of the unhappy de- 
 faulter. 
 
 " The production of her ancient schools," p. 
 182. — An interesting notice of the surviving ma- 
 nuscripts is given in a number of a publication 
 called "Atlantis." 
 
28l 
 
 ROUND TOWERS. 
 
 "The Round Towers of Ireland are the most remarkable 
 Antiquities in the world ; if we regard the singularity of their 
 construction, the obscurity of their origin, and the difficulty of 
 assigning the object for which they were built." — Spectator. 
 
 " The masonry of the Towers resembles that 
 of the ancient Churches, but is more solid and 
 substantial," p. 192. — An idea of the solid and 
 durable workmanship of the Round Towers may- 
 be formed from what Harris says of the Tower 
 of Maghera, in the county of Down, which was 
 thrown down by a violent hurricane about the 
 year 1710: — "It lay," he says, "at length and 
 entire on the ground, like a huge gun, without 
 breaking to pieces, so wonderfully hard and 
 binding was the cement in the work." 
 
 "Near the church of Saint Finbarr," p. 195. — A 
 Frenchman, named De la Boulaye, who travelled 
 in Ireland in 1644, says, that "in one of the 
 suburbs of Cork there is an old tower ten or 
 twelve feet in diameter, and more than one 
 hundred feet high, which they firmly hold to 
 have been built by St. Barre." 
 
 " Places of sepulture or mausoleums," p. 197. 
 — In India there are towers, about fifty feet in 
 diameter, and open at the top, in which dead 
 bodies are laid on benches. They are called 
 " towers of silence." They somewhat resemble 
 
282 ROUND TOWERS. 
 
 the Martello towers of Ireland. But there are, in 
 that country, a few towers of a different construc- 
 tion, high, and closed at the top. Lord Valentia, 
 who travelled there, says : " It is singular there is 
 no tradition concerning them, nor are they held 
 in any respect by the Hindoos of the country." 
 It is quite possible that these were baptisteries. 
 The Christian religion was preached with con- 
 siderable success at a very early period in Persia 
 and India. But in the fourth century, under the 
 influence of a half political, half religious perse- 
 cution, the work of converting and baptizing the 
 natives was obliged to be abandoned. The 
 "Veda," the sacred book of India, is a grotesque 
 mixture of Druidism and Christianity. Perhaps 
 this surmise may lead to some further researches 
 on the subject of these towers. 
 
 "The top was then open," p. 194. — The fol- 
 lowing notice, however, says it was not : — 
 
 " Nearly opposite the west end of the Cathedral, at a distance 
 of thirty yards, stands the beautiful Round Tower of Cloyne. 
 Its present height is a little more than a hundred feet ; its 
 diameter at the doorway is nine feet two inches, with a thickness 
 of wall of three feet eight inches. At the upper floor the diameter 
 of the tower -is seven feet two inches, with a thickness of wall of 
 two feet nine inches. The tower is divided internally into 
 storeys by seven offsets taken from the thickness of the wall ; 
 so that, drawn in section, the internal line of wall would show a 
 zig-zag outline. The tower was originally crowned by the usual 
 conical stone roof, which is stated to have been destroyed by 
 lightning on the night of the ioth of January, 1749. Bennet 
 gives the following description of this storm:— 'A storm of 
 
NOTES. 283 
 
 lightning, with thunder, on the night of January 10th, 1749, 
 passed through the country in a line from west to east, and, after 
 killing some cows in a field south of Cork, struck the Round 
 Tower of Cloyne. It first rent the vaulted arch at the top, threw 
 down the great bell, together with three galleries, and descending 
 perpendicularly to the lowest floor, forced its way, with a violent 
 explosion, through one side of the tower, and drove some of the 
 stones, which were admirably well jointed, through the roof of 
 a neighbouring stable. The door, though secured by a strong 
 iron lock, was thrown to the distance of sixty yards, and quite 
 shattered to pieces. A few pigeons, that used to roost on the 
 top of the steeple, were scorched to death, not a feather of them 
 being left unsinged. With the same bad taste which distin- 
 guishes all the works of our modern architecture, the vaulted 
 stone roof of the tower was never repaired, but the height was 
 lowered more than six feet, and a vile battlement, in imitation of 
 the worst English churches, substituted in its stead.' Wilkinson, 
 treating of the 'Ancient Architecture of Ireland,' p. 71, states 
 that ' the material of this tower is reddish-coloured sandstone 
 of the country, in good preservation ; much of it is very carefully 
 worked to the curvature of the tower with a chisel-pointed 
 hammer ; the masonry of the doorway is put together in a 
 laboured manner, and finely chiselled, each stone being appa- 
 rently worked as it was required ; the stones are flat-bedded and 
 of considerable size ;' and, subsequently, he adds, ' that the 
 masonry of the doorway is so carefully put together, that a file 
 alone would produce such careful work in the present day. ' " 
 
 A popular legend says, that when St. Colman 
 finished the building of this Tower, he leaped 
 from the top of it to Lurrug, a distance of about 
 one mile on the west side, and there alighted on 
 a large rock, on which he left a deep impression 
 of his legs and knees. Do Icim se do bharra na 
 CttilcJiigJi air clock na LurgJia — " He leaped 
 from the top of the ' Reed-house' on the stone 
 
284 ROUND TOWERS. 
 
 of the Shanks." The large rock, having the deep 
 impression on it, existed there till about thirty 
 years ago, when it was cut up into head or grave- 
 stones, by a stone-cutter named David Miles. 
 The rock, a huge limestone block, 10 feet long, 
 6 feet wide, and 5 deep, rested on a gentle 
 elevation of ground, and was, perhaps, a Druidi- 
 cal altar, like that of Castlemary near it. It was 
 laid east and west. This legend would appear 
 to contain an allegory, and to insinuate that St. 
 Colman, by the erection of his Church and 
 baptistery tower, crushed and extinguished the 
 worship of idols in his district. The ploughland 
 where this large rock stood is called from it 
 Lurrug, that is, the Shank, and the impression on 
 the stone was popularly named Lurgha an fliir 
 mhoir" the shanks of the big man." Frominquiries 
 made at the place, among old men who, in their 
 youth, had often played round the stone, I was 
 able to learn that the impression of the feet 
 faced the north-east, and that of the knees the 
 south-west, while there was on it also a less deep 
 impression of the body, head, and elbows. 
 
 This impression, which appeared to have been 
 cut in it with an edged instrument, would be 
 against its character as a Druidical altar, for in 
 Ireland the chisel was not allowed to touch 
 structures of that kind. It is more likely that 
 it was an inauguration stone on which the local 
 chiefs or princes were solemnly installed. Such 
 
NOTES. 285 
 
 stones existed in Ireland with those impressions 
 on them. In Tirconnell the chiefs of the O'Don- 
 nells were installed on one which had cut on it 
 the deep impression of the feet of the first prince 
 of their race or clan who had been solemnly in- 
 augurated on that stone. This would give to 
 the legend about St. Colman a tangible meaning. 
 
 St. Colman was a native of Hy-Lihane, an 
 extensive territory included in the diocese of 
 Cloyne, and the chief or prince of which resided 
 at Castlelyons. He was a son or near relative 
 of that chief, and was by blood connected with 
 the royal family of Munster. What could be 
 more natural than that he should be installed as 
 prince-prelate on that old inauguration stone 
 and that the popular mind, always fond of won- 
 der, would add to it the leap from the tower as 
 a golden feather to carry it far ? It is curious 
 that a large stone at Ardmore is connected with 
 the memory and name of St. Deglan, who was 
 a member of the noble family of the Felans of 
 Desies. The stone at Ardmore exists there 
 still, while the interesting monument at Lurrug 
 has fallen a victim to the vulgar vandalism of 
 lucre. It is intended to mark the spot where it 
 stood by the erection of a stone pillar. 
 
 In immediate proximity to the site of the rock 
 of Lurgha is a high hill called Cruachan, a name 
 frequently bestowed on those places where the 
 ancient Irish enacted and proclaimed their laws. 
 
286 
 
 ROUND TOWERS. 
 
 The surrounding country is thickly studded with 
 raths ; and in the very field where the rock stood 
 some large pieces of gold have been found deep 
 in the soil. They appeared to be portions of 
 the hilts of swords. Graves also have been found 
 near the place. A popular tradition says that 
 a great battle was fought there. Here it may be 
 stated that Cloynewas one of the royal residences 
 of the Kings of Cashel. 
 
