6 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academif. 



be assigned to any one race or period. Nearly all these types spread across 

 Europe from Perm, Esthonia, and Austria, to Aran ; and they even occur in 

 Xorth America, in the great river valleys of the United States. The ring- 

 fort was, there is every reason to believe, an instinctive idea' of our race in 

 Europe, from perhaps moie than twelve centuries before our era to more 

 than twelve after its dawn. We also find circular defences among the tribes 

 of Africa and New Zealand ; and the older races of the first continent and of 

 North America made the ring of stone, earth, or palisading. Thus children 

 on the seashore, without study, dig the triple-ringed rath and the high mote, 

 with its baUey ; and the herdsman and labourer build dry stone rings for 

 cattle-pens, or dig a fosse and ring-mound to fence a plantation. We see no 

 means, short of excavation, to distinguish the periods and uses of our early 

 entrenchments, while the stonework, anterior to the twelfth century, depends 

 on the character of the stone,' not on the fancy of the builder. In face of all 

 these considerations, how the Firbolg, the Danish, or any other exclusive 

 theory should be adopted seems amazing, though all may have elements of 

 truth in them — often much truth, short of the exclusive assertion. 



The existence of so mighty a fortress as Dun Aengusa or Dun Conor in 

 these little islands has puzzled many. "Wlience came " the troops of slaves 

 who raised them " ? has been asked. Now the probable explanation, in face of 

 the evidences of modification and addition in these and other stone forts, 

 is that their construction spread over long periods of time, perhaps at 

 intervals, rebuilding taking place as required. As for organization and 

 collection of materials for the ring- walls elsewhere— take the legend 

 of the building of the Grianan of Aileach, w^e find the stones were drawn 

 by horses; or thoee of the origin of the name " Firbolg," where masses of 

 earth are carried iu leather sacks ; while the legend of Caherconree tells of 

 the collection of pillar-stones (standing or prostrate) for its construction ' 

 We need not believe in the Dagda ' greyer than the giey mist," or the popular 

 etymology, or legends, to see that even the wildest romancer set his story in 



Ibr %nM rartbco rath of B*lljmlUl«n, unid Uw cngs of Bunen, and the lis* of Doontorpa nejtr it, 

 •kov that earthworks in craggy rrg>oiu wen not unknown. The difficulty of railing the finl two 

 forts must hare been Tery great. 



■ This hat iiupreMed several antiquaries of late, and is elaborated by Dr. Guebfaar>l in bis 

 address. " Camps et Enceintes " at tiie " Caapit Prebistonque," 1907. p. 1004. This most 

 helpful comparatire study of ring-torts and motes all OTer Europe gives the following illustrations 

 ol Dun Aenghas : — From the difi to the east (6g. 3) ; {crt from the north (fig. 49; ; and steps 

 and ope (fig. 57). 



* Windek Mieved that be saw bsmmer-work at Don Aenguss. I failed to find any : but evidence 

 for Lammer-work in the Clare forts of Bsllykinvar^a aiul Bougban on tlie edge of Burren and 

 Langougb in eastern CIsre is well established. 



^ Dind S(n<-)ia* tran*ialed in Ordnanre Survey Memoirs, vol. i., p. 223 : and R«-vue Celtique, 

 vol. x\i., p. 41, ;448. 



