430 



On the tombstone of Luguaedon Mac Clmenueh, the nephew of St. 

 Patrick, figured by Dr. Petrie in his work on the Round Towers, this 

 fanning or spreading out of the arms of the cross is expressed by the bi- 

 furcation of the straight arms of the cross. On many of our early ogham 

 pillar stones we have the cross of eight points, and we possess an 

 instance of this kind in our own collection of antiquities.* In such 

 standard crosses as that of St. Nen, or ISTenidius, on Inishmacsaint 

 Island in Lough Erne, figured in Yol. II. of this series, we have this 

 form of cross, but without the circle or aureole, which was not essen- 

 tial in its true character. When, however, the dove cross is surrounded 

 by the aureole or circle, with the straight- armed or Latin cross project- 

 ing beyond it, as in Fig. 27, the cross attains its full development, and 

 typifies the Divinity as well as the humanity of our Lord. 



I had long sought for the origin of the cross and circle, as seen on 

 our monuments, and I believe that I have found it in the figure of the 

 outstretched dove from the cross of Clonmacnoise. 



~No. 28. The dove is frequently sculptured on our decorated crosses, 

 as emblematic of the Holy Spirit. Thus, in the example now given, 

 from the shaft of the headless cross in the graveyard at Kells, in the 

 county of Meath, which represents the baptism of Christ, the bird ap- 

 pears in the act of alighting on one of the bulbs of the water lily placed 

 beneath the male figure as emblematic of river water. 



Nos. 29, 30, 31. Ancient tomb slabs from Clonmacnoise; the church- 

 yard of Kells, county of Meath ; and the old abbey in the demesne of 

 Castle Archdall in the county of Fermanagh. These three examples of 

 early Christian tombstones are all remarkably alike, and exhibit the 

 cross of eight points, or the dove cross inclosed in the circle, thus show- 

 ing how similar and how widespread over the island was ' ecclesiastical 

 taste in such matters, 



No. 32. Yiew of the stone-covered holy well called Tobar-na-Druad 

 (Well of the Druidess),f or Clon Tubrid (Eetreat of the Well), in the 

 county of Kilkenny, from a sketch kindly supplied to me by the Hev. 

 James Graves. This structure, like others of the same class, resembled 

 in miniature an ancient church or oratory with high-pitched roof. J 



No. 33. Carved stone at or near to the holy well just named, and I 

 which is also taken from a sketch by the Rev. James Graves ; this re- j 

 presents a female figure enveloped in a long mantle ; the effigy is in | 

 high relief from the stone, which is carved around it into a heart-shaped 

 form, with a broad and raised border. It is remarkable that this is the 

 third example I have found of a heart-shaped stone being connected with 

 early ecclesiastical remains — one is at the old church of St. Mologga, 



* See Vol. I. of this series. 



f N. B. — Tobar na Druad must be written as three separate words. The article 

 na is feminine ; therefore Druidess is meant. If Druid was meant, we should have in J 

 t>puat>; and if Druids were meant, we should have na n-Opuat>, gen. plur. 



Clon Tubrid. — The word cluain, applied both in a secular and religious sense to so ; 

 many places in Ireland, has not yet been explained. It is a feminine z-stem = clodni } 

 and having the same meaning and root as the Lat. clausura (= claudtura), a spot enclosed j 

 either naturally or artificially. — Vid. Du Cange, sub claud-, claus-, &c. — J. O'B. Crowe, j 



