580 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 



LIMERICK. 



To the east of the county, coming in from Tipperary, are 

 Ordovicians, overlaid by Lower Carboniferous Sandstone. Also to 

 the south of the county, in Slieve-na-Muck and the Graltees, there 

 are Ordovician exposures, with Lower Carboniferous Sandstone mar- 

 gining. In the plain of Limerick are a few outlying exposures 

 of the latter rocks ; while in places in the limestone, as adjuncts 

 of the subordinate inlying traps, are tuffose sandstones. 



To the west of the county are Coal-measures, a part of the 

 Munster Coal-field, while small outliers of similar rocks are 

 found at Ballybrood and Slieve-na-Muck. 



Ordovician. — The grits in this group, as elsewhere, are of 

 little value for cut-stone purposes, although useful locally. 



Carboniferous. — These range from a conglomerate to fine 

 sandstone and grit. Although not now much in demand, in places 

 there are superior stones in the Lower Carboniferous Sandstone. 



Loon. — In this neighbourhood there is specially fine freestone, 

 which at one time was largely shipped to England and other 

 places. The stone is tough, equal to heavy bearings, and can be 

 raised in long scantlings — on which account very suitable for stair- 

 cases. It was used for the staircases in Clarina and Adare manors. 

 Gtlenstal Castle was built of a good whitish stone procured in 

 the neighbourhood of Morroe. 



St. Oswald's, near Ballingarry, was built with stone procured 

 from Knochfierna. Some of the stones in the quarry were easily 

 worked, while other beds were as hard as flint. The house has 

 been built over thirty years, and Captain Wilkinson states the 

 stones seem to have hardened. Stone from near this quarry was 

 used in the Ballingarry Court-house and Church, but not for cut- 

 stone purposes. Mr. Horan, County Surveyor, is of opinion that 

 good stone might be got in this hill if a quarry was opened suf- 

 ficiently. At present the stone is principally used for rubble work. 

 Near Kilmeady there are quarries in silicious grits. In the Slieve- 

 na-Muck range, near Galbally, fair stones might be procured. 



At places in the limestone associated with the intruded and 

 bedded igneous rocks are tuffs, that range from massive agglo- 

 merates through conglomerates into fine sandstones, often calca- 



