10 The Rev. J. H. Todd on an Ancient Irish Missal. 



other at right angles in the centre of the cover. A space which may have 

 contained about ten letters in each line of the inscriptions has been rudely cut 

 out, and the defect is the more to be lamented, as the last words would evi- 

 dently have supplied the names of individuals who had taken a share in making 

 or causing this box to be made. The first inscription is as follows: — 



+ OR t)0 N a 1 N h 



U CaC MGeRNQD 



" A Prater for . . . nain O 



CaTH BT WHOM IT WAS MADE." 



Here we have the name of one of the persons who caused the box to be made ; 

 but we can only say with certainty that his Christian name ended with the 

 syllable nain, uain, or 7nain (for the first letter is not certainly n), and that his 

 surname began with the syllable (9' C'ai. . . . Perhaps the name may have been 

 GillafinainO'Cathail(0'Cahill)or Gillafinain O'Cathasaigh (O'Casey); but the 

 number of letters in the former name would better sixit the vacant space, and 

 the inscription might then be completed thus: — 



OR Do siLLapiNaiN li 

 u cacaiL Las aMoeRimO 



" A Prayer fob Gillafinain 

 O'Cathail, bt whom it was made." 



This, however, is a mere conjecture, as there are many other Christian and 

 family names that would answer the conditions, and I can find no mention of 

 Gillafinain O'Cathail in our Annals. An Aenghus O'Cathail, " Lord of Eogh- 

 anachtLocha Lein" (Killarney), was slain in 1033 (Annals of Tighernach, and 

 Four Masters); so that the family in the eleventh century was one of rank and 

 consideration, and there is no difficulty in supposing one of them to have been 

 instrumental in getting such a box made. 



Dr. O'CoNOU partially restores this inscription thus: — 



OR DO a M main h 



u cac . . . Las aNDeRNoD 



"Prat for the Soul of 



O'CaT .... by WnoM IT WAS .MADE." 



