The Delta independent., 1907-08-09
IRISH CHURCH BELLS
THE EARLIEST ONES WEIGHED
ONLY A FEW OUNCES.
First Adopted About the Time Of st
Patrick In ths Fifth Century
Were Made Of Ham,
mered Iron.

II was about the time OF st. Pat
rick. in the fifth century. that bells
began to be adopted in the Christian
church. though their use In other di.
rections was long anterior to Chris.
tianity, as Mr.. Layard records having
found some In the palace OF Nimrod.
The first Christian bells, like st. Pat
rick's. weighed only few ounces. and
from that they gradually Increased
till the greatest weight was reached
at Moscow with 1913 tons OF beautiful
ly enriched work. strange contrast
to humble "Clog. -eadhaehta Petra
ic." or bell OF Patrick's well" some
times referred to as the bell OF Ar.
magh, with It's diminutive dimensions
of six inches deep. made OF thin sheets
OF hammered iron. bent into four.
sided form. fastened with rivets and
brazed or bronzcd. This bell is at
once the most authentic and the old
est Irish relic of Christian metal work
that has descended to us. and is men
toned in the Annals" under the date
OF 552
Such as this were the bells OF the
early apostles OF Ireland. but the age
was progressive one. and advancing
art soon claimed the bells to work on
and the hammered iron gave way &c
bronze castings. more s~illful work
nanship and to more perfect reson.
ance. We are fortunate enough to
have on loan the finest example In
the Bangor bell OF what tho craft OF
bell making had advanced to by the
time the tenth century had dawned
For 500 years the iron bell OF Patrick
had done Its duty. and now It had &c
be laid by.
The same story applies TO many
other famous bells OF Ireland and
their shrines. but the church loved
these ancient bells. and their associa.
tions rendered them most precious
relics. They must be preserved. and
the far famous gold workers OF Ire
land came to the rescue and brought
the national art. then in the zenith OF
its perfection. to bear on the cases
TO hold them called "shrincs" and by
far the most beautiful OF all was that
for the bell Of the great patron saint
OF Ireland.
The early church builders and
nrtifcers OF Ireland were skiilful and
bold and fearless In their creations:
with an Independence OF thought. they
struck out original lines to work on.
We see II In the stonc-roofed
churches. the stately round towers.
the great crosses--a model of one. the
finest cross on earth. stands near tho
case containing the beils--and by the
preservation Of the bells themselves
we see in the reliquarics or shrines
another master thought. repeated no
where else. and these remain a purely
Irish char scteristic. A few found 9
resting place In Scotland. but n great
authority says they are attributed tt
Irish saints. and we naturally turn &c
Ireland In search Of the parent
group"
The Shrine" was made to incloss
the rude iron bell. This fine example
OF the goldsmith's work must have
been executed between the years 1901
and 1105. when DonelI McAuley
whose name is given In the inscrip
tIon. filled the see OF Armagh. The
shrine Ia made OF brass. on which thu
ornamented parts are fastened dowr
with rivets. The front is adorned VIII
silver gilt plated. and knot work ir
golden hllgree. The silver work 10
partly covered with scrolls. some In
alto.rclievo and some in bas-relief. II
is also decorated with gems and crys
tals. and on the sides are animal
forms. elongated and twisted into in
terlaced scrolls. Since the Original
shrine was made. in 1891. It has neve,
been lost sight OF, but has been hand
ed down from custodian to custodian
generally of the same family