146 



Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



'\ 



,f..-i 



More recently it has been suggested that the type might prove to be 

 related to the Schwurrinye or Eidrinye common in Northern Europe, which 

 belong to about the same period as the Irish rings.^ 

 Eidrinye have been dealt with in some detail by 

 Olshausen.- They were so called f]-om the belief 

 that such rings, not considered to be made for 

 practical purposes, were in ancient times used for 

 gwearing upon, this view being based on references 

 to similar rings mentioned in the Icelandic sagas. 

 A reasonable objection to this theory is that it 

 seems urdikely to find mentioned in a saga probably 

 of thirteenth century date a form of ring many 

 centuries older. 



If, however, rings of this type served in the late 

 Bronze Age for taking oaths upon, it would show 

 how deep-rooted in Ireland is the custom which 

 in recent times caused so inany Christian reliquaries 

 to be used for the same purpose.' 



The sixth find (fig. 8) consists of a leaf-shaped 

 sword and a spear-liead. The handle of the sword 

 is broken. Both are labelled as found in 1892 by 

 a peasant farmer in the bog near his cottage in 

 Moolagh, Ardara, Uo. Donegal., Belonging to ordinary 



types, they do not call for description. 



The seventh find (tig. 9), registered under the 



year 1892, consists of a bronze socketed gouge and 



three rings ; one of them (fig. 6, 3) having bugle 



attachments at the sides and transverse perforations. 

 All are much patinated, and not well preserved. 



They were found together in Co. Fermanagh. 

 The eighth find (fig. 10), discovered near 



Glenstal, Co. Limerick, was acquired in 1901, 



through Sir Charles Barrington, Bart. It includes 



a socketed axe-head, a large bronze ring, two hollow 



rings with lateral projecting trumpet- shaped pieces. 



pierced by an opening from side to si()e, and a 



small flattish bronze ring. The large ring is hollow ; 



iv» 



I 



Fig. 



Bronze sword and spear-head 

 found at Moulagh, Co. 

 Donegal (About \). 



' Smith, " Antiquaries' Journal," i, p. 70. 



- " Zeitschrift fur EHinologie," 1890, pp. 204-297. 



3 The Bell Shi-ine of St. Seanau acquired by the Academy iu 1919, throut^h the 



