Kinahan — Deal Timber in the Lake Basins of Donegal. 631 



The selected lakes and bogs enumerated are sufficient to illus- 

 trate the general position of the corkers, and the situation in 

 which they occur. From these examples it is evident that the 

 majority are still in their natural positions. The general history 

 of these different basins seems to be : as the turf was required, the 

 canal from each lake basin was deeper; but when all the turf 

 was cut the canals were neglected, and the sides caved in. This 

 stopped the drainage, forming lakes on the sites of the old cut- 

 away bogs. This in a measure may suggest how the drainage in 

 old times was stopped ; but at the same time it is not satisfactory, 

 as it may be asked : by whom, or how, were cuts made through the 

 margins of the hollows ? 



In connection with this subject the bogs margining the river 

 Shannon may be referred to. Those above the rock barrier at 

 Castleconnell (Falls of Donass) are in places lower than the sill of 

 the Falls ; but as I have in previous writings suggested, the drain- 

 age from the present basin of these bogs may have been south-west 

 into the plain of Limerick, and thus independent of the Donass 

 Falls. But in connection with the basin of Lough Derg, there are 

 oak and deal corkers in situ in the bogs adjoining, far below the 

 present level of the lake. This level I have also accounted for in 

 a Paper " On the Basin of Lough Derg," as the drainage might 

 have been southward into the Pollagh and Kilmastulla valley. 



But when we go above Portumna there are hard questions, 

 as the bogs along that section of the river and the Little Brosna 

 are of great depth; and wherever they have been bottomed, oak 

 corkers in situ have been found. How the land on which these 

 grew could have had a surface drainage, eastward of the sill of lime- 

 stone near Portland, it is hard to conjecture. 



From the examples given it is quite evident that the majority 

 of the corkers are now in their original position, and that the 

 question of most importance is : How were these depressions 

 drained to allow trees of deal and oak to grow there in former 

 times ? 



Years ago I suggested that in places the flooding of hollows 

 might be due to " beaver dams," but at the same time I pointed 

 out that in the Irish glossaries there was no name for a beaver, the 

 word in O'Eeilly's Dictionary being taken from the Gallic. Since 

 then, from a personal knowledge of beaver workings, I cannot say 



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