46 THE IRISH ARAN. 
command of the whole trade of Galway, then one of the most 
important seaports in the kingdom. 
About the thirteenth century these islands were in the possession 
of the O’Briens of Tourea in Thomond, and in subsequent years 
they were a source of continual warfare between this sept and that 
of the O’Flaherties of West Connaught, untilin the time of 
Queen Elizabeth, Sir Murrough O’Flaherty succeeded in expelling 
the O’Briens and obtaining possession of the Great Island, after 
which the Queen declared both parties to be traitors, and seized 
Aran as her own; after that time all patents for land in 
Jar-Connaught were granted to be held as tenants of the Queen’s 
Manor of Arkin. 
I nowcome to the last subject of archzological interest, on which 
I shall say a few words, viz., that of sepulture and the memorials 
of the dead. Of prehistoric burial there is little trace, all I saw 
being a few menhirs, or standing stones as they are called in 
Cornwall, in the vicinity of the Church of the Four Beautiful 
Saints, and I believe that no cromlech, kistvaen, or barrow is 
known to exist on any of the islands. Of course when the old 
churches were in daily use there were burial places in connection 
with them, but the grave had generally to be excavated in the 
solid rock, as is the case at the present day. 
Practically, there are only two places now used for burial in 
Ara Mor, one at Kilmurvey and the other at St. Eany’s grave. The 
latter is situated in the sand dunes just above the sea shore, and, 
as these sands are moved about by the action of the wind, frag- 
ments of coffin boards and whitened bones, especially vertebree and 
ribs, are constantly found littered over the adjoining sands; a similar 
condition of things is also to be seen on the southern island, but 
at a greater distance from the shore. Although the islanders see 
no irreverence in stabling their domestic animals in the deserted 
churches, and crunching the bones of their ancesters under foot, 
any attempt to carry away these bones would be bitterly resented. 
The impossibility of erecting permanent memorials to the dead 
above the graves themselves has led to the singular custom of 
erecting these structures along the road sides within the walls of 
