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XXXI. 



ON A CAIRN EXCAVATED BY THOMAS PLUNKETT, M.E.I.A., 

 ON BELMORE MOUNTAIN, CO. FERMANAGH. Bx 

 GEORGE COFFEY. 



[Eead January 24, 1898.] 



During a visit to Mr. Plunkett, at Enniskilleii, in July, 1897 (when 

 the cairn on Topped Mountain was excavated) he very generously 

 placed in my hands, for presentation to the Museum of the Royal Irish 

 Academy, the important collection of objects obtained from a cairn on 

 Belmore Mountain, which I have the honour to exhibit at this meeting. 



The following particulars of the excavation of the cairn were taken 

 down by me from Mr. Plunkett, and are given in his words : — 



" The cairn is situated on an eastern spur of Belmore Mountain 

 overlooking the valley of the Erne, in the townland of Moylehid or 





~::^ 



Fig. 1 . — Section of Cairn. 



Moyleid ^ J(Ordnance Sheet 26). It was not recognised to be an 

 artificial mound by the people of the district, or even by antiquaries. 

 It resembled some of the natural bosses of cherty limestone, overgrown 

 with peat, which occur on that part of the mountain. A circular 



1 Mul-leitheid. See Joyce, " Irisli Names of Places " (Sec. Ser.), p. 394. 



