161 



4 



Unglass, Beal-lien-glas, a name said to mean the pure fire of Beal, 

 or Bel, and which was one of the greatest seats of this worsliip.* 

 The western ranije of the Wicklow mountains take their name ot 

 SUebcarmen, from this remarkable place. 



The Lis, or Lios, signifies a strong house, or habitation, or forti- 

 fied palace. -f- These artificial hills are generally much larger than 

 the barrow before mentioned, are often very high, and sometimes 

 not circular, but approaching to an ellipse ;:{: their tops are flat, with 

 an earthen bank thrown up around the little plain on the summit ; 

 entrance places are left in this surrounding bank, and in some in- 

 stances they have been fenced with a second entrenciunent near the 

 base. There is much variety in them as to size ; some containino- 

 two or three acres, others only an area sufficient for the dwelling of 

 a single family. Tlie Lis and the Dun are nearly synonymous ; the 

 chief difference seems to be in the situation ; that of the Lis vary- 

 ing, and in the mode of protection, the earthen entrenchment and 

 the wattle hedge being employed for the Lis ; while the Dun is 

 fenced with thick walls of great strength, and is also invariably 

 placed upon a lofty commanding spot, often on a rock. 



The Dun or Doon — a fortified place of strength.§ The Dun 

 was always in an elevated situation, often guarding passes over 

 rivers or through bogs ; they were fenced round the top by a broad 

 wall, built of very large stones, sometimes almost rocks, rudely, but 

 very solidly put together ; they were strongly entrenched with more 

 than one line of circumvallation, frequently with deep fosses and 

 covered ways ; and a few of them had a wet ditch, with the power 



• Survey of Kildare, p. 3 Seward's Topographical Diet. — Pliil. Survey, p. 234. 



f O'Brien's Diet. 



J Parochial Surveys, I. p. 25i:. 



^ O'Brien's Diet. 



VOL. XV. . Y 



