178 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



The fort' is a large earthwork in a very marshy field which, before the 

 great drains were dug, must have been a shallow lake in wet weather. It 

 has a low mote in the centre, girt by a ring of level field, fenced by a ring- 

 mound and two fosses and mounds, fairly concentric, and measuring 280 feet 

 over all. There seem to be traces of a causeway through the marsh to the 

 cast, but there are no entrance-gaps to that side. 



The tinge are usually from 12 feet to 15 feet thick, and 2 to -4 feet high ; 

 liny were probably palisaded, as in one of the Ancient Laws, which describes 

 an earthwork on a headland — "a ditch ••!! "lie Bide and a ditch on the other 

 makes a full fence; the (cladh) mound, hands (3 feet) high; the palisade, 

 6 hinds also"' — no very lofty defence. The fosses are as wide as the rings 

 and are literally tilled up with lush marsh vegetation, rushes, peppermint, 

 and sueh water-loving plants. The interspace round the mound is from 

 42 feet wide. The mote is from 6 feet to 7 feet high, GO feet to 



62 feel across the summit. 87 feel to 90 feet diameter at the base; it has 

 no apparent house sites. The southern gangway is 1.". feet wide. 



There is a "satellite fort " to the south-east, about 66 feet from the entrance. 

 Such are nol uncommon; I need only recall Rathadrinna and Lismortagh in 



Hpperary, where the little fort nearly touches the outer ring. The " satellite" 



rved; it- ■"■ feel t" l feel deep and 1l' feet to 14 feet 



wide, with no trace • i the outer ring. The inner bank is 15 feet thick, 



. nd 1 foot over the oval garth, which is 00 feet across 



north and Bouth, and ol feet east and west. It has a nearl] Levelled annexe 



t.. the west L8 j and defined by a shallow hollow; the west 



ire rounded off. 



I may incidentally note- that a Bpell "i very broken weather (culminating 

 in heavy rain for a whole day and night) rendered my exploration of these 

 forts and their surroundings very difficult, ami even necessitated wading. 

 In this man i prevented from making a close examination 



or any measurements of a Bomewhat similar marsh rort, called Ballinaston a, 

 some m.; 3 mmerville Ho > beside the main road from Kilinal- 



lock to Bruff ami to the west of the same. Judging from tie large scale- 

 in i]>-. it measures about 300 feet across. It has a low mound like a disc 

 barrow, peri. bigh ami 40 feet at the base. The map shows 



a ring about 100 feet across, a mound and shallow fosse. The rings seem to 



nly about a yard high, but I could not cross the quagmire and deep drains 

 around it, Hooded into a shallow lake. There are several other marsh forts 

 round Kilinalloek. mostly small ; the largest to the south-west of the town is 



1 Piatt- VI ■ hoc. tit., iv, p. 1 



