County Louth Archaeological and History Society

Irish Historical Studies. Vol. V. No. 18. September, 1946Review by: J. M.Journal of the County Louth Archaeological Society, Vol. 11, No. 3 (1947), p. 212Published by: County Louth Archaeological and History SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27728689 .

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212 COUNTY LOUTH ARCHaEOLOGICAL JOURNAL

of a La T?ne grave-site, 200 kilometers to the east of the Uppsala-Enkoping road, in 1933. Isak Collijn gives a summary of the contents of an interesting notebook which covers the period 1502-1535, and contains some interesting domestic details and local place-name forms. Over

seventy pages at the end of the number are devoted to a study of the change of course of the river

Fyris (on which Uppsala is situated), occasioned by the changed elevation of the surrounding land-level.

Sean O Suilleabhain.

JOURNAL OF THE CORK HISTORICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY

January-June, 1947.

This is a well balanced issue containing three articles on field antiquities, four historical

papers, one on holy wells and one on ancient Irish law. The excavation of a small low circular barrow without apparent bank at Rathjordan by

Prof. O'Riordain disclosed that its construction was contemporaneous with a round-bottomed neolithic A2 pot, fragments of which were found in a pit together with two microlithic quartz

points. There is a very low circular mound south of the river in marshy ground wrest of Knock

Abbey which might also repay excavation. In this case there is a stone projecting above the

surface. Professor M. J. O'Kelly describes a Long Cist-grave which seems similar to those which

have been found at various places in Co. Louth. This one is conjectured to belong to the end of

the Bronze Age or Early Iron Age. We found it difficult to reconcile the side stones shown in the "

plan with cover slabs "

with those in the "

plan with cover slabs removed." Some County Cork

souterrains are described and illustrated by J. C. Coleman, many of them inside "

forts." Liam

O Buachalla's article on Ancient Irish Law is a very valuable one to those interested in the old

laws of inheritance, succession, joint-family (cenel or fine). An intriguing account of how the

Mayor and City of Cork declared war on the McCarthy Reagh and sent an army against him is

from the pen of John T. Collins. H.G.T.

IRISH HISTORICAL STUDIES.

Vol. V. No. 18. September, 1946

Nowadays farmers say that if the potato crop can escape the blight till the 15th August the

crop can be considered saved. In 1845 the blight appeared in Ireland for the first time in the

month of September, and by all accounts wrought terrible havoc among the tubers. Was the

disease more virulent then than now ? This and many other phases of the question?how the

blight was introduced to this country, its nature, cause, cure, effects, etc., are all discussed in a

very informative article by T. P. O'Neill, M.A., in the present issue of the above Journal. T. W. Freeman, M.A., discusses the relationship of History and Geography. The Index of Writings on Irish History, 1945, which makes this Journal so valuable, is accurate and full as in former

issues. There follow thirty-five pages of erudite reviews.

J. M.

THE JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES.

Vol. LXXVII, Part i. July, 1947.

Ada K. Longfield continues her examination of decorated tombstones and draws on some in

Termonfeckin to illustrate her articie. She promises a fuller description of Co. Louth designs in

future articles. Excavations at Gortcorbies (Derry) by A. McL. May, and at Lough Gur, by Sean P. O'Riordain and Caoimhin O Danachair, are minutely described and beautifully illustrated.

Fran?oise Henry has apparently gone over Caher Island (Mayo) with a magnifying glass and has

corrected many of the rather loose descriptions of its antiquities given by some former archaeolo

gists, who, apparently, depended for their data on the observation of others rather than on their own. Why mediaeval wood sculptures are scarce is explained by Catriona Mac Leod, and some of

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