in the churchyard adjoining, suggested to the Rev. Philip O'Doherty,
of Carndonagh, the desirability of having the bell examined. This he
afterwards had done; and Mr. Robert Moore, Junr., made a complete
rubbing of the bell, on which appears the following inscription:-

or

RECARDUS POTTAR [S] DE VRUCIN ME FECIT ALLA [allelujah].

Trade Mark

This legend left no doubt as to the correctness of the tradition; but the questions remained, who was Recardus Pottar, and where was tucin? If the locality of Recardus Pottar could be found, the date when he cast the bell might be ascertained. The author examined many geographical charts and treatises on geography, ancient and modern, for the word Vrucin, but was unable to find it. Believing that Frucin was in the Low Countries, the author sought for information till he found a place called Vracene, near Antwerp. Inquiry was made from the curé of that commune, in East Flanders; but the curé maintained that Vracene was never known as Vrucin, and that the name Pottar was unknown, although de Potter exists there still.

Consequently the date of the bell can at present only be judged from its type and embellishments. It is of the ancient long-waisted form.

The question of how it came to find its way to this church in Inishowen arises. The author is of opinion that it may have been on board one of the ships of the Spanish Armada that suffered shipwreck in 1588 within a comparatively few miles of the church of Donagh, where the bell has been discovered. We are told that some vessels of the Armada were fitted out on the Escault, in the vicinity of Vrucin, or Vracene, and we are also informed that several articles supposed to be of value were received in Inishowen from the Spaniards who were saved from the wreck of one of their ships driven in at Glanganvey near trait-breige.1

1 Calendar State Papers Elizabeth, 1588-1592 (London, 1885).

i

III. THE CROSS OF COOLEY (Mag-bile).

Near the site of the church of Maghbile (Moville) in Bredach Glen, known as the church of Cooley, there is a fine specimen of an ancient monolithic cross. O'Donovan, who visited the place in 1835,

FIG. 2. THE CROSS OF COOLEY (Mag-bile).

says: "I saw the old church of Maghbhile, and could not but laugh at the audacity of Lanigan attempting to contradict Colgan, who had often seen the church. It is a very extensive ruin, and an antique cross at the gate, about 8 ft. 6 in. high, as gray as a ghost, and as old as St. Patrick, indicates the great age of the church."

1 Ordnance Survey Letters. O'Donovan, August 17, 1835.

This High Cross of Cooley bears no inscription or decoration, and has four perforations within its circular body, and one perforation in the upper member. The cross faces east and west, has a height of 9 ft. 3 in. over the table slab in which it stands; its width at the arms over all is 31 in., whilst the circular body has a diameter of 22 in. The north of the stem is 15 in., and the arms are also 15 in. deep.

A foot-mark, traditionally ascribed to St. Patrick, is pointed out on the slab in which the cross is fixed.

In the graveyard at Cooley is a small rectangular building, covered with an angular stone roof, after the manner of St. Kevin's "Kitchen" at Glendalough. The building is 8 ft. 6 in. by 6 ft. 6 in., with side walls 2 ft. thick, and about 4 ft. 6 in. high over the present surface. The height to the apex of the roof over the side walls is about 3 ft. 6 in. A lower aperture 15 in. by 12 in. is in the western gable, and a slit-opening 15 in. by 5 in. is placed in the eastern gable at 4 ft. from the ground. It is known now as the "Skull House." This may have been the original oratory.

IV. CARROWMORE CROSSES (boċ-ċonais.)

O'Donovan, who visited this place in 1835, speaks of "the beautiful stone crosses on the site of the old church, of which not even the graveyard now remains. Oats grow on the site of the churchyard. The crosses are very conspicuous objects from the road leading from Bunaphobble."

O'Donovan supposed that this was the site of the original parish church of Cooldavagh. But Colgan, who knew the place thoroughly, calls it the monastery of Both-chonais, from which it is probable that the name applied to the Catholic church of the district, Bocan, is derived.

The Rev. William Reeves, in 1853, identified the site of Bothchonais, where, in the townland of Carrowmore, he says he found it "bearing abundant evidence in its crosses and other remains of ancient, though locally forgotten, importance."

