[From Proc IoMNHAS vol 1]

Meeting held in the Town Hall, Douglas, July 6, 1911.

Deemster CALLOW, President, in the Chair.

Eleven members and two visitors signed the Attendance Book. The minutes of the previous meeting having been confirmed, the following were elected members of the Society : — Mr. L. C. Kewley, Douglas ; Mr. John Lace, Derbyhaven ; and Miss Karran, Sea-mount, Castletown.

"The Secretary announced four presentations to the Library and to the Museum, for which thanks were voted to the respective donors.

Miss Morrison read a paper, " Dialect connected with the Fairies," which proved an interesting contribution to our local folklore. The author was thanked and complimented also on her undertaking of a Dialect Dictionary for the Isle of Man, for which there was no one better qualified,

Mr. Kermode was then called upon for a paper, " Peel Isle and the Shrine of St. Mochonna," in which he referred to the extract from the Irish Annals that the Shrine of St. Dachonna on St. Patrick's Isle had been " broken " or " carried away " by the Norsemen in A.D. 793 or 797 ; and argued that a casket from Norway, now in Copenhagen Museum, was the shrine in question. This contained a Runic inscription with characters and peculiarities met with in the Manx monumental inscriptions. The name of the then owner, "Randweig,"was a common woman's name in Iceland at the time of the settlement. It was the name, among others, of Thord, who was father of Ingiridr, whom King Olaf had to wife, according to Egil Skallagrimsson's Saga.

The author had received from the Royal Museum of Antiquities, Copenhagen, a photograph of that face of the shrine which had not hitherto been published, together with a description and statement that inside were found a bone wrapped in vellum, with Celtic inscription that it was a relic of St. Paul, also a piece of the true Cross.

Canon Quine contended that the "Shrine" mentioned in the Annals referred to a building, and that it was, in fact, a church, afterwards built probably into St. German. The expression " broken " would not apply to a reliquary like that in the Copenhagen Museum. Prof. G. Stokes and others had taken " Innis Patrick " to be off the Skerries, Dublin County. The President pointed out that against Prof. Stokes' opinion was that of Dr. Todd and others, with which Dr, Cochrane, President of the R.S.A.L, agreed. The runic inscription seemed to show a connection with the Isle of Man.

The author could not agree that the term " Shrine " here referred to a church. 'The Annals contained many references to the burning and destruction of churches and round towers, which were described as such. He could not claim to have proved that the example mentioned was identical with the Shrine referred to, but it seemed possible ; and the inscription of later date, he thought, supported this view ; and this inscription alone must give it a special interest in the eyes of Manx antiquaries.

Mr. Kermode then announced the discovery, since the circulars calling the meeting had been printed, of a broken cross-slab from the Keeill at Ballavarkish, Bride, of which he exhibited a rubbing and a photograph. On the face of the slab was a Celtic cross within a rectangular panel, across which were Latin inscriptions, each, he thought, entirely independent of the other, which he read — LUGRI . DIPRUI . CONDLLICI On the upper border of the panel was a longer inscription, very finely cut, and now in parts illegible — MAB . R[AI] SCRIBA + BRERB[RI] — where, unfortunately, the remainder, if any, is broken off. Both cross and panel were scribbled over with crosslets and figures of birds and animals. The letters were mixed, capitals and small, dating probably from the end of the seventh or beginning of the eighth century. There seemed to be traces of Ogams on the edge. He had great pleasure in being able to announce that Mrs. Farrant had presented this interesting monument to the Manx Museum, as well as a two-light window-head of red sandstone found at the same keeill.

Among exhibits were rubbings of the Ballavarkish cross-slab, a drawing to scale of the window, and the photograph referred to of the Shrine in the Copenhagen Museum