110 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



The castle is called Dunalong {dun na luimje, the ship's fort), " the Garrison " 

 and " the Platform." It is a picturesque building with its rich ivy up the 

 walls and rocks, and the lovely view of the Haven and of Baltimore. 1 The 

 headland seems revetted all round, the side walls rarely rising 3 feet above 

 the platform, save to the north, where they have been retained to shelter 

 some late houses and sheds. The main rampart, to the west, across the head, 

 is far stronger and loftier, being 5 feet 6 inches thick and about 20 feet- 

 high ; it runs beyond the enclosure out on the rock-ledge to the south, and at 

 this point had a very small " sentry-box " of a turret, entered along the 

 rampart and now smothered in ivy. Xear it is a loop-hole, with a deep 

 splay and lintelled head, just inside the courtyard. The castle gateway lies 

 farther to the north and is 7 feet wide with square injured jambs and a 

 rounded arch poorly built. The whole splays inward— an unusual feature in 

 large Irish gateways. It appears to be flanked by a projecting turret to the 

 north, but no loop-holes are visible. 



The keep or peel-tower stands in the centre of the court and is greatly 

 defaced and modernized. It was full of pigs and cattle on my visit, so I 

 can only note that the upper stories are removed and only two stories of 

 the vaulted basement remain; it measures 29 feet 3 inches east and west, 

 and 27 feet 3 inches north and south. It had no dressed stone or 

 architectural features, and every ope is now defaced. 



Briefly to close its history, it was rebuilt, and remained a chief residence 

 of the chiefs. Sir Finghin O'Driscoll, a weak old man, with a rebel son, let 

 the Spaniards occupy his castles in 1601, but they were surrendered to the 

 English, February 23rd, 1602. The latter pitied and spared the old man ; and 

 his family succeeded to the various islands. Some of their lands were, however, 

 obtained fraudulently in 160S by one Coppinger, 2 who sold his "rights" to 

 Henry Becher.' Donough O'Driscoll died at Downelong, 163S. 1 The 

 castle surrendered to the Cromwellian, Captain Barrett, in 1645. It we.s 

 restored to Henry Becher by 1655, 5 and his descendants lived there far 

 down the following century. It was a barrack about 1710. Lionel Becher, 

 of Sherkin, used the monastery and a curing-house near it in the pilchard 

 fi.-hery worked by him, his son-in-law, Bandall Westropp, of Cork, and 



1 View, Plate, IX ; Plan, Plate XI. 

 - Smith's " Cork," vol. i ; pp. 276-278. 



n The Inquisitions in the Public Record Office, Dublin ; some are published in 

 " Corca Laidhe." Pacata Hibernia, Book m, cap. ii (ed. 1819, pp. 517-520). 



4 Book of Distribution and Survey, Cork, p. 2.37. 



5 Queen Elizabeth granted lands in Kinalmeaky to Phane Becher by Patent, 

 30th September, 1588. They passed to his son Henry. See also Inquis., Exchequer 

 Xo. 17, James I, 1611. Henry succeeded his brother Edward in 1G1G. 



