Browne — The Ethnography of Clare Island and Inishturh. 67 



stranger, and snatching up a cudgel ran out to question him as to who 

 he was and what h.e did there ; but the stranger, being a foreigner, 

 could neither make himself understood nor understand what was said 

 to him. This enraged the weaver, wbo struck him on the head and 

 killed him on the spot. ISTow this stranger was the Pope's brother 

 (anotber -version says tbe brother of the Emperor of Eome), and by 

 some means or other tbe Pope got to know that his brother, when 

 seeking hospitality, had been murdered on an island far away, so he 

 laid a curse on that island for all time (E. O'M.). 



There are several legends about Grace O'Malley ; but the only 

 one which could be got in its entirety seems to have been the skeleton 

 on which Maxwell built his novel the ''Dark Lady of Doona," as it 

 agrees in most points with the plot of that story. 



According to the tradition there was an early romance in Grace 

 O'Malley's life prior to the matrimonial adventures recorded of her in 

 the histories. When she was a girl a young man was cast ashore 

 from a wreck and rescued by Grace, with whom after a time he fell in 

 love. The young couple were married by a priest on the island, at 

 the altar near the holy well at Kinaciirragh, and lived very happily 

 together for some time. There was, however, at the period a quarrel 

 between the M'Mahons of Ballycroy and the O'Malleys of Clare 

 Island, and Grace's husband when engaged in a deer hunt in Achill 

 was murdered by one of the M'Mahons. The widow swore vengeanee 

 on the whole clan and watched her opportunity, which soon came. 

 A man from Erris came asking aid at Clare Island, and was asked 

 was there nothing to be got in his own district. He said that there 

 used to be, but that a curse had come on the M'Mahons because they 

 had murdered a young man in Achill, so that their prosperity had 

 departed, and that they had been told that the only way to atone for 

 what had been done was to make a pilgrimage to Caber Island at a 

 certain time. Having got this information the O'Malleys lay in wait 

 in their galleys behind Caber, slew a large number of the M'Mahons 

 and captured the rest, including the murderer, who were taken back 

 to Clare Island and hanged there. Grace O'Malley then sailed 

 northwards to Ballycroy, surprised and captured Doona Castle, the 

 M'Mahon's stronghold, and put the garrison to the sword. 



YI . AECHiEOLOGT. 



The islands contain many remains of interest to the archaeologist,, 

 but as in former reports no detailed description of any of them is 



F 2 



