PREFACE. vii 



necessarily require a considerable time, even if life and circumstances should 

 permit me to accomplish it. That volume will be altogether supplementary to 

 the present, and will contain descriptive and historical notices of all the re- 

 mains of ecclesiastical architecture in Ireland, with illustrations similar to those 

 in the present volume, wherever they present features of interest or variety ; 

 and it will be closed with a statement of my opinions on the origin of the 

 various styles found in those remains, the ages and purposes of which are now 

 investigated ; for it will be seen that until such materials are laid in full before 

 the Public, no conclusions on this point could with safety be hazarded. 



The circumstances now alluded to will, I trust, account, to some extent, for 

 the length of time which has elapsed between the reading of the original Essay 

 to the Academy, and the publication of the present volume. For this delay I 

 have exposed myself to the censure of many, but I can truly aver that it was to 

 none a cause of so much regret as to myself. The laborious character of the 

 work will, however, be my best apology, a work requiring a most intimate 

 acquaintance with the existing monuments, not merely of a county or district, 

 but of the whole kingdom, with its contiguous islands, often most difficult of 

 access ; and again, demanding the most diligent examination of the whole body 

 of our ancient manuscript authorities, as far as they were accessible in the 

 public libraries, as well of England as of Ireland; and lastly, requiring the 

 labours of the draftsman no less than those of the literary antiquary. It should 

 be remembered, moreover, that works of research of this character are amongst 

 the most tedious that man can undertake ; scarcely a page of them can be 

 written without a previous investigation of the most laborious character ; and 

 the antiquary who is restrained from rushing prematurely into print by a con- 

 scientious desire to make himself previously acquainted with every thing con- 

 ducive to the discovery of truth, is, as I conceive, more deserving of praise than 

 censure, and will be so judged by posterity. 



