Kinahan — Slates and Clay* (Bricks, 8fc.), 95 



bourhood of Clonegall and Kildavin, where they are more or less 

 metamorphosed ; the slates and schists are locally used for common 

 walling purposes. In the south-west of the county, in the Coal- 

 measures, there are shales, but they are usually too friable or soft 

 to be much used, except for road-mending. 



CAVAN. 



The south-western end of the tract of Ordovicians, mentioned 

 under Armagh, occupies a considerable portion of this county ; and 

 in the towns situated thereon, as Cootehill, Ballyhaise, Bailie- 

 borough, Virginia, Ballyjamesduff, and others, slate is principally 

 used for ordinary walling, sandstones usually being used for quoins 

 and dressings ; some few of the slate rocks, however, from deep 

 quarries, can be turned out as quoins. The slates vary very much 

 from gritty to fine and soft ; some of the best class occur near 

 Cootehill. In the north-west of the county there are Coal-measure 

 shales ; these are usually soft, and not much used, the associated 

 grits and flags being preferred. 



CLARE. 



In the east of the county are more or less small isolated expo- 

 sures of Ordovicians. In these and in the marginal tracts of Lower 

 Carboniferous, and in the Coal-measures, in the west of the county, 

 are slates and shales, which are locally used for building purposes, 

 such as bridges, farm-houses, and fences. In the Coal-measures, 

 between Kilkee and Miltown Malbay, the slate is better than 

 ordinary, and splits easily, so much so that it has been used in 

 places for roofing slate (ante, p. 79). 



CORK. 



For building purposes, both in old and modern times, slate- 

 rocks have been more used in the Co. Cork than perhaps any other 

 county in Ireland — as in Bantry, Skibbereen, Dunmanway, 

 Bandon, and Kinsale. 



At Bantry is the Seskin quarry, where most of the stones used 

 in building the town were procured. Usually it is a greyish gritty 

 stone ; but there are subordinate beds of purer slate which are 



