of the several weapons are most minutely described. O'Curry 

 also gives an account of the second or northern battle of Magh 

 Tuireadh, fought thirty years later than the first, between the 

 victorious Tuatha De Danann and the Fomorians, or sea rovers. 

 In this account, the weapons are described still more fully. 

 And in an account of a later battle, that of Ath Comair, 

 O'Curry again goes most minutely into the subject of the 

 weapons used, and he draws particular attention to a missive 

 weapon called a " lia lamha laich" — translated a " champion's 

 hand-stone" — which was carried for use in the hollow of the 

 shield, and which O'Curry suggests was the polished stone 

 " celt," of which I have lately been speaking. 



Of bronze sword blades, and what may be called dagger 

 blades, there are in the Benn collection 24. Of bronze spear 

 or lance heads, many being of beautiful workmanship, there 

 are 26 ; these have sockets for the insertion of the shaft. The 

 sword blades, on the contrary, were made with rivet holes, and 

 were rivetted to handles which were made of scales of wood, 

 bone, or hard tusks, such as those of the sea-horse. There are 

 about 30 bronze brooches and pins. It is in antiques of this 

 class that we find some of the most exquisite workmanship of 

 the old artificers. Some of Mr. Benn's are richly ornamented, 

 and are worthy of a careful examination. 



There are many other bronze objects, to some of which it is 

 difficult to assign either a name or use. Some of them are, 

 undoubtedly, parts of horse trappings, spurs, bits, &c, many 

 rings of bronze, which have evidently been cast, and some of 

 which are still adhering together in twos and threes, as they 

 came from the mould. There are some small finger rings and 

 seals of different materials ; and a curious object made of thin 

 bronze, hollow, and evidently in imitation of a human finger, 

 with the nail and folds of skin at the knuckles all complete. 

 This probably was the case or shrine, in which the finger bone 

 of some saint was preserved as a relic. There are two bronze 

 smoking pipes and two iron ones, and also a brass or bronze 

 "beggar's badge," issued in the parish of Shankill in 1774. 

 The most interesting object of bronze, and perhaps the most 



