240 



The columns and piers are of less breadth and solidity than in 

 the British, Saxon, or Norman. 



The sculpture is in much lower relief, and some of the figures are 

 peculiar to Ireland.* 



There is no instance of a church in Ireland being built with an 

 apsis. 



At the English invasion Irish architecture may be said to have 

 ceased ; the English adventurers brought with them their own 

 fashion of building, which was afterwards copied by the Irish ; 

 hence there is little difference between the ecclesiastical edifices of 

 England and Ireland from that period, except in the inferiority of 

 workmanship, which (generally speaking) is the distinguishing 

 mark of the latter. 



The military architecture of Ireland in castles, strong holds, and 

 castellated dwelling-houses, is also of English introduction, (for we 

 have but one solitary instance, in the county of Londonderry, of any 

 Irish building approaching lo this character.) If any such previ- 

 ously existed, none have outlived the ages of internal warfare, 

 mutual aggression and family revenge. 



The oldest castle of strength now remaining in the kingdom is 

 Reginald's tower at Waterford, built by the Danish leader of that 

 name in 100.'3 ; the other defences of the Danes there and elsewhere 

 have apparently all perished, or if any exist, they are confounded 

 with the works of the first Norman settlers. I'hus in the baronies of 

 Forth and Bargie, in the county of Wexford, there remains a vast 

 number of castles of various sizes, which are said to be some Eng- 

 lish and some Danish, but that the latter may always be distinguished 

 by the superiority of the mortar, which is mixed with gravel ; the 



* Beauties oflreland, Introd. cxiii. 



