202 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



by the words " natural tunnell " in Ballynaharda, near the eastern mearing 

 with Hacketstown. in the Barony of Deeies within Drnm, about a mile and a 

 half west from the Mine Head Lighthouse. A zigzag road for bringing up sea- 

 weed for manure runs down its flank to the west side. Close to this is a low, 

 weatherworn mound, thicker than the neighbouring fences. and perhaps ancient. 

 Farther down the slope is a remarkable example of the rock-cut fosse. The 

 makers took advantage (as so often) of a natural hollow, which they scarped, 

 forming a trench 25 feet wide, and leaving a causeway 5 feet to 6 feet wide 

 and high in the middle. The mound rises 7 feet above the gangway, and 

 from 13 feet to over 15 feet above the fosse it is 24 feet thick. These dimen- 

 sions very frequently recur in the promontory forts, as the diameter 102 feet 

 does in the ring-garth. There are no hut sites inside, and it was probably a 

 mere refuge, perhaps used, if not made, when the Danes were at Dungarvan. 



Xot far eastward from it a natural hollow and rocky platform resemble a 

 fort, but were not walled. 



Balldcamoxa, Cabrigphilep 0. S. 39). From the platform of Mine Head 

 Lighthouse we gain a magnificent general view of the field of our studies. 

 "Westward lie Binanillaun and the dark red cliffs on to Barn's Head at 

 Ardmore : the houses and tall, slender round tower of the latter are visible : 

 beyond these lie Capel Island and Knockadoon Head, the limit of the earlier 

 part of this paper. Eastward, barely visible, is Hook Tower, with Tramore, and 

 endless cliffs from it to Ballinvoyle and Helvick Head. Between the last and 

 our lofty post we see a strongly fortified spur in Ballinamona. It, too, was 

 found by Mr. Ussher, from whom I got my notes, as published in 1906, 1 in 

 the Journal of the Eoyal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. The preface to 

 that volume calls my fort-plans sketch-plans : this is not the case ; they were 

 properly surveyed — Island Hubbock by myself and Mr. Ussher, the rest by 

 working details of actual measurements on to the large plans made by the 

 Ordnance Survey, tracings of which were most kindly lent me by Captain 

 Hawkesley, r.e. I will hereafter notice a statement that this fort is in 

 Ardoginna, not Ballinamona. This arises from confusion with the inland 

 Ballinamona near Ardmore, the critic not having noticed that this latter 

 place was not on the map-sheet given in my paper. 2 



The fort was a fine, well-preserved example before an " improving farmer " 

 made a cartway into it, and removed some of the mound (I am told) for top- 

 dressing. Fortunately, its bad, stony soil and the difficult approach soon 

 stopped the vandalism, now so common and so unreproved. Two " shelves " of 



1 Journal R. Soc. Antt. Ir., vol. xxxvi. p. 219. 



- Waterford and S. E. of Ireland Archaeological Society, vol. x, p. 150. 



