544 



REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1896. 



Fig. 183. 

 BRONZE HORN. 



Derrymane, County Kerry, Ireland. 



Museum of Sciem-e and Art, Dublin. Wilde, Catalogue of Anticpjities, 

 Royal Irish Academy, pp. 627-029. 



jittaclied to the body of the instrument on the concave side and near 

 the small end as though for a chain. The mouth hole is in the side or 

 body of the instrument, flute fashion. Fio-. 184 represents in detail 



the smaller end, showing that 

 it has been broken across the 

 mouth hole and how it was in- 

 geniously mended by pouring 

 hot metal around the fracture 

 until the edges were melted 

 and joined. 



Figs. 185 and 186 represent 

 two trumpets of sheet bronze, 

 hammered and not cast, from 

 Tralee. The mouthpieces are, 

 as usual, gone, and while it is 

 not exactly known how the in- 

 struments were blown, it was 

 not as a flute and, therefore, must have been as a horn or trumjiet. 

 There are rivet holes on the bell mouths of two of these horns, showing 

 them to have been provided with flanges similar to fig. 187. Two of 

 them have four protruding spikes near the bell mouth, which Mr. Day 

 suggests may have been to add effect 

 to blows in case the trumpets should be 

 used as weapons, but this theory can 

 scarcely be maintained, because (1) 

 these instruments are not strong 

 enough to withstand the crash of an 

 effective blow, (2) the spikes are in the 

 middle and on the small, ( fig. 186) as well 

 as on the larger end, and (3) they are on the straight tubes (fig. 191) of 

 thin sheet bronze, so small as to be ineffective for any such purpose. 

 Fig. 186 is peculiar in that while the outer end of the horn is curved, the 

 near or small end is straight. It is made with two pieces fitted together, 



sliding one in the other after the 

 fashion of a jointed flute, and thus 

 making it a firm and solid tube or 

 pipe. One of these is straight and 

 the other curved. The instrument 

 is 50 inches long on its convex side, 

 and 4 inches in diameter at its bell 

 mouth. 



Fig. 187 represents one of four 

 trumpets found in a bog on Lough- 

 n a shade. County Armagh, in 1794. It is made of hammered sheet 

 bronze, in two pieces, bent longitudinally and placed together to form the 

 cylindrical tubeasshown. ItsseamsAvere fastened by riveting; astrip 

 of sheet bronze half an inch in width is laid upon the seam internally 



Fig. 184. 



DETAIL OF MOUTH HOLE OF FIG. 183. 



Showing mode of repairing fractures by 



poiiriug on melted metal. 



Fig. 185. 



BRONZE HORN. 



Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland. 



F.vans, Ancient Bronze Implements, ].. K'J 



