Westropp — The Earthworks, SfC, of S. E. Co. Limerick. 175 



strife, and Hanoi's on my visit. Windele describes it as "a mote 13 feet 

 high, with a cave, in which a dog was lost." This opening is not to be seen, 

 and though he places the mote near the oblong platform, he probably means 

 the next mound. (4) The mote near the Elton road is 12 feet to 14 feet high ; 

 it has a dry fosse 15 feet wide, and a sort of ledge, such as one finds in bell- 

 barrows, to the east, round the foot of the mound. The flat summit is from 

 64 feet to 66 feet across, the base about 90 feet. Many hawthorns grow on 

 its side. There is no outer ring. A long circuit through the village brings 

 us past (5), a low liss, a thicket of thorn-bushes, with a fosse and inner and 

 outer rings, to the north of the railway, east from the station. We eventually 

 reach a group with two good forts south from the line, from which they are 

 well seen, with their noble background of mountains. Owing to the increased 

 tillage (from the German submarine campaign), many fields round them were 

 broken up ; I carefully, but vainly, looked for sites of hearths or objects of 

 antiquarian interest, but saw none. (6) The fort nearest the railway is a 

 perfect little oval mound, 11 feet to 12 feet high, 42 feet across north and south, 

 by 30 feet east and west on the top. The fosse is 15 feet wide, 4 feet to 5 feet 

 deep, and partly wet, with no outer ring. (7) Another fort, which I failed 

 to find, and could not see from the railway. (8) The most southern, and finest, 

 mote, near the road from Knocklong ridge to Aghadoon, is on the summit of 

 the plateau ; it has a beautiful outlook to the Galtees and Slievereagh. It is a 

 very perfect mote, 13 feet to 15 feet high over the fosse, 40 feet to 45 feet across 

 the top, and 70 feet at the base, with steep sides, and thick hawthorns growing 

 on it to the south-east. The fosse is 16 feet wide in the bottom, and over 

 6 feet deep, being still wet. 1 The fact that so many raised flat-topped forts 

 remain where no castle is recorded is noteworthy, there being, as we see, four 

 at Knocklong, and nine near it at Atheneasy, Aghadoon, Ballinvreena, Cush, 

 Eaheenawadra, Ballinscaula, Bulgadin, Grlenbrohaun, and Rathtany.* None 

 of these occur in the sanctuary cemeteries of Oenach Clochair and Knock- 

 ainey, though the third and fourth are near Cush. This seems to imply that 

 they are not necessarily either burial tumuli or feudal castles, for what need 

 of four in one townland ? and the number precludes the idea of their being 

 inauguration mounds, like their congener at Magh Adhair. I can only draw 

 the conclusion (so strenuously denied) that such flat-topped forts (and the 

 remark applies to Pallas, and to those in Co. Clare, Lisnagry, Lugadoon, 

 Killilagh, Moyarta, Lisnaleagaun, and Kiltinnaun) are Irish residential 

 " forts." The bearing of this on Shanid rath is also very clear. 



1 Plans of Nos. 2 and 3, and sections of 4 and S, are given, Plate VI. 



2 Ratheany in Inq. post raort. of Tho. de Clare, 1287 ; Rathtany in Memoranda Roll 



Exchequer 1317, m 82, as to succession of his son Richard. 



R.J,A. PKOC, VOL. XXXIV, SHOT. ('. [2<>] 



