20 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



the bearings of the passages of these cairns lie between E. 15, N. 

 and E. 20, S. In the cases of "l" and ''t," where in addition to 

 the passages the entrance is marked by the curving-in of the boundary- 

 stones, the bearings are E. 20, S. and E. 10, S. 



Returning now to Cairn " D," I quote Con well's description of the 

 cairn and account of its excavation in the years 1865-68 : — 



" This has been the largest of all the cairns in the range, the 

 diameter of the base being 60 yards. The north and east sides have 

 been left untouched ; but on the south and west for nearly 100 yards 

 round the base, and extending inwards to a distance of 24 yards from 

 the circumference towards the centre, the dry loose stones comprising 

 the cairn have been entirely removed. The height of what remained 

 of the cairn, before commencing any of the operations upon it, 

 measured 28 paces in sloping ascent from the base to the summit. 

 The original circle of fifty -four large flag-stones laid on edge round its 

 base is still perfect, and on the eastern side these marginal stones 

 curve inwards for twelve paces in length towards a point indicated by 

 E. 20, S., denoting where the entrance or passage to the interior 

 chambers is to be found. As the cairn at this point — which, judging 

 from the analogy in the construction of the other cairns, would indicate 

 the direction of the passage or entrance — appeared not to have been 

 previously disturbed, Mr. Naper and Mr. Hamilton had from the first 

 strong hopes of finding the interior chambers and their contents in their 

 original state, such exactly as they had been left in by the builders of 

 this megalithic pile. Accordingly, on Monday morning, 4th September, 

 1865, about a dozen labouring men commenced to remove the stones, 

 and to make a passage inwards from this point. A s they advanced in 

 this way into the cairn, the loose stones composing it occasionally fell 

 in dangerous masses, filling up excavations already made ; so that it 

 was at length determined to make a cutting right through the cairn, 

 running east and west, and commencing from the top. After two 

 weeks spent in this labour, and with as many men as could be con- 

 veniently engaged at it, we did not come upon any of the interior 

 chambers ; nor have our labours been more successful on the 3rd, 4th, 

 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, and 10th June, 1868, when, by Mr. Paper's direc- 

 tions twenty men were busUy engaged every day in continuing the 

 transverse cutting through the cairn, in search of the interior 

 chambers. This, however, is now the only one of all the cairns left 

 unexamined ; and as the surface level of the ground has been already 

 reached for the greater part of the way across the caim, very little 

 additional labour would be required to settle the question whether or 



