Ferguson — On Ancient Cemeteries in Ireland. 115 



be sought for elsewhere, and fixes on the sepulchral tumuli on the 

 Loughcrew hills, which have a marked correspondency, in general 

 character, with the New Grange group, as the true Taltin of the tracts. 

 These Loughcrew, or Slieve-na-Calliagh, tumuli have been brought to 

 public notice about seven years ago by the exertions of Mr. Conwell, 

 M. R. I. A., who has explored them and given descriptions of them in 

 our "Proceedings." Mr. Conwell accepts Mr. Fergusson's views as to 

 their identification ; and goes so far as to designate one of them the 

 tomb of Ollam Fodhla (see "Proceedings," Vol. I., Ser. II., Part 6, 

 Pol. Lit. and Antiq., p. 72). 



The substantial argument relied on for Mr. Fergusson's conclusion 

 has been, as already indicated, the remarkable likeness between these 

 monuments and the New Grange group, which latter are assumed to have 

 been certainly identified as Erugh, and serve as the known term in the 

 problem. It is obvious that this kind of argument may, with equal force, 

 be applied from the other end of the equation, and the pretensions 

 of the Slieve-na-Calliagh tombs to represent the Taltin of the ancients be 

 tested by a comparison with what is found at Rathcroghan as well as 

 with what is found at New Grange. In such a process, if we adopt 

 Teltown for the middle term, the conclusion would strongly militate 

 against the assumption that Knowth, Dowth, and New Grange, consti- 

 tute the real Brugh of the ancients. In order to place the means of such 

 comparison fully before the mind of the inquirer, many matters must 

 be taken into account, and, inter alia, considerable care will be necessary 

 in seeing how far Relig-na-ree corresponds with other places of probable 

 Pagan burial- usage, and how far it is to be regarded as the sole 

 burial-ground in use at Rathcroghan. 



Eathcroghan itself, the great mound or earthen fort which gives 

 name to the place, is situnte in the wide tract of grazing lands lying 

 around Tulsk, in the county of Roscommon, from which village it is dis- 

 tant about two miles to the north-west. The cemetery lies to the 

 south of the Rath, on a lower level about a half mile nearer Tulsk; 

 but included among the ancient mounds and vestiges of earthen con- 

 structions which extend in all directions from the central fortress. It 

 is called the " Relig" in the ancient poems and tracts, and had been 

 traditionally known by its present name of Relig-na-ree, or Cemetery 

 of the Kings, as far back, at least, as the days of Keating and 

 Mac Firbis. The above ground-plan was carefully drawn on the 

 spot in the Autumn of 1864, on the occasion of my obtaining the Medff 

 ogham from the adjoining Cave ("Proceedings" R.I.A., vol. ix., p. 160). 

 It is a complete circle, abutting on a fiat-topped adjoining mound, 

 which may or may not have formed part of the original ground- plan. 

 The circle is fenced in by a dry-stone wall of ancient masonry, having 

 two openings, the principal of which appears to have been on the east, 

 flanked by the mound above mentioned, which in 1864 bore the desig- 

 nation cnocan-na-g-cJwrp. This is the name by which the mound, re- 

 garded as the grave of Dathi, also appears to have been known, when 



R. I. A. PROC. — VOL. I., SF.U, II., POL. LIT. AND ANTIQ. S 





