Clare Island Survey — History and Archaeology. 2 71 



■liy Mr. Allies, whose kindness to Dr. Browne and to myself deserves the 

 recognition of the Academy for aiding its workers. 



As to the present inhabitants, Lewis says there were 1,462 in 1837, 

 when it was the property of the Marquess of Sligo. Ecclesiastically it was 

 part of the union of Ballynakill ; the Marquess of Clanrickard held the 

 rectory ; Bofin had two private schools for about eighty children. There were 

 212 families in 1893; of these, 134 bore Irish, and 29 Anglo-Norman, names; 

 the well-established families of Lavelle (17) and Scuffles (22) are reputed to 

 be foreigners, but may be the Irish Mullavels (0 Maolphabhaill) and the 

 Anglo-Norman Scovelles. 



The Building. — The fabric of " Cromwell's Barrack " consists of a long 

 irregular enclosure, with variant bastions at each corner and a round turret on 

 the south face. Inside is an irregular courtyard, with a choked well in the 

 middle, and buildings to the north, west, and east. The stonework was once 

 rich in well-cut coigns of blue limestone ; but nearly all have been removed 

 by lime-burners ; the arch and a few jamb-stones of the gateway remain. 



The site is well chosen, on a sort of headland, bounded by the harbour to 

 the north and west, a convenient little creek running in at the latter side. 

 A rugged hollow, partly quarried, defends the south side. To modern ideas 

 the site is too much commanded by higher ground to the south-east, and has 

 no fosses to that side. (Plates IX, X.) 



The chief frontage is to the east, with the only entrance, a fine, round- 

 headed door, recessed and chamfered, 5 feet 3 inches wide, though much 

 injured by the vandalism of the lime-burners. It is in the middle of a curtain 

 wall, 45 feet long and 6 feet thick, flanked by two bastions; a passage 

 32 inches wide runs along the top. 



Before describing the ruins farther, I desire to point out that I was unable 

 to complete to my satisfaction the plan here given, though the main court and 

 its buildings and bastions are to scale. The western bastions were only 

 roughly and hurriedly measured, so I desire my drawing to be considered 

 as a sketch-plan, which time and weather did not allow me to finish. 



Entering, we see the hole for a rather slight bar in the north jamb, a 

 passage 6 feet wide and 18 feet long, and side buildings on either hand, 30 

 feet long. Each consists of two small rooms, with fireplaces in the inner 

 angles, and large chimneys to each pair at the curtain. To each outer side of 

 these buildings a passage 5 feet wide leads up to each eastern bastion by a 

 sloping way. The bastions are " diamond-shaped," each inner face 12 feet 6 

 inches, and the walls 5 feet thick, with recesses and loopholes in each face, 

 their stonework mostly removed. The range to the north side of the court is 

 about 78 feet long. It has two rooms, the first evidently a kitchen, the other a 



