[M.J. Beukers]

Hello all,

I am a member of a re-enactment group which depicts the life and customs of the gallowglass (or galloglaich) mercinaries which lived on the isles off the west coast of Scotland.
This really nice wallpaper on myArmoury caught my eye http://www.myArmoury.com/desktop_alb_caith.html
The effigy depicted looks very much like a gallowglass warrior and the way the are depicted on gravestones. The info mentiones that the effigy was found in Killian (Which is this location in Ireland Iam assuming:
http://maps.google.nl/maps?f=q&source=s_q...54&z=8 ). What i am interested in finding out is if the image was found on a gravestone, which is the most common source of gallowglass images, or that it was found as a statue or in some other form.

Thanks in advance for any help,
Maurice

[Chad Arnow]

Sir James Gow Mann just lists it as an "effigy". That usually implies a carved statue laying down on the lid of a tomb (carved as part of the lid), rather than a free-standing statue. The carving around the statue would seem to lend more weight to the effigy being part of a tomb/sarcophagus lid.

It doesn't appear to be a full 3D statue, but more like a raised depiction, somewhere between simple 2D and full 3D.

[Danny Grigg]

Chad, are there any good books with high-res photos and descriptions of the arms and armour of Galloglaich effigies / gravestones?

I have come across about half a dozen different ones on the net, however most of the pics are small and its difficult to see details.

Thanks

Danny

[Chad Arnow]

[Thom R.]

here is a partial list for you to google

Burke effigy, Glinsk, Galway

many effigies at Kidalton church, Kilchoman, and Killarow (try "carved stones of Islay")

Jerpoint Abbey

Saint Oran's chapel

of course the famous ones at Roscommon Abbey

if you find more decent photos on the net let us know! tr

ps edit. although the basinets on the effigies are always shown as open faced, that does not mean that these high peaked basinets you see on effigies in Ireland and Scotland never had visors (or maille), the visors are just not shown on the effigies.....

[M.J. Beukers]

Thank you for the replies. Most helpful!

@Thom: nice pic! where was it taken?

[Barry C. Hutchins]

You may also want to research the following:

http://test.huntmuseum.com/arc_intro.html

and if you can find a copy of Vol I & II - http://openlibrary.org/b/OL8302066M/Irish_Med..._1200-1600 by John Hunt, tha may also be worth your while