Mr. Petrie on the History and Antiquities of Tara Hill. 183 



and Wales are exactly similar to the Irish : a fine one found near Harlech, in 

 the year 1692, is preserved in the Mostyn family in Flintshire. 



It has been supposed by some antiquarians, that the use of these ornaments 

 was derived from the Romans. But the great number discovered in Ireland is 

 opposed to such a conjecture ; and they may, perhaps, with much greater proba- 

 bility, be referred to a Celtic origin. It does not appear, that they were gene- 

 rally worn by the Romans ; and the very appellation, Torquatus, which was 

 bestowed on Titus Mainlius, from the golden Torque taken by him from a Gaul, 

 whom he slew in the year of Rome 393, and which was continued as a surname 

 in his family, seems to indicate, that the Torques was not familiar to the Romans 

 at the time. 



The Torques of the Irish are spoken of in the most ancient MSS. under the 

 names of Mun-torc, and Muinche, or Moinche, by which they were also called. 

 Thus, in a description of the person of Cormac Mac Art, in the Book of Ballymote, 

 fol. 14, 62, it is stated, that he had a fine purple garment about him ; a golden 

 brooch in his breast ; a Mun-torc, or collar of gold, around his neck ; a belt orna- 

 mented with gold and precious stones about him, &c. " bpac copcpa capleacca 

 uime ; lia^belg oip pop a Bpuint>i ; TTIUN-UORC oip im a bpaigit) ; cpipoip 

 50 n-jemaib Do I15 logmaip caipip," &c. And again in H. 3. 18, p. 391, in the 

 MS. Library of Trinity College, a distinct allusion seems to be made to the 

 lumps usually found at the extremities of the Torques, as in the Tara examples : 

 Da upall* oip pop De jabail a rhoince, meD peapoapn each n-ae ;" that is, 

 two apples, or balls, of gold on the two forks of his moinche, each the size of a 

 man's fist. 



The following curious reference to the golden Torque of Dermot Mac 

 Cearbheoil, the last king of Ireland resident at Tara, is found in the life of 

 St. Brendan, preserved in the Codes Kilkenniensis in Marsh's Library, fol. 60. 



" Venit aliquando sanctus Brendanus visitare sanctos in regione Midi manentes. Tunc Diar- 

 moyt filius Cearbuyll rex Hibernie qui regnabat in urbe Themoria in regione Midi sompnium 

 vidit .i. duos angelos torquem regiam de coUo ejus toUentes et dantes homini sibi ignoto. Crastino 

 jam die, pervenit sanctus Brendanus ad regem ilium : cumque vidisset eum rex dixit amicis suis ; 



• It should be observed, that in Irish MSS., as well as in the spoken language, the word abkall 

 (apple) is apphed to any knob or rounded termination. 



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