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of collar, called Jadh Morain. By this miraculous collar, says the 
historian, they tried the integrity of the witnesses who were to give 
evidence; for, if it were tied about the neck of a person designing 
to give false testimony, it would shrink close and extort the truth, or 
continue contracting itself until it had suffocated him.* 
In like manner it was supposed of the Barnaan Cuilawn, that, if 
any swore falsely by it, his face would change to his back, and the 
order of nature be distorted. There was living, until within the 
Jast three or four years, a man, who was reputed to have fallen a 
lictim to the dreaded supernatural influence of this piece of anti- 
quity. This person, afterwards nicknamed bujtyn, that is “ Loaf,” 
having been accused of stealing some bread, protested upon the 
Barnaan Cuilawn that he was not guilty ; and, immediately, by a 
contraction of the muscles, his mouth was drawn close to his left 
ear! Without entering into any enquiry as to the real+ cause of 
this poor creature’s misfortune, it may gratify curiosity to mention, 
that, in point of fact, the distortion of his features occurred at an 
advanced period of life, and continued until his death. 
A Mrs. Dunn, to whom the Barnaan Cuilawn descended as an hetr- 
loom from her ancestors, named Spellane, used until recently to earn a 
livelihood by hiring it out for people to swear upon. The form ob- 
served was this: When any thing was stolen, the Barnaan Cuilawn 
was sent for to Mrs. Dunn, and on the messenger’s paying one shil- 
ing,t and swearing by itself that he would safely return it, he was 
permitted to bear it away in a strong leathern case (purposely pre- 
pared for it) to those who sent him. On the arrival of the Barnaan 
* Keatinge. 
+ Probably some paralytick affection. 
+ In Mr. Dutton’s Statistical Survey of the county Clare, page 352, is an account of a simi- 
lar superstitious form of oath. There, in giving a description of an image of Saint Monalagh. 
