Clare Island Survey — History and Archaeology . 2 27 



eastern side, and 46 feet up the west. The gateway is 25 feet from the south- 

 east corner, 5 feet wide, and 20 feet from the south-west angle. The north 

 side is short, under 30 feet long. All the wall to the west and south has 

 heen much rebuilt; but the foundations and set- slabs are in situ, and the 

 northern and eastern parts are mainly ancient. It is usually 5 feet thick, and 

 4 feet high. The old parts are much overgrown with bushes. In the north- 

 east corner, 2 feet to 4 feet from the wall, is the Labbabreed (Leaba Brighdhe), 

 or St. Brigid's bed. It is a small stone structure, rudely built, like a beehive 

 house, about 4 feet across the west base course and 9 feet in diameter. The 

 walls are 18 feet to 20 feet thick, and the outline irregular, evidently rebuilt, but 

 not so recently as the cashel. The interior is about 5 feet across. It has lines 

 of set blocks, probably its original foundations, 3 feet south of the present 

 face. The interior is sunken, like a shallow well. About 6 feet to the south 

 is the altar, a shapeless heap of uninscribed slabs. On it lie large rounded 

 pebbles from the beach, and a couple of " anchor stones," large blocks, with a 

 groove round them for a rope, doubtless votive from some fishing-boat saved 

 from destruction. The cashel was recently repaired by a neighbouring farmer, 

 who put large white shingle stones on the gate piers. The eastern part of 

 the south wall does not cover the old foundation. (Plate III.) 



The well lies about 20 feet from the north-east corner of the cashel, in a 

 marsh. It is a fairly regular structure, roofed with long lintels. It is oblong 

 inside, 3 feet 8 inches long by 1 foot 6 inches wide, and full to the brim. 

 Local tradition says that it harbours a holy fish, a mysterious trout, only to 

 be seen by the most devout visitors. These fish in wells are a venerable 

 custom in Irish history. In the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick the saint " left 

 two salmon in the well, alive, and they will abide there for ever. . . . Angels 

 will abide with them." 1 There were also two salmon in the venerated well 

 at the O'Briens' royal fort of Kincora, Co. Clare, which were cooked and 

 eaten in insult by Aedh O'Conor, King of Connacht, in 1062, when he also 

 filled up the well, and destroyed the fort. 2 In modern days we find two 

 venerated trout in the well of Tober Kieran, near Kells, in Meath; 3 others in 

 the " Pigeon Hole," near Cong, and Tober Tullaghan, in Co. Sligo. These 

 latter have been taken and cooked, and even eaten, without injury, as they 

 always reappear in their well. In Co. Kerry a salmon and an eel are said to 

 occupy Tober Monachan, near Dingle, in Co. Kerry'; and, not to multiply 

 further examples of this belief, I will only refer to the holy trout in the well 

 near Louisburgh, in this county (Mayo), which was taken, put on a gridiron, 



1 Tripartite Life (ed. Whitley Stokes), p. 112. 



2 Annals of Tighernach, Annals of Ulster, &c. 



3 Roy. Soe. Ant. Ir., xv eonsec. (1875) pp. 36b, 367. 



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