416 Proceedings of the Royal Irislt Academy. 



of tte Dalcais, was built by and named from Lacbtna (grandfatber of 

 Kennedy, tbe fatber of Brian Born) wbo was prince of Tbomond, 

 and won a naval victory and many otber battles over tbe Danes and 

 Norsemen about 840. 



Otber means of dating tbe forts are very doubtful, for (including 

 for tbe moment tbe neigbboui'ing forts of Galway and Aran) flint im- 

 plementsbave beenfound botb in Dun Aengbus and Cabermacnole, called 

 Cabermackirilla, near Carran in Clare. Bronze ornaments bave been 

 found in Dun Aengbus, a mould for casting two looped bronze spears 

 in EJnockgerranebane Caber in Galway, and I bave been told of a bronze 

 socketted celt found in or at a fort in Tulla Upper, Clare. Iron axes 

 bave been found in tbe wall at Caberspeenaun on Lougb Corrib, and 

 iron objects in tbe inner wall of^Cahercalla, near Quin, Clare. Tbese, 

 however, prove tbe date of tbe cabers as little as tbe Elizabetban or 

 otber coins found in tbeir enclosures ; and very probably tbe caber- 

 building period extends over a vast space of time in our islands, and 

 some of tbe forts were rebuilt or built down to tbe eleventb century. 

 For example, a catbair was "built" on Lough Derg by King Conor 

 "na Catbi'acb" O'Brien, 1070-1120. Kincora, the timber and s^o?^^* 

 of which bad been thi'own into the water in 1118, was rebuilt by 

 Dermot O'Brien; and even about 1220-40 King Donough O'Brien 

 built a fort at Clonroad, ' ' a princely palace of earth of a circufar 

 form," as stated in the ' ' "Wars of Turlough." Some were occupied down 

 to tbe seventeenth centiu'y by well-known famiKes as the O'Davorens- 

 in Cahermacnaugbten, 1675, and the MacFlanchadha or Clancies of 

 Cahermaclancby, 1641 ; while one caber, Balliny, near Black Head, is 

 inhabited to this day, and Caheranardurrish (near Feenagh), Derry- 

 navabagh, and Cabermacnole were inhabited in human memory. The 

 "Wars of Tui'lough " imply that tbe forts were going out of use in 

 1317, as for example " Euan of tbe grass-topped Cabers"^; and when 

 Donough O'Brien in his great need sent out to muster every available 

 man before the fatal battle near Corcomroe Abbey, he bade his 

 messengers to summon " even any man in an ooan " or caber. 



Questions as to the age of the present fort-names bave so frequently 

 arisen that the oldest record of each name is appended. From the 

 analogy of Aran and other places, I think it is far from improbable that 

 tbe word ' caber' has replaced, or in some cases been appended to, the 

 word ' dun,' and though my list cannot be as fully and individually 



^ It well deseiTesthis epithet as it has 104 forts, and is the second richest "fort 

 parish " in Clare. The forts are still called " ooans " as in the text. 



