106 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



great number of them, theii- fonn, and their well-nigh complete absence 

 from Britain, may indicate a movement of Celtic people from Xorthern Italy 

 by the Ehone Valley across Gaul to the south and east of Ireland before 

 the time of Tacitus by the way suggested by Professor Zimmer. 



This was an old route, and probably known back into the Bronze Age. 



Fio. 9. 

 Mane. GreeuhilU, Co. Dublin. 



I may add that the shape of certain sepulchral urns found near Dublin 

 recalls the early La Tene pottery from the Mame district, though the 

 ornament is diflferent, and no correspondence of dates is assumed. The 

 straight and angular lines of the wide funnel-shaped mouths and sides 

 narrowing towards the bottom, which is recessed with an annular foot 

 (suggesting a metal model), may be noticed ; but it would take me too far to 

 go into this question more fully in the present Paper. 



We see, therefore, that the result of the archaeological conclusions in 

 this Paper hardly supports the statement commonly made in all school- 

 books, that the Gael came to Ireland through Great Britain ; but they strongly 

 support Professor Kuno Meyer's contention to the contraiy, in his Paper on 

 the " Brj'thon and Gael," in tli>' Cymmro<Jorion Society's Transactions, 

 1895-96. 



