180 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



wiater gales, and some of them are of considerable size. A little 

 south, of Doughatna, the following observation was made — ' Great 

 quarrying seems to be going on here during the gales. Blocks, 30 

 by 15 by 4 feet tossed and tumbled about.' And again, half way 

 between Doughatna and the Glassan Eock there is this note. A block 

 15 by 12 by 4 feet seems to have been moved 20 yards, and left on a 

 step 10 feet higher than its original site. East and west of the 

 Glassan Eock, there are two caves which run for a considerable 

 distance inland, and connected with both are ' puffing holes.' The 

 western puffing hole is 85 yards from the sea margin, and the eastern 

 33 yards. On the north-eastern side of the latter there is a small 

 ' block beach,' the blocks in which have all the appearance of being 

 yearly tossed about by the waves, while more are added to it, and we 

 may suppose some sucked into the abyss below. Other puffing holes 

 were observed further north-west, but none so large as those just 

 mentioned." 



(p. 34.) — "The sands are very considerable, occurring in all the 

 islands. They are ever changing their positions ; and in O'Plahertie's 

 ' History ' we find mention of various churches, tombs, and fields, 

 now covered or nearly covered by them. During the examination of 

 Inishmaan, tombs were pointed out near its shore that had only a 

 a few months previously been discovered, as up to that time they 

 were covered with sand, which now has been blown away. 



"At Trawmore, on the south of Killeany Bay, proofs have been 

 lately discovered (1860-67), not only of the movement of the sand- 

 hills, but also that this part of the land, since the islands were first 

 inhabited, has changed its level, as human structui'es are found under 

 the strand, and extending out seaward. In the history of the islands, 

 by the then vicar, Eev. W. Kilbride, it is stated : * This movement of 

 the sands has gradually Toncovered the ruins, which consist of two 

 " cloghauns " or stone-cells, with beehive -shaped roofs and structure, 

 in every point similar to those usually called Leabuidh Diarmaid agus 

 Graine, or " Dermot and Graine's Bed," and old waU or sLugle stone 

 fences, dividing the ground into regular fields and gardens, evidently 

 under cultivation in former times. These walls extend out seaward, 

 and all the structures, until very lately, were completely covered over 

 by sand from 10 to 20 feet high. They must apparently have been 

 buried a long time ago, for it cannot be less than a thousand years 

 since Eany's church was first erected on part of this sandbank which 

 still remains.' This author also mentions other places to which the 

 sandhills have moved during the historical period, one of the most 



