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HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE- GO SSI P. 



by Mr. Kilbride to be much more modern. About 

 half a mile south-west of Kilronan is the site of 

 another dun. On Inishmaan, situated^ on a com- 

 manding crag near the centre of the island, is Dun- 

 connor, built by Connor, brother of Engus M'Uath- 

 more. It seems to have been larger than any of 

 the fortresses on Inishmore. Also Dunmohen, 

 towards the east of the island ; this is very like and 

 about the size of Dunonaght in Inishmore. On 

 Inisheer there was a large fort called Caher-baun ; 

 this, however, is now quite dismantled, and a light- 

 house built on its site. 



Fig. 78. Half-plan of circular Cloghaun, Cragballywce, 

 Inishmore. 



' The preceding fortifications are supposed to have 

 been built by the Eirbolgs ; but besides these there 

 is on Inishmore Doocaher, anglice Blackfort, a 

 fort supposed to be much more ancient. It occu- 

 pies a small promontory called Doonaghard, on the 

 coast, a mile south-west of Killeany Bay. It seems 

 to have been the strongest fort on the island, the 

 rampart having been over twenty feet high. In its 

 immediate vicinity are the ruins of what seem to 

 have been cloghauns. 



Besides the fortresses there are the ruins of 

 habitations, some of which, such as those previously 

 mentioned, on the south of Killeany Bay (Chap. VI.), 

 must be very ancient. The best preserved of these 

 are two cloghauns on the crags, half a mile south- 

 west of the village of Onaght, in the north-west of 

 the island ; Cloghaunacarraiga, near the coast, a 

 little north-west of Port Murvy; the village of 

 Ballynascan, anglice, the town of the ancient ones, 

 in the valley west of Dunoghil ; and the cloghauns, 

 &c, in the iEolian sands south of Killeany Bay, all 

 on Inishmore ; while in Inishmaan, on the crag 

 south-west of Dunconnor, are the remains of an 

 ancient village now called Cragballywce, anglice, 

 the town of the yellow rock. 



In these places are found different types of 

 habitations, namely, cahers, cloghauns, cnocans 

 (pronounced Knochauns), Ligaibreabh, Fosleacs 

 (pronounced Fuslocks), and Ointigh (pronounced 

 Ontee). The cloghauns on the islands are of two 

 types, one having a round plan, as shown in the 

 accompanying drawing of the cloghauns at Crag, 

 bally wee; the second type of cloghauns is that 

 which is most common in Aran. It has a rectangular 

 base, a doorway in each side, and usually a window 



in some portion of the structure (fig. 80). Both 

 types of eloghaun are built of flaggy limestone, 

 without mortar, the joints in the inside being neatly 

 and closely fitted, while on the outside the work is 

 more rough, except the doorways and window-holes, 



-^^- : 



Fig. 79. Half of elevation of a round Cloghaun. 



the masonry of which is carefully executed. Inside 

 round the base are large flags placed on edge ; no 

 appliances for hanging doors or windows can be 

 discovered, and possibly there were mats, as now 

 used in the islands of Garumna and Lettermulle on 

 the north of Galway Bay. 



Fig. 80. Ground plan of rectangular Cloghaun. 



The round cloghauns cove inward, usually from 

 the base to the apex, while in the rectangular 

 structures there is always at the base a perpendicular 

 wall about three feet high, after which they cove in, 

 the apex of both types being finished off with flags 

 over which shingle is placed, and all is so well 

 finished that not a drop of rain or a breath of wind 

 can penetrate. As previously pointed out, the round 

 are considered to be more ancient than the rect- 

 angular cloghauns, as the latter graduate iuto the 

 ointighs, and the latter into the modern cabins. 

 Doctor Petric seemed inclined to believe that all 

 mortarless structures were older than those in which 

 mortar was used. This, however, evidently is not a 

 good test, as iu some places, such as West Kerry, 

 limestone is hard to be procured ; while in others, 

 such as Aran, there is a scarcity of fuel to burn 

 lime ; therefore in both cases, as at the present day, 



