Kinahan — Slates and Clays {Bricks, 8fc). 97 



In the neighbourhood of Bandon the slate rock is a good building 

 stone ; for, although finely cleaved, some veins being wrought into 

 roofing slate, it can be worked freely across the edges. It seems to 

 have been more used in old times than at present, as now limestone 

 is often preferred. 



In the Kinsale district the slates are of a bad description ; but 

 at a few miles' distance there are greenish slaty rocks, suitable for 

 rubble work, while sandstone or limestone are used for the dressings. 



DONEGAL. 



More or less metamorphosed rocks of the Cambrian, Arenig, 

 Ordovician, and Llandovery formations occupy the greater part of 

 this county. 1 



In the less altered parts the slates and schists are used for local 

 building purposes ; but none of them are suitable for cut- stone. 

 From some beds margining the gneiss on the southward, between 

 Lough Salt, to the eastward, and Glendoiran, to the westward, 

 good purple micalyte flags of fair sizes can be procured in the 

 strip margining the foliated Granite and Gneiss. A little S.W. 

 of Kindrum (Fanad-Within-the-Waters) are good felspathic schist 

 flags, which can be raised of large dimensions. Thin-bedded flags 

 occur to the eastward in several places in the neighbourhood of 

 Lough Swilly, a very good vein occurring at Saltpans, which has 

 been quarried a little for eave courses and quoins. As already 

 mentioned, in different places in the county trials have been 

 made for roofing slates. 



DOWN. 



Occupying a considerable part of this county is the north-east 

 portion of the large area of Ordovicians, already mentioned in 

 connexion with the counties of Armagh and Cavan. Here, as 

 there, are different varieties, which are very generally used for 

 rubble work and ordinary walling, while granite in the south 

 portion of the county, and freestone in the north part, are used for 

 cut work and dressings. 



1 Vide these Proceedings, vol. v., p. 548. 