The foregoing meagre notice is all that has hitherto appeared on the subject. When in the locality last June, the author, aided by the Rev. Philip O'Doherty and Mr. O'Cannan, made an examination of these crosses, which bear every appearance of being as early, at least, as the tenth century, and may have been erected before that

1 Reeves' Columba, pp. 405, 406.

period. They consist of two high crosses, which are still standing. The first is at the western end of a plateau, on which the outline of a building is clearly traced, and where a portion of the monastery of Both-chonais evidently once stood.

This cross, slightly slanting, is a beautiful stone, standing more than 11 ft. above the ground, 144 in. wide by 11 in. thick, and has been cut from the laminated sandstone that is to be found at Glengar, in the north-east district of Inishowen. The arms, which extend beyond each side of the stem of the cross 4 in. by 15 in. deep, are placed at about two feet down from the top. This, like the Cooley cross, bears no inscription, and is wholly devoid of any ornamentation or tracery, presenting the outline of a plain cross, as it had been cut out of the quarry.

At this site are the remains of other crosses. On the stem of one which stands 3 ft. high by 2 ft. broad, are carved lines and a circle meridionally divided.

Another high cross, about thirty yards south of the former, stands in the field adjoining. It is also rectangular in form, about 10 ft. high, 2 ft. 5 in. broad at the ground, slightly widening to 2 ft. 8 in. under the arms, which measure 4 ft. 3 in. across, and are 1 ft. 10 in. deep. The thickness of this stone is now 63 in.

On the head of the western face is sculptured a radiating glory, with a spray of three rays, giving it the appearance of a triangle. These rays extend to the centre of the arms. This is the only appearance of carving that now exists. The eastern face is plain. In consequence of its exposure to the east, it has suffered from the effects of weathering.

Immediately adjoining the last-described cross, and lying with its surface inclined to the slope of the field, is an irregular-shaped stone, about 5 ft. by 5 ft., on which is carved a small cross, 17 in. by 8 in., formed by a half-circular sinkage, and a corresponding circular margin, near which is an elliptical sunk water-bowl, used by the peasantry who still frequent the place in making the Tupas, or pilgrimage, and out of which they take some portion of the water it may at the time contain.

The cross on this inclined stone is much like those described as found cut on the interiors of caves in Fifeshire.1

1 Spalding Club, vol. 2, pl. xxix. Aberdeen, 1867.

V. THE CROSS OF ST. BUADON OF Cluain-Catha (Clonca).

The ruins of a small seventeenth century church, about 48 ft. by 21 ft., known as the Church of Clonca, that occupies an older foundation, lie eastward of Both-chonais, on the road to Culdaff. Outside, west of the boundary wall of the graveyard of this church, are the remains of a High Commemoration Cross, equal in many respects to some of the sculptured crosses described by the late Henry O'Neill.1

The portion of the shaft now erect in its original site measures about 10 ft. high by 16 in. by 8 in. It is divided into panels, and carved with figures representing Scriptural subjects, after the style of the Monasterboice crosses. In the same field is what is stated to be the remaining portion of the cross, consisting of the upper limb, or head of the cross, which gives a further height of about 5 ft. 6 in., or a total height of about 15 ft. 6 in. The appearance of this cross, if restored (as in the figure) would resemble in many respects the model of the restored cross after Henry O'Neill, now in the Museum, Kildarestreet. The head of the cross extends over the body by a projection 20 in. wide by 13 in. high, and 5 in. thick, so that the sloping sides, beginning at 16 in. wide, taper at the top to 13 in., whilst the thicknesses of the stem of 8 in. wide also diminish at the top to 5 in. The top of the cross extends 2 ft. 9 in. from the centre of the arms. A central small circle, 10 in. in diameter, divides the arms that project 20 in. on each side of the centre, giving an extreme width of 40 in. across the body. The shoulders of the cross are sunken spaces, but not perforated, as in most Irish crosses. The circular rim, or nimbus, is formed by intersecting circles, having a raised boss 74 in. in diameter in each. A memorial cross of this magnificence is rarely found, and the author regrets that the time at his disposal when visiting the locality of the site would not permit a more careful examination.2

1 The Sculptured Crosses of Ancient Ireland. Henry O'Neill, London, 1857. 2 Since the above was written the Rev. Philip O'Doherty has kindly sent photographs from which the figures have been copied.