Kinahan. — On the Clays of Ireland. 145 



not been utilized. The water power of the Ovoca and of the 

 smaller rivers might easily be applied to the crushing and grinding 

 down of these stones into kaolin. 



Fuller's Earth is probably a product of the decomposition of 

 basic igneous rocks ; it may occur as a dyke, as in places in North- 

 West Gralway, or as beds, or accumulations associated with the 

 drifts. Formerly Fuller's earth was very extensively used for 

 thickening cloth ; but this is now done by other means, and the 

 clay trade has consequently died out, it being used only by some 

 of the country folk. 



Pipe-clay is more usually found among the drift deposits, but 

 in the Cos. Tyrone and Tipperary beds of it occur in older 

 geological formations. The pipe-clays of these counties were more 

 used formerly than they are at present. The Tipperary clay was 

 at one time exported to England to be manufactured into " cups 

 and saucers, and all the finer kinds of wares." — (g. s. m.). There 

 seems to have been, in former times, a considerable trade in 

 tobacco-pipe making in Dublin, Cork, Athlone, Brosna, near 

 Eoscrea; Cahir, in Co. Tipperary, and other places; but now this 

 trade has greatly decreased, except in Dublin, and perhaps Cork. 



Potter's Clay and Brick-clay. — These are more or less similar; 

 the finer varieties being called Potter's clay, or even Pipe-clay. 

 They occur more or less scattered over the country in patches and 

 beds associated with the surface accumulations, but vary very 

 much both in quality and quantity. They also occur as subordi- 

 nate beds in some of the series of rocks, such as the Fire-clays in 

 the coal-measures ; the marls in the Trias ; and the Alumite, Litho- 

 niarge, and Bole in the Tertiary Dolerites. These older clays, 

 except the Alumite, have been very little utilized ; but lately at 

 Kingscourt, on the confines of Cavan and Louth, an excellent brick 

 has been made from the Trias clays ; and as this class of clays 

 is also found in other places in Ulster, a similar trade might be 

 started in other localities. Some of the shales in the Lower coal- 

 measure are easily reduced into clay, excellent for brick-making, 

 yet we only know of one place, viz. Cashel, Co. Tipperary (p. 164), 

 where this has been done. There are also the " spoil banks," or 

 waste heaps, at the different slate quarries; the material in general, 

 if ground down, being eminently suited for brick-making. The 

 removal of such heaps would not only be a source of profit, but 



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