642 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



and left the monument exposed, as well as a wide space round it, 

 whicli was strewed with human bones. There are also the remains 

 of an ancient cemetery, containing many graves, or cists of stone 

 flags in the sands of Cross ; these tombs are arranged in groups of 

 three, lying parallel to one another. C. 0. states that the remains in 

 these had been burnt, as the bones were charred ; polished flat stones 

 and fragments of rings of steatite were discovered in these graves. 

 About half a mile to the southward is another stone tomb, known as 

 Leacht na Calliagh, or the hag's monument. 



Some of the ruins at Inisglora were considered by O'Donovan and 

 others to have originally been the dwellings of the aboriginal 

 inhabitants, the Damnonii, converted in after times to monastic use. 

 These are, three tor-thighs^ or bee-hive shaped houses, the largest 

 tor-thigh mor being 10^ feet in diameter,^ the other about 10 feet; 

 an artificial cave, or uaigh, now closed up, said to communicate with 

 some of the other buildings ; and a caisiol or circular-walled enclosure 

 containing these. It would appear to have been about fiity yards in 

 diameter. In 1838 the foundations of about fifty-six yards of this 

 caisiol were traceable.'^ 



The Christian antiquities, though interesting to the archaeologist, 

 are of little importance in a survey of this nature, and consequently 

 require but slight mention.^ They consist of ruins of churches and 

 monasteries, crosses and ■vs^ells. On the mainland of the Mullet the 

 ruins are not of any very ancient date, the oldest probably being 

 St. Derible's Church at Fallmore, in the immediate neighbourhood 

 of which are her grave and her " keeve " or vat, at which two 

 ''patrons" used to be held annually, which were abolished about 

 1825 owing to some disorders arising out of them.* The other 

 remains are the Church of Tarmoncarra, of which only a small 

 portion of the wall remains, and Cross Abbey, a structure of com- 

 paratively modem date, having been founded posterior to 1216. 

 "By an inquisition taken, 27th Queen Elizabeth, this monastery 

 was found in possession of three-quarters of land, with the tithes of 

 the same each quarter being valued at 13s. Ad. sterling annua] ly " 

 (Knight, p. 111). 



The ecclesiastical buildings on the islands are of earlier date, the 



1 This is now known to the people as " St. Brendan's Cell." 



2 O'Donovan, MS. letters. 



2 For information as to these, see Lord Dunraven's "Notes on Irish 

 Architecture." 



^ This church is fully described and illustrated in Lord Dunraven's " Notes on 

 Irish Architecture." 



