230 



&c, with the primitive designs or scorings. The ignorance and van^ 

 dalism of some modern " excursionists" is evidenced by their having 

 even scraped portions of the rock in order to secure a fairer field for 

 idle scribbling. 



Nevertheless, a very considerable portion of the ancient carving still 

 remains, and in no place has it been wholly destroyed. Its character 

 will be best understood by reference to the six sheets of rubbings, most 

 carefully made by myself, and which I now beg to present to the 

 Academy. 



With the simple crosses, or crosses enclosed in a rectangular 

 figure, antiquaries are already familiar. They occur plentifully upon 

 the mysterious rock at Ryefield, county of Cavan, noticed by Mr. Du 

 Noyer in the " Proceedings of the Kilkenny and South-East of Ireland 

 Archaeological Society." A similar figure may be seen in the group of 

 carvings on the cell of the grand chamber at Sleive-na-Caillighe, near 

 Loughcrew. This style of cross also occurs at Dowth, on the Boyne. 

 It will be seen from the rubbings that at Knockmore it is found in its 

 simplest style, and in some instances elaborated in a manner very un- 

 usual. 



Pigs. 1 and 2, sheet I., represent the cross in its plainest form. In 

 sheet II., figs. 1 and 2, in sheet III., fig. 1, and in sheet V., figs. 1 and 

 2, it may be seen enclosed within a rectangular, or lozenge- shaped 

 scoring. In sheet IV., figs. 1 and 2, it is enriched by cross hatching 

 in a style which I have not elsewhere noticed. Detached crosses of the 

 plainer kind in different stages of decay occur on various parts of the 

 walls. I have only rubbed such as are very distinctly marked, and 

 which appear to be associated with neighbouring engravings. 



Sheet No. I. is a very careful rubbing of the most complicated of 

 all the designs which the cave exhibits. We find here two of the pri- 

 mitive crosses ; an interlacing knot or figure of 8 ; some long wild 

 scores, and others shorter in character — the latter having much the 

 appearance of oghamic writing ; a tree-like figure, somewhat similar to 

 a very remarkable carving at Newgrange; a couple of deep-jagged 

 punctures (figs. 4 and 5), and a number of wavy lines, not unlike the 

 rude carvings sometimes found upon the walls of pagan sepulchral 

 chambers. It is not my intention now to speculate upon what relation, 

 if any, the carvings in each group may bear one to another ; but I may 

 say that they all appear to have been made at the same time and by 

 the same kind of instrument. 



Sheet No. II. presents some of the crosses already referred to, and 

 another (fig. 3) which maybe considered a second variety. The scores, 

 fig. 4, have all the appearance of oghamic writing. The four cuttings 

 represented upon this sheet would seem to form a group in themselves. 



Sheet No. III. contains two varieties of the early (prehistoric ?) 

 cross (figs. 1 and 3), and a very perfect interlacing knot. It may be 

 remarked that a similar knot, sheet TV., is accompanied by an early 

 cross, and that in each instance the latter device occupies a position 

 to the left of the knot. 



