■590 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 



stone has "been very generally used in Swinford, Claremorris, and 

 the neighbourhood, and of it was built the round tower of Meelick, 

 south of Swinford (not the Meelick previously mentioned, near 

 Killala), of which the stones are now in good preservation. 



Stones that have been used for flagging are recorded as fol- 

 lows : — Thin-bedded sandstones at Carnckryne, Ballycastle, Meelick, 

 and Cams ; used in Ballina. Glenisland, soft when quarried, but 

 afterwards hardening ; used in Castlebar ; Gormancladdy, Killedan, 

 Bulla, and Carroiccastle ; used in Swinford ; and Curveigh, for use 

 in Westport. There is a very thin, smooth flag, called " Dunmore 

 slate," raised principally in the Lower Carboniferous Sandstone of 

 Slieve-Dart, near Dunmore, partly in counties of Mayo and Gralway. 

 These, in old times, were extensively used in place of slate, as will 

 be seen on the old houses in Castlebar, Crossmolina, Ballinrobe, 

 and other places. This "slate" has been previously mentioned in 

 the county Gal way. Besides Slieve-Dart, it also occurs in some of 

 the other localities for Lower Carboniferous Sandstone, as between 

 Foxford and Swinford, but was not as extensively worked as in 

 Slieve-Dart. 



Sand and (travel. — Good*, pit sand for building purposes can 

 generally be easily obtained in the low country ; the Eskers in the 

 " Plains of Mayo " affording not only that, but good sand for 

 manure, and gravel for road metal. The river sands are also good ; 

 they occur in various places along the rivers and streams. There is 

 also sea sand in different places ; near Ballina there is a consider- 

 able supply. 



On the west coast of the barony of Murrisk there are 2Eolian 

 sands, some parts of which are in cultivation and yield good crops, 

 •especially potatoes. There are also extensive tracts near Blacksod 

 Bay, and smaller ones near Broadhaven ; these seem to have been 

 ■extensively cultivated formerly for potatoes and barley, but not 

 so much of late years. 



A good glass sand occurs near Belmullet, which has been used 

 a little for glass manufacture. 



