Westropp — Ancient Sanctuaries of Knockainey mid Clogher. 57 



fork, cut the double trench of Lorg an dagdae. He also fortified Raith Jireise, 

 and built the Grianan of Ailech, which latter was also sacred to the war-god 

 Neit — " Ailech Neit, on account of Neit's splendour." 1 Oengus, son of the 

 Dagda, made a dim and dindgna, with a lofty sonnacli or palisade. 2 Manannan 

 dwelt in Dun Inbir ; his father, Lir, in Sid Fiondachaid dun ; 3 Lug, in a 

 rath ; and the war-goddess in Lis na Morrighna, or Maiste, the great fort of 

 Mullaghmast. 4 Nuada left his strong fort of Abulia to his son Tadgh.' 

 Balor, the demon-god, had his fortified promontory of Dun Balor, on Torry 

 Island, 6 as the four-headed Suantowit had his entrenched temple on Arcona 

 headland. (Borlase recalls "Ardchonain" on Torry.) Imlech, descendant 

 of the god Nuada Argetlarnh, "built" forts in Imlech- Fir Aendarta 

 (called after him), now Emlygrennan, at the foot of Sliabhriach. 7 The 

 Tuatha De dug Rath coraind, 6 and the horned, bull-headed god, liuar Ainech, 

 like the Daghda, was rath-builder to Bress. 5 Little doubt that in the three 

 rings of Dunainey, on the Knockainey Hill, the triad of gods, Eogabal, Feri, 

 and 'Aine, were supposed to dwell ; and they had also their cairns, of which 

 'Aine's one was evidently called Sid cliath, the sacred mound of Cliu. It 

 and Uainide's cairn are extant. 



Sid Mounds. 

 The perpetual difficulty of Irish archaeology is the vagueness of its 

 nomenclature. 10 As the ring-forts of earth and stone and the promontory and 

 square forts are called dun, liss, rath, dangan, port, and cathair, so the word 

 sid connotes no type. Tumulus, or feudal mote, disc barrow, or house-ring 

 cannot be distinguished by external features alone ;" even excavation often 



I Battle of Moytura, p. 187 ; and Agallamh, p. 131. - Agallaiuh, p. 11. 



3 Mr. H. T. Knox describes the curious Cashelmanannan at Rathcroghan (Roy. Soc. 

 Antt. Ir., vol. xliv, p. 26). For Lir see " Children of Tuireann " and "Children of Lir " 

 (Atlantis, vol. ii, pp. 115, 125 ; vol. iii, p. 386 ; vol. iv, pp. 115, 145). 



4 Agallamh, p. 217 ; Irische Texte, iv, 1, 4812, 4818. 



" Tadgh, see (Harleian MSS. 502, p. 14S b ; Book of Leinster, f . 320 d ; Book of 

 Lecan, f. 407). See also for Tadgh's fort Harleian MSS. 5280 ; Atlantis, vol. ii, p. 120. 



8 Identified with the mythic High King Tigernmaia in early sources. Ulster Journal 

 of Archfeology (old series), vol. i, and O'Donovan's note on Balor. Ann. Four MM., 

 vol. i : cf. Borlase, Dolmens of Ireland, vol. iii, pp. 1087, 1164. 



7 Supra, vol. xxxiii, p. 470. 



8 "First Battle of Moytura," Eriu, vol. viii, p. 31. 

 Book of Leinster, f. 50, col. 1. 



10 " Sidh and Dun" (Echtra Nerai, Rev. Celt., vol. x, p. 221), "a dinn, a dun, an 

 admirable (i.e. ceremonial) hill " (Book of Ballymote, p. 4'JO). " Rath and Sidh Cruachan " 

 (Rev. Celt., vol. xvi, p. 463), "Hunting mound, residence, outlook, and burial-place" of 

 Duma Selga (ibid., p. 471). 



II To assert that it can be done is very injurious to sound archaeology, and encourages 

 people unacqainted with Irish records and remains (and even some Irish writers) to indulge 

 in baseless theories. 



[9*1 



