116 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 
XXV.—Tue Aytespury-roap SeputcHran Mounp. Descriprion oF 
CERTAIN Human Remarns, ARTICLES oF BRoNzE, AND OTHER OBJECTS 
OBTAINED THERE. By W. Frazer, F.R.C.S.1., M.R.LA. 
[Read, February 18, 1882. ] 
Tue excavations carried on at the great sepulchral mound in Aylesbury- 
road, Donnybrook, where I was permitted to have exceptional oppor- 
tunities for investigating all the circumstances attending that interesting 
discovery, may now be considered as finally brought to a termination, 
for a dwelling-house of large size is erected over the greater part of 
the site of the mound itself. 
Since the period I was permitted to lay an account of my investi- 
gations of this mound before the Royal Irish Academy (vide antea, 
p. 29), no possible opportunity was neglected of continuing and per- 
fecting my search there. But although from time to time several 
additional skulls and portions of skeletons turned up, they seldom 
were possessed of special importance, or appeared to require detailed 
description. An exception must, however, be claimed for the last 
skull which was brought to me, and which I have the privilege of 
exhibiting this evening. Together with it I purpose showing a bronze 
pin, also found about the same time, and a few other objects of anti- 
quarian interest that came into my possession as the workmen disco- 
vered them in the mass of clay and human bones where they worked. 
They are, I believe, worth placing on record to complete the history 
of the excavations. 
The discovery close to our city of a vast mound of human remains— 
T am under the limit in saying it contained the bones of upwards of 
600 or 700 human beings—was calculated to excite attention and 
give rise to various conjectures as to the origin of such a state of 
things. Tradition gave no clue to explain the occurrence of this 
mound, and our historic records, so far as they are yet known, were 
equally silent. Where the early records of Irish history are concerned, 
I believe everyone who has dispassionately searched in them must be 
convinced of their perfect truthfulness, and of the marvellous accuracy 
with which events of very early date are recorded. I have no doubt 
an account of this mound and its origin were once to be found in such 
records; but we know that the annals of Dublin history especially 
were unfortunately destroyed long since—possibly they perished in 
the fire at St. Mary’s Abbey. 
In disinterring and examining the bodies found in the mound, I 
resolved to use every possible means for arriving at a deliberate con- 
clusion, as if I were engaged in a recent medico-legal investigation, 
having had the good fortune to be permitted to study the place at my 
leisure, and, I may say, from the period of the first discovery of 
human remains there until the mound was altogether investigated to 
