Read Ebook: The Round Towers of Ireland; or The History of the Tuath-De-Danaans by O Brien Henry

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PAGE

INTRODUCTION vii

SYNOPSIS xxxvii

DEDICATION lxi

PREFACE lxiii

DEDICATION xciii

LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL IRISH TOWERS AND CROSSES 525

INDEX 529

INTRODUCTION

"His grave cannot now be identified in Hanwell churchyard. It was never marked by even a rude stone. In the register of burials the entry is: 'No. 526, Henry O'Brien, Hanwell, July 2, years 26. Charles Birch, officiating clergyman.' Tho number of the grave did not help towards its identification, and an examination of every stone did not result in the discovery of the name of O'Brien."

W. H. C.

LONDON, 1897.

SYNOPSIS

Following up this line of argument, he attacks Montmorency, who had maintained that the founders of the round towers were "primitive Coenobites and bishops, munificently supported in the undertaking by the newly-converted kings and toparchs; the builders and architects being those monks and pilgrims who, from Greece and Rome, either preceded or accompanied the early missionaries of the fifth and sixth centuries." Reserving a detailed refutation of this theory for subsequent chapters, he contents himself for the present with showing that it rests upon mere assumption, which is not borne out by the evidence adduced in corroboration thereof; and exposes the fallacy of Montmorency's argument, that pre-Christian Ireland was in a state of barbarism which precluded the possibility of such structures as the round towers being erected by its inhabitants. He further deals with the objections, that the bards do not allude to these towers as existent in their time, that those undoubtedly ancient excavations, the Mithratic caves, are never found in the vicinity of round towers, and that the limited nature of their accommodation made them serviceable only for some such purpose as that of a belfry or dungeon. With Vallancey's views he finds himself more in sympathy, but is unable to adopt them unreservedly--preferring, as he puts it, to chalk out his own road.

W. H. C.

DEDICATION OF THE FIRST EDITION

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION

"In the spirit of the mighty dead," says he, "the great ones of the earth, that seem ever and anon to look down through the clouds of this murky atmosphere and to beckon us heavenward, nothing strikes more keenly, in our conviction, than that passion for divine truth which burned unquenchably within them. With what hallowed devotion they worshipped it, with what intense aspirations they loved it, we must remember but too painfully, when we converse with men as they are, and read the writings they applaud.

"Yes--it must be so! The first and noblest object to which the ambition of man can aspire is the discovery and propagation of truth, on which the felicity of all created thinkers absolutely depends; and, fortunately, the glory of its discovery is nothing superior to the joy of its communication. And therefore have the finest and freest souls, that have caught the brightest glimpses of truth's eternal radiation, ever most earnestly sought to lead their brethren and kindred to the same difficult and solitary height from which they themselves first witnessed the dawnings of the prophetic dayspring.

"How many illustrious names, however venerable, have from time's eldest records sought out with indefatigable assiduity the relics of divinest Wisdom! How often beneath her charmed inspirations they wandered forth, exulting over the boundless fields of metaphysical and physical science--endeavouring by the things that are manifest to retrace the hidden Divinity--to look through nature up to nature's God! And if happily they discover some strange and stirring indications of the Almighty's elaborating hand, or some bright testimony of His vivifying though impalpable Spirit, have they not hastened with glowing hearts, and souls overcharged with adoration, to whisper the mystery in secret, or to proclaim the marvel to the world?

"But for true, or free, or speculative masons. These are the men who, attached to their celestial Saviour with filial enthusiasm incommunicable, and to each other by fraternal sympathies that melt them into beautiful unanimity of immortal emulation, these are the men who feel a more especial and endearing interest in the whole history of mankind. To them, whatever is "wisest, virtuousest, discreetest, best," in all the records of humanity, hath a kind of kindred familiarity of association unknown to others; for in all true men they recognise their ancestry or their brotherhood, and they watch the broad line of their genealogical descent with the reverent fondness of a lineal and loyal progeny. In their history they love to contemplate the magnificent economy of Providence for the gradual perfectionising of all lapsed intelligences. In this they view every variation of Churches and States with tranquil and unbroken satisfaction, and from it they look forward to the future with that fine, free, and fearless confidence which Christian philosophy alone inspires.

"In the present times, these relations to society have assumed a somewhat deeper and still more thrilling intensity; they know well enough that old age hath come upon the earth, and that the latter day is at hand; and that the prophecies relating to her dissolution and bright regeneration are, ere long, to be accomplished in their fulness.

"They confess, with rejoicing, the vast spread of intellectual light and freedom that now gilds the concluding pages of our planet's history. They believe that the true and venerable principles of Church and State will be confirmed and illustrated in their breadth and length, and height and depth, by the last and prophetic experience of pious and patriot sages, ere the kindling judgment breaks out upon the astonished world.

