176 Proceedings of the Roijal Irish Academy. 



land now above the sea-level, as submerged terraces occur in Galway 

 Bay on tlie nortb-east of tbe island. 



" The sea-cliffs on the north-east side of the island are low, and 

 are^ often replaced by strands or shingle beaches. On the south-west 

 they have taken a definite character, being usually perpendicular, and 

 often over 50 feet in height ; however, at the north-west point of the 

 island, under the shelter of the Brannock Islands, there is a heavy 

 shingle beach, on which boats can land in fine weather. 



"From the north-west point, south-eastward to Gregory's Sound, 

 the cliffs are either perpendicular or terraced. From Mweeleenar- 

 ceava, a little south of the Brannock Islands, to Doocaher, except for 

 a short distance, at the 'Blind Sound,' the cliffs are perpendicular, 

 although at the base of some of them, as will be hereafter mentioned, 

 there are sea-terraces or steps below the high-water mark of spring 

 tides. At Doocaher the cliffs are about 100 feet high, and from that 

 towards the north-west they gradually rise to 234 feet at Corker, 

 from which they lower by degrees to the ' Blind Sound ' ; but north- 

 west of this, at Dun ^ngus, there is an Ordnance height of 265 feet, 

 and they attain their greatest altitude (300 feet), about a mile further 

 north-west, a little south-east of PoUadoo. From Doocaher towards 

 the south-east to the point called lUaunanaur there are sea-terraced 

 •cliffs (excepting a few short breaks), which are surmounted by a 

 rampart formed of large blocks. This is called, in Professor King's 

 MS. account of the Aran Islands, the ' Block Beach.' 



" From Illaimanaur to Portdeha, on the west of Gregory's Sound, 

 the cliffs are perpeudicular or terraced ; but on the north of the latter 

 place the Sound is bounded by a strand." 



Lord Dunraven, " Notes on Ii'ish Architecture," vol. i., p. 1 

 (1875-77). 



'■'•Dun ^ngusa, on the greater Island of Aran. — Landing on 

 Aranmor, the largest of the three islands, and commencing his walk 

 at the southern end (the visitor) should keep along the edge of the 

 cliffs, which gi-adually iacreasiag in height as he advances, seem to 

 form a grand barrier to the ocean that beats for ever at their feet. 

 They are of limestone, and are marked by long parallel horizontal 

 lines or fissui-es, so that where they break, they seem to shape 

 themselves into huge masses, squared as if by giant hands. Here 

 and there, where in bold promontories they advance iuto the sea, they 

 have become separated fi'om the land, and rise like towers from the 



