NOTICES OF THE PLATES.

CLONMACNOIS.

PLATE I.

FIG. 1.
MAELDUIN.

THIS name is a common one, now anglicised Muldoon.

Its genitive singular occurs in an old

obituary notice, quoted by Zeuss (Grammatica Celtica, vol. i., Præf. xxxii.): August iß bás muirchatho m. mailedúin hicluain m. cunois. áimlachiarain. x. anno. The death of Muirchad, son of Maeldúin in Clonmacnois, from Ciaran's Bed, in the tenth year. It is also found in the Book of Armagh, fo. 18. b, 2; Muirgus m Mailduin. In an ancient poem found by O'Curry among the MSS. in the Burgundian Library at Brussels, a copy of which is now preserved in the Catholic University, Dublin, on the Kings and Chieftains buried at Clonmacnois, we read that Mailduin, son of Aedh Allan, was there interred, and the Four Masters record his death in the year 783. He is mentioned by the same Annalists in a previous passage:—“A. D. 781. A victory was gained by Mailduin, son of Aedh Allan, over Domhnall, son of Aedh Muin-dearg."

The design of a cross within a parallelogram -a fragment of which is seen on this stone-occurs on several of the oldest sepulchral slabs at Clonmacnois, where this stone was first drawn by Dr. Petrie, in the year 1822. It is no longer to be found.

The termination of this name being lost, the word may have been any of those beginning with the syllable Com, such as Comgan, Comman, Commaigh, the last two of which belonged to persons connected with Clonmacnois, as we learn from the following entry in the Annals of the Four Masters, a. d. 742: "Comman of Ross, Abbot of Clonmacnois, died;" and, in the Martyrology of Donegal, Commaigh, virgin, daughter of Ciaran, is named, whose day was the 19th of December.

FIG. 3.

OR DO CHOLUMBON.

(Pray for Colomban.)

Or is the abbreviated form of Oroit [i. e. orait, borrowed from the Latin orate, and sometimes, like oremus, used as a substantive].

Columbon is the dative sing. of Colomban, latinised Columbanus, diminutive of Colomb. Columbanus Colomb. (See Reeves's Adamnan, p. 5.)

This inscription was found at Clonmacnois by Dr. Petrie, in the year 1822, on a stone then used in stopping a hole in a wall at the east end of the churchyard. It has since been placed as a headstone to a grave of recent date.

The form of the cross and character of the letters belong to the earliest period of Christian art in Ireland. The circle, crossed by lines of equal length, seems to have preceded the cross with a prolonged shaft, which became more common in the eighth century; and the occurrence of the diamondshaped among the letters points to the seventh century, and before it. It occurs, for instance, on the stones of Dufthach, at Killeen Cormac, and of Joseph, at Roscommon-both being remains of the earliest period, illustrations of which will be given in a subsequent portion of this work.

The identification of the name upon this slab with that of some person connected with Clonmacnois in the seventh century is thus rendered probable; and we find the death of an Abbot of this place, named Columbanus, or Colman, recorded by the Annalists as having occurred at this period. He is called Colman Mac ua Bardani, and his death is placed at the year 623 by the Four Masters; but in the Annals of Ulster, at 627, we find recorded the "Pausa Columbani, filii Barddaeni, Abbatis Clono." See the Annals of Clonmacnois at the year 624.

It was about this time (the first half of the seventh century) that the following events took place. A. D. 601-Pope Gregory sent Justus to help the mission of St. Augustine in England. A. D. 615— Columbanus died at Bobbio in Italy. A. D. 627-The church of Lindisfarne was founded by Aidan. A. D. 635-St. Gall died in Switzerland. A. D. 650-St. Fursae died, and was buried in Peronne.

A drawing of this stone is given by Mr. O'Neill in his Ancient Crosses of Ireland, and a larger one by Mr. George Victor Du Noyer may be seen in vol. vii. of his Antiquarian Sketches presented to the Royal Irish Academy.

The name Colmán is an abbreviated form of Colombân, and is often given as an equivalent for Columbanus (see Reeves's Adamnan, p. 29, n.). This is one of the only three stones which have yet been found in Ireland where the Ogham character is used with the Roman. Drawn at Clonmacnois by Dr. Petrie, in the year 1822. It is no longer to be found.

A. D. 661. Colmán Cas, Abbot of Clonmacnois (son of Fulascach; his tribe was of the Corca Mogha; one year and three days only he held government); and Cumine, Abbot of Clonmacnois, whose tribe was of the Gregraighe, of Loch Teched, dormierunt (Chron. Scot.).

A. D. 664. Colmán Cas, Abbot of Cluain mic Nois, died of the great mortality called the Buidhe Connaill (the yellow plague). Four Masters.

A small cross prefixed to the name is the only ornament on this stone. answers to the Irish word Bocht, or Poor.

FIG. 5.
FORCOS.

