Editorial: ‘Gods make their own importance’

Abstract

Editorial ‘Gods make their own importance’ The centenary of the commencement of the First World War (28 July 2014) has been marked in different ways. This editorial recalls the small group of dedicated scholars who sustained the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Section C during the period of the war. The tenacity of Irish scholarship in archaeology, Celtic studies and history is well represented in the contents pages of Section C published between 1914 and 1919.1 Although 210,000 Irishmen, nationalist and unionist, fought in the war, and the island was ‘decisively affected’ by it,2 there was nothing allusive to it in the articles published in the Proceedings during those tumultuous years. The noise of war, outside of Ireland, had no adverse impact on the antiquarian activities of the Academy’s scholars who continued to devote their time to lending importance to the local and familiar, if more remote, Irish past. Those who maintained the journal during the Great War were a small and dedicated group, some of whom were involved in Irish political movements. E.C.R. Armstrong, the brothers H.C. and Rev. H.J. Lawlor, R.A.S. Macalister and T.J. Westropp formed the backbone of contributions in that period. Between them they published 35 papers in just three volumes (3234) of Section C. Of the stalwarts of Section C during the war, E.C.R. Armstrong was very productive, publishing five articles between 1914 and 1919. He was keeper of Irish antiquities at the National Museum of Ireland when his comprehensive Guide to the collection of Irish antiquities: catalogue of Irish gold ornaments in the collection of the Royal Irish Academy, was published in 1920.3 The catalogue described and illustrated 475 gold items which were then housed in the museum. His output for Section C from 1914 to 1919 included papers on ‘Four brooches preserved in the Library of Trinity College Dublin’ (vol. 32), ‘On some * doi: 10.3318/PRIAC.2014.114.12 1 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 32C (191416), 33C (191617) and 34C (191719). 2 John Horne, ‘The war on our history is over: we played a big part in WW1’, Irish Independent (17 May 2014), available at http://www.independent.ie/life/world-war-1/thewar -on-our-history-is-over-we-played-a-big-part-in-ww1-30270461.html (last accessed 12 September 2014). 3 Mary Cahill, ‘Bronze Age gold at the National Museum’, Irish Arts Review Yearbook 9 (1993), 14952. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy Vol. 114C, viix # 2014 Royal Irish Academy associated finds of Bronze celts in Ireland’ (vol. 33), ‘Associated finds of Irish Neolithic celts’ (vol. 34), and he collaborated with George Coffey in writing an account of the Annesborough hoard (vol. 32). Coffey,4 who died in August 1916, had been politically active during his life. He was a campaigner for Home Rule and Free Trade during the 1880s and secretary to the Irish National League. Elected a member of the Academy in 1886, a decade later he was appointed to the National Museum of Ireland eventually becoming keeper of Irish antiquities. His fieldwork included investigations at the caves of Kesh, Co. Sligo, the Topped Mountain cairn in Co. Fermanagh and the tumulus at Craigywarren, Co. Galway. His major publication before his death was The Bronze Age in Ireland published in 1913. His final contribution to Section C, coauthored with Armstrong, was on the subject of a ‘Find of bronze objects at Annesborough, Co. Armagh’, published in vol. 32 (191416). Armstrong also collaborated with Rev. Hugh Jackson Lawlor,5 professor of ecclesiastical history at Trinity College Dublin and dean (192433) of St Patrick’s Cathedral, on the shrine known as the ‘The Domnach Airgid’ which appeared in vol. 34 (191719). Jackson, who was secretary of the Academy (191930), produced many notable works during his academic career. In the first year of the Great War, his Psalter and martyrology of Ricemarsh was published, and a substantial article on ‘The Cathach of St Columba’ appeared in vol. 33 of Section C for 191617. Hugh’s brother, the Ulster businessman Henry Cairnes Lawlor...