Bernard — The Ruin of the Grianan of Aileach. 415 



LXVI. — Exploration and Bestoration of the Butn of the Grianan 

 of Aileach. By Dr. "Walter Bernard, Fellow of the College 

 of Physicians in Ireland, &c, With Plates XVII. and XVIII. 



[Bead August 12th, 1878.] 



Seventeen years ago, when this traditional and historic place was 

 first visited by me, I found it in a very ruinous condition, and from 

 that time I commenced to take an interest in its associations. Year 

 after year witnessed the further advance of its ruin, and I clearly 

 saw that if something were not soon done to arrest the progress of 

 destruction, it would be in a few years a thing of the past. 



Its appearance in 1873 was that of an immense circular heap of 

 stones, with its gray fallen masonry scattered over the interior — 

 no vestige of a wall, entrance passage, or central building. 



More than forty years ago the Ordnance Survey for the parish of 

 Templemore, and county of Londonderry, gives, page 217, the following 

 account of the condition it was then found in : — " The cashel, though 

 in a more perfect state than the external ramparts, is still a mere ruin, 

 and at a distance has the appearance of a dilapidated sepulchral cairn; 

 but on closer inspection it will be found to be a circular wall, in- 

 closing an area of 77 feet 6 inches in diameter, and in its present 

 state about 6 feet in height, and varying in breadth from 15 feet 

 to 11 feet 6 inches, or averaging about 13 feet. This wall is not 

 quite perpendicular on its external face, but has a curved slope 

 or inclination inwards, like Staig fort in Kerry, and most other of the 

 forts of the kind in Ireland. Of its original height it is not now 

 easy to form a very accurate conjecture, but, from the quantity 

 of fallen stones, which* form a glacis on either side, about 13 feet 

 in breadth, it must be concluded to have been at least twice, and 

 possibly four times its present altitude." 



At page 221, the state and antiquity of the building; in the centre 

 of the cashel is given as follows: — " The remains of a small oblong 

 building measuring 16 feet 6 inches by 14 feet 3 inches. The walls, 

 which are 2 feet thick, and at present not more than 2 feet high, 

 were constructed with mortar. The antiquity of this building is ex- 

 tremely doubtful, and its angular form indicates a much more recent 

 age than the circular works by which it is inclosed, and the pro- 

 bability is that it was erected for a chapel during the severe adminis- 

 tration of the penal laws, to which purpose it was certainly ap- 

 propriated until about forty years since, when a chapel was erected 

 at Burt." 



An account of the rapid destruction of the Grianan is given by 

 Mr. Godwin, F. S. A., in the April number of the Architect for 1872. 

 He states, that at the time of his visit in March, 1858, the masonry 

 was in a very dilapidated condition, owing in a great part to the labours 