 " Saw the submerged Round Towers of past 
 ages shining a| the bottom of the lake," p. 196. — 
 There is generally a grain of truth in the legend. 
 Lough Neagh often overflows its banks, as the 
 exit for its waters is very narrow. The reed was 
 the model of the Round Tower, and as the reeds 
 were here often buried deep in the water, their 
 appearance down in the lake might have sug- 
 gested the idea or image of those tall structures 
 called the reed-houses. 
 
 " The house of the bell," p. 199, — The correct 
 name in Irish of a large bell for ringing in a 
 church is crcdli-cil, from crcdh, " metal," and 
 beal, " a mouth." The English word bell comes 
 from bcal. 
 
 "A reed shaken by the wind," p. 200. — In 
 ancient pictures and engravings of St. John the 
 Baptist, he is represented with a water-reed in 
 his hand. The present theory is the only one 
 that pretends to give any reason for the form, and 
 shape, and name of the Round Tower. 
 
NOTES. 287 
 
 " They are found near the old Episcopal 
 Churches," p. 205. — The ancient discipline requir- 
 ed that the bishop himself should perform the 
 solemn public baptisms, or, at least, that he should 
 personally superintend and direct the ceremo- 
 nies.— {See Devoti, in the chapter on Baptism). 
 
 " But, perhaps, that present church is only a 
 successor of the original sacred structure which 
 stood more directly opposite to its reed-house," 
 p. 206 — As an illustration of this, it may be 
 stated that the present church or cathedral of 
 Cloyne, which was erected in the fourteenth cen- 
 tury, stands considerably to the south-east of the 
 round tower. But in the same grave-yard are 
 the ruins of an old structure which the people 
 call the oratory or chapel of St. Colman. The 
 foundations are now only a foot or two above 
 the surface of the ground, and all traces of win- 
 dows or doors are gone. This ruin stands due 
 east of the Round Tower, and facing its elevated 
 door. It is manifestly a fragment of the original 
 church, perhaps the chancel, which may owe its 
 partial preservation to the fact, that in it, or near 
 it, might have been buried the remains of St. 
 Colman himself. On the south of this, as usual, 
 are the graves of the dead, while many are on 
 the north side of the present church, owing to the 
 altered position. 
 
 " Holding a lamb in his arms, and a cup in his 
 hands," p. 208. — This is conclusive with respect to 
 
288 ROUND TOWERS. 
 
 the object for which Brechin Round Tower was 
 erected. It demonstrates that it was a baptis- 
 tery. There is attached to the old church of 
 Clonard, in the county of Meath, a very curious 
 and ancient baptismal font. A woodcut illustra- 
 tion, and description of the venerable relic, may 
 be seen in the Dublin Penny Journal of 1834-5, 
 at p. 176. It is formed of limestone or marble, 
 and is, on the inside, of the shape of a convex 
 demisphere. The outside is an octagon com- 
 posed of square panels. On one of these pan- 
 els is a representation of St. John the Baptist 
 baptizing our Saviour in the river, and pouring 
 the water on his head out of a vessel which the 
 Saint holds in his right hand. The figures or 
 emblems on the Tower of Brechin are exactly 
 the same as these, the lamb being a repre- 
 sentation of our Saviour, and they indicate, 
 beyond doubt, the character of the tower, that 
 is, they show it was a baptistery. I have 
 in my possession an old Missal, very finely print- 
 ed, with excellent illustrations and ornamental 
 capital letters. It was printed at Lyons in 1723, 
 and the symbolic capitals would appear to be an 
 imitation of the illumiriated letters of ancient 
 manuscript Missals. In it, at page 277, is an 
 illustration of St. John the Baptist. He is re- 
 presented there with a lamb, a cup, and a water- 
 reed. This coincidence is so striking, that one is 
 at once forced to admit that Brechin Round 
 
NOTES. 289 
 
 Tower was certainly connected with baptism, and 
 that the other Round Towers, though not exhi- 
 biting these particular emblems, must have been 
 erected for a similar object. 
 
 An ancient Rubric on Baptism recommends 
 "for the Baptistery, when it could be conve- 
 niently put on it, an image or representation 
 of Saint John baptizing Christ." — Roman Ritual. 
 It is in the original Latin thus : in eoque (baptis- 
 terio) ubi commode fieri potest, depingatur imago 
 Sancti Johannis Christum baptizantis. This 
 representation of Saint John baptizing Christ has 
 never been found on any structure or building 
 not connected with Christian baptism. 
 
 Lower down on Brechin Tower are two gro- 
 tesque beasts couchant. These are the demons 
 " laid" or vanquished by the prayers of exorcism, 
 and the graces of the Sacrament. 
 
 " Six and eight were mystic numbers." p. 209. 
 — I have not found in any book a satisfactory 
 explanation of these numbers or forms, which, in 
 many instances, baptismal fonts exhibit even to 
 this day. A writer in a London Cyclopaedia 
 says that it is very probable that they were 
 imitated from some apartment in a Roman bath. 
 But from whence did the Roman bath derive 
 them ? Probably from the appearance of water- 
 plants or reeds, on the stalks of which these sides 
 and angles are observed. In that case the early 
 Christians might have taken them for their bap- 
 
290 ROUND TOWERS. 
 
 tisterics from the original model- But eight and 
 six are symbolic numbers of the Holy Scriptures. 
 There are the eight beatitudes. And still more 
 striking in reference to this subject, is that which 
 St. Peter says (1 Epist. iii. 20) : " Eight souls were 
 saved by water." In Leviticus, chap. xxiv. 6, it 
 is said : " And thou shalt set them six and six, 
 one against another, upon the most clean table 
 before the Lord." " Six boards for the sides of the 
 Tabernacle" are mentioned in Scripture ; " six 
 cities for refuge ;" " six lambs for sacrifice," 
 &c, &c. In Galatians, chap, v., 22, 23, there 
 are enumerated, in the version of the Vulgate, 
 twelve fruits of the Holy Ghost. Perhaps these 
 were represented by the six sides and six angles 
 of the baptistery. Certain it is, that these forms 
 and numbers had their peculiar symbolic ex- 
 pression. It is only in baptisteries of superior 
 ornamentation these octagonal and hexagonal 
 forms are usually found, and they are combined 
 with the general feature of roundness, which was 
 certainly borrowed from the water-reed. 
 
 "The first story of the Round Tower of 
 Keneigh, near Bandon, is of the hexagonal 
 form," p. 210. — Dr. Petrie, and the others who 
 have written on the Round Towers, could not 
 make the hexagonal form of the Reed-house of 
 Keneigh throw any light on their theories, and 
 thus, that striking and important feature is 
 passed over by them without any observation. 
 
NOTES. 291 
 
 "The place for baptism," p. 212. — In the 
 country about Cloyne, where there is a reed- 
 house, the expressions tobar baisthcigh, tottr bais- 
 thcigh, " the font of baptism," " the tower of bap- 
 tism," are frequently used in the native language 
 of the people. 
 
 " These birds have taken their departure," p. 
 212. — Mr. Patrick Harrington, who lives near 
 the Tower, described to me the manner in which 
 these birds were caught, when he was a boy. 
 He, and other boys, entered the tower at night, 
 and sent some of the party, with a lantern and 
 candle, into the lower compartment. The entrance 
 through the floor was then covered over with a 
 board or coarse cloth to prevent the escape of 
 the birds. Thus their capture or destruction in 
 the lower compartment was very easy, and often 
 a large bag was filled. 
 
 " Received at the religious ceremony a white 
 garment," p. 215. — It was an emblem of that 
 which is written in the Apocalypse, iii., 4 : " They 
 shall walk with me in white ;" and vii., 14: " They 
 have made them white in the blood of the Lamb." 
 
 " And a fervent prayer offered up to God in 
 their behalf," p. 216. — We learn from Tertullian 
 and other early writers, that among the other 
 emblematical ceremonies of baptism, the new- 
 baptized received milk and honey. These were 
 an emblem of the abundance of the graces which 
 were received through baptism, and there was a 
 
 P 
 
292 ROUND TOWERS. 
 
 special blessing for these symbolical gifts in the 
 baptismal ceremony. In some places were given 
 to them milk and wine, which were also a 
 scriptural emblem of abundance. As traces of 
 this custom were found in Ireland, Ledwich, on 
 the authority of some ill-informed English monk, 
 makes the monstrous assertion that the rich 
 Irish baptized their children in milk, while the 
 . children of the poorer classes were baptized in 
 water. 
 
