394 The Pre-historic Antiquities [July, 



they liave probably belonged to a race of men antecedent to that 

 from whence the Celtic population of Ireland has had its origin. 



In a field a short distance to the north of the circles of Bally- 

 cullen, many stone cists containing human bones have been found. 

 In this field there are at present no remains of chcles. It is, how- 

 ever, probable that these did formerly here exist, and that their 

 stones have been taken away for building cottages, several of which 

 are near this spot. 



Besides circles of stone, and of stone and earth, the neighbour- 

 hood of Lough Gur also contains the remains of Cromlechs. One 

 of these is seen on the south side of the lake, at the distance of 

 about a third of a mile E.N.E. of Holycross, which is on the 

 Limerick high-road ; and two others occur at the distance of about 

 three-quarters of a mile south of this spot. These Cromlechs are 

 locally known as " Giants' Graves." 



On the south-east side of Lough Gur, a short distance from 

 the ruin known as Black Castle, there is a stone cist of considerable 

 size made up of large slabs of flaggy limestone. This, which is also 

 known as a giant's grave, is 16 feet 8 inch, in length, 5 feet 5 inch, 

 wide, and 2 feet 2 inch. high. Its covering still to a considerable 

 extent remains, and consists of large heavy limestone flags. The 

 object for which this was designed was most probably like that of 

 the cromlechs, namely, for a place of sepulture.* 



There is also on the western side of Lough Gur, near Grange, 

 a very fine monolith. It consists of a mass of conglomerate, and is 

 about 12 feet high by 7 feet broad, and from 3 to 4 feet in width. 

 Its north-west side is flat, but its other sides are irregular in shape. 

 It leans somewhat towards the S.E., and on this side, close to its 

 base, the limestone is seen m situ. There are no carvings nor 

 marks of any kind visible on this monolith. 



The numerous stone erections already referred to do not exhaust 

 the pre-historic remains of the neighbourhood of Lough Gur. On 

 the summit of Knockfennell, a hill which rises above the northern 

 shores of the lake, there are traces of a building made of large flat 

 blocks of stone which had a circular outline, the diameter of which 

 is about 42 paces. Traces of similar erections, which are even more 

 distinct than that of Knockfennell, can also be seen on the summit 

 of another hill, wliich is on the eastern side of a bog between this 

 hill and Knockadoon. Here two circular stone erections can be 

 detected, the most perfect of which is 142 feet in diameter. 



* Loral tradition has given to this cist, and to many othrrs of the same kind, 

 the Irish name of Leabthacha Dhiornuida /.s Ghnu'imc, or of the beils of Diarmaid 

 and (irainno. The story of these individuals belongs to the mythical period of 

 Irish history. Tlie former is represented as the c<nni)anion of Finn ISIacCumhaill, 

 and the latter, a daiigliter of the monarch Corniac Mac Ait, who, in order to 

 escape being made the wife of Finn in his old age, eloped with Diarmaid, his 

 young and handsome follower. 



