1.78 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



and about 200 feet tigh, from which, southwards, the surface 

 gradually falls to about 40 feet at the cliff opposite Taunabruff, the 

 south-western extremity of the island. Prom the south part of 

 Aillinera, where the cliff is about 170 feet in altitude, southward to 

 Taunabruff, and then north-east to Clogharone, the cliff is cut into 

 sea-terraces and suimounted by a ' block beach.' 



" Inishere is less than two miles across from the shore, north of the 

 village of Ballyhees, to Fardarris Point, and 2^ miles from Trawkeera 

 Point to Tonefeehney. Captain Bedford says of this island, ' Its 

 shores are everywhere rocky, except at its north-east side, where there 

 is a small sandy beach called the iSTorth Strand.' " 



(p. 26.) — " The subjacent rocks of the Aran Islands are limestones, 

 with which are interstratified some thin shales and clay beds. The 

 shales and clay seem in a great measure to have guided the denudation 

 that carved out the terraces, for at the base of many of the weU- 

 marked cliffs, shale or clay beds occur. 



" The terraces are more or less undercut, and may have been 

 formed by marine action, but of this there is no direct proof ; if they 

 were, the force of the waves would seem to have come fi'om the east- 

 north-east, while, at the present day, it is from the south-west." 



(p. 32.) — " Sea Cliffs. — Of the cliffs of the north-east and north- 

 west of this island, scarcely more can be said than that already 

 mentioned in the general description, but those on the south-west are 

 peculiar, as in places they are teiTaced by the waves of the Atlantic. 

 Moreover, some of them are surmounted by the previously mentioned 

 * block beach.' This peculiar accumulation of blocks does not occur 

 at all on the north-east shore, while to the north-west it was only 

 found at the point due east of the north point of Brannock Islands. 

 On Inish-Eeragh, the westernmost of the Brannock Islands, there is 

 also a block beach, which is thus described by Captain Bedford : 

 ' On all but the eastern side there is a margin of massive blocks of lime- 

 stone, upheaved by the violence of the sea, and which now form a 

 sort of barrier against its farther encroachment. The highest part 

 of the island is the summit of the upheaved beach at the north-west 

 side, which is 36 feet above the mean level of the sea.' 



" The north part of the north-west coast of Inishmore, as before 

 mentioned, is a perpendicular cliff that either extends upwards from 

 the sea-level, or has at its base a few steps. 



" The vertical cliff seems to be caused, in a great measure, by 

 vertical master-joiats, some of which cut through aU the visible beds, 

 while others only reach the shale beds. In the former case the cliffs 



