Uses of the Round Towers of Ireland, fyc. 



259 



of an arched recess on the external face of the east wall, similar to that on the 

 Priest's House already described. These sculptures are thus described by Arch- 

 dall, from the notes written by the artists for Colonel Conyngham : 



" On the removal of some heaps of rubbish from under the ruins of this arch, a few stones beau- 

 tifully carved were found, many of them belonging to the arches, and some to the architrave of the 

 window ; the architrave is twelve inches broad, and a pannel is sunk, ornamented lozenge-wise, 

 and an ovolo forms the lozenge with a bead running on each side ; the centre of the lozenge is deco- 

 rated on one side in bas-relief, with a knot delicately carved ; on the other with a flower in the centre, 

 and mouldings corresponding to the shape of the lozenge. The half-lozenge, at the bottom of the 

 pilaster in one, is filled with a bas-relief of a human head, with a bird on each side pecking at the 

 eye [mouth], and the other by a dragon twisting its head round and the tail turned up between 

 its legs into the mouth. Here is another stone, apparently the capital of a column ; two sides of it 

 are visible, both are ornamented with a patera, but each side in a different manner ; one consists 

 of a flower of sixteen large leaves, and fifteen [sixteen] small ones, relieved the eighth of an inch, 

 and the other of six leaves branching from the centre, with another leaf extending between their 

 points." Monasticon Hibernicum, p. 771. 



Most of the stones above referred to still exist, and are here represented 

 from recent sketches. 



Dr. Ledwich, who finds illustrations of the Danish mythology in most of 

 these sculptures, makes the following observations on this one, of which he 

 gives a very inaccurate representation : 



" Two ravens picking a skull. This bird was peculiarly sacred to Odin ; he is called the king 

 of ravens. In the epicedium of Regner Lodbrog is recorded an engagement of the Danes and Irish 

 at Vedrafiord, or Waterford. 



" In heaps promiscuous was piled the enemy : 

 Glad was the kindred of the falcon. From 

 The clam'rous shout they boded an 

 Approaching-feast. Marstein, Erin's king whelm'd 

 By the irony sleet, allay'd the hunger of the 

 Eagle and the wolf, the slain at Vedra's ford became 

 The raven's booty. 



2 L 2 



