345 



lish, however, from the moment they got any footing in Ireland, 

 eagerly repaired such of the Danish fortresses as were fitted for their 

 purpose, and built many of their own over the country. Henry in- 

 deed commanded his great feudatories to erect such on their respec- 

 tive possessions, and accordingly in 1173, Strongbow laid the founda- 

 tion of a castle in Kilkenny, which was demolished by the Irish. In 

 1176 a castle was constructed at Kells as a check upon the incursions 

 of the O'Neills.* Ardfinnan castle was subsequently built by King 

 John, on a bold and picturesque rock, overhanging the river Suir,-f- 

 and the castle of Lismore was erected by the same prince in a similar 

 situation. 



For ecclesiastical uses structures of wood seem to have been still 

 preferred, as well on account of their convenience as their cheapness, 

 as appears from a passage in the Life of Malachy.|. It is to be remarked, 

 however, that there is a notice in the same work, which has been often 

 invidiously relied upon as a proof that the Irish had no stone build- 

 ings till he erected one at Bangor, (County Down,) but we think no 

 candid reader could ever draw such an inference from these words, 

 " Visum est Malachiae debere construi in Benchor oratorium lapideum 

 instar illorum, quje in aliis regionibus extructa conspexerat. Et cum 

 coepisset jacere fundament a, indigence quidam inirati sunt, quod in 

 terrd Hid necdwn ejusmodi sdificia invenirentur. * * ♦ * 

 O Bone vir ! quid tibi visum est nostris banc inducere regionibus no- 

 vitatem. Scoti sumus non Galli ! Quaenam levitas haec .'' Quid opus 

 erat opere tarn superjluo, tarn superbo ? Unde tibi pauperi et inopi 



* " Castellum Kenennasi construitur ad obviandum O'Nellis." — Trias Thaum. p. 608. 

 f See Grose's Antiquities, vol. i. p. 66. 



t " Oratorium a Sancto Malachid consummatum est de lignis quidem levigatis, sed apta 

 firmiterque contextum, opus Scoticum, pulchrum satis." — Vita Malachiae, c. 5. 



VOL. XVI. Y Y 



