598 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



wliich, in an inclined position, it now reposes at its lowest end. The 

 supporters are about 6^ feet in height ; so that, as Beranger, who 

 visited and described the remains about one hundred years ago, states : — 

 ' This, one of the grandest mausoleums, must have made a noble 

 figure standing, as the tallest man might stand and walk under it at 

 ease.' The work on the interior would seem to have constituted an 

 irregular chamber, tending east and west ; bnt much disturbance of 

 the stones has occurred." "These stones were formerly called Fin 

 MacCoul's Quoits" {loc. cit. p. 64). 



The divergence of views shown by these authors, as regards the 

 direction of the chamber, Justifies the making of a correct plan 

 (see fig. 2, p. 597). I only noticed seven stones and the cap. Of 

 tliese the three south-eastern ones are erect, and practically in their 

 original positions ; the most north-easterly (B) of these three, which 

 was one of the props of the cap stone, has remained in contact with 

 it, but has been dragged considerably from its original upright posi- 

 tion. The other stones (F, G, H, J) have been more or less completely 

 overturned, those to the north now lying nearly flat on the ground. 

 There can, therefore, be only a presumption as to the exact positions 

 they occupied when originally upright ; and, accordingly, I have 

 indicated their presumed original positions, taking for granted that, 

 in their motion on being overturned, they yielded along their longest 

 dimension as axis; but some of them may have undergone a twist at 

 the same time owing to the greater or less depths of their buried 

 extremities and tlie positions of the points of bearing of the cap. 

 One of the stones has been broken clean across, and seemingly indi- 

 cates thus the direction of the thrust, that is practically north by east. 

 Comparing now the stones of the south-eastern end still upright, and 

 shown in the elevation of that extremity of the monument (PI. XVII.) 

 (which was evidently the highest) with the similar stones of the 

 Brennanstown cromlech, it will be at once observed that the same 

 relation of these stones, one to the other, exists ; that is, between two 

 taller supporting stones, is found a third stone not so tall, and three- 

 fore not having been in contact with the cap stone by a certain 

 interval ; moreover, this central stone is mitred and closely applied 

 to the supporting stone on the left hand. 



There is evidently here an intentionally similar arrangement 

 to that shown by the Brennanstown cromlech ; this becomes all the 

 more evident when the material of the stones is considered, which at 

 Howth is quartzite from the neighbouring cliff, full of quartz veins, 

 and therefore an extremely hard rock most difficult, in any way, to 