 " Or end of the Pasch," p. 216. — Tertullian, 
 who lived in the third century, says that bap- 
 tisms were performed from Easter to Pentecost, 
 but that, in case of necessity, they could be per- 
 formed at any period of the year. 
 
 " Together with broken pieces of pottery," p. 
 216. — Human bones have been, in some instances, 
 found deep in the earth in the lower compartment 
 of the towers. Cemeteries were, from the earliest 
 periods, attached to the old churches. As the 
 towers were built near the churches, their foun- 
 dations were often laid on a portion of the grave- 
 yard, and thus human remains were sometimes 
 included within their walls, sometimes in a dis- 
 ordered and broken state, as if they had been 
 thrown in at the cutting of the foundation. These 
 appearances presented themselves at the exca- 
 vations made in the towers of Roscrea, Drumbo, 
 and other places. 
 
 " On the days appointed for women, these 
 
NOTES. 293 
 
 were accompanied to the place by their female 
 friends," p. 217. — St. Epiphanius, who lived in 
 the fourth century, says that certain religious 
 women, called deaconesses, often attended on 
 them on such occasions. 
 
 "That the cardinal points had an allegorical 
 meaning in reference to baptism is certain/' 
 p. 219.— The Canonist Devoti says: "When 
 the solemn day for the baptisms arrived, the 
 catechumens were conducted to the baptistery, 
 which was generally a place distinct and sepa- 
 rate from the church, and there three things 
 took place before they received baptism. First, 
 turning their faces to the west, they renounce 
 Satan, his works, and his pomps. Secondly, 
 with their faces turned to the east, they pro- 
 fessed their allegiance to Christ, and promised to 
 be faithful to death. Thirdly, raising their eyes 
 and hands to heaven, they made a solemn pro- 
 fession of faith." — Chapter on Baptism. 
 
 The east and the west had a symbolical mean- 
 ing. St. Cyril of Jerusalem, who lived in the fourth 
 century, says that to face the west was facing 
 Satan, who is the prince of darkness. St 
 Jerome, who lived in the fourth century, and 
 who was a great scholar and traveller, says : 
 " First, we renounce him who is in the west, and 
 who dies in us with sins ; and then turning to 
 the east, we enter into a covenant with the Sun 
 of Justice, and promise to be always faithful 
 
294 ROUND TOWERS. 
 
 followers of Him." It is here seen how that sin- 
 gular feature of the Round Towers, namely, 
 the four windows facing the cardinal points, which 
 was always a mystery and a puzzle, absolutely 
 comes, in the true theory, to throw a light on 
 these structures, and materially helps to indicate 
 the object for which they were erected. Even 
 the darkness of the west, and the light of the 
 east, are symbolized in these towers on 
 the floor over the fountain where these pro- 
 testations were uttered, for there is no door or 
 window in that place to the west, the door 
 being always in the eastern direction facing the 
 church. 
 
 " Molten sea for containing water in the Tem- 
 ple of Solomon," p. 220. — The Hebrews often 
 called a large collection of water a sea. This 
 water was for the purpose of washing the hands 
 and feet of the priests when they were to enter 
 the Temple. It was an expressive emblem of 
 baptism, which is the entrance to the church. 
 
 " Through a long course of instruction," p. 
 221. — This course was sometimes for three years, 
 and sometimes for six months, and sometimes 
 for the forty days of Lent, according to circum- 
 stances, and the preparation was often made in 
 sackcloth and ashes. 
 
 " The lamp of Ireland," p. 222. — Some think 
 that this appellation was bestowed on the church 
 itself, but it is more likely that it referred to the 
 
 
NOTES. 295 
 
 Round Tower, which is high and large, and had 
 six windows at the top, that is, two in addition 
 to those facing the cardinal points. 
 
 " Round Towers are found to be built of 
 limestone in places where the limestone is of a 
 dark or black colour," p. 224. — The Round 
 Towers of Drumbo and Kilmacduagh, and some 
 others, are built of limestone. The advocates 
 of the fire-worship theory say that it is in the 
 lowest close compartment of the Towers the 
 sacred fire could have been most conveniently 
 kept burning. 
 
 " The Reed-house should approximate, as near 
 as possible, to the colour of the living reed," p. 
 225. — Architecture, like painting, seeks to re- 
 semble, as much as possible, the object which it 
 is made to represent. In Dublin a public foun- 
 tain, that of Sir Philip Crampton, has placed on 
 it a cone twenty feet high, representing a huge 
 water-plant. The dim colour of the materials 
 composing it is intended to assist in representing 
 that object. 
 
 " And thus the dark stone is selected for the 
 purpose," p. 225. — The Round Tower of Kildare 
 is built up to the door with white granite, and 
 with a dark-coloured stone from that to the top. 
 Thus, the dark feature of the structure is secured. 
 About half way up the tower of Cloyne there 
 is an imperfect course of limestone, just as if 
 the orthodox stone failed them when they came to 
 
296 ROUND TOWERS. 
 
 that point, and that they were induced to use 
 a few of the other kind till the proper supply 
 would reach them. The memorial Round Tower 
 to O'Connell at Glasnevin, near Dublin, is a 
 good imitation of the ancient model ; but it is 
 built with a light-coloured granite, and, on that 
 account, presents to the eye a striking incon- 
 gruity. It has also the door on the west side, 
 which is not the case in the ancient Irish models. 
 The same, and even much more, can be said 
 against the Round Tower erected by Father 
 Horgan at Blarney, and in which it was his wish 
 to be buried, though his remains now repose in 
 the chapel near it. 
 
 " In the west about that time, or a little later, 
 baptism, by infusion, began generally to be ad- 
 ministered," p. 229.— The Roman Ritual sup- 
 poses, however, that baptism, by immersion, still 
 continues to be practised in some churches, for 
 the following is a Rubric on the subject : — " In 
 churches where baptism is performed by immer- 
 sion of the whole body, or of the head only, the 
 priest takes the person by the arms, near the 
 shoulder, and, the upper part of the body being 
 naked, whilst the lower parts are decently covered, 
 he immerses him, or his head, three times in the 
 water, saying, at the same time, ' I baptize thee 
 in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
 of the Holy Ghost,' " There is documentary evi- 
 dence to show that in England infants were bap- 
 
NOTES. 297 
 
 tized by immersion up to the fourteenth century. 
 The same was probably the case in Ireland. A 
 fine old baptismal font, belonging to the ancient 
 church that stood on the beach or sea-shore at 
 Rostellan, is now preserved in the castle hall of 
 Rostellan. It is large enough to baptize a child 
 by immersion, and in its oblong, or oval form, 
 would seem to have been designed for that pur- 
 pose. The immersion of the body into the water, 
 and the raising of it again, says St. Ambrose, are 
 emblematical of the burial and resurrection of 
 Jesus Christ, while the triple immersion is expres- 
 sive of our belief in the Holy Trinity. 
 
 In the Greek, or Eastern Church, baptism is, 
 and always has been, performed by immersion. 
 Pitzipios says that the Greek clergy of Constan- 
 tinople admit the validity of baptism by infusion 
 only in case of necessity, when the state of the 
 health of the person would not permit it to be 
 performed by immersion. In any other case they 
 would consider it invalid. Hence it follows, that 
 they would re-baptize such a person, and even 
 re-ordain him if he were a priest, as, according 
 to their views, he could not have been validly 
 ordained, as he had not been validly baptized. 
 The Eastern clergy of Russia and other places 
 do not give to the rule that rigorous application. 
 
 " The Order of the Mass," p. 234. — It is much 
 the same as the Order that was used in Spain in 
 the fifth century. In that part of the Creed which 
 
298 ROUND TOWERS. 
 
 says, " Who proceeds from the Father and the 
 Son," the words " and the Son," did not belong 
 to the original text, as filioquc was manifestly 
 inserted in it by a subsequent hand. This in 
 itself is a proof of the great antiquity of the 
 manuscript. The filioque commenced to be added 
 to the Creed in various countries of the West 
 about the fifth and sixth centuries. 
 
 The prayer for the dead is very peculiar. It 
 commemorates all the Scots — ct omnium qiwque 
 Scotorum. 
 
 " He goes down into the compartment where 
 the font was," p. 235. — In many places these 
 fonts, or baths for immersion, were cut out of the 
 solid stone and ornamented with appropriate 
 carving. They were also frequently of wood. 
 It is likely that in Ireland they were made of 
 planks of timber joined together, and, perhaps, 
 also formed of the large trunks of trees scooped 
 out in the manner of ancient canoes. The bog- 
 oak would have answered very well for the pur- 
 pose. They were, probably, seven or eight feet 
 long, a foot deep, and about a foot and a half 
 wide, with a plug-hole in the bottom or under 
 plank for letting out the water, as in many of 
 the more modern stone fonts still existing. 
 
