Kinahan — On Irish Arenaceous Rocks. 603 



In Roscrea, both, in ancient and modern times, the local sand- 

 stone has been extensively used. A better quality has been brought 

 from Ballinsally, Queen's County ; but the old structures, as men- 

 tioned by Wilkinson, seem to be built of the local stone. In Cro- 

 nan's Church and the Round Tower, the original working, as far 

 as now preserved, seems to have been good ; but the stones were 

 not well selected, some now being very much disintegrated. The 

 stones in the old castle are fine and thin-bedded, and although not 

 so much weathered, they seem to have been weak, as some are 

 cracked at their edges. 



In other localities where the Lower Carboniferous Sandstone 

 occurs margining the Ordovicians, good stone can in places be 

 procured, and has been used locally. The conglomerates and 

 coarse sandstones have been in request for bridges and walls, for 

 which they are. admirably suited, while in places they were for- 

 merly wrought into millstones. Thin-bedded stones, used as flag- 

 ging in Cashel, are raised near Dundrum, and similar stones for 

 flagging in Tipperary have been procured at Shrough, seven miles 

 distant ; they have also been used extensively in the military bar- 

 racks there, and at Fermoy, Co. Cork. — (James Neicsteacl.) 



[As very superior stones are known to exist near Dundrum, and at Drunibane, 

 southward of Thurles, similar veins ought also to occur elsewhere in the- county margin- 

 ing the tracts of Ordovicians. But they have not been looked for, the stones of this 

 county, as already mentioned, not being in the market, and, except locally, are not of 

 note ; but if inquired after they would probably be more in request than some now 

 sought after.] 



Coal-measures. — In different places there are good stones for 

 walling and rubble; but as they in general hammer badly, the 

 quoins, sills, and other stones for dressed work are procured from 

 the Devonian or Yellow Sandstone quarries. 



In places in the Killenaule district, below the lowest coal, good 

 flags can be raised. 



Sand and (travel. — Near Eoscrea, Thurles, and Tipperary, 

 are Eskers, from which can be procured an unlimited supply of 

 pit sand and gravel. Grood sand can also be got near Clonmel and 

 Nenagh, and an inferior kind near Cashel. River sand occurs in 

 places in the Suir and the other rivers and streams. 



The Esker sands, and also a marly gravel was formerly exten- 

 sively used as manure. The latter was called Corn gravel, as it 



