2 46 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



Twrc Trwyth, or shared the insular tastes of the Matail boar of Illanmattle, 

 on the Clare coast. 1 Perhaps, after all, as Twrc Trwyth has been explained to 

 be a sea-rover, and the pirates' harbour and fort are to be seen on Inishturk, 

 the " Boar " may have been a warrior or robber. Several instances occur of 

 such nicknames as " The Cock," " The Hound," " The Wolf," and " The Eed 

 Dog" in Irish records. 2 It is even probable that the original Mahon 

 (Mathgamhan, bear) and Faelchu (wolf) got their names from their personal 

 ferocity. So this may explain the name of the island without invoking the 

 presence of an actual boar in so improbable a spot. 



This beautiful island has been rarely visited, and never described archaeo- 

 logically. It rises boldly from the sea, in wall-like cliffs to the north-west, 

 and steep hills to the north, culminating in the dome of a crag on which 

 stands the old signal tower, 629 feet above the waves at its base. The town- 

 lands of Mountain Common and Garranty seem devoid of forts or hut-sites. 

 The old settlers seem to have congregated at the south-west corner, round 

 the beautiful little harbour of Portadoon. Here rich soil in sheltered valleys, 

 little streams and lakes, and the land-locked basin, with its beach and narrow 

 entrance, all formed an ideal settlement for a primitive tribe — the cliffs 

 white with sea-gulls, and the rocks abounding in seals and shellfish, while 

 the harvest of the deep lay outside, sheltered by the island from the northern 

 and north-western winds. The secure little creek of Coolport has now 

 superseded the other harbour, as being free from a dangerous swell, and 

 having a wider entrance. 



Like Cliara, Turk is rich in " Ooghs," long narrow creeks with precipitous 

 sides, ending in caves. Two in Garranty have great pits at the end. The 

 more eastern, Ooghnalee, is a rock-garden of ferns and other plants, with a 

 shelf (covered with bracken over 7 feet high) facing a tall triangular cleft. 

 The others are Ooghdoul, Ooghnaman, Ooghfinnoge (from the royston crow), 

 Ooghcat, Ooghmore, Ooghnascaddaun (herrings), Ooghduff, and Ooghnamucka 

 near Dromore Head. North from it lie the Boughil rocks, 3 under a mighty 

 cliff, overhanging the sea, and within are three long parallel valleys, lying 

 east and west, in Ballyheer and Drumnashargan ; the southern, ending in great 

 storm-beaches, where huge blocks and slabs are heaped up, like cairns, walls, 

 and dolmens, by the incredible might of the waves and gales of that fierce 

 coast, bears the name of Turlinmore. 



The place, so far as I have searched, is devoid of early history, first 



1 Mabinogion, and "Adventures of the three sons of Thorailbh mac Stairn." 



2 For HacTire (wolf), as a personal name, see Annals of Ulster, 1099. Faelchu and Faelad were 

 common, especially in Ossory, and the head of the son of "The Cock" was publicly exposed at 

 Singland, 1084-9. 



3 For the legend of the other Boughil (boy) rock, see under Inishark. 