 " The ceremony of washing the feet," p. 236. — 
 St. Augustine, a native of Africa, and bishop of 
 Hippo, in that country, in the fourth century, 
 alludes to this ceremony in his exhortation to the 
 
NOTES. 299 
 
 catechumens, where he enumerates the various 
 ceremonies used at Baptism. "All the sacred 
 rites," he says, " which have been performed, and 
 are performed in you by the ministry of the 
 servants of God, in exorcisms, in prayers, in spi- 
 ritual hymns, in insufflations, in sackcloth, in the 
 inclination of the neck, in the humility of the 
 feet" (Jiumilitate pedum). In some churches the 
 washing of the feet took place before the baptis- 
 mal immersion, in others after it. It certainly 
 took place after it in Milan and in Ireland. 
 
 Here, apart from any other argument, the 
 question naturally presents itself — If in the early 
 ages of Christianity it was the custom to perform 
 solemn baptisms in buildings distinct and sepa- 
 rated from the churches, why was it not also the 
 practice in Ireland ? Ireland was early convert- 
 ed to the faith, and was renowned among the 
 nations for her piety, enlightenment, and zeal, 
 when these baptismal structures, and the striking 
 ceremonial observed in them, were a general in- 
 stitution of Christendom. Was she, who sent 
 her missionaries to foreign lands to plant the 
 faith and to baptize, altogether without those 
 structures in which solemn baptism was generally 
 administered ? It could not be. And if she had 
 those structures, where are they ? or where are 
 even their ruins ? Her ancient churches are 
 seen in their ruins, and often in a state of wonder- 
 ful preservation. Where are her baptisteries ? 
 
 P2 
 
300 
 
 ROUND TOWERS. 
 
 Surely the country which preserved the churches 
 with a religious care, and whose people are 
 reluctant to injure even the rath or the stone- 
 circle of the Druid, would not have obliter- 
 ated all vestiges of the places where her early 
 converts would have been baptized in the 
 faith. Nor has she done so. Near the early 
 episcopal or cathedral churches, where the bap- 
 tistery might be naturally looked for, stand the 
 tall and graceful reed-houses, whose very name 
 suggests a connexion with baptism, and of which 
 every feature and circumstance tend to show that 
 they belong to the class of buildings which it is 
 known were erected in other lands for that im- 
 portant object. And as they have been the ad- 
 miration of ages, even when their object was not 
 known, so are they now, when identified, a 
 credit to the religious energy and early Christian 
 civilization of Ireland. Their number proclaims 
 the universality, their uniform model the unity, 
 of the faith in those early ages. They are the 
 history of an enlightened ancient Christianity 
 written in stone. 
 
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 The Guernsey Mail and Telegraph. 
 
 The erudite author of this volume has done a valuable service 
 to literature by his archaeological researches. The Round Towers 
 of Ireland have puzzled antiquarians for a century past, and one 
 theory after another has been put forth, and supported by plausible 
 reasoning. They were the temples of the fire-worshippers, ac- 
 cording to some ; places of sepulture, observatories, or bell- 
 towers, according to others. Erected in a remote age, they have 
 withstood " the tooth of time, and razure of oblivion," an unsolved 
 problem to those skilled in antiquarian lore. 
 
 On the origin and use of these structures, a new light is thrown 
 by Father Smiddy. Recapitulating the various conflicting 
 theories which have been hazarded on the subject, he rejects them 
 as unsatisfactory and untenable. He wisely abstains from 
 entering minutely into the merits or demerits of these theories, 
 the majority of which scarcely require refutation. 
 
 Mr. Smiddy divides his Essay into four sections. Chapters 
 one and two relate to the Druids ; the third, to the Ancient 
 Churches of Ireland ; and the fourth to the Round Towers. In 
 entering into the history of Druidism in Ireland, the author 
 evinces a thorough knowledge of his subject, which could only 
 be acquired by long and patient investigation. As an archaeolo- 
 gist and a Celtic scholar, Mr. Smiddy enjoys advantages which 
 peculiarly fit him for conducting an antiquarian investigation of 
 this nature. Strange to say, Ireland boasts of distinguished an- 
 tiquaries who cannot pronounce a word of their country's ancient 
 tongue. As Mr. Smiddy justly observes — " Without its assistance 
 the subject of the Druids could never be adequately handled, 
 the names of the churches would remain a mystery, and the key 
 
302 
 
 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 to the cipher of the Round Tower would be lost for ever." One 
 of the distinguishing features of the Essay is the light thrown 
 upon Irish antiquities by philology, and linguistic evidence is of 
 the greatest value in establishing disputed or obscure points. We 
 quote a paragraph from the concluding chapter, which will illus- 
 trate this : — 
 
 " Perhaps, according to our motto, Antiquum exquirite 
 matrem, — ' Search out the ancient mother' — the name of the 
 Round Tower in the Irish language may throw some light on its 
 use and origin. In the Irish Annals and old Chronicles we find 
 the names cloictheach and doigtheach applied to the Round 
 Towers and to other structures. Cloictheach means ' the house 
 of stone,' and doigtheach, ' the house of the bell,' or belfry. But 
 the universal popular name of the Round Tower in Munster, 
 Connaught. and other Irish-speaking parts of Ireland is cuilceach 
 or cuilctheach. This name is formed from cui/c, 'a reed,' and 
 theach, ' a house,' that is the reed-house or reed-shaped structure. 
 Thus, the people have always said, with constant unerring 
 accuracy, when speaking of these structures, cuilceach Claina, 
 the Round Tower of Cloyne ; cuilceach Colmaui, the Round 
 Tower of Colman (the patron saint); cuilceach Deaglain, the 
 Round Tower of Deaglan (of Ardmore), and so on. Some have 
 said that cuilceach is a mere corruption of doigtheach, 'the bell- 
 house.' It is no such thing. It is the real, true name of the 
 Round Tower in Irish, and is pronounced by the people with 
 unmistakable accuracy." 
 
 The conclusion at which Mr. Smiddy arrives concerning the 
 real character of the Round Towers is, that they were baptisteries. 
 In support of the new theory, he adduces a mass of evidence col- 
 lected from various sources, corroborative of his views. If Mr. 
 S middy's theory can stand the test of rigid investigation— and 
 from a careful examination of his proofs we believe it will-he 
 will have the honour of solving a problem which has remained 
 intact for probably a thousand years. We cordially commend 
 this work to those readers who take an interest in antiquarian 
 questions, and who will find in the Rev. R. Smiddy's masterly 
 Essay a key to more than one archaeological enigma. 
 
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 303 
 
 Public Opinion, London. 
 
 This interesting essay on a very curious subject, and one about 
 which little is known, is sure to become a favourite with anti- 
 quarians, while students of etymology will find much that will 
 startle them from their conventional and generally accepted 
 notions. The reverend author is a thorough Celtic scholar, a 
 rarity in these days ; and he naturally refers everything con- 
 nected with the ancient history of Ireland to that old tongue, of 
 which he writes : — "It was once the speech of a vast number 
 of the human race. Probably it was the first language spoken 
 by man. At the present day fragments of it are found in most 
 countries of the world, even in India, and among the original 
 tribes of America. No language has left more extensive traces 
 of its existence on the face of Europe than the Celtic. It is 
 indelibly engraved there in the names of the rivers, cities, 
 lakes, and mountains, as well as in the framework of the modern 
 languages;" and, again: — "Without its assistance the subject 
 of the Druids could never be adequately handled. The names 
 of the Churches would remain a mystery, and the key to the 
 cipher of the Round Tower would be lost for ever." Mr. 
 Smiddy's theory of the Round Tower is taken from its Celtic 
 name cuilceach or culctheach, formed from cuilc, a reed, and 
 theach, a house — that is, the reed-house, or reed-shaped structure. 
 Now, the reed is an emblem of St. John, and naturally an 
 emblem or indication of the water by which it is produced. 
 Hence, as Mr. Smiddy argues, " this points to the Round 
 Towers as being of that class of structures called Baptisteries, 
 which, in the early days of Christianity, were attached to the 
 Episcopal Churches, and in which adults of both sexes, as well 
 as young persons, were baptized by immersion, and received 
 immediately afterwards the sacrament of confirmation from the 
 hands of the bishop ;" and this theory the essayist supports by 
 citing various facts and circumstances. 
 
