THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 1 69 



axe. Geraldus Cambrensis, tutor and secretary to Prince John, has 

 left us the following account of the Irish weapons : ~" These terrible 

 battle axes were wielded in one hand, and thus descended from a 

 greater height and with greater velocity. Neither the crested hel- 

 met could defend the head, nor the iron folds of the armour the 

 body — whence it has happened in our own times, that the whole 

 thigh of a soldier, though cased in well-tempered mail, has been 

 lopped off at a single blow, the limb falling at one side of the horse, 

 the expiring body on the other. Besides these broad-axes, well 

 steeled, they (the Irish) use short lances and darts, and are dexterous 

 beyond other nations in slinging stones in battle, when other wea- 

 pons fail them." 



Harris Ware adds : — " Their swords were ponderous, of great 

 length, and edged only on one side." 



War Trimipets, Hunting Horns. — We have a large number of 

 brass or bronze trumpets (corns), and clarions (stocs). The Buab- 

 hall of Valiancy, probably, was the great brazen war trumpet used by 

 the commander only in a final rally or when he considered a supreme 

 effort necessary to ensure victory. Geraldus Cambrensis alludes to 

 it I think. The magnificent one in the Irish Museum, 8^ feet in 

 length, is the finest yet discovered, and you may perceive from the 

 extract I lately received from Dublin how admirably suited it was 

 for sending the leaders' instructions to the most distant point of 

 the battlefield. 



In 1750 fourteen bronze horns were found between Mallow and 

 Cork ; some of them came into Bishop Pocock's possession and 

 were sold in London. Three were figured and described by Smith 

 in his History of Cork. The locality where some at least were 

 discovered I am perfectly acquainted with— Mourne Abbey. It was 

 the scene of a sanguinary fight in King Henry the Eighth's time, 

 between McCarthy, Prince of Desmond, and the Norman Earl of the 

 same name. The latter was defeated with great slaughter. I always 

 considered a few of the carved trumpets in question may have been 

 flung aside when the bearers were escaping over the bogs or mosses 

 after their defeat. Trumpets closely resembling them have been 

 found in England. See the rare work in our museum, kindly 

 presented by one of our members. 



While we regret that the early Monks have apparently sup- 

 pressed much information respecting Pagan Ireland, we must 



