435 



closed in a circle, the stem of the cross extending the entire length of 

 the stone ; and on the other there is a simple cross, also slightly raised, 

 with very hroad arms. 



JS'o. 31. — Plan of the ruins at Labba MoUogga, showing the position 

 of the two churches, and the other antiquarian objects lying about, 

 with the original termon or boundary wall, with its ancient stile on the 

 west side, and its flight of steps on the east. The church which lies to 

 the north of the one I have illustrated is of much larger proportions ; 

 and from the remains of its doorway, which was in the west gable, it is 

 very probably a work of the eleventh or twelfth century. 



1^0. 32. — View of the doorway of Templepatrick old church, on 

 Innishgoil Island, in Lough Corrib. Dr. Petrie gives an illustration of 

 this doorway in his work on " The Pound Towers," and thinks it highly 

 probable that it was erected during the lifetime of St. Patrick, in the 

 fifth century. 



IS'o. 33. — Plan of Templepatrick old church. 



ISTo. 34. — Kestoration of the highly ornamented doorway of the more' 

 recent of the two ancient churches on Innishgoil Island, in Lough 

 Corrib. A portion of these decorations is unlike anything which I have 

 seen in doorways of similar age and style ; I allude to the decoration 

 on the large beads along the angle of the outer arch of the door, and 

 their being grouped in threes with blank spaces between ; and again to' 

 the scalloping of the outer edges of the stones forming the outer arch. 

 These features I discovered by carefully examining and measuring the 

 broken fragments of the arch which lay scattered around the door, and 

 they are worthy of being recorded. The capitals of the pilasters at 

 either side of the doorway are ornamented by well-carved human masks 

 at each angle, the hair, beard, and moustache of which are carefully 

 curled, and sometimes platted. 



In looking at the ancient Babylonian, Assyrian, and Ninevehtish 

 sculptures, we are struck with the elaborate way in which the hair, 

 beard, and moustache of the human figures were curled and arranged, 

 and I think we are justified in believing that what we see was as 

 nearly as possible a true representation of the facts. The same idea has 

 often occurred to me when examining such decorated crosses as those at 

 Clonmacnoise, and some of our illuminated Irish MSS. ; and I believe 

 it highly probable that the ancient Irish chieftains curled and platted 

 their beards, moustaches, and hair, very much after the manner pourtrayed 

 by the sculptor. On the great cross at Clonmacnoise this is very clearly 

 apparent in the long beards of some warriors, and that of the king who 

 is sw^earing on the cross to an ecclesiastic. 



As well as I can recollect, I believe that it is in our MSS. of the 10th 

 and 11th centuries that scroll work based on the human figure or group- 

 ings of figures is most prevalent ; and, if so, we may suppose that such 

 is about the age of this doorway. 



1^0. 35. — Plan of the ancient church of which the previous sketch is 

 the doorway. 



lio. 36. — View, looking I^.W., of the ancient church of Douaghmore, 



