258 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



"Wh ether the presumption that the cast now before the Academy 

 commemorates the name of St. Brecan be fortified, as Petrie thought, 

 by the further inscription existing on the black stone globular ball 

 found in the same grave (Eccl. Arch, ibid.), may perhaps be question- 

 able. The ball bears a legend, which would read — 



+ Oroit ar Bran nailither, 



11 Pray for Bran the Pilgrim," were it not for an indentation over 

 Bran, which, if a mark of contraction, as my own judgment would 

 lead me to conclude it to be, may justify the enlargement of the word 

 into " Brecan." I exhibit the stone itself, brought from the Petrie 

 collection in our Museum. 



III. Also, from Kilbrecan. The " Septem Romani" inscription. 

 This legend, following the fashion of the preceding monument, is 

 distributed in the quadrants of a cross : — 



VII 



Bo 



It has been accurately engraved by Petrie (Eccl. Arch., p. 138). 

 This monument was the subject of an instructive incident on the 

 occasion of the visit to Arran of the members of the British Asso- 

 ciation in 1857, which has heen related by Stokes, in his Memoir 

 of Petrie, p. 378. The Paper- cast, held in different lights, shows how 

 easily sculptured characters on a time-worn surface may be over- 

 looked, as, in fact, these of this legend were overlooked, even by 

 those well acquainted with their existence, and desirous of re-dis- 

 covering them, on the occasion referred to. 



IY. Temple Benin, Arranmore. On a square flag-stone at the 

 east end of the little oratory, called after St. Benignus — 



Cart. 



Beside this simple legend some one has cut the initials T. 0. M., 

 and the date 1814. It is possible some portion of the Boman initial C 

 of the old inscription, which contrasts remarkably with the square 

 form of the other letters of this memorial of the "dear one," may 

 have been sharpened to its present clear-cut appearance by the same 

 hand. 



V. Killeany, Arranmore. On a massive square flag, built into the 

 southern side wall of the old church among the sands. The sands 

 usually cover the inscription, which may account for the sharpness of 

 the characters — 



Oroit ar Scandlan. 



The characters are of a peculiarly square contour. The D is 

 remarkable as agreeing with the oddly-shaped d's of the Towyn 

 inscription ; and the S. as approaching, in its minuscular form, to 

 the appearance of a capital F. 



