43 



^th March, il 



W. H. Patterson, Esq., M.R.I.A., in the Chair. 



S. F. Milligan, Esq., M.R.I. A, gave a Lecture on 



THE SEPULCHRAL STRUCTURES AND BURIAL 



CUSTOMS OF ANCIENT IRELAND. 



Following the same line of inquiry which I have pursued on 

 several previous occasions, I purpose referring to our ancient 

 sepulchral monuments, as a further illustration of the architec- 

 ture, civilisation, and modes of thought of the people of Erin 

 in ancient times. I will also briefly refer to some customs 

 relating to the burial of the dead in the olden time. We do 

 not spend as much thought and labour on our sepulchres as 

 our Pagan ancestors did. They spent more time and labour in 

 the erection and decoration of their tombs than they did on 

 their dwelling-places. In some of the more remote districts of 

 Ireland old legends are still related and many customs prac- 

 tised that are unknown to the dwellers in towns and cities, as 

 well as to many of the people living in districts less remote. 

 The desire for a large funeral amongst the relatives of the 

 deceased, and to have a monument of stone erected, has been 

 transmitted to us by our predecessors who raised the pillar 

 stones and cromlechs, and carved thereon their Ogham in- 

 scriptions. The desire to live after death in the memory of 

 our fellows is a laudable one, and has been an incentive to 

 many a noble action and philanthropic deed. Schlegel, in his 

 " History of Literature," says funeral customs are testimonies 

 of the modes of thinking and the degree of civilisation of a 

 people. He says a nation without traditions, tombs, and 



