Browne — The Ethnography of Clare Island and Inishturk. 69 



oi 2i, doon.''^ ^ Of the old church nothing but the barest trace now 

 remains, and the dun is not very clearly traceable. It stood on a hill 

 overlooking a very safe little harbour, where tradition says the owners 

 of the fort used to keep their galleys.^ 



Caher Island is full of antiquities ; it is best described in the words of 

 Dr. O'Donovan. '• Caher Island, called by the Irish Oileanna Catlirach, 

 Cathair na naomh, and Cathair Phadruig, is esteemed next to Inisglora 

 (Inis Gluaire), the most holy island in that part of Connaught, now 

 entirely uninhabited. No catliair or stone fort is on the island. The 

 natives of Inishturk and the opposite coast understand the name as the 

 city of the saints, or the city of St. Patrick, and that it was called 

 city in the same way as Armagh, Leighlin, and other distinguished 

 ecclesiastical places." 



" It contains a small church in the rude primitive style, which is 

 called Teampull na naomh by some and TeampiiU Phadruig by others. 

 There are several penitential leachtas or monuments around it, at which 

 the pilgrims pray and go through their circumgyrating round, much in 

 the same way tliat they do on the Eeeks. The names of these monu- 

 ments are not known. East of the east gable of the church there is 

 a stone inscribed with a cross, called Lealaidh Phadruig, which is 

 prayed at during the station. ""Within the church and laid on the 

 altar is a farfamed stone called Leao na naomh, i. e. the flag of the 

 saints. It is of a roundish form and about two feet in diameter, and 

 composed of different kinds of stone, which appear as if they had 

 been artificially cemented together, but the compound is, however, 

 the work of nature." ..." Whenever anyone on the west shores or 

 on the islands in the vicinity of Caher find themselves aggrieved or 

 scandalized openly and wrongfully, they have always recourse to the 

 miraculous powers of this stone to elicit the truth. They first fast 

 and pray at home for a fixed time, imploring that God, through the 

 intercession of St. Patrick, and the other saints who blessed this 

 flag, would show that they were ivronged on such occasions ; and after 

 the fasting and praying are over they sail over to the Caher, and turn 

 Leac na naomh. After the flag is turned, the weather immediately 

 becomes unfavourable, and storms and hurricanes most frequently 

 ensue to the great destruction of boats and curraghs, and some event 

 is ere long brought about which shows clearly to the eyes of all the 

 neighbours that the character of the person who turned the Leac had 



^ O'Donovan, loe. cit. 



^ " Ordnance Survey Letter," Mayo, p. 471. 