"In the present time, Freemasons cannot but feel that a terrible responsibility is committed to their charge. The ancient interests and ambitions of Churches and States are coming into perpetual and jarring collision with the new. The ebb-tides of bigotry and despotism are clashing with the advancing currents of enthusiasm and dissolute passion. The spray of the whirling eddies already whitens the deep, and the roar of the conflicting breakers is heard far away upon the wind. God saith, 'I will overturn, overturn, overturn, until He shall come whose right the kingdom is'; and the sea and the waves are roaring upon every shore, and men's hearts fail them for fear, and for looking on those things which are coming on the earth. To true masons is entrusted the hazardous charge of piloting the vessel athwart the boiling whirlpools. They will save, if they can, earth's latest age from indecent strife and confusion, and struggle hard against the unfilial and disloyal apostates, that would bring down her grey hairs with sorrow to the grave."

Here I would willingly close my Introduction; but as it may seem strange that a work which bears upon its title-page the character of "Prize Essay" should not have been published by the Society that have awarded it the prize, I am obliged to open up a statement of facts which I had rather have concealed; yet, in doing so, I shall take care, now that all vexation has passed over, that no symptoms of asperity shall escape my pen; all the colouring of language I shall equally avoid; nay, even inferences, however obvious, I shall not press into observation, but confine myself strictly to a matter-of-fact detail as to the conduct of the party in the case in question.

In December 1830, the Royal Irish Academy, after many fruitless efforts to obtain information on the subject of the Round Towers, proposed a premium of a gold medal and fifty pounds to the author of an approved Essay, in which all particulars respecting them were expected to be explained. This intimation I never saw. The stipulated time for the composition of treatises--namely, a full twelvemonth--expired, and the several candidates sent in their works. After a perusal of two or three months, the Council agreed upon giving the premium to one of them; but his work being deficient in some of the conditions required, it was furthermore resolved that he should be allowed some additional interval for the supplying of these defects, and this determination they put into practice by the following advertisement:--

"ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY HOUSE, DUBLIN,

"It having appeared to the Royal Irish Academy that none of the Essays given in on the subject of the 'Round Towers,' as advertised in December 1830, have satisfied the conditions of the question, they have come to the following resolutions:--

"1st. That the question be advertised again as follows:--

"2nd. That the time be extended to the 1st of June next, for receiving other Essays on said subject, and for allowing the authors of the Essays already given in to enlarge and improve them; for which purpose they will be returned, on application at the Academy House.

"All Essays, as usual, to be sent post free to the Rev. J. H. Singer, D.D., Secretary, at the Academy House, 114 Grafton Street, Dublin; each Essay being inscribed with some motto, and accompanied with a sealed billet, superscribed with same motto, in which shall be written the author's name and address."

"To what points in particular will those additions refer?"

"To the development of the mystery which overhangs the Round Towers."

"Surely, Doctor, if the Academy have already made up their minds upon the subject, my information can be to you of no value! Good-morning."

Soon as informed of this manoeuvre, I called upon Dr. Singer, as the Secretary, and entreated of him, with much ardour, that he would put a stop to those proceedings; stated that I was myself the author of one of the Essays, which I would not further particularise; and that, as I had reason to apprehend something wrong was in contemplation, I would feel obliged if he exerted himself to have the Essays detained, and determined upon by their merits as they then stood. He asked me to explain the ground of my apprehensions. I complied; whereupon he assured me that I was mistaken in that quarter, as "the individual," says he, "at whose request we have extended the time is one for whom we all have a regard, and is by no means the person on whom your suspicions light!"

Here are his words:--

It was as follows:--

"ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY HOUSE.

"Fifty pounds and the gold medal to George Petrie.

"Twenty pounds to Henry O'Brien, Esq."

Now, be it observed that it was not only of the gold medal and fifty pounds that I was deprived by this manoeuvre, but of the one hundred additional pounds which Lord Cloncurry had offered upon the same subject. Of this the Academy were also the dispensers, on the understanding that whoever should get their gold medal and fifty pounds--the only premium which they had offered--should also get his lordship's hundred; so that by this stratagem they assigned to their friend not only their own, but his lordship's patronage!

"HENRY O'BRIEN.

"HENRY O'BRIEN.

"To H. O'Brien, Esq."

"HENRY O'BRIEN.

"DEAR SIR,--I hope you will not feel displeased at the frankness of this question which I am about to propose to you, viz. have you any objection to show me in manuscript, before you send to print, the terms in which you speak of me, in reference to those points of information which I entrusted to your confidence--such as the ancient names of Ireland and their derivation, the towers and founders, dates, etc.?

"Should you think proper to consent to this feeling of anxiety on my part, I shall be most willing to share with you those other 'points' which I exclusively retain.

"To the full extent you shall have them. The only condition I require is, the credit of originality, which I have laboriously earned. Please to drop me a line in reply to this, and allow me to subscribe myself, with great respect,--Dear sir, your obedient,

"HENRY O'BRIEN.

"Godfrey Higgins, Esq."

"G. HIGGINS."

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