304 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 The Athenaeum, London. 
 
 The learned author of these little treatises says of the Keltic 
 language, that " probably it was the first language spoken by 
 man. " This probably is an element, so to speak, which pervades 
 the book ; but not more than it pervades all books on all 
 subjects, the solution of which demands a great amount of 
 guessing, and is never conclusively solved, after all. Mr. 
 S middy is an accomplished antiquary. He can speak as well 
 as write the Irish language, but he rides the Keltic hobby with 
 a fury that lays his readers and critics breathless on their backs. 
 We thought we pretty well knew whence we got the English 
 word Church. Mr. Smiddy rides at us with a lance, on whose 
 pennon is inscribed the word Siorcallacht. He pierces us 
 through and through with it, to make us remember that the 
 word is compounded of two Keltic words, implying a circle and 
 the flagstone of death. We can say nothing to the contrary. 
 When he adds, that it is from this word Siorcalleachl that the 
 English word Church is probably derived, we feel a little in the 
 condition of the sailor who, being blown up while looking at 
 Punch, and finding himself none the worse for it, expressed his 
 wonder as to " what the fellow would do next !" Mr. Smiddy 
 does not tire of creating such surprises. He tells us that " the 
 word Yule has puzzled all the antiquaries of England and 
 Scotland, an! they have given it up in despair," which we 
 were not aware of. Its meaning, he tells us, is All-heal, and 
 if you are clever you may pick the word out of Irish for " Yule- 
 log," which is, Bloc-7ia-nuadh-uile-iceadh, — a word which, like 
 Moore's endless Greek word, ought to be only said upon holi- 
 days, when one has nothing else to do. The attempt to pro- 
 nounce it would certainly spoil the holiday. In English, it 
 means the log of the new All Heal. The French word for 
 Christmas, Nott, Mr. Smiddy derives from fiuadh-uile, abbre- 
 viated JVo-ule, or A]l Heal. Etymologists will read Mr. Smiddy's 
 book with inteiest, antiquaries with curiosity, the public with 
 respect. 
 
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 305 
 
 The Cork Constitution. 
 Mr. Smiddy has divided his book into three sections. The 
 first treats of the Druids. The history, religious rites and cere- 
 monies and doctrines of this ancient sect the author traces out 
 with considerable research, which shows a minute acquaintance 
 with the structure and analysis of the Irish language. The word 
 Druid, he tells us, is formed from the Irish Draoi, which is 
 believed to be a compound of the word dair, "oak," and at, 
 " learned or wise." That is, the learned or wise man of the 
 oak. This agrees with the derivation given by the learned Dr. 
 Charles O'Connor, who says (Rerum Hib. Scriptores) that the 
 Celtic word Vara, "an oak," is more ancient than the Greek 
 word D) us. The Persian name Darius, which was familiar with 
 the Irish, they substituted for a magician, or wise man : it comes 
 from the Hebrew word Daras, " to consult," in the same man- 
 ner as quercus, " an oak," from qtiero. From this word comes 
 the name for a certain kind of priests amongst the Turks called 
 Derwis, and hence, perhaps, the Rabins called the Tree of the 
 Knowledge of Good and Evil He-Dar. Mr. Smiddy enters into 
 some elaborate details regarding the structure of their temples. 
 Rostellan, on our own harbour, he tells us, is derived from rus, 
 "a plain," and dallan " the god-stone," and near it is a DruidicaJ 
 altar at Castlemary, which is called Bohur-na-bo-finne, "the 
 road of the white cow ;" some traces of which still linger in the 
 language of the people. As regards the mistletoe, the reader 
 will find a very interesting passage from Pliny (p. 88), followed 
 by some quotations from Virgil, bearing on the subject. At 
 p. 93 we have a Celtic root for the old English word Noel, which 
 is still a common sirname, and was said to signify " good news." 
 The learned author derives it from No-ule, an abbreviation of a 
 Celtic term meaning '' new all heal." The Bealtinne, or fire of 
 Beal, \shich is still perpetuated on St. John's eve on the hilltops 
 all round our own city, is probably one of the most ancient cus- 
 toms still observed in Ireland. Those who wish to cultivate an 
 extensive acquaintance with Celtic roots will do well to peruse 
 this part of the work. 
 
306 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 The Ancient Churches constitute the second branch. Under 
 this head, also, the reader cannot fail to obtain some most inter- 
 esting particulars regarding the architectural peculiarities of our 
 ancient ecclesiastical structures. 
 
 The third division on the Round Towers must, from the very 
 scanty materials which we have regarding them, form an object 
 of great interest. It is stated that " there were probably in Ire- 
 land at one time more than one hundred of these curious struc- 
 tures, of which seventy or eighty now remain in various stages 
 of preservation or dilapidation." The following is the theory of 
 the author about their origin and the use to which he assigns 
 these remarkable buildings. In the Irish Annals, he says, we 
 find the names cloictheach and cloigtheach applied to the Round 
 Towers and other structures. Cloictheach means " the house of 
 stone," cloigtheach " the house of the bell," or belfry ; but the 
 universal name for the Round Tower in Minister, Connaught, 
 and other Irish-speaking parts of the island is cuilceach or citlc- 
 theach, which is formed oicuilc, -'a reed," and theach, "a house, 
 that is the reed house or reed shaped structure. " There is 
 growing in the bogs and rivers of Ireland a large kind oicuilc or 
 reed with a conical head, which in form and shape resembles the 
 lines of the Round Tower, and which, I am sure, was originally 
 taken as a model of it." The meaning is as follows : — " The 
 reed is an emblem of St. John the Baptist, and naturally an 
 emblem of the water by which it is produced. St. John is com- 
 pared in the Gospel to a reed shaken by the wind. This points 
 to the Round Tower as being of that class of structures called 
 Baptisteries, which, in the early days of Christianity, were 
 attached to Episcopal Churches." Further on the author tells 
 us that his notice was attracted to this reed on the side of a cliff 
 on the harbour of Queenstown, and that its graceful stalk, knotty 
 and conical head, formed a perfect model of the Reed house 
 (Round Tower), which he had often examined at Ardmore. We 
 must here leave the reader to accept or reject this rather fanciful 
 theory. At all events, whatever conclusion he may arrive at, he 
 will find much to interest and instruct him in this little volume. 
 The author has shown considerable scholarship, patient research 
 
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 307 
 
 and a pleasing mode of blending his materials, Every effort to 
 illustrate our national antiquities must be hailed with thankful- 
 ness, and we have every confidence that while such Irish scholars 
 as Mr. Smiddy are to be found amongst us, the clay is far 
 remote tha. will witness the extinction of so ancient and noble a 
 language as he has shown the Irish to be. 
 
 The Weekly Register, London. 
 We are always ready to welcome any contribution to the his- 
 tory of Ireland, a country which we might say beyond any other, 
 with the exception of the Holy Land, Greece, and Italy, boasts 
 of a past such as none can afford to ignore. Yet till recent 
 times how few there were that deemed these records worth 
 searching into, or cared to think of in any other light than that 
 of a land v/hose people sat in all the palpable darkness of Popish 
 error and superstition ! Thanks, however, to the exertions, but 
 badly rewarded, of a few whose care was not to win gold or 
 renown, but to redeem their country from the reproach so often 
 cast upon her, it has been shown that not only was she not with- 
 out an history, but that her history proved her to have been, 
 the civilizer of a large portion of the nations of Europe, their 
 instructress in learning, and, above all, their nursing mother and 
 mistress in the ways of Christ. And year by year their desire 
 ripened to prove this to the world, till, thanks to the labours of 
 such men as Petrie, and many others whose fame is well known 
 to our readers, the achievements of Irishmen in olden times, the 
 wonders of their works, and the glories of their ancient learning 
 and religion were declared unto all men. Now hardly a month 
 passes that fresh contributions to this store of antiquarian know- 
 ledge are not poured forth into the common stock, some deeply 
 learned, some popular in their treatment of their subject, some 
 in regular set treatises, other in the columns even of the poor local 
 papers, which thereby set an example to many even of the best 
 provincial papers in England. To this school of literature Mr. 
 Smiddy has furnished his quota in the work whose title stands 
 at the head of our notice. His Essay has evidently been the 
 
308 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 result of considerable study and of no little inquiry. As we read 
 it, we were struck by the author's intimate knowledge of his 
 subject, a knowledge only attainable by means of an accurate 
 acquaintance with the Celtic tongue, both written and spoken. 
 Indeed, the writer's devotion to the Irish language rises to such 
 a pitch of enthusiasm as to cause him to express his belief that 
 it was the " first language spoken of man." Indeed, so strongly 
 does the author insist upon this point that we imagine he would 
 not be slow to enforce it in the words of the rhyme that 
 
 When lovely Eve, in beauty's bloom, 
 
 First met fond Adam's view, 
 The first words that he spoke to her 
 
 Were, " Go ! ge, mar tha u ?" 
 
