Plate XXIII.
Scribed Pins from the Crannog of Ballinderry.
The scorings on these pins, though mostly mere ornament, seem in some cases greatly to resemble Ogham and runic characters, but Professor Stephens, of Copenhagen, to whom photographs of the runic-like scribings were submitted, could not decide that they were actually runes; and again, other examples of bone pins from Ballinderry, preserved in the Museum, R. I. A., bear seemingly well-marked Ogham scorings, yet Professor Rhys and Sir Samuel Ferguson were unable to interpret them.[126] The pin given, [plate XXIII., fig. 1] (full size), bears ogham-like scorings on the front of its disc, no doubt originally intended to convey a meaning, but up to the present no key has been discovered by which they can be read; it is possible they were intended as a charm of some kind. [Fig. 2] ([plate XXIII.]) was not in the Academy when Wilde compiled his catalogue: the head of this pin is of stone, said to be agate, secured to the bone stem, seemingly, by a small wedge of bronze. Near its termination, the pin assumes an acutely quadrangular form, each face bearing an ogham-like set of scorings; these may possibly also have been talismans. Pins of bone, as well as of bronze, have been frequently found with rings of that metal attached to them, of a more or less ornamental type, but sometimes consisting of a mere piece of wire. [Fig. 125], from Lisnacroghera, represents a rude ring of this nature; and quite recently a bronze pin, with similar attachment, was picked up from the bed of Drumcliff river, county Sligo. A pin of unusual form, and ornamented with two human heads, [fig. 126], was brought to light in the crannog of Loughravel; the material is dark-coloured bronze, cast in the required form, but finished off with a chasing tool. In [fig. 127] the ring, with which most pins are decorated, assumes the form of a coin, or flattened disc with a notch at top to allow it free play in the loop. In some specimens the disc of the coin is smooth and plain, but in others, as that here represented, it is highly ornate. [Fig. 128] shows a rude plain specimen of the penannular pin, decorated in the inferior enlargements.[127] [Fig. 129] from Lagore, has a head of singular fashion, and the bronze ornament claims special notice “on account of the analogy of type which it presents as compared with the remarkable silver pins found at Largo, in Fifeshire,” and with the “Hammer-headed pins” in the Museum, R.I.A. [Fig. 130],[128] of similar form, is ornamented on its semicircular plate; the ground had originally been filled in with enamel, as were probably the front terminations of the tubes. It was found near a crannog in Craigywarren bog, parish of Skerry, county Antrim. [Fig. 131], from Lagore, is unique; its entire length is 3 inches, and it has three rings passing through apertures in the elongated head, which is the only part here represented; its inferior extremity is decorated with a cross-like ornamentation.[129] [Fig. 132], from Ballinderry, is a plain pin, with a wheel-like head, having a small hole in the neck, through which a ring passed.[130] Crannogs and street cuttings are the principal localities from which the small pins, [figs. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h] have been procured, they vary in length from 2¼ to 7½ inches; [fig. d] is from Ardakillen.[131] All the articles figured in [plate XXIV.] were found at Lagore, and now form part of the Petrie Collection in the Museum, R.I.A. [Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4] are of iron, of which material very few ornamental objects have been found in Irish crannogs. [No. 1] is remarkable as presenting a fine example of the torque pattern. [Nos. 2, 3, and 4], in form strongly resemble brooch pins of bronze, which there is every reason to believe belong to an extremely remote period. The bone pins, [Nos. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11], are faithful representations of the leading varieties of that article, as found in Irish lake dwellings, and indeed in some pagan tombs. [Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6] ([plate XXV.]), are believed to represent wooden pins for the hair. [No. 1] remains in a perfect state: the mouldings upon its lower and thinner end were doubtless intended to keep the article in its proper place, and prevent its slipping from the “back hair” of some long-forgotten beauty. [No. 2] is unfortunately imperfect, but it is of interest on account of the boldness of the mouldings by which its head is decorated. [No. 3] is perhaps the most remarkable pin composed of wood which has been recorded as found in a crannog: its decoration consists chiefly of varieties of the divergent spiral, highly characteristic of early Celtic art. [No. 4] may possibly have been a hair-pin, but it was more probably used as a bodkin. [Nos. 5 and 6], with serrated edges, seem well designed for the purpose of securing the hair in position. Pins of this kind were probably used in pairs, attached together with a string. [No. 7] is a nondescript piece of wood, with two perforations; and [No. 8] represents a handle, probably belonging to a very small wooden vessel. [No. 9], shaped like one half of a wheel, is cut out of the solid, and appears to have been very carefully worked. It is almost impossible to form an opinion as to the character of this object: possibly it may have formed portion of the head of a cross: if so, it is the only relic of that kind hitherto reported to have occurred in a crannog. [Nos. 10 and 11] are noticed by Wilde as seal-like articles. The former of these is solid; but the latter, from its thicker end to the moulding, is hollow.[132]
Plate XXIV.
Iron and Bone Pins from Lagore.
