254 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



The Breen da Choga is situated in the townland of Bryanmore, 

 parish uf Drumraney, and barony of Kilkenny West, Co. Westmeath ; 

 about 6 miles N. E. of Athlone. It originally gave its name to an 

 Irish Bally Hiatach, being the mensal land attached to the Breen, but 

 since the division into townlands, it is divided into the townlands of 

 Breenmore or Bryanmore, upper and lower, Breenbe^ or Bryanbeg, 

 upper and lower. There are three circular Baths, marked as being in 

 these townlands on the 0. S. map of the Co. Westmeath, but the two 

 principal ones are in the townland of Bryanmore upper. They are 

 circular earthworks, situated one above the other, on two remarkable 

 spurs of the hill, grandiloquently called Slieve Ma/an in the narrative. 



This hill, is the commencement of the chain of Eskers, or Gravel 

 hills, which rise up close to the large bog behind Waterstown House, 

 in two conspicuous spurs, one above the other, each crowned with its 

 Bath, and which runs on continuously through the demesne of Moy- 

 drum, to the ford across the Shannon, at the poorhouse of Athlone 

 (the very ford that De Ginkell is said to have made use of), and which 

 Esker ridge, in the days when the Shannon's immediate banks were 

 lined with swamps, bogs, and tangled woods, must have made one of 

 the principal passes between the North of Ireland and Connaught. 



In the summer of 1871, 1 visited this locality with W. M. Hennessy, 

 Esq., and we found it correspond in all respects with the narrative. 



The uppermost earthwork is 204 paces in circumference, and 

 contains within its ambit the ruins of a Castle, the erection of which 

 tradition ascribes to the noble family of Dillon ; this Castle is now a 

 shapeless mass of ruins, but there are those still living who remember 

 its walls made use of as a ball-alley. The earthwork on the lower 

 spur contained the Breen, the ruins of St. Laisrean's Cell, and the 

 Holy Well whereat still is the huge rock with which such stalwart 

 deeds were performed during the attack on the Breen. 



In Sir William Betty's Printed Map of West Meath, Brinemore is 

 shown as a Castle, and is placed midway between Athlone and Bally- 

 more Lough Sewdy ; the precise position of this rath: nor is there 

 anv cause of doubt that the Dillons (Lords of Cuircne's) Castle, was 

 within the ambit of the Breen. This rath is now called Sterne's Folly, 

 from its having been planted with trees by a clergyman of the name 

 of Sterne. There was originally a circle of large stones surrounding 

 the earthwork; but there are very few of them now remaining. 



This Breen is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters, 

 A.D. 919 : — " Domnal, son of Domnal, son of Flan, son of Melaghlin, 

 heir apparent to the sovereignty of Erin, was slain by his brother 

 Donchadh, at Breendachoga." And again, A. D. 1415 : — " The Lord 

 Furnival plundered Dillon's castle, called Bruighean da Choga." 



M'Fiibis, treating of the Tribe of Cuircne (p. 412), states that 

 Core stepson of Daol, daughter of Fiachra, King of Muskerry, 

 and wife of Oilell Flanbeg, King of Munster, being banished by his 

 father repaired to Feredach, King of Alba, who gave him his 

 daughter in marriage. She had three sons by him, viz., 1, Maine a quo 