The Ogham >

Fergus Mac Eirc is called Forcus by Adamnan (Vit. S. Columba, ed. Reeves, p. 33). The name Forcus occurs in the inscription on the St. Vigean's Cross. See "Sculp. Stones of Scotland," vol. ii., Notices of the Plates, p. 70.

Here is the first example we have met with of the circle crossed by prolonged shaft and arms. It seems an early development of the Irish Cross.

Drawn by Dr. Petrie in 1822. It is no longer to be found.

FIG. 6.
COLMAN.

This is a very common name. There are ninety-four saints so called in the Martyrology of Donegal. "A. D. 681. Colman, Abbot of Cluain-mic-Nois, died." (Four Masters.) He was twelfth Abbot of Clonmacnois. He was from Airtech, between the rivers Lung and Brideóg, in the old barony of Boyle, in the county of Roscommon.

This slab was drawn at Clonmacnois by Dr. Petrie in 1822. It still exists; but the lettering is indistinct.

FIG. 7.
MAICHTECH.

This name has not been identified. But that it may be referred to an ancient date appears from the fact that the family name, Ui Maightecháin, or descendants of Maightechán, a diminutive of Maightech (Maichtech), is noticed in the Annals of the Four Masters, and Chron. Scotorum, at the year 1021. The sept was situated in the present county of Westmeath.

The Irish Cross, with looped terminations, was a common form about the seventh and eighth centuries.

Drawn by Dr. Petrie at Clonmacnois, in 1822. The stone which bears this inscription is not now to be found.

PLATE III.
FIG. 8.
FERCHOMUS.

This name occurs as a surname in the form Ua Fercubhais. The Four Masters record, at 1152, the death of Ferghal Ua Fercubhais, Lector of Armagh; and, at 1189, the death of Ua Fearcomais, Lector of Derry. The name cannot be identified with that of any person connected with Clonmacnois.

This drawing was made by Miss Boxwell from a rubbing taken of the stone at Clonmacnois by the Rev. James Graves and Mr. William M. Hennessy, in the year 1869.

FIG. 9.
DITHRAID.

This name has not been identified. It would be pronounced Diraid; and this is the name of a Bishop of Ferns, who died in 690, and of an ecclesiastic, who founded the church at Edardruim, in the diocese of Elphin. See Colgan's Acta SS., pp. 312, 313.

The small stone thus inscribed is built into the wall of Temple Dowling, at Clonmacnois. Drawn by M. S. from a rubbing made of the stone at Clonmacnois by the Rev. James Graves and Mr. William M. Hennessy, in the year 1869.

D

The name has not been identified.

FIG. 10.
CONLARAT.

This stone was found in the churchyard of Lemanaghan, in the Clonmacnois district.

Drawn by Miss Boxwell from a rubbing made of the stone by the Rev. James Graves and Mr. William M. Hennessy, in the year 1869.

PLATE IV.

FIG. 11.

OR AR CHUINDLESS.

(Pray for Cuindless.)

In this inscription we have the less common form Oroit ar, instead of Oroit do. Ar is a preposition signifying 'for.'

The above inscription is quoted by O'Donovan (vide Grammar, p. 43) as an example of the aspiration of the initial consonant C in ancient Irish. Thus we have also Cholumbon, Cholman.

This Cuindless was Abbot of Clonmacnois, and died, according to the Annals of Tighernach, in the year 724.

On this stone we meet with the first perfect example of the Irish cross-the Latin engrafted on the so-called Greek cross, or cross within the circle, which was the earlier form in Italy, as well as

here.

This stone is described by the Rev. James Graves, in his list of Irish Monumental Stones, in the Journal of the Kilkenny South-East of Ireland Archæological Society, vol. iii., 1st series, p. 293. It was also drawn by Colonel Burton Conyngham for Dr. Petrie, on a smaller scale, and a sketch of it has been given by Mr. O'Neill in the Sculptured Crosses of Ancient Ireland.

FIG. 12.

DO CELLACH.

It is probable that the usual abbreviated form Or was on the upper portion of the stone, which has been broken off.

The modern name 'Kelly' represents Cellaigh (the gen. sing. of Cellach), which occurs in the inscription quoted by O'Donovan in his Irish Grammar, p. 398: "Oroit do thadg ó ceallaig do ri o maini-a prayer for Tadhg O'Kelly for the King of Hy-Many."

Cellach, son of Sechda, of the family of the Conmaicne, was Abbot of Clonmacnois, and died A D. 735. (Four Masters, p. 337.) Ceallach, son of Ragallach, was buried at Clonmacnois, as we learn from the ancient Irish poem on the Interments at this place, before referred to, p. 15. Of him we have the following records :—“ A. D. 704. Ceallach Mac Ragallaigh, Rex Connacht, post clericatum, obiit.” (Ann. Clon.) "A. D. 703. Ceallach, son of Raghallach, King of Connaught, died, after having gone. under the yoke of priesthood." (Ann. Four Mast.)

The Irish cross is carved on this stone, without any ornamental detail.

Drawn by Dr. Petrie at Clonmacnois, in the year 1822.