15 



interesting object in the whole collection, is the small urn, or 

 vase, bearing an Irish inscription, which has lately been de- 

 scribed in Miss Stokes's work on "Christian Inscriptions in the 

 Irish Language." This little urn, which probably was an altar 

 vessel, was described by the late Dr. Petrie, in the Dublin 

 Penny Journal, vol. ii. He says : " This very interesting little 

 altar vessel .... was found in the ruins of an old church in 

 Islandmagee, in the County of Antrim, and fell into the pos- 

 session of an old woman in the neighbourhood, who used it for 

 many years to hold oil for her spinning-wheel. Its workman- 

 ship is of great beauty, being not only of graceful proportions, 

 but as round and smooth as if turned in a lathe. The inscrip- 

 tion round its neck, which is in a beautiful square Irish 

 character, enables us to ascertain with precision its age and 

 original owner. It is as follows: ' Pray for Martin O'Brolachain.' 

 From the ' Annals of the Four Masters,' as well as from the 

 'Annals of Innisfallen,' we find that this Martin O'Brolachain 

 was professor of divinity in the Abbey of Armagh, and died in 

 the year 1188. He is designated as the most wise of all the 

 Irish of his time." Mr. Benn was owner of this precious relic 

 in 1832, having rescued it several years previously from its 

 ignoble position at the old woman's spinning-wheel. Miss 

 Stokes, in her work, gives a different reading of the inscription, 

 and no doubt the correct one. It reads : " or do m[ac.]etain 

 au brolchain " (pray for Mac Etan, descendant of Brolchan ;) 

 and it would seem that this individual has not been identified, 

 although several members of this family belonged to Armagh, 

 and others were connected with the church at Kells. The vase 

 is two-and-three-quarter inches in height, and seven inches in 

 circumference. 



In the collection there is an ancient square ecclesiastical bell, 

 found near Ballymena ; a small square bell, cast of bronze ; and 

 some of the round bells or crotals, which, however, are not 

 ancient. There is also a large rivetted caldron of a well-known 

 type, and a circular brazen dish, which was found at a crannog 

 near Randalstown. At this crannog, or lake dwelling, many 

 objects of human manufacture have been found from time to 



