182 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 



Secondly, eleven impressions of the same or of a similar punch were made, 

 also on the concave surface. Eight of these form a roughly drawn circle 

 concentric with the margin of the shield, and the other three form the 

 diameter at right angles with the row of holes for the shield handle. 



Thirdly, on the convex surface are to be traced seven very faint con- 

 centric circles, with a zigzag between each of the three outer pairs. 

 Crossing this pattern is an arrangement of spirals, rudely drawn, apparently 

 in imitation of the impressed spirals on the larger pin and the axe-heads. 

 There are twenty-five of these spirals round the margin of the shield, and a 

 cross of sixteen spirals running through the centre of the shield — four spirals 

 in each arm of the cross. There is an additional spiral in each angle of the 

 cross, and another additional spiral at the side of the outer spiral of each 

 margin of the cross, so that the spirals are really disposed in the form of a 

 swastika. The weight of this object is 10 dwt. 16 grs. 



The Axe-heads. (Plate XIX, 5.) 



The axe-heads are the most interesting objects in the collection. Those 

 rescued by the Museum are five in number. They are all of the form of flat 

 flanged axe-heads, with a straight stop-ridge running across the blade, and 

 giving it a gable shape. The flanges a"re rather deep. There is a perforation 

 at the end of the tail of each axe. 



All the axe-heads obtained by the Museum are decorated with impressions 

 of a spiral punch, similar to the punch with which the larger pin is decorated, 

 if indeed it was not the identical instrument. The disposition of the spirals 

 is the same on each face of every individual axe, though there is a slight 

 variety in the number and disposition of the spirals on different axes. There 

 is always one spiral between the stop-ridge and the tail of the axe ; between 

 the stop-ridge and the edge of the axe there are three spirals (arranged in a 

 triangle with the apex towards the tail) on three of the axes ; four, arranged 

 in a lozenge, on one of the axes ; and on the remaining axe five spirals in 

 two rows, two and three in each row. The lengths and weights of the five 

 axe-heads are as follows : — (1) If ins., 8 dwt. 14 grs., 3 spirals ; (2) 1\ ins., 

 11 dwt. 22 grs., 3 spirals; (3) 1^ ins., 14 dwt. 4 grs., 3 spirals; (4) 1\ ins., 

 13 dwt. 8 grs., 4 spirals; (5) 1| ins., 19 dwt. 10 grs., 5 spirals. 



Such, then, is a description of what the Museum has been able to acquire 

 of one of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries ever made in 

 Ireland. The first and most obvious observation that is to be made about it, 



