STROKESTOWN. 305 



At Clonells, near Caftle rea, lives O'Connor, 

 the diredt descendant of Roderick O'Connor, 

 who was king of Connaught 6 or 700 years 

 aa;o ; there is a monument of him in Rofcom- 

 mon church, with his fcepter, &c. I was told 

 as a certainty, that this family were here long 

 before the coming of the Milefians. The pof- 

 feihons formerly lb great are reduced to 3 or 

 400I. a year, the family having fared in the 

 revolution of fo many ages, much worfe than 

 the O'Niel's and O'Brien's. The common peo- 

 ple pay him the greateft refpecl, and fend him 

 prefents of cattle, &c. upon various occafions. 

 They confider him as the prince of a people 

 involved in one common ruin. 



Another great family in Connaught is Mac- 

 dermot, who calls himfelf prince of Coolavin; 

 he lives at Coolavin in Sligo, and though he 

 has not above iool. a year, will not admit his 

 children to fit down in his prefence. This was 

 certainly the cafe with his father, and fome af- 

 fured me even with the prefent chief. Lord 

 Kingfbo rough, Mr. Ponfonby, Mr. O'Hara, 

 Mr. Sandford, &c. came to fee him, and his 

 addrefs was curious: " 'Hara! you are wel- 

 come -, Sandford, lam glad to fee your mother's 

 Jon : (his mother was an O'Brien) as to the reft 

 of ye, come in as you can" Mr. O'Hara of 

 Nymphsfield, is in polTelfion of a contiderable 

 eftate in Sligo, which is the remains of great 

 polTeflions they had in that country : he is one 

 of the few defcendants of the Milefian race. 



Vol. I. X Since 



