450 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



have been pierced, probably in recent times. The ornamentation of the 

 hmula is imusual and is very finely done j'it somewhat resembles the example 

 found at Dunfierth, Co. Kildare, figured in my former paper.' The illustration 

 (Plate XLVIII, fig. 1) will show the details; but attention may be called to 

 the decoi-ation of the two end portions ; here, instead of the usual cross- 

 hatchinf^, etc., we have two strips of ornament somewhat like a necklace in 

 form, and stopping within a few inches of the ends. 



Since January, 1909, therefore, we have been able to add three more 

 lunulae to the former list, making sixty-three found in Ireland and nineteen 

 in Ent^land and on the Continent. The discovery of the lunula in Hanover is 

 most interesting, and is a further proof of the intercourse between Ireland 

 and the Continent during the Bronze Age. 



On the same occasion that Mr. Clements showed me the gold lunula he 

 also showed me a gold ball which I at once recognized as being one of the 

 eleven golden balls which were found at Carrick-on-Shannon in 183-1, and of 

 which seven were acquired for the Academy's collection. Mr. Clements gave 

 me an extract from a letter from Nathaniel, Earl of Leitrim, to his wife, 

 undated, but of about the year 1835. The extract runs : — " I have not yet 

 made my entire confession with respect to my extravagance yesterday in 

 Dublin. It consisted in buying an antique Irish ornament, lately found in 

 Eoscommon, a large golden ball, about the size of a lemon ; there were 

 thirteen of them, all of different sizes, but diminishing gradually, hollow 

 and perforated, as if intended to be strung, from which it is conjectured 

 they must have been worn as an ornament round the neck. I met with it, or 

 rather them, at West's . . . ., and the price of the one I bought .... 

 was £9." 



It will be noticed that in this accoimt thirteen balls are mentioned, 

 whereas in the account in the Dublin Penny Journal, Nov., 1834, vol. iii, 

 p. 144, only eleven are mentioned, the same number that is given in 

 Wilde's Catalogue. One of these balls is in the British Museum, and 

 Sii- Hercules Eead kindly supplied me with the information that it was 

 purchased from Messrs. Franklin in 1839. It weighs 929 grains, and has a 

 diameter of -ih inches and a height of 2-8 inches. We can, therefore, now 

 account for nine out of the eleven, or possibly thirteen, gold balls originally 

 found. ;Mr. Clements kindly allowed me to have an electrotype copy made 

 of the golden ball in his possession ; and I shall be able to place this copy on 

 exhibition with the seven balls already in the collection. It is much to be 

 hoped that the whereabouts of the other balls, unless melted down, may be 

 discovered. 



' Op. cil., Plate IX, Xo. L 



