Uses of the Round Towers of Ireland, fyc. 11 



it is quite inconceivable but that some traces of such buildings would have been 

 discovered in the north of Europe, or in England, Normandy, Sicily, or other 

 countries in which the Northmen had settlements ; and that none such have ever 

 been discovered seems certain, as even Dr. Ledwich, the ablest supporter of the 

 theory under consideration, is obliged to allow. As to the Saxon etymology of 

 the word clog, it is one that will not prove anything ; for, as Dr. Lanigan well 

 observes, " the word clog was used by the Irish long before the Germans or 

 Saxons had churches or bells. We find it Latinized into clocca, and it was 

 used by Columbkille, and generally by the ancient Irish writers as signifying a 

 bell ; so that instead of giving Saxon etymology to clochachd" a form of the 

 word, by the way, never used in any Irish book or MS., " the Saxon clugga 

 was most probably derived from the cloc or dug of the Irish teachers of the 

 Saxons." Eccl. History, vol. iv. p. 406. 



In latter times this hypothesis was zealously advocated by Dr. Led wich, 

 a writer, who, although learned and ingenious, was less honest, or more pre- 

 judiced, .than those who had previously given it their support. According 

 to this writer, indeed, every thing indicating the least pretension to civi- 

 lization in Ireland, previous to the arrival of the English, should be ascribed 

 to the Danes, the Irish being a race of uncivilized savages. But it will be 

 seen, that to substantiate such opinions, Dr. Ledwich was necessitated to re- 

 sort to an imposition on the credulity of his readers, quite unworthy of his 

 learning and ability. Thus, after quoting those passages from Lynch, Walsh, 

 and Molyneux, which are given in the preceding pages, he proceeds : 



" Let it now be remarked, that the opinion of every author, who has spoken of our Round 

 Towers for the space of 542 years, that is, from Cambrensis to Molyneux, is uniform in pronouncing 

 them Ostman or Danish works. No silly conjectures or absurd refinements had as yet been intro- 

 duced into the study of Antiquities ; writers only sought after and recorded matters of fact. All 

 these authors, it will be said, follow Cambrensis, I grant they do ; but would any of them adopt his 

 notions was it possible to substitute better or more authentic in their room ? The answer is 

 positive and direct, that they would not, and here is the proof. In 1584, Stanihurst led the way 

 in severely criticizing many of his positions. In 1662, John Lynch, in his Cambrensis E versus, 

 entered on a formal examination of his Topography ; not a page, scarcely a paragraph escaping his 

 morose and carping pen, and yet Lynch was a good scholar and antiquary. In his time Irish MSS. 

 were more numerous and collected than since, consequently the means of information more ample, 

 and yet he discovered nothing in his extensive reading to contradict what Cambrensis had deli- 

 vered." Antiquities, pp. 158-159. (Second edition.) 



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