The Shrine of St. Patrick's Bell is a coveted relic in the possession of the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin. When St. Patrick founded his churches throughout Ireland, he is said to have bestowed bells, many of which have become famous in history. One of these relics, a small hand-bell made of two iron plates, about seven inches high and weighing three pounds ten ounces, is especially known as the Bell of the Will of Saint Patrick. It is this object, similar to the sheep bell of today, that has brought us to this story. Many countries lay claim to be the birthplace of St. Patrick. Patrick's father was named Calpornius and he lived in the village of Bannaven Tabernia. This village no longer exists but it is believed to be somewhere in the British Isles, most likely in Wales. Patrick was born in 385 A.D. and his real name was Maewyn and, until he was about sixteen, he considered himself a pagan. Maewyn's father had a small farm and seems to have been of noble birth, but he speaks of himself as being rude and hated learning. "I, Patrick a sinner, the rudest and the least of all the faithful and most contemptible to very many" is the beginning of his Confession, written by himself and containing most of the few facts known about his life. We already know that Saint Patrick was abducted by Irish outlaws and became a slave at the age of sixteen. Patrick served as a slave for six years and used to pray day and night. He escaped and, after a brief stay with his parents, went off to Gaul to study Christianity under Saint Germain. Twelve years later he returned to Ireland, determined to convert its pagan inhabitants into the light of Christianity. At Slane, a hill on the riverside, he built a fire, but was immediately summoned to appear before King Laoghaire who held his court on the neighboring Hill of Tara. The King wanted an answer for why Patrick dared to light a fire which, by ancient custom as well as royal mandate, was not allowed. The meeting between the Saint and the King ended in the King's toleration of the newcomer and, eventually, change in the religion of the whole tribe. This began the apostleship of Saint Patrick who, in the course of his long ministry, traveled most parts of Ireland, baptized many thousands of the natives, planted churches in numerous places, founded schools and established monasteries. St. Patrick's most famous monastery is that of Armagh, the legend about which is preserved in a celebrated old Irish manuscript known as the Book of Armagh. The Saint begged a certain rich man for some high land upon which to build a church but the man refused him the hill; instead a lower piece of ground near Armagh was offered and Saint Patrick lived there with his followers. Sixty years after the death of Saint Patrick, Saint Columba obtained the bell from the tomb where it had lain on Saint Patrick's breast, and it was bestowed on Armagh as a most precious relic. Armagh frequently suffered from fires, as the entire village was built of wood. In 1020 it was burned to the ground, except for the library. Then again in May of 1074, it was burned with all its churches and all its bells. But the Bell of Saint Patrick was spared. It was in the custody of a keeper, whose honor depended upon the safety of the trust given him. The keeper of the Bell was the head of the O'Maelchallans and this ancient poem refers to the elected keepers:
The Bell of Saint Patrick was regarded as more holy as the centuries passed and, by the middle of the eleventh century, anyone who disturbed its sanctity was severely punished. An entry in the Annals of Ulster in 1044 states the following: "A predatory expedition of Niull, son of Maelsechlainn, King of Ailech, against Ui-Meith and against Cuailgne in which he carried off twelve hundred cows and a multitude of captives in revenge for the violation of the Bell of the Will of St. Patrick." During the time when Donell MacAulay was Bishop, the sacred bell was enclosed in a beautiful shrine. The inscription that runs around the shrine has been crafted with such skill that the letters appear to be part of the ornamentation. The frame work is of bronze fastened at the corners with copper fluting, and the gold and silver work is riveted to this foundation. The front is divided into thirty-one compartments and a central decoration is adorned with an oval crystal. On the side there are eight Irish serpents whose tails enfold each other so intricately that they appear to be alive. The stones which still remain in place are of little value. The beauty of the gold filigree is beyond expression and photographs poorly represent it. The Shrine of St. Patrick's Bell must be seen to be appreciated. Over the centuries, the Shrine of St. Patrick's Bell has mostly been in the possession of the descendants of the O'Maelchallans, now known as Mulholland, who were the original keepers of the bell. From time to time, it was briefly kept by others, but always came back to the Mulhollands. Henry Mulholland was the last of the family to possess it. On his death bed, Henry bequeathed the shrine to his old pupil, Adam MacClean, who had shown him kindness throughout his life. Mr. MacClean, in turn, willed the bell and its shrine to Dr. Todd, the great Irish authority on Saint Patrick. Dr. Todd bequeathed it back to the nation at large which leaves it to the care of the Royal Irish Academy as its keepers.
