26 



Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



rampart on the landward side. As for the word ' Port,' if not derived from 

 the bay, it is a not uncommon word for a fort.' The Dindsenchas of Almu 

 uses it as synonymous with lis (les) and dim ; the " Book of Eights " reserves 

 it for chief forts, like those reserved to the King of Cashel. Like most native 

 words for forts, it is not confined to any one type of defence. This, though 

 very simple when compared with Dunnamo, or even Dun Fiachra, is so strong 

 and imusual in its surroundings as to require careful consideration. Like 

 nearly all the ^lullet Forts (Spinkadoon, Dim Fiachra, Dunadearg, and the 

 small cliff fort at Dunaneanir), it is unmarked, even on the new maps. Otway, 

 in 1SJ:5, passed over its remains without noticing their character ; and when 

 IMr. O'Donnell pointed it out to him, it " required some accurate inspection to 

 prove it to ha'N^e been a fortification." He found it to be a stone rampart 

 reduced to 3 feet in height, with " indistinct traces of a gate and some side 

 lodges." There were extensive "caves, or rather biuTows," not regularly 

 biult souterrains.' 



HUT I \ "am 



"- \ — 3- 



3 '■iDiuBiyitUHiisHiturav' 





.<*»I!B!. 



# MOUNP 





SCALE 

 10 10 20 30 AO 50 rrr-j- 



1910 



Fig. 3. — Porth. Fort, and group of huts, Tlie Mullet, Co. Mayu. 



The low headland, in fact, is fortified carefully against landward attack ; 

 it was very accessible from the sea at many points ; but the ancient occupants 

 never even fortified a knoll iuside it with a riag-wall. They built a great 

 rampart on the lowest part of the neck, through even, marshy ground ; they 

 had not dug a fosse through the soft, wet field outside the wall, or earned back 

 the end of theii' fortification along the low bank on the shore to the north for 



'Dindsenchas (ed. E. Gwynn, Todd Lecture Series, vol. vii., p. 15; Leabhar na gCeart 

 (Book of Rights, ed. O'Donovan), p. 93. The Danish fort of Linn Duachail is called "Longport " 

 in the Annals of Ulster. - •■ Erris and Tyrawley," p. 64. 



