2 6 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



The midden at Clare Island seems late, and yielded nothing of interest. It 

 almost seems as if the early settlers, circle-makers, dolmen- and cairn-builders 

 and sandhill-dwellers did not venture across the fierce currents and waves 

 round Clare Island, Turk, and Caher, to those islands ; certainly save for 

 pillars in the first two, I found nothing resembling an early monument. The 

 bronze weapon found in Clare Island, like all isolated finds, proves little or 

 nothing, and was certainly imported, whether in early or late times. 



Forts. 



The forts in the islands specially studied in this Survey are of considerable 

 interest. The six cluiis in Clare Island are, with one exception, of the walled- 

 rock type, such as we find at Danes' Island in Waterford, Darby's Island in 

 Kerry, and Illaunadoon in Co. Clare. The type recurs in the great wrecked 

 example at Dunnahineena in Bonn. The other two are of the more usual 

 form. Dunnagappul has two curved fosses and stone-faced mounds, and 

 Dun-Ooghbeg had a straight, dry-stone wall. In Turk, Dun Ballyheer had a 

 nearly straight wall along a low rock, forming a revetment. Finest of the 

 true headland forts is Dunmore in Bonn — a massive, curved rampart of dry 

 stone. Of King Forts, a thin-walled cathair, Caherpatrick, is found in 

 Caher Island, and two strong Duns at Portadoon in Turk. Two examples 

 of the multiple-celled clochan occur in the same townland of Ballyheer ; also 

 simpler early hut-circles, usually about 40 feet across. 



It is hard to believe that the platform forts are of very great age, unless 

 perhaps Doon-Ooglianiska and Dunnahineena. The rocks are often very 

 friable ; and yet it is evident that the whole of the old extent is still covered 

 by (or rather included within) the ambit of the fort. Dunnaglas, however, 

 is earlier than the cutting-away of the great clay bank which once joined 

 Aehillbeg to the larger island at the west end of Bealaglas Sound. 



As to the general features, I found no steps, upright joints, chambers 

 or passages in the wall in any fort south of the Mullet. Dunmore in Bonn 

 had a well-built gateway, 6 feet 3 inches wide, and nearly 10 feet deep. The 

 east Dun of Portadoon, in Turk, had also a gateway of coursed masonry 

 aslant through its wall, sloping down a crag like that of the central ring of 

 Dun Aengusa in Aran, while the western Dun, in Ballyheer, had a more 

 massive one, its left jamb of a single stone 7 feet 4 inches long. I found no 

 long lintels save at the Cathair of Slievemore in Achill, but doubtless all 

 such gateways were once covered by long stones. The walls, save in the east 

 Dun of Turk, are of a single section with two faces. That Dun has two 

 sections, the outer 4 feet 3 inches, the inner (possibly a terrace) 3 feet. 

 Dunmore has a foundation course of very massive blocks, set as stretchers, 



