30 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 
bones lying to the south of the first-obtained skeleton; and it appear- 
ing probable that the discovery would prove of antiquarian interest, 
I made arrangements to follow up the subsequent stages of the 
diggings, and watch the excavations as they advanced. Professor 
Macalister, of Dublin University, at two subsequent periods was kind 
enough to superintend the unearthing of a quantity of these bones 
himself, and these excavations added a great deal to our knowledge of 
the manner in which the bodies were arranged, and their position in 
the mound, and we were able to confirm each other’s observations. 
On one of these oceasions Mr. Baily, Palzeontologist to the Royal Geolo- 
gical Survey, aided me and assisted in identifying the shells and other 
animal remains that were exhumed. Mr. G. H. Kinahan also obliged 
me by inspecting the excavations, and his geological knowledge 
enabled us to secure from the rubbish plates of sandstone that had 
been used for fire-hearths ; some pieces of sandstone which had served 
to sharpen instruments, such as knives, &c.; and a stone hammer, 
probably employed for opening oysters, such as is still used in the 
west of Ireland for that purpose. 
The exact locality upon which the mound was situated is marked 
on maps of the city of Dublin and its suburbs, published a few years 
ago, as ‘‘ Mount Erroll.” It les to the south of the recently-formed 
Aylesbury-road, and, of course, to the south of the River Dodder, on 
the opposite bank to the famed classic locality of Donnybrook Fair- 
green—a fair of which we possess authentic records reaching so far back 
as the reign of King John, who granted it under charter to the citizens 
of Dublin. The field is situated to the east of the new chapel, which 
is at the corner of the Stillorgan-road. To describe it with greater 
exactness, it is on the plot of ground that immediately adjois the 
row of houses on Seafield-terrace, from which it extends in an easterly 
direction; and an old road, now disused and closed up, but formerly 
known as Seaview-avenue, bounded its northern side. Many will 
recollect a favourite pathway along the fields, which led from this road 
to Sandymount, and was probably the remains of an ancient public 
path or road, long since disused, save for foot-passengers. This rather 
minute description of the locality is given, for houses are intended to 
be erected in the field and on the site of the mound, all traces of 
which must soon be removed; and an exact record of the situation 
had, therefore, better be preserved. 
The surface of the ground on this portion of the field presented no 
traces of having been under tillage or broken up for cultivation, 
except in the vicinity of its southern boundary, where, outside the 
limits of the tumulus or burial mound, in a sunken part of the 
enclosure, some potato ridges were noticed. The field consisted of 
compact green sward, and had scattered over it a few trees, princi- 
pally elm. Beyond the north-west edge of the mound grew an elm 
tree of under twenty years’ growth; as the excavations advanced, its 
roots were uncovered, extending horizontally southwards into the 
mound, and through the human bones for upwards of fifty feet, the 
