1898] THE ESKERS OF IRELAND 175 
the arrangement of the materials is very curious. Irregular beds of 
large blocks, or of small pebbles, or of the finest sand, are arranged 
one over the other, generally with a rude attempt at conforming to 
the external slopes of the ridges, but not preserving to any distance 
either the thickness or the inclination.” 
This description of the ‘section, although written with special 
reference to a ridge quite at the eastern extremity of the great 
central plain, would apply to the great esker at the College near 
Athenry, particularly the remarks on the stratified arrangement of 
the sand and gravel. 
The true esker, or ridge, when seen at a little distance bears a 
striking resemblance to a railway embankment, and, as Kinahan 
remarks, is sometimes so narrow at the top that people may almost 
shake hands across the width. This is, however, rather exceptional. 
I know well the Parsonstown esker described by Jukes. It crosses 
the county road between Birr and Banagher—the road is, in fact, 
cut through ‘The Ridge’; and the latter runs across the country in 
the direction of the Shannon, the top of it serving, for a consider- 
able distance, as a bog-road or boreen. The Maryborough esker 
—also locally known as The Ridge—is said by the country people 
to extend “all across Ireland”: it can indeed be traced, more or less 
continuously, for many miles. Adjoining the town of Maryborough 
its slopes and top have until recently been used as a cemetery. 
Geikie mentions certain kames in Scotland that had long been used 
for the same purpose. 
So far we have been making approach to the interesting 
but perplexing question—How came these eskers to be what they 
are? By what particular agency, or agencies, have sand, gravel, 
clay, and shingle been ridged up, and at the same time sorted and 
stratified as we find in the typical esker ? 
All who have attempted the solution begin by confessing the 
very great difficulty of the question; and the admitted difficulty 
has given rise to a considerable amount of ‘scientific’ romancing. 
“A small mound quite close to Dunfermline is locally famous 
under the name Mont Dieu. According to an old story this drift 
mound owes its origin to some unfortunate monks, who, by way of 
penance, once carried the sand in baskets from the sea-shore at 
Inverkeithing” (J. Geikie, “Great Ice Age,” p. 212). And there is a 
similar legend as to the origin of a mound in the valley of the Kali 
Water, Roxburghshire. From the economical point of view these 
cases are very good examples of ‘unproductive’ labour. But, from 
the inquirer’s point of view, they are hardly more romantic than the 
explanation put forth, in the cause of science, by Mr A. E. Torne- 
bohm as to the origin of the Swedish asar or eskers. 
His belief is that the asar are ancient river courses, and he 