Ancient Irish RelicsThere is an enormous amount of ancient Irish relics that have been found in Ireland over the centuries. These antiquities have been excavated from river beds, peat bogs, ancient ruins and farmlands throughout the country. We can hardly imagine how many have been found by primitive civilizations or by those uneducated in the value of these relics. We can probably assume that there are at least as many that were either discarded or destroyed, if not more, than have been preserved. The experts have studied these artifacts and have many ways of dating and categorizing them but who really knows, unless it was documented. In the annals of Irish history, it wasn't until relatively recent times that these antiquarian items were kept and preserved. Soon there began the opening of museums and, for wealthy individuals, private collections were started. There was a time when antiques in Ireland could be purchased at minimal expense but that is no longer the case. As the collectors became more educated about these relics, they soon possessed the knowledge to differentiate between items of national interest and unimportant discoveries. The most remarkable collections of such objects are located for viewing at the Royal Irish Academy. The Royal Irish Academy, for the Study of Polite Literature, Science, and Antiquities, began in 1786. The museum comprises the finest collection of Celtic antiquities known to exist. Most of the funds raised have been contributed by member subscriptions and by donations from patriotic individuals. Unfortunately, the government annual grant is small compared to the importance of the Academy. Torques, which are head or neck ornaments, appear to have been common among the Gauls, Britons, and other Celtic people, from a very early period. Plates of gold, in the shape of a crescent, formed of small circular pieces of about an inch in diameter, have quite frequently been discovered in Ireland. They are usually ornamented with engraved borders; several examples are very plain, while others are engraved only on one side. The Academy has a display case containing many torques and, in the same case, is a fine and richly carved bulla, found about a century ago in the bog of Allen. A bulla is a round lead stamp or seal, incised to make an impression, and used to enclose or to authenticate documents, especially in a religious context. In the Academy Museum, are examples of almost every kind of Celtic ornament of gold, several of which are unique. The objects of the early Christian period is a class of antiquities in which the Royal Irish Academy is rich. The ancient quadrangular bells of the iron or bronze era appear to have been used as early as the time of St. Patrick. They are documented in the lives of most of the early saints, as well as in the Annals of the Four Masters and other ancient writings. Both the clergymen and the laymen of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales held such devotion and respect for these bells that they were as afraid of swearing falsely by them, as by the Gospels, and that they would be severly punished. The bells so highly revered by the Irish during the middle ages had belonged to some of the early founders of Christianity. They had been preserved in a monastery founded by the saint, or elsewhere, under the protection of an hereditary keeper. There are numerous sepulchral urns, several of which may be more ancient than ones discovered in Great Britain. There is one urn of stone said to have been brought from the mound of Nowth, in County Meath. The sides are sculpted with what appears to be the sun and the moon but, is otherwise, not decorated. Another one is from a grave at Kilmurry, which is made of clay, and an urn found in the mound of Donagare, in County Antrim, is decorated in an unusual manner. The Museum contains many urns in perfect condition, and several fragments, but space is limited, so they are not all displayed. Pastoral crooks and crosiers, which belonged to the early fathers of the Irish Church, seem to have been regarded as holy. Although the Danes were infamous for pillaging church property, there are still many examples of remarkable beauty and ornamentation preserved today. There is not much variety in the shape of the early crooks; they are simply curved like those used by shepherds. They are usually elaborately ornamented with interwoven bands, sometimes representing serpents. The Academy includes several examples which are not only beautiful, but are in an excellent state of preservation.
The Cross of Cong, which is the pride of the Academy collection, shows the advancement made by the Irish artisans in many of the arts and in manufacturing skills, prior to the invasion by the English. It was made in County Roscommon by a native Irishmen at about 1123, in the reign of Turlogh O'Conor, father of Roderick, and the last monarch of Ireland. It contains what was supposed to be a piece of the true cross, and it is recorded in Irish and in Latin. The extremely minute and elaborate ornamentation, with which it is completely covered, and a portion of which is worked in pure gold, would be hard to duplicate even today. The designs consist of tracery and grotesque animals, intricately entwined, and similar to the decorations found upon stone crosses of the same period. A large crystal set at the center enshrines the wood from the true cross. This artifact of unequalled measure was presented to the Academy by the late Professor MacCullagh. Among some of the relics from a very early period is a stone chalice. Very few chalices prior to the twelfth century remain in Ireland and, of those, they are very plain. A silver chalice, found in the ruins of Kilmallock Abbey, was melted many years ago by a silversmith in County Limerick. Cups of stone were very common among the Irish. An ancient stone vessel, triangular in shape, remains by a holy well in Columbkill's Glen, in County Clare, and another was found recently in County Meath, near the ruins of Ardmulchan Church. Copies of the Gospels, and other sacred writings used by the early saints of Ireland, were preserved by their successors and were protected in cases made of yew, or some other durable wood. Many of the cases were enclosed in silver boxes, or bronze boxes plated with silver, and sometimes gilt. In several examples, a third case has been added; several of those remain in a high state of preservation. They are the Caah, or Cathach; the Meeshac; and the Leabhar Dhimma. The Caah is made of brass plates, riveted to one another, decorated with gems and trimmed in gold and silver. It contains a plain wooden box, enclosing a missal, a copy of the ancient Latin translation of the Psalms, consisting of fifty-eight sections. It is believed that it was written by the hand of St. Columba, the Apostle of the Northern Picts, and founder of a great number of monasteries in Ireland, his native country. Evidently a more recent addition made by Cathbar O'Donell, the top is decorated with a silver plate, gilt and divided into three compartments. The Caah appears to have been handed down by the O'Donell family, of which Saint Columba was a member. The Domnach Airgid is the most precious relic of it's kind remaining in Ireland. It contains a large portion of the copy of the Holy Gospels used by Saint Patrick during his mission in Ireland, which he then presented to Saint Macarthen. Unfortunately, the pages have become firmly attached to each other, however, it is in the process of being restored. The manuscript has been described as having three distinct covers. The first is made of yew, the second of copper plated with silver, and the third of silver plated with gold. The outer cover has many common features of the Caah but it is not as ancient. Of course, the collection of ancient Irish relics is much too large to mention everything. However, a visit to the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin would be worth your while.
