shot at the candle, and it was, strange to relate, arranged that a shooting contest should take place on the Square of Macroom at one o'clock on the following Saturday between the sergeant and Shawn Ru.

It was settled that the mark should be a crown (a five shilling) piece set up close to the eastern wall of the castle yard, about midway between the entrance to Castle Street and that of Sleveen Street, that the competitors should fire from a spot in front of the market-house fifty paces east of the mark, that a certain number of shots should be fired turn about by each competitor, and that the one who hit the crown the greater number of times should be declared the victor; but that in case of a tie the sergeant should accept for one shot any further test of skill that Shawn Ru might propose to him. The officer, it is said, offered to back his man in thousands, but Mr. Hedges declined to go beyond hundreds, and the stakes were therefore kept within the bounds f moderation. Mr. White was to act as judge, and everything promised oo on satisfactorily.

That Mr. Hedges after setting the law in motion against Shawn Ru should now suspend it seems strange enough, but he could easily, doubtless, explain or justify his action, at least to his own satisfaction.

But whilst the shooting match at the castle was being arranged, a very sad event was drawing nigh at Mr. Powel's place. It is hardly a portion of Shawn Ru's history, but forms part of the tradition relating to him. On the evening of the day of Shawn Ru's adventure with the old dame young Powel seemed disappointed that he had not seen him. He felt sure that he must have had some message to him from the other side. He became restless, and resolved to row across the lake, which he could do in about half an hour. He therefore left the house about nine o'clock, and taking a curragh and pair of oars struck out from the shore due south. About the time he left the young bull before referred to became impatient of imprisonment, and driving his horns through the hurdle that formed a restraining barrier lifted it on his head, went off with it, plunged into the lake, and made straight for his old home. Young Powel had his back to the curragh's bow and not seeing the bull they met half way. A violent collision took place, and Powel and the bull, the supposed Luiwee, both sank and were drowned. Search was made next day, the hurdle was seen projecting from the water, and this led to the discovery of the melancholy occurrence, soon after which Mr. Powel disposed of his land and stock, and with his mother left the place for good.

Though Mr. Hedges did not know where Shawn Ru was at the time he entered into arrangements for the shooting match, he was able to send him intimation regarding it, and requesting him to be at the time and place appointed, assuring him that if he should do so, and shoot for him, he would not be in any way injured or molested, but would be allowed to return to his home in safety. It speaks much for the reliance reposed in Mr. Hedges' promises that Shawn Ru unhesitatingly consented to comply with Mr. Hedges' request, and showed perfect confidence in what he had undertaken. What Shawn Ru did during the two intervening days does not transpire; but the report that there was to be a shooting match between him and one of the Hessians (soldiers) spread far and wide, and on the appointed day crowds of country people flocked into Macroom.

Mr. Hedges and his party and the gentry of the neighbourhood

assembled in front of the market-house, and the soldiers were drawn up at the side opposite to that occupied by the peasantry. The mark was set up, Shawn Ru and the Hessian were ready, and when the hour struck the shooting began. The Hessian first fired and hit the target, Shawn Ru fired next and hit also. How many shots they fired is not recorded; but it is certain that both did well, and that the contest resulted in "a tie." It then devolved on Shawn Ru to propose a test of skill for the deciding shot; and he suggested that a knife should be put up in place of the previous mark, the back of the blade to be against the board and the edge towards the competitors, and that whichever of them should split his bullet on it into two more nearly equal parts should be held the victor. This test was agreed to, and the knife set up. The Hessian fired first, but missed the edge of the blade. Shawn Ru then took aim and fired. The knife was not stirred, but Mr. White examined it, and found that the bullet had hit it on the edge and had been divided into two equal part, which passed into the board, one at each side of the blade. Shawn Ru had won.

Mr. Hedges looked round immediately after Mr. White's announcement, but Shawn Ru was gone.

Mr. Hedges lived for several years after the great shooting match at Macroom, and continued to rule Muskerry with prudence and justice. He had a son, Robert, who married Miss Eyre, of Galway, and had one son, Richard, and one daughter. Richard Hedges inherited the city of Galway and large estates in Tipperary and Cork from his mother, and took the name of Hedges-Eyre. He had one son, who died unmarried. Mr. Robert Hedges' daughter married Mr. Simon White, of Bantry, the lineal representative of his grandfather's friend, and their eldest son became the first Earl of Bantry. His son, Richard, was the second Earl, and was succeeded by his brother, William, the third Earl, who was succeeded by his son, William, the fourth Earl, at whose death the title became extinct, and the castle of Macroom passed to his sister, Lady Olive, the wife of the Right Honourable Lord Ardilaun.

Edmond Barrett, of Toames, was succeeded by another Edmond Barrett, called on account of his grey hair, Edmond Leigh, who married Anne Power, by whom he had three sons, John, Edward, and Richard, and a daughter, Anne. John, the eldest son, who was remarkable for his great physical strength, left Toames, and about the year 1774 took a large tract of land at Corrigbwee, now Carrigboy, in the parish of Kilmichael, about five miles south of Toames, where he went to reside, and purchased the fee simple of it early in the next century. He married Honoria O'Callaghan, and had two sons, Edward and John, and four daughters. Edward married Mary Anne, daughter of James Barry, of Kilbarry, and John married Maria, daughter of Richard O'Donovan, of O'Donovan's Cove. Edward had one son, John Edward, and one daughter. John Edward Barrett married Catherine, daughter of William O'Sullivan, of Carriganass, and was for thirty years a well-known magistrate and grand juror of the County Cork. He died in December, 1894, sine prole, and was buried in St. Joseph's Cemetery, Cork. John, his uncle, had three sons and one daughter, of whom two sons still survive and are Justices of the Peace for the County.

