124 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



This drawing exhibits the places of the principal inscribed stones, 

 and the aperture, towards the west, at D, of one of the adits to the sepul- 

 chral chambers in the base of the mound. The mound itself stands about 

 twenty feet high. Its base presents a ground-plan very similar to that 

 of Cloghanmore, being an oval with a minor annexe in the line of itt major 

 axis. "Whether this is a characteristic feature or a mere coincidence 

 there are not examples numerous enough known to me for determining ; 

 but it is too noticeable to be passed by without observation. The 

 under part, if stripped, would present just such a set of chambers and 

 passages as are seen in the remains of Cloghanmore. Their walls and 

 adits can be traced all round; and one of the first questions which 

 arises on the view of them and of the inscribed pillar-stones lying on 

 the green sward on which they abut, is, whether they have any con- 

 nexion with these pillar-stones ? for, if so, the idea of their Pagan 

 origin, and, incidentally, of the supposed Pagan origin of at least 

 Cloghanmore, would become liable to be tested by the Pagan or 

 non -Pagan character of these mouuments; and certainly on most, if 

 not all, of these pillars the inscribed work appears to be Christian. 



The pillars are thus circumstanced. Two lie opposite the entrance 

 gateway, at A, on the left of the drawing. That on the right of the 

 gateway, when entering, bears the " Druides" inscription (see descrip- 

 tion by Rev. J. Shearman, "Proceedings" R. I. A., Yol. ix., p. 253). 

 That on the left bears an incised human bust, in a very antique style 

 of sculpture, which one cannot but accept as a head of our Lord. Both 

 these pillars are alleged by the people of the neighbourhood to have 

 formerly stood near where they now lie, outside the circumference of 

 the mound. Two others are visible on the right of the drawing ; the 

 more distant one, at C, stands where it appears to have always stood, 

 also outside the mound. Of its markings nothing can be predicated 

 beyond this, that they are cryptic. The fourth is seen nearer the spec- 

 tator, at B, lying prostrate. It bears an inscription, " Maqi Ddecceda," 

 &c, which is repeated in so many places of Christian association, and, 

 in two of these, in Roman characters, that there can be little, if any 

 question of its belonging to Christian times. Its original site was 

 not where it now lies. "When I first saw it, it lay on the side of the 

 mound, about half-way up, a little northward of its present position. 

 There was nothing, then, to connect it with any of the substructions ; 

 and the probability is, that it had originally stood on the mound, over 

 one of the superimposed interments, at a point higher up. So far 

 the mound cannot be said to give any indication belying the prima 

 facie Pagan character of its underworks. 



But at the remote, or south-east side of the mound, under E, there 

 exists a piece of evidence somewhat difficult to reconcile with the con- 

 clusion to which those other facts would lead us. Here, at the end 

 of one of the adits, but four or five feet above the ground level, stands 

 the stone post, to which the slabs forming the doors of the adjoining 

 passage were formerly attached. They appear to have been let into 



