16 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



nell's forces might, consequently, ford the river here, and were more 

 likely to do it here than at Strabane. If O'Neill were content to wait 

 for them at the Strabane ford, they might have outflanked him and 

 been into the heart of Tyrone, before he was aware of it. It is also 

 expressly stated, that " O'Neill placed sentinels to guard every pass by 

 which he thought the Kinel Connell might come to attack him, while 

 he himself, with [the main body of] his army, remained on the watch 

 at the rere, in his camp." Now, in the parish of Leckpatrick, on the 

 rise of the Foyle valley side, and not far from Grlenmornan, there is a 

 great stone lios, called the White Fort. Around it, at some short 

 distance, are three or four earthen forts, or duns. Standing within 

 this spacious White Port, I was greatly struck with the magnificent 

 view it gave of the Foyle river, throughout its whole course, from 

 above Strabane almost to Derry. Not a corrach could have crossed in 

 the daytime without its being perceived by the sentinel outpost in 

 this fort. 



On crossing the River Foyle, at the Corkan Islands, O'Donell's 

 forces, the Kinel Connell, going east should pass this fort, or its out- 

 lying duns, more or less nearly, to go next south into the heart of Ty- 

 rone, or north to Dungiven, in O'Cahan's Country. Grlenmornan lay in 

 their way, as, avoiding it, they should at all events pass between 

 Moorlough and Lough Ash. Now, in this locality, one may see, on 

 the Ordnance Map, no fewer than eight forts marked out as lying north, 

 between Moorlough and Lough Ash — a distance, I think, of not more 

 than one mile. South of Moorlough, such precautions were rendered 

 unnecessary by the mountain line. The entrance to the heart of Tyrone 

 lay that way, through the Gap of Douglas, which could be readily de- 

 fended. I found, from the recollection of old people, that through 

 Grlenmornan and Douglas gap had been the main road of communica- 

 tion with the inner country, before modern improvements had diverted 

 the traffic. When from Lifford, in 1600, Mall Garv O'Donnell, with 

 his brothers and his English, made a hosting into Oireacht-Ui-Cathain, 

 O'Kane's Country, about Dungiven, in quest of prey and booty, they 

 did not halt until they arrived at the Dianait, i. e. the Burndennet, 

 already mentioned. There they were met by a great number of 

 O'Neill's people, who gave battle. This skirmish, also, it is evident, 

 must have happened at no great distance from the former one, but in 

 the territory lying to the north of Moorlough, bounded by Lough Ash 

 and Burndennet. 



Here, then, was one of the main passes into Tir-Eogan. The 

 occurrence of the Breach of Loch Monann, in Glenmornan, would give 

 a reason for the names of some of its townlands. Thus, one is called 

 Lag-na-galloglach, the "hollow of the gallowglasses ;" and here, if the 

 heavy armed soldiers encamped, they would command the bifurcating 

 roads that led east. Further up the glen, nearer to Moorlough, on the 

 Knockavoe side (but three miles from the top of that hill), is the town- 

 land of Knockinarvoer. This signifies, if I render it aright, the " hill 

 of the great slaughter;" and the Annals state that "of the greatest 