Jeremiah Murphy Leib reared a large family, and had a long and happy

life, but soon after his death his sons left Toames to seek their fortunes elsewhere.

Whether Mr. Hedges made any specific arrangement with Shawn Ru at the time of the shooting match is left to conjecture; but Shawn Ru settled down at his house at Terelton shortly afterwards, and the yeomen looked after him no more. He visited Macroom whenever he though proper, and no one ever attempted to molest him. Though married, as already stated, he had no children. He lived long beyond the span usually allotted to man, and died calmly in his bed.

The peasantry at the south side of Gaeragh long treasured his memory. A song in the Irish language, each stanza of which ended with "Maw's mough lath veh boon, caugh foor augus theh," was composed in his honour; and down to the time of the famine in '46 could be met many people who spoke of him as a hero, and related almost with the pride of a personal achievement Shawn Ru's victory over the Hessian by the shot that made his fame.

AN OLD INHABITANT.

Proceedings of the Society.

Ta Meeting of the Society, held at their new premises in the Cork Library, Pembroke Street, on 12th May last, the following two papers were read. The chair was taken by the President, Mr. Robert Day, F.S.A., who said it gave him pleasure to meet the members of the Society, with those of kindred societies, at their first evening's meeting in this room a room suitable not only for its convenience and comfort, but that appeals to them because of the historical memories which for more than a century have been associated with it. Here succeeding generations of Cork's cultured citizens have met, conversed, studied, and drawn from the book-shelves the earlier literature of the last century, and of those that immediately preceded it. One of the many advantages of such a meeting place is the opportunity it affords the members of laying on the table objects of interest connected with the past history of the country. Frequently things of value are found which through ignorance are lost and unrecorded, although one of the fundamental aims of our Society was to carefully describe all such and the places where they were found. We do not consider that the farmers and farm labourers in the South are less intelligent than their fellow-countrymen in the North, and yet we rarely find one of the former who if a stone axe is turned up will distinguish it from a common field stone, or think it worth preserving; on the other hand, an Ulster peasant will preserve and retain it. We must, however, remember that stone antiquities of this kind are far more commonly met with in Ulster than in Munster, and its peasantry are familiar with the various types of stone implements and flint arrowheads which are frequently found when breaking up new ground in Antrim, Down, and Derry. I have this evening brought a few ancient bronze swords for your inspection; the elegance of form and workman

ship displayed in these weapons make them peculiarly attractive to the antiquary. Those found in Ireland are distinguished by a certain amount of sameness, they differ only in length, weight and outline, and in the number of bronze rivets by which they were secured to the outer handle. These consisted of either bone or horn, but never of bronze. Had they been made of the more enduring metal, similar to those from continental Europe, they would have survived to the present, but no example of a bronze-hafted sword has so far been found in Ireland, from which we may assume that bronze was not used on the hand-part of the sword in this country, although two daggers with hafted bronze handles are noted and illustrated by the late W. F. Wakeman in the Kilkenny Archæological Society. (1) In the same paper he also describes a bronze rapier, hafted with whalebone, which was found in 1864 at Trillick, County Tyrone, and mentions this bone-hafted sword of mine, which you will find illustrated in the same journal for 1868-69. It was found in the summer of 1865 by Robert Powell in Lisletrim bog, parish of Muckuol, townland of Tullycoora, and barony of Cremorne, County Monaghan, and measures 24 inches in length, and in width of blade 1 inches. It is in the most perfect state of preservation, resembles the Iris leaf in outline, and has sharp and uninjured edges from hilt to point. Το ascertain the character of the bone handle covering, I sent a small portion to the late Professor R. Owen, who kindly sent me the following reply:

"British Museum,

6th October, 1866.

Dear Sir-After careful comparison of the fragmentary specimen herewith returned, I am able to assure you that it is bone, not ivory, but of what species I cannot determine; it is mammalian, probably cetacean.-Yours, etc.,

RICHARD OWEN."

In writing on this sword the Rev. James Graves quoted from Sir William Wilde's catalogue of the R.I.A., pp. 454-460, and also from Hora Ferales, the posthumous work of J. M. Kemble, neither of whom had been able to cite a solitary instance of a similarly hafted sword; therefore, he says, it might be fairly assumed that the sword was at present unique! And so, after the lapse of forty years since its finding, it continues to be.

During a recent visit to Switzerland I had the good luck to acquire a fine example, which had been found on the site of Lacustrine dwellings in Lake Geneva. It is 27 inches long, and resembles a sword from Augsburg described in Hora Ferales (plate 8, No. 3). The handle, which is of bronze, has three slightly raised circular bands, and is entirely covered with an engraved decoration composed of flowing scroll patterns, with circles of lines and dots. The termination of the hilt is crescentric, and is secured to the blade by two rivets; the top is disc-shaped, with a raised centre boss. There is a peculiarity in the way the lines of the blade increase suddenly in number at 6 inches from the point; this also occurs on the Augsburg sword. Bronze swords are of rare occurrence in Switzerland, so much so that the curator of the Lausanne Museum

(1) "Journal," Vol. II., 1872-3, p. 196.