THE WORLD'S DEBT TO THE IRISH
the Lord,” and they wanted succeeding generations
to appreciate properly their feelings of reverence for
them. Miss Stokes has noted that these are peculiar
to Ireland:
“Such covers or shrines for bells seem to be un-
known in any other branch of the Christian Church.
Six examples of these beautiful reliquaries are still
in existence. Besides that from the county of An-
trim, already mentioned, we have the shrine of St.
Patrick’s Bell in Armagh; the Barnaan Cualawn, or
shrine of the Bell of St. Culanus, in Tipperary; that
of St. Mura’s Bell at Fahan in Donegal, that of
the Bell of Conell Cael in Glencolumbkill, County
Donegal, that of St. Mogue or Moedoc from
Templeport in the county of Cavan, the Clogh Oir
or Golden Bell of Senanus in Scattery Island at the
mouth of the Shannon. We know of no other
reliquaries of this exact nature outside of Ireland
except the two in Scotland, described by Dr. Ander-
son in his. work enitled ‘Scotland in Early Christian
Times’; the bell-shrine found near Kilmichael Glass-
ary which he believes may date about the twelfth
century, and may have belonged to St. Molua of
Lismore in Ireland; and the bell-shrine of Guthrie
in Forfarshire.”
As is supremely fitting the finest of these shrines
made for the bells of the old Irish saints and mis-
sionaries is the shrine of the bell of St. Patrick.
This was made toward the end of the eleventh cen-
tury by an Irish king and is of bronze plates to
which gold filigree work and stones are_riveted.
The top of the shrine which is curved back to re-
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