Ancient Irish WeaponryThe Royal Irish Academy in Dublin is home to a large collection of ancient Irish weaponry. From the Bronze Age there are many weapons including swords, skeans, spearheads, celts or axes, bridle-bits, spurs, chains, etc., as well as several pots, vessels, and other artifacts of the same period and material. The spearheads are of various designs and are often well ornamented and beautiful. The most common weapon used by the ancient people of Ireland seems to have been a kind of axe, commonly know as a celt. They are made of bronze and were used during the same period as swords and spearheads. The celt is approximately seven inches long, and several have been preserved that measure an inch and a half in thickness. Of the two kinds, the most common is flat and wedge-shaped, and has been affixed to the smaller end with a wooden handle. The other is hollow, with a small loop on one side, through which a string secures it to the handle. Ancient molds of sandstone, used to cast the swords, spearheads and celts, have often been found in Ireland. Weapons of stone have frequently been found in every county in Ireland but they are especially common in Ulster. There are a variety of stone hammers, arrows and spearheads. The museum also contains a collection of stone hatchets, arrows, spearheads and knives of flint, besides a variety of other artifacts of stone belonging to a very ancient and unknown period. Among the bronze relics, a large number of horns or trumpets of great size are wonderfully preserved. Even though they were dated to the same period as the celts and other weapons from the Bronze Age, it has been decided that they were manufactured by the Danes when they invaded Ireland. It is documented that twelve were found together in a bog in County Cork. Ancient writers have recorded that the Gauls and other Celtic nations used horns and trumpets in battle, so it is more probable that they are not of Irish origin. There is a numerous variety of weapons, ornaments, vessels and other relics of the Pagan era preserved in the Academy, which show the craftsmanship in proportion to the skill of the period. While public and private museums are filled with antiques formed of stone, earthenware, glass, bronze, and precious metals, very few weapons from the Iron Age have been found sufficiently preserved to that of museum quality. Although evidence to the lifestyle of the ancient Irish would be of value, Iron Age relics are few and far between. The major opinion on the capability of iron to resist decomposition, can, to a certain extent, be considered a fallacy. Proof of this is due to the fairly recent discovery at Loch Gabhair, near Dunshaughlin in County Meath. Uncovered were a considerable number of weapons and relics of iron, which are believed to be from as early as the eleventh century. These items were found in connection with articles of bronze and bone, in a style from the period of the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland. The Academy Museum contains many examples of swords, axes and spearheads, as well as other antiques of the time. Their preservation may be due to the fact of having been buried among a large number of bones, which formed a phosphate of lime, allowing only partial corrosion of the metal. There is also a number of swords and other weapons found near Island Bridge which crosses the River Liffey in Dublin. The swords are long and straight, made for cutting as well as thrusting; and the hilts are remarkable in form and, in one or two instances, are highly decorated. The mountings were usually brass but several were plated with silver, and one had a hilt of solid gold. The spears are long and slender, similar to the lance heads used by some of the cavalry. The axeheads are large and plain and were fitted with wooden handles, which have long since decayed. All of these weapons, with one exception, are composed of a soft type of iron. Many of the swords were found purposely bent but the reason is unknown. One sword is remarkable for the large amount of ornamentation on its hilt and, because it is made of steel. Because of the relativity to the neighborhood in which these weapons were found, and from certain aspects of their style and character, they have been almost unanimously pronounced as Danish. This opinion was confirmed by the famous Danish antiquary, Warsaae, during a recent visit to Dublin. Several axeheads discovered in the bed of the River Shannon are generally said to be of Norman origin, however, they could have likely been used by the Irish, of whom the axe was a favorite weapon. During the Battle of Clontarf, in the reign of King John, Giraldus Cambrensis speaks of the power with which the Irish wield the battle-axe: "They hold the axe with one hand, not with both, the thumb being stretched along the handle, and directing the blow, from which neither the helmet erected into a cone can defend the head, nor the iron mail the rest of the body; whence it happens that in our times the whole thigh (coxa) of a soldier, though ever so well cased in iron mail, is cut off by one blow of the axe, the thigh, and the leg falling on one side of the horse, and the dying body on the other." (by John O'Donovan, in his account of the Battle of Clontarf, published in the Dublin Penny Journal, Vol. i). A visit to the Museum at the Royal Irish Academy will allow the patron valuable increased knowledge of the lifestyle and weaponry of the ancient Irish people.
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