176 J 



XII. 



OX A HOARD OF REMARKABLE GOLD OBJECTS RECENTLY 

 FOUND IN IRELAND. 



By R. A. S. MACALISTER, M.A. 



Plate XIX. 



Read June 22. Published July 29, 1914. 



Through the public spirit of Lord Iveagh, the Xational Museum has become 

 possessed of a series of gold objects of considerable importance, which were 

 recently discovered in Ireland. 



It is desirable to record the circumstances of the find and of its acquisition 

 as fully as discretion permits, for it is a very serious indictment of the 

 present state of the law affecting the discovery of important antiquities, 

 especially of those that happen to be made of the precious metals. 



The objects in question passed into the hands of a dealer in London, who 

 offered them to the British Museum. Certain private collectors had, however, 

 seen them before the British Museum authorities had been approached, and 

 there is reason to believe that some of the series of objects had already been 

 sold. It is feared also that others have been melted down. 



The British Museum courteously communicated with the authorities of 

 the Dublin Museum, and with the keepers of the Royal Irish Academy's 

 collection, before making any arrangements with the dealer; and the objects, 

 or rather some of them, were sent on approval to Dublin. "While they were 

 in the custody of our Museum I had an opportunity of seeing them, and I 

 was much impressed by their extraordinary character, and by the extreme 

 importance of acquiring them as monuments of early Irish culture. Knowing 

 that the funds of the Royal Irish Academy would be insufficient to pay 

 the necessary price, I took an opportunity of laying my views before 

 Count Plunkett, which was, however, superfluous ; for he was as fully conscious 

 of the interest of the objects as I could be. Doubt had, however, been 

 expressed in certain influential quarters as to the genuineness of the find, 



