Minutes of Proceedings. 283 



SATTIRDA.T EvENTNG, NoVEMBEE 29, 1884. 



(Stated Meeting.) 

 Sir Samuel Peegtjson, q.c, ll.d., President, in the Chair. 



The Eeliquary of St. Lachtin, recently forwarded to the Academy's 

 Museum by Her Majesty's Grovernment, was laid on the table. The 

 President gave the following account of the Eeliquary : — 



I have the satisfaction to announce to the Academy that Her 

 Majesty's Government have, with a very gratifying consideration for 

 Irish feeling, decided that the Eeliquary known as the Shrine of 

 Saint Lachtin, shall be preserved in Ireland. It had been purchased 

 for the sum of £450 by the Department of Science and Art. Your 

 Council made a representation to His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant 

 as to the expediency of its being sent to this Academy ; and the result 

 is, that the Treasury has recouped the Science and Art Department 

 that sum, and the Eeliquary is now in our custody for ultimate de- 

 posit in the Science and Art Museum, Dublin, now happily commenced. 

 It is a singularly fine example of old Irish workmanship in metal, 

 made more precious by its bearing an inscription which defines its 

 date. As the Cross of Cong shows the state of this branch of the Arts 

 in Connaught in the latter half of the twelfth century, the Lachtin 

 Eeliquary testifies to its condition in Munster not later than the first 

 quarter of the same century, at which time objects of workmanship 

 so excellent were certainly rare in the west of Europe. My learned 

 and revered predecessor. Dr. Todd, about thirty years ago, in our 

 Proceedings,* gave an account of the Lachtin Shrine, to which I refer. 



I have but to observe that, since Dr. Todd's memoir was written, 

 the publication by Dr. Eeeves of the Martyrology of Donegal affords 

 some reason for doubting the conjecture that the Lachtin of the 

 Eeliquary was he of Aghadur, whose festival is 19th March. It seems 

 more probable that a Lachtin of another date is the person in ques- 

 tion, regarding whom the compiler observes: " Cuimin of Condeire, 

 says that he used to be always standing, praying for the men of 

 Munster, and sheltering them."f If so, we might conclude that he 

 is that Lachtin, sent by Saint Declan of Ardmore, with six others 

 of his scholars for the foundation of the great Seminary of Lismore. 



* Vol. V. page 461. f Mart. Don. 181. 



