36 Proceedings of the Rojjal Irish Academi/. 



I found it very Iiard to get any cases in which the evidence was at all clear. 

 The most important case was that of a necklace of fourteen beads whicli were 

 found with gold beads at Cruttenclough, near Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny. 

 Seven amber beads were found by Conwell in Cairn H., Ijoughcrew, Co. 

 Meath; these, from associated objects, decorated with late Celtic patterns, 

 can be ascribed to the La Tene period. An amber bead was also found in the 

 Dowth tumulus, but the date of thi.s is uncertain.' I have since heard of a 

 number of amber beads having been found in association with a bronze sickle 

 and other Bronze- Age .objects in a cave at Whitechurch, Co. Wateiford; this 

 find is not yet published. 



I was therefore very glad to get a really good case of amber found witli 

 associated objects. 



The find was made in May, 1907, by two men named Michael Sullivan 

 and William Comiell, when making a fence on the land of Mrs. Kate O'Connel, 

 at Mountrivers, Eylane, Coachford, Co. Cork. The objects were buried about 

 a foot from the surface of the ground, and consisted of two bronze celts, two 

 gold fibulae, a bronze fibula, and a number of amber beads ; nine beads 

 were stated in the reports of the find to have been obtained, but eleven 

 were recovered. It is alleged that one or two were put in the fire by the 

 finders and that they " blazed up." The objects were handed to Mrs. O'Connel, 

 who kept them until the end of June ; she then gave them to her brother, 

 K. Hinchen, who sold one of the gold fibulae and one celt to Mr. Eobert 

 Day, M.E.i.A. Mr. Day forwarded these objects to the Academy, and is to be 

 congratulated on his prompt action in the matter. The remainder of the 

 find came into the possession of the Eev. Patrick M'Auliffe, of Cloumoyle, 

 Coachford, and were by him forwarded to the Academy ; all the objects of 

 this important find being tlius recovered. They ai-e figured one-half the true 

 size. (Plate VI.) 



The gold fibulae weighed 3 oz. -L dwt. 4 grs., and 2 oz. 17 dwt. 20 grs., 

 respectively. The bronze fibula belongs to a type somewhat rare in Ireland, 

 though a few of the same form have been found. The beads appear to be 

 made from Baltic amber, not Italian ; though of a rich brown colour, they 

 have not the dark shade of the southern continental variety. They resemble 

 two large beads in the Academy's collection, one of which measures 2J inches 

 in diameter, and has a thickness of 1|- inches. It was found at Cashel, near 

 Armagh ; the other, of about the same size, was deposited by Trinity College, 

 Dublin. 



All these objects may be placed in the Bronze Age. According to 



' G. Coffey : " Origin of Prehistoric Ornament in Ireland." Journal Royal Society of Antiquaries 

 of Ireland, vol. xxvi., p. 38. 



