306 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



number of prisoners, whom he ordered to be put to death. They begged 

 of him a respite, which he contemptuously granted until his horse was 

 done feeding ; but during that operation, having incautiously placed 

 his hand on the animal's hind quarter, it gave him him a fearful kick, 

 which killed him on the spot, and he was here interred. It is probable 

 that there is some glimmering of original truth in the above tradition. 

 There can, however, be scarcely a doubt that this was a private burial 

 place or tomb. Its small size, the pillar-stone at each angle, and the 

 inscription upon one, only, would lead us to infer this. 



I have in several of my papers on this subject shown, that the 

 burial places of our pagan ancestors were robbed by the Eath builders 

 for the purpose of assisting in the construction of the chambers 

 found beneath their monuments, and that in almost eveiy instance, 

 where Ogam-inscribed stones have been so found, a Keel, or the site of 

 one, is sure to be detected in the immediate neighbourhood. !N"ow 

 though the Cistvaen at Monataggart, and the Keel of Kilcullen, are 

 on different townlands, they are on the boundaries of both, and within 

 200 yards of each other : the natural inference being, that the mate- 

 rials which mainly, if not entirely, constructed the Cist, were taken 

 from this Keel. 



The district in which Kilcullen is situated is a very remarkable one 

 for the variety of its pre-historic remains. In the adjoining field, at 

 the opposite side of the road, is a solitary pillar-stone. Two fields 

 to the north of the pillar-stone is a large Eath, with under- 

 ground passages and chambers built of stone. On the verge of the 

 adjoining townland to tbe X. E. is a small circle of seven stones, and 

 one pillar-stone a short distance from it. In the next field but one 

 to the E. is a large Eath with a double rampart and a ditch near 20 

 feet deep ; and it also has stone-built underground chambers. To the 

 X. E. again, in the next townland of Barachaurin, are the remains of 

 an immense circle, consisting of three erect, and two prostrate, stones. 

 One of those standing is 13 ft. high above ground, 6 ft. wide, and 2 ft. 

 thick. It carries the same dimensions nearly to the top, and is a 

 huge-looking monolith. On this townland there are no less than 15 

 Raths. On the townland of Eylane, E. of Kilcullen, is a small stone 

 circle, and a few yards from it are two pillar-stones. 



