206 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



under a pointed vault, over which (as so usual) is a large, well-lighted upper 

 room, once roofed. The windows and the south-east angle are greatly 

 wrecked. The door is to the east. A short, straight flight of steps leads to 

 a spiral stair in the south-east corner, which weakened that part, and led to 

 its collapse. A small building formed a porch, and has a garderobe on the 

 edge of the precipice to the east : the southern wing, along a ridge of crag, 

 has a large window looking down the valley to the sea. As noted, the 

 foundation of a crescent wall encloses a small space to the west of the ruin. 

 Farther back on the plateau is the parish church, called Dunuile in the 

 Papal Taxation of 1302. It, too, is greatly defaced, and smothered by ivy 

 and bushes; it had a nave and chancel, and at its north-west corner a vaulted 

 belfry and priest's house which leans over in one mass with curious effect. 



I must allude to the history of its owners, though as briefly as possible. 

 Their name, usually Le Poher or Le Puhier, has been rendered le Pouvre, 

 or " poor," and " de la Poer " from an assumed territorial division of Brittany. 

 We hear of them as in Ireland in the earliest days of the Xorrnan invasion. 

 "William le Puhier and Hugh Pincerna (Butler) lived in the honour of "William 

 de Curci, in Norfolk and Suffolk, 1171-2 : they hired a ship to take Robert 

 Puher into Ireland. 1 In 1230 William le Poer witnessed an agreement of 

 Meyler fitz Henry and Fulk de Cantilupe, as to lands in Cork (Corkagh). In 

 122S we hear of the marriage of John, son and heir of Robert le Poher. In 

 December, 1244, we find them settled at Dunoyl ; the Justiciar requested 

 Sir John Maunsell to ask the king to grant him the lands held by Sir John 

 le Poer at Dunoyle, now in the king's hands, I presume during a minority. 

 I only know of one early charter of the Poers about that date that alludes to 

 the sites of certain promontory forts. It is nearly identical in text with a 

 De Burgo charter, ante 1247, in the Gormanston Register. I could get few 

 side-lights owing to the destruction of nearly all the Irish enrolments of that 

 reign. Xone of the existing Pipe Rolls help, nor do the Calendars. The 

 Close Roll of 1318, however, mentions John, son of Piers le Poer of Dunoyl, 

 and John, son of Henri/ le Poer.- The latter may be a son, or, more probably, 

 son of a nephew and namesake of the Henry Poher of the charter. Two of 

 the witnesses, William Chaudel and fitz Garett, may be identical with persons 



1 Cal. Documents, Ir.. vol. i, from Pipe R., xviii Hen. II, No. 3 m., 3 dorso. For other 

 entries, see 1200, Chart, ii John, m. 22 ; Close R., xiii Hen. HI, m. 20 ; Close R., 

 xxviii Hen. HI, m. 17 dorso ; G. E. C. "Complete Peerage" ; Waterford and S. E. Ir. 

 Arch. Soc., toI. xi, p. 156; C. Smith's " Waterford," ed. 1774, p. 75; Pipe Roll, 

 Ireland, No. 12, xv and xvi Ed. I ; Rep. Dep. K.R. Ir., p. 38 ; also Roll I, anno ii 

 Hen. Ill ; Fiants, 100, 953, 11G3, 1046, and Chancery Inq., Jas. I, No. 59 ; Car. I, 

 No. 28. For a view of Dunhill Castle see Journal Waterford and S. E. I. A. Soc. i, 36. 



2 Cal. Chancery Rolls of Ireland. Pipe Roll an. ii Edw. I, names Henry le Poer. 



