¹⁰Danaher, Kevin. Gentle Places and Simple Things: Irish Customs and Beliefs. Dublin: Mercier, 1964. 48.
It would appear that the early church gave its blessing to the looting of prehistoric tombs. Benignus, a disciple of St. Patrick, "...possessed himself of them in company and with the full approval of St. Patrick himself." (Macalister, R.A.S., Ancient Ireland, A Study in the Lessons of Archaeology and History. London: 1935. 35.)