 Be this as it may. and we do not endorse the opinion, there 
 is no doubt of the extreme antiquity of the language, as is proved 
 by the extensive traces of its existence which it has left over the 
 whole of Europe, and even America, where words of an un- 
 doubted Celtic origin have been discovered amongst the abori- 
 ginal tribes. Its influence is, perhaps, most discernible in the 
 names given to the natural objects, and in the great key-words 
 which form the frame-work of modern language. Mr. Smiddy 
 would even derive the name of Imperial Rome herself from the 
 same source. 
 
 " In the Celtic language Ruimineach means a swamp, or 
 marsh, a feature which, certainly, ancient Rome exhibited, and 
 of which there remain clear traces to this day. " 
 
 The old tongue, the tongue of the Bards and the Druids, is 
 rapidly dying out, to the shame of Ireland be it spoken, and but 
 for the labours of such men as our author and others, the sub- 
 ject of the Druids could never be accurately handled. "The 
 names of the churches would remain a mystery, and the key to 
 the cipher of the Round Tower would be lost forever." We, 
 therefore, cannot be too thankful to those who, like Mr. Smiddy, 
 have done, and well done, their best to rescue the antiquities 
 of their country from the oblivion to which it had been for years 
 the fashion to consign them. 
 
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 309 
 
 The book before us deals most thoroughly with its subject. 
 The first two chapters are entirely given up to the Druids, and 
 contain a full history of their origin, their customs, their lan- 
 guage, and their religious system. From them will be gained much 
 valuable information as to the Ogham {eo, " a grave or monu- 
 ment," and uaimh, "a cave or burying place") or sepulchral 
 monument, " inscribed with its mysterious vertical and horizon- 
 tal straight lines, a Druidical feature which descended to the 
 sepulchral monuments of early Christian times." But we must 
 protest against the free and easy way in which Mr. Smiddy 
 knocks on the head our old theories as to sundry derivations. 
 Granting, for the sake of peace, that the name Scot (Scythian), 
 was derived from sciot, " an arrow or dart," as part of the 
 necessary outfit of every noble of the period, or that Celt 
 means " fire- worshippers" (which it does not, but " woodsmen"), 
 from cealtach, a person of the heavens {ceal), we must decline to 
 derive temple {teampal) " from the word timcheal or tiomchal, 
 which means ' round' " when we can fall back on the obvious 
 root Te/x "to cut off," making temple a portion cut off for 
 sac red purposes. Nor can we surrender the Greek House of God \ 
 Saxon cearc, Scotch kirk, English church, for Mr. Smiddy's 
 siorcal or siorcalleacht, the circulus or kvk\os f the Latin and 
 Greek, simply because Druidical worshipping places were 
 encompassed by oaks or surrounded by stones, as at Stonehenge. 
 The third chapter on " The Ancient Churches of Ireland," will 
 be eagerly read by those whose bent lies in the direction of 
 ecclesiastical archaeology, and we venture to say that after a 
 perusal of Mr. Smiddy's treatise on the subject they will find 
 that they have added no inconsiderable amount to their previous 
 knowledge, whilst those who were aforetimes ignorant will have 
 learned all that is necessary to know to enable them to be apt 
 ciceroni to their friends in their walks about Ireland, where it is 
 hardly possible to stroll out for ever so short a distance without 
 stumbling upon some old ruin whose masonry and style of 
 architecture take the observer back to the days of the Culdee 
 (Colideus or "vassal of God.") On the subject of the Round 
 Towers Mr. Smiddy will not away with any other theory than 
 
310 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 that they were Christian and Baptisteries. His arguments are 
 at least ingenious. Their old Celtic name was not cloictheach or 
 cloigtheach, " the house of stone" or "the house of the bell," 
 but cuilceach or culcthcach, from citilc " a reed," and theach 
 "an house/' This, he says, is the " universal popular name of 
 the Round Tower in Munster, Connaught, and other Irish- 
 speaking parts of Ireland." A reed with a conical head like 
 that of the Round Tower grows in the bogs and rivers, a model 
 evidently followed in their construction, as their round shaft 
 and conical top prove ; but St. John the Baptist's emblem is a 
 reed, and a reed is the emblem or indication of the water by 
 which it is produced. Again, the Irish Round Towers answer 
 in every way to the description of the old baptisteries, as at St. 
 John Lateran, Florence, Ravenna, and other places. They were 
 always (?) attached to Cathedral churches, or those of mitred 
 abbots, and on them as on the others also appeared an image 
 of St. John Baptist, or a Lamb, or both, in evident allusion to 
 St. John the Baptist when baptizing in Bethania, having pointed 
 out our Lord as the Lamb of God. The ancient baptisteries were 
 hexagonal or octagonal, so is the Round Tower of Keneigh, 
 near Bandon, in the county Cork. These are some of the direct 
 proofs by which Mr. Smiddy works out the truth of his theory. 
 He gives us many others less direct, but still not improbable ; 
 and though we may deem some of his arguments somewhat 
 far-fetched, still we must admit that not only is his theory 
 tenable, but that he has gone very far to prove it. By the 
 perusal of Mr. Smiddy s work we have been at once amused and 
 edified, a lot which we trust will be that of many other readers. 
 
 The Saturday Review, London. 
 
 After Mr. Rust we take kindly to our Irish friend ; he is so 
 charmingly simple, and moreover he does know that the " eccle- 
 siastical turres" of his country are "ecclesiastics turres," though 
 he funnily fancies them to be baptisteries and not belfries. Mr. 
 
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 311 
 
 Rust might very likely scorn Mr, Smiddy as a benighted Papist, 
 but the benighted Papist has thus far the advantage. He has 
 no interest in making out the works of the early saints to be any- 
 thing but the works of the early saints. And, odd as it is to 
 think that the Round Towers were baptisteries, it is much better 
 than to think that they were Buddhist or Phoenician temples. 
 The argument, we think, is curious. It seems that, besides the 
 name theach, or belfry, the Round Towers are in some parts of 
 Ireland called cuilccach, or culctheach, which Mr. Smiddy 
 explains reed-hottse, certainly no bad name for a tall slender 
 Round Tower. 
 
 The Month, London. 
 
 The Rev. R. Smiddy has published a very learned and a very 
 lucid Essay on the Druids, the Ancient Churches, and the Round 
 Towers of Ireland (Dublin, W. B. Kelly). He has compressed 
 into the first two chapters a very exhaustive account of the Druids, 
 ending with their conversion by the Christian missionaries. The 
 third chapter explains the Ancient Irish Churches, their resem- 
 blance to those of Greece, and the meaning of many popular 
 names connected with religion, as those by which penances, the 
 Mass, and the like are known. The last chapter is devoted to 
 the Round Towers, which, as Mr. Smiddy shows, were meant to 
 be baptisteries, and owed their form to a desire to imitate the 
 reed. The popular name in Ireland for them means "reed- 
 house." The argument is very well put together. 
 
 The Cork Examiner. 
 
 Father Smiddy is a worker among ruins. The things he brings 
 to light may not all be of equal value, yet in identifying the 
 Round Tower as a primitive Christian baptistery, he has made a 
 discovery of some interest, not merely to Ireland, but to the whole 
 Christian world. His knowledge of ecclesiastical history and 
 Christian archaeology has been of service to the cause of Irish 
 
312 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 antiquities, and the interest he takes in the antiquities of his native 
 land has redounded to the service of Christian archaeology. The 
 accounts that remain of the primitive baptistery reveal what the 
 Round Tower is, and the Round Tower exhibited what the bap- 
 tistery was. We have no doubt regarding Father Smiddy's theory. 
 We are convinced that it is correct, and that to him belongs the 
 honour of having discovered the real origin of the Round Tower • 
 
 Till about a century ago those structures were rarely alluded 
 to in books, but during the last hundred years they have attracted 
 much attention ; all their peculiar features have been minutely 
 noted, every document likely to throw light upon them has been 
 diligently studied, excavations even have been made within them 
 and around them, and a variety of conjectures have been advanced 
 accounting all in vain for their origin. " By many," says Father 
 Smiddy, " they have been regarded as works erected under the 
 reign of Druidism, and in some way connected with the rites 
 and ceremonies of that mysterious system. Some, with Valiancy, 
 Dr. Lauigan, O'Brien, Dalton, and Moore, believed that they 
 were houses or temples for the Pagan fire worship, or for the 
 performance of some ceremonies connected with the old Druidi- 
 cal religion. Others/with Dr. O'Connor, thought that they were 
 used by the Druids as observatories for astronomical purposes. 
 Others have said that they were high places used for proclaiming 
 by sound, or light, or both, the Druidical festivals ; and others, 
 with Windele and Father Horgan, maintained that they were, 
 in Pagan times, places of sepulture for distinguished personages. 
 All these theories are founded on conjecture, or some facts or 
 circumstances from which, undoubtedly, no convincing proof can 
 be deduced. 
 
