462 



Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



on churches in Clare, Cork, and other counties, are only found in 

 Limerick on^the castles of Dunnaman and Tullyvin. 



The remarkable dark oak misereres or chancel stalls in the body of 

 the Cathedral seem to belong to the later fifteenth century, per- 

 haps to the restorations executed in 1490. Each chair measures 

 26 inches from arm to arm ; the seats turn on pivots, and have carvings 

 underneath. We find carvings of various birds, and animals, and 

 monsters — wild boar, ibex," "antelope," swan, eagle, rabbit, ape, 

 a lion overpowering a winged dragon (Christ and Antichrist), cocka- 

 trice, griffin, and sphinx ; one human head with a heavy cap, 

 resembling Henry lY., and angels. Each figure is between sprays of 

 late conventional foliage.^ 



The books preserved in St. Mary's, as well as the church plate, 

 were carried off by, and recovered from, the Macnamaras about 1370. 

 In the fifteenth century the cathedral possessed a library, of which a list 

 of forty-five MSS. is preserved in the Sloane MSS. in the British 

 Museum, 4793, and has been partly (thirty-three only) published by 

 Lenihan in "Limerick," p. 573, being of course theological and 

 philosophical. 



"We may next notice the fine crozier and mitre of Eishop O'Dea ; 

 but, they having been fully described at various times, we need only 

 add the quaint fact of the rebus (" nels" in a heart = Cor-nels), repre- 

 senting the prelate's Christian name — Cornelius.^ llie mitre of 

 Bishop Thomas Arthur has also been already described.^ 



A curious relic, the Mias Phadruig, or golden dish of St. Patrick, 

 was long preserved at Knockpatrick, near Foynes, but was pledged, 

 or sold, by its hereditary curator, Mary Neville, " of the dish," early 

 in the last century. Cognate with it was, perhaps, the "gold shell," 

 found near the Well of Kilpeacon. 



We fortunately possess a list of the goods of the Augustinian 

 house of St. Mary and St. Edward, in Limerick. Of the former 

 an Inquisition was taken in Limerick, 1538.* After reciting how 

 " Symon Minor was founder of Sayntt Mary howss in the worshipe 

 of the Blessytt Virgin Saynt Mary and Saynt Edward, Kynge and 

 Martyr," and that the prior Sir John Fox had left a chalice in pledge 



1 R.S.A.I., xxii., p. 73, and Limerick Field Club," vol. i. 



2 ** Archaeologia," xvii., p. 30. E,. S. A. I., xxvii., p. 41. " Limerick Field 

 Club," vol.i., pt. 1. 



3 R.S.A.I., 1866 (vii., Ser. iv., p. 369). 



* Inquisition, P. R. 0. L, xixHen. VIIL 



