116 Proceedings of the Roi/al Irish Academy. 



Travers in 1623. ' It passed to Sir George Hamilton, to whom Downerly was 

 confirmed under the Act of Settlement in 1670. - Some part of the lands was 

 left by Capt. John Sweet of Mohannagh, by his will in 1675 ; but Sir Eobert 

 Travers held it in 1655 3 ; and it continued till very recent times in the hands 

 of the Travers family of Timoleague. 4 Sir Eobert Cox, 1690-1710, describes 

 it thus : " Dunworley is fortified with a pittyfull castle inside on the neck of 

 peninsula," to secure the cattle preys. Dr. Smith, 1750, tells us how there " is 

 a peninsula of about 5 acres to which is a very narrow passage, and on this 

 peninsula are the ruins of an old castle defended by square bastions to 

 prevent people from landing. This was a place where the Irish formerly 

 secured their cattle by night." 5 I do not understand his allusion to square 

 bastions unless he (or his informants) multiplied the gatehouse. The day of 

 my visit the headland was covered with cattle ; and it was interesting to see 

 them, when called out to water, going in single file, without delay or hustling, 

 through the little doorways, the outer 3 feet 1 inch wide, by 5 feet high ; the 

 inner 2 feet 10 inches wide, and 5 feet 9 inches high. This shows how easily 

 cattle might be brought through the small doors (but usually wider and 

 higher than this gateway) in the dry-stone ring-forts. 



The fort is a congener of the forts of the fifth type ; two deep narrow coves 

 (collapsed caves) named Cooshadurrus, nearly met in the middle. This neck 

 was defended by a straight fosse, 40 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 6 feet deep 

 at the ends, but filled opposite to the tower, like Dunpower and Dunalong ; a 

 small piece of the inner mound, about 9 feet long, rises about 8 feet over the 

 fosse at the west end, beside the wall and the gatehouse. The turret is 

 19 feet 2 inches long, and is coarsely but strongly built. The small lintelled 

 doors already noted adjoin the east wall inside. The room is irregular, from 

 9 feet to 8 feet 6 inches wide inside, by 12 feet 4 inches to 13 feet 6 inches 

 long. It has a slit window, with a wide splay, in the south wall at the west 

 end. The next floor rested on two long beams supported by two corbels 

 each, and built into the east and west walls. Strange to say, another floor 



1 Inquis. Chancery, Xo. 11 Car. I, June 11, anno i. 



2 Roll, xxii Car. II, Part 1, f. No. 12. 



3 Book of Distribution, p. 67. 



' The following wills of the family are in the Cork Registry : Robert of Lislee, 1699 ; 

 Robert, 1726 ; Robert Musgrave Travel's, 1758 ; Francis, 1783 ; Walter, 1794 ; and 

 Robert, 1795. 



6 "Regnum Corcagiense " (Cork Hist, and Arch. Journal, vol. viii, p. 173), Smith's 

 " Cork," vol. i, p. 255. The belief is widespread, and doubtless based on a genuine tradi- 

 tion. Notable versions occur at Downpatrick Head, and Dunnamo in Co. Mayo. The 

 impounding of cattle in forts at night is alluded to (" Senchas Mor," Rolls Series ed. 

 vol. ii, p. 61) in early Irish literature. 



