Wakeman's handbook of Irish antiquities — John Shaqi
Wakeman's handbook of Irish antiquitiesWakeman, W. F. (William Frederick)
History
Wakeman's handbook of Irish antiquities
Wakeman, W. F. (William Frederick)
Ireland -- Antiquities
It has been objected to the map theory that in the parts of Scotland
and England where circle-and-channel scorings occur most numerously, no
raths or forts, or, if any, very few, are to be found. But it may be
urged that the early British strongholds, corresponding to our raths,
duns, and stone forts, were very frequently composed of perishable
materials, such as timber stockades, or the interwoven branches of
trees, of which, in the course of a few centuries at most, no trace
would remain.
[Illustration: Rock Scribings, Mevagh, Co. Donegal. (Scale,
one-fourth.)]
[Illustration: Scribings on sides of Knockmore Cave, near
Derrygonnelly, Co. Fermanagh.
(Scale, one-third.)]
Only a small portion of the rubbings and drawings made of the rock
scribings by Bishop Graves was published by him. Mr. Robert Day has
published some interesting examples taken from a scored rock of red
sandstone on the road between Bantry and Ballydehob. The scribings
consist of circles, cup-shaped cavities, penannular rings, and V-shaped
markings.[12] The late George Du Noyer describes at length some which
he found in various parts of the country[13]; and other antiquarians
have largely added to the list. Amongst these is Mr. G. H. Kinahan,
whose descriptions and illustrations of the scribings on rocks in
Wicklow and Wexford, and in the Mevagh and Barnes districts (Co.
Donegal), deserve attention.[14]
A stone now in the Grainger collection of the Museum, Belfast, and
which once stood on a hill near Broughshane, Co. Antrim, furnishes an
instance of elaborate scoring within a roughly shield-shaped outline.
The stone is stated to have been originally found covering a cist.
A similar example of scorings was found in a sepulchral chamber at
Cloverhill, near Sligo.[15] Mr. Wakeman discovered, near Boho, Co.
Fermanagh, about nine miles from Enniskillen, a cluster of large rocks
bearing a number of the cup-and-circle devices.[16] In the same
neighbourhood were similar markings on the living rock. They occur a
little to the south of Lough Blocknet, on the slope of the hill.
[Illustration: ‘Shield pattern’ Rock-sculpture, from Broughshane, Co.
Antrim.]
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