 "There is another large host of writers and antiquaries who 
 claim for the Round Towers a Christian origin, and say that they 
 were erected for some purpose in connection with the rites and 
 practices of the Christian religion. On the particular purpose or 
 object, however, for which they were erected, these writers are 
 not agreed. Some say they were built by the Danes ; but for 
 what use they know not. Others assert that they were used as 
 beacons, or bell-towers (quere, watch-towers) in connection with 
 
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 313 
 
 ancient churches. Lastly, Dr. Petrie, whose essay on the subject 
 obtained a prize and gold medal from the Royal Irish Academy, 
 maintained that they were intended to serve as belfries, and also 
 as keeps, or places of strength, in which the sacred utensils, 
 books, relics, and other valuables of the adjoining church were 
 preserved, and into which the ecclesiastics to whom they 
 belonged could retire for security, in cases of predatory attacks. 
 
 " It would be an almost endless task to examine the grounds 
 for these various theories, with a view to their refutation. It is 
 only the true theory that can accomplish the work. " 
 
 Having brought all these theories together, Father Smiddy 
 evidently considers it needless cruelty to torture them one by one 
 to death by reproducing the various arguments that tell against 
 them singly, seeing that he can crush them all at once to atoms 
 by the weight of the true theory. We, however, think it would 
 have made his essay more complete to have inserted a refutation 
 of some of the most prominent amongst them. It would at least 
 have been instructive to some recent writers who think themselves 
 an courant with the times, and yet are ignorant that the belfry 
 theory has for some years for good and sufficient reason been 
 laid aside by competent Irish Archaeologists. 
 
 The theories which ascribe a Pagan origin to the Round Tower 
 are deservedly rejected, because as all the undoubtedly Pagan 
 stone structures remaining consist of undrest stone put together 
 without mortar or cement, a powerful presumption is created 
 that the Round Tower, in the construction of which chiselled 
 stone and mortar were used, was not a Pagan structure. 
 
 Besides, the Round Tower is quite unsuited, from one reason 
 or other, to every one of the Pagan practices named. Their 
 timber floors and stone caps made them unfit for fire-temples. 
 Their position sometimes, in deep valleys, as at Glendalough, 
 shows that they were not built as beacon towers or as astronomi- 
 cal observatories ; and they bear not the remotest resemblance 
 to the undoubtedly Pagan sepulchral monuments scattered over 
 the land. Lastly, all such views are utterly opposed to the 
 traditions of the people. 
 
 Those who hold that the Round Towers have all been built 
 
3 14 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 since the introduction of Christianity into Ireland, hold at the 
 same time that they were built for ecclesiastical purposes. They 
 are ever found standing beside the remains or sites of ancient 
 churches. Everywhere it is the tradition of the people living 
 near them, that they were built for or by "the old saints." In 
 the case of the Round Towers of Kilmacduagh and Antrim tradi- 
 tion has preserved even the name of the architect — Gobban Saer. 
 Gerald Barry, writing in 1 185, calls them " ecclesiastical towers, 
 which, after the fashion of the countiy, are slender, high, and 
 round." — Topogr. Diet. ii.,c. 9. Further proof has lately come to 
 light. The Irish Ecclesiastical Record {ox May, 1S71, in a notice 
 of St. Gobban, says: — "I may mention that in the distant 
 monastery of St. Paul in Carinthia a manuscript of the eighth 
 century preserves a poem in his praise." After mentioning Tuaim 
 Inver, it adds : — 
 
 " It was Gobban that erected there 
 A black house of penance and a tower ; 
 It was through belief in the God of Heaven 
 That the choicest towers were built." 
 
 The Record refers us for the original Irish text to Curry's 
 "Lectures," the proof sheets of which, we may remark, were, to 
 our personal knowledge, printed off four years ago, though the 
 work, we believe, has not yet been published. The testimony of 
 the Corinthian manuscript in favour of the ecclesiastical origin of 
 the Round Tower having been penned within three centuries of 
 St. Patrick's time, and a century after the death of Gobban, 
 and a century before the Danish invasion, would of itself suffice 
 to narrow the controversy on the origin of the Round Tower 
 to the consideration of some purely ecclesiastical objects 
 closely connected with belief in the God of Heaven. It was 
 not a penitential station, as the poem distinguishes between 
 the black house of penance and the tower. Nor was the Round 
 Tower erected as a belfry. Dr. Petrie. the patron of the theory 
 himself, admitted the Round Tower of Kilmacduagh was built 
 by Gobban, about the year 610. And we have seen proof that 
 other towers were also built by him. But in Cobban's day there 
 was no need of belfries. It is now established that the ancient 
 
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 3 1 5 
 
 bells of Ireland were of small size, and were hung, if at all, to a 
 wall, and were rung from within the church. Large bells were 
 not used before the ninth century, if so early, and there is no men- 
 tion of a cloigtheach, or Irish belfry, till the middle of the tenth. 
 
 Nor were they erected as "watch towers," and as "keeps," 
 into which ecclesiastics could retire with the church valuables for 
 security in cases of predatory attacks. It has generally been 
 believed that St. Colman MacDuach and the other saints for 
 whom Round Towers were built, thought most of the glory of 
 God, and the salvation of men, and were not solicitous for their 
 own lives, being ready at any moment to lose them for the love 
 of Christ. It has been thought, too. that their chief treasures 
 were a chalice, probably of tin, a book, and a bell, things of little 
 value to any one but to themselves. If they had worldly wealth 
 it consisted of cattle — the chief wealth of Ireland at their era, for 
 the reception of which, we may remark, no provision seems to 
 have been made in the construction of the Round Tower. 
 
 The exigencies, however, of the theory now before us demands 
 of us completely to reverse our notions on those points. The 
 theory would not stand, unless we were to suppose, contrary to 
 history and tradition, and moreover without any proof whatever, 
 that the early saints had extraordinary wealth to preserve, when 
 they were careful to construct some of the most extraordinary 
 structures ever seen. And whatever history or tradition may 
 say to the contrary, we are now to suppose that they thought of 
 nothing so much as of preserving their own precious lives from 
 "predatory attacks." " By their fruits you shall know them," 
 and what fruit of their lives is to be compai-ed to the Round 
 Tower, the monument, in this theory, of their solicitude to save 
 their lives "in cases of predatory attacks." We are further 
 invited to suppose, in propping up the theory, that such was the 
 solicitude of the early saints for their lives and church valuables, 
 that they actually built their watch-towers or keeps centuries in 
 advance of the predatory attacks, against which they were 
 designed to guard, and which came only with the Danish 
 invasion, that dates from the year 795. During the whole period 
 from the introduction of Christianity to the Danish invasion, the 
 
 Q 
 
3 1 6 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 persons and possessions of ecclesiastics in Ireland enjoyed an 
 almost complete immunity from hostile attacks. But in spite of 
 all hitherto assigned for the sake of the keep and watch-tower 
 theory, it completely vanishes. Should we stop short from 
 moreover supposing that while the saints were ever trying to 
 build fortresses, through some fatuity, they never could succeed 
 in producing other than Round Towers, structures which afford 
 the least possible facilities for defence or attack, as becomes 
 manifest to all who examine a complete Round Tower. Should 
 any one in time of sudden danger so lose his wits as to seek 
 refuge there, he would find himself completely in a trap, where 
 he could be starved or smoked to death, or have the tower 
 brought down about his ears, without the possibility of his 
 making a defence. In fact, it is the singular property of Gobban 
 Saer's ecclesiastical tower, that though it looks like a castle, it 
 cannot with safety or success be used as such. Churches have 
 been turned into fortresses, round towers, we believe, never. 
 
