158 Mr. PETRIE'S Inquiry into the Origin and 



Tighernach, which clearly means the stone-church of the election. Of this 

 church some remains existed down to the restoration of the present cathedral, 

 which are marked in Harris's plate of the latter as " Part of the ruin of the Old 

 Parish Church where the Rector of Armagh is always inducted, for want of which 

 Church Divine service is now performed in the Nave of the Cathedral." And 

 in like manner Dr. Stuart, the historian of Armagh, states, that at the fragment 

 of this church, " since the destruction of the building, the rectors of Armagh have 

 (generally speaking) been inducted, on their respective promotions." Dr. Stuart 

 indeed supposes that this church was called Basilica Vetus Concionatoria, a 

 mistake growing out of Colgan's error in giving this as the translation of pen- 

 cafctoiji na ppocepca, which, as already proved from the best authorities, meant, 

 merely, the old preaching-chair or pulpit. 



Of the other edifices, stated in the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick to have been 

 erected in that saint's time, I shall for the present only remark, that the Cucin, 

 Coquina, or Kitchen, is referred to in the Annals of Ulster as existing in the 

 year 995. 



I trvist I have now adduced sufficient historical evidence to satisfy the reader, 

 not only that the churches of Armagh were stone buildings as far back as the 

 early part of the ninth century, but that there is every reason to believe that 

 these stone churches were the very buildings erected by St. Patrick and his 

 immediate successors : and that the abbey and cathedral churches throughout 

 Ireland were generally, if not, as I firmly believe, always, of stone also, I shall 

 prove by abundant historical and other evidences, drawn from the monuments 

 themselves, in the succeeding sections of this Inquiry. In concluding this sec- 

 tion I shall therefore only adduce, in support of these facts, one additional autho- 

 rity,- which, though occurring in a mere legend, very satisfactorily proves that 

 the Irish generally were so accustomed to the existence of churches and other 

 buildings of stone, anterior to the tenth century, that they had a remarkable 

 ancient proverb amongst them, which they applied to stones not adapted to the 

 purposes of building. It occurs in the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, which, as 

 I have already stated, no writer, however sceptical, has ever ventured to assign 

 to a later period than the tenth century. 



" Alia quadam vice vir sanctus Temoria profectus est ad montem Vsneach animo Ecclesiam ibi 

 extruendi : sed ei opposuerunt se duo filij Nielli fratresque Laogarij Regis, Fiachus & Enda : quos 