 How different from all this read the words of the ancient 
 poem — 
 
 "It was through belief in the God of Heaven 
 That the choicest towers were built." 
 
 Faith, we may remark, leads straight to baptism. — " He that 
 believeth and is baptized. " What doth hinder me from being 
 baptized? And Philip said — "If thou believest with all thy 
 heart thou mayest." 
 
 This last theory has found much support of late, probably not 
 so much because it seemed thoroughly sound, as because there 
 was no other left to fall back upon. It was a last plank to 
 a drowning man. 
 
 Seeing that every theory put forward in modern times became 
 untenable the moment it overstepped the one established truth 
 that the Round Tower is of ecclesiastical origin, Father Smiddy 
 seems to have argued that we have no longer before our eyes 
 the particular ecclesiastical function for which the Round Tower 
 was built. Were it otherwise it would long since have been 
 perceived by some one pair of the myriad eyes in search of it. 
 
 It may have become obsolete so early as the nth century, as 
 
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. $1? 
 
 it was then our earliest annalists lived, who are thought not to 
 have distinguished between Round Towers and belfries. This 
 function, so long disused and forgotten, must, too, have been an 
 episcopal function, as the Round Tower is found only in connexion 
 with churches anciently presided over by bishops. 
 
 Having gone thus far in advance of previous thinkers, Father 
 S middy's next step, naturally, was to see whether early ecclesias- 
 tical history made mention of any remarkable class of buildings 
 erected close to, but separate from, episcopal churches for the 
 performance of some very important episcopal function, and 
 which buildings, though so used about the date of St. Patrick's 
 mission, ceased to be used before the nth century. To this 
 question ecclesiastical history answers readily, that for some 
 centuries, dating from the reign of Constantine the Great, the 
 solemn function of administering baptism, especially on the eves 
 of Easter and Pentecost, was reserved to the Bishop, who 
 officiated at this ceremony in a building called a baptistery 
 situated close to, but altogether separate from, the church. 
 These baptisteries continued on the continent to be separated 
 from the churches to the end of the sixth century, at which 
 time baptismal fonts commenced to be placed in the inner en- 
 trance to the church. On the continent, in many instances, the 
 deserted baptisteries were converted into churches, under the 
 invocation of St. John the Baptist ; but history does not men- 
 tion any use to which they were applied in Ireland. Father 
 Smiddy compares the form, site, emblems, and other peculiari- 
 ties of the ancient baptistery with the well-known features of 
 the Round Tower, and finds in all a wonderful similarity between 
 the two. Hence his conclusion that the Round Tower was ori°i- 
 nally designed as a .baptistery. 
 
 Of course, the Round Tower has to be compared to the 
 primitive baptistery itself as presented to us in history and arche- 
 ology rather than to the modern or re-modelled structure which 
 at present occupies its site. Of genuine baptisteries we are not 
 aware that one exists at present as built at first, unless we take 
 the leaning tower of Pisa to have been one. Its origin, at all 
 events, has been as great a puzzle to tourists and Italians as the 
 Round Tower has been till now to the Gael. 
 
3 1 8 , OPINIONS OF Till- PRESS. 
 
 Allowance has also to be made for peculiar developments of 
 art in an island where civilization was not an offshoot from Rome 
 or Greece. Accordingly, on the continent, though many bap- 
 tisteries were round, others were hexagonal, and other some octa- 
 gonal : while in Ireland all still extant are round, except one at 
 Kinneigh, which, singular to say, is hexagonal up to the second 
 storey, though round higher up. Finding room for choice be- 
 tween three models, the Irish convert of St. Patrick naturally 
 selected one in favour of which the national taste had previously 
 pronounced, in the construction of lios, rath, and catJiair, the 
 circular ruins of which so often meet our view. 
 
 Many primitive baptisteries in Gaul and Italy are said to have 
 been spacious, having been built before the fall of the Roman 
 Empire, when those countries were exceedingly populous, and 
 studded with great cities. The Irish baptisteries need not have 
 been equally spacious, as, at the time of their erection, this 
 country was void of cities, occupied to a considerable extent by 
 bogs and forests, and depopulated by ever- recurring wars, and 
 even by frequent colonies to Albion and Britain. The Irish 
 Round Tower, therefore, like the Irish Church, was erected very 
 narrow, yet sufficiently wide for the purposes of a baptistery in 
 a sparsely populated district. 
 
 Father Smiddy works up Avell his arguments from emblems. 
 " In the description," he says, " of the ancient baptisteries, it is 
 stated that they generally had an emblem, a figure or image of 
 St. John the Baptist, or a lamb. On the Round Tower of 
 Brechin is the figure of St. John the Baptist, holding a lamb in 
 
 his arms, a cup in his hands The figures on Brechin 
 
 Round Tower, being an illustration or representation of the 
 baptism of Jesus Christ, indicate that this structure was a place 
 for baptism." A reed is the conventional emblem of St. John 
 the Baptist. Probably it grew in the Jordan where he was bap- 
 tizing ; at all events he is contrasted with it in the Gospel, and is 
 represented with it in pictures. On this fact Father Smiddy 
 grounds an ingenious and original argument. "The Irish Round 
 Tower," he says, "is itseli an emblem of him" — i.e., St. John 
 the Baptist. " In the language of the country it is called a reed 
 house, and in form and shape resembles the large reed that grows 
 
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 319 
 
 in the rivers and lakes of Ireland. Here, then, in every case, 
 is an emblem of the saint, as also of the water. 
 
 Our author had previously pointed out, at page 199, that the 
 universal popular name of the Round Tower in Minister, Con- 
 naught, and other Irish-speaking parts of Ireland, is cuilcach or 
 cuilctheach. This name is formed from cuilc, "a reed," and teach, 
 " a house," that is, " the reed-house, or reed-shaped structure." 
 It is strange, that previous to Father Smiddy, no writer gave 
 the Irish name of the Round Tower correctly, though there is 
 hidden in it so much of meaning. Though resembling cloigtheach 
 "a belfry," it is by no means formed from it, that is, by transposing 
 the '1' and the vowels 'oi,' for here, in Cork, at all events, the 
 tendency of the Irish language, as spoken, is exactly the other 
 way. 
 
 It would take long to follow Father Smiddy all through the 
 host of proofs he has marshalled to his aid. For the rest 
 we refer our readers to his entertaining and original pages. We 
 are glad that this discovery of the origin of the Round Tower 
 has, most fittingly, been made by an Irish scholar and ecclesiastic. 
 And we congratulate him on having inscribed his name for ever 
 on his native Round Tower, "monurnentum aere perennius." 
 
 We would direct Mr. Smiddy's attention to one or two facts, 
 which may have some relation to the piscina, or outlet for the 
 water used at baptism. In the lowest chamber of the Round 
 Tower at Kinneigh, there is a hole leading to a fissure in the 
 rock beneath. And in Betham's " Celtica Etruria," Mr. Edward 
 Wall, of Roscrea, who undertook the excavation of the interior 
 of the Round Tower of Roscrea in 1842, says: — "At the bot- 
 tom we found a bed of clay, in the centre of which was a small 
 round hole, about two and a half inches in diameter, into which 
 the handle of the shovel was inserted five feet six inches with- 
 out any interruption but the mark of water on the handle. 
 
 L.T.C 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 I AM confident that a final stroke is now given 
 to the controversy on the Round Towers. 
 Already are the new arguments producing their 
 impression on the public mind. Still there are 
 impediments in the way of a rapid conviction. 
 The subject of the ancient baptisteries, and of 
 the early ecclesiastical discipline in connexion 
 with them, though sufficiently clear in foreign 
 sources, has scarcely a place at all in the his- 
 torical or archaeological literature of these 
 countries. Baptisteries placed away from the 
 churches — the idea is strange to many yet. 
 Again, the ancient baptistery, and its accom- 
 paniments, do not, altogether, harmonize with 
 some peculiar views on the Sacrament of Bap- 
 tism. But as the atmosphere becomes clearer, 
 the mist surrounding the reed-house will gra- 
 dually melt away. Of course, it cannot be 
 expected that those who have published or 
 adopted fond theories on the Round Towers 
 will, all at once, surrender their positions ; for, 
 as a Latin poet expresses it, it is not easy 
 for one to give up his old love — 
 
 "Difficile est longum subito deponere amorem." 
 
 Catullus. 
 
BL910.S63 
 
 An essay on thedruids, 
 
 Princeton Theological Semmary-Speer Library 
 
 1 1012 00009 5812 
 
 7 V 
 
 m 'J*.