Macalister — The History and Antiquities of Inis Cealtra. 173 



VII. An uiiderground passage. — Lord Dunraven, in describing the Eound 

 Tower,' says that it is held by tradition to have been built by St. Senanus, 

 and that there is a passage in a poem by Michael O'Brannan " On the River 

 Shannon, " written in 1791, in which he ascribes the same origin to this tower 

 as to those at Inis Clothrann on Loch Eee, and of Inis Cathaigh or Seattery 

 Island, near the mouth of the Shannon. I do not know whether this is the 

 basis of a tale that someone told Marcus Keene, that a passage connects the 

 Eound Tower of Inis Cealtra with that of Seattery. Though the distance 

 between the two towers is about fifty miles, the author of "Towers and 

 Temples of Ancient Ireland " does not seem unready to accept the truth of 

 the story. Delany told me a less extravagant version of the tale, that the tower 

 was connected by a passage with a point on the shore of the island. He 

 further told me that the digging out of the earth in the base of the tower 

 (which I cannot but regard as very regrettable) was undertaken in order to 

 test the truth of the story. It is needless to add that no passage was found. 



VII. The annual patron. — Finally, O'Conor adds to our many obligations 

 to him by preserving the following most interesting and valuable account of 

 the ceremonies that formerly were observed here, but are now forgotten : 



" A patron used to be held here annually 4 days —Friday and Saturday 

 before Whitsunday, on which day and on the following Monday, it was 

 continued." He then tells us that it had been suppressed in recent years, 

 because of serious moral irregularities which had been perpetrated at the 

 assembly. Then follows the description of the rounds, which I transcribe 

 verbatim — 



" The station was commenced at Lady Well ; and the performers went 

 round the extremity of the island, 1 mile in the circuit, 7 times, equal 

 7 miles. The short rounds were commenced at a station monument (a 

 little mound of earth and stones) lying 35 yards to the west of the round 

 tower.* They went round this monument 7 times, and proceeded through 

 the door on the West gable of Saint Caimin's Church, and as far as the altar 



1 Notes on Irish Architectui-e, vol. ii, p. 4. 



- This mound still exists ; it is marked " station " on Plate I. Its purpose seems now 

 to be totally forgotten. Indeed, nothing but the tradition of " blackguardism," as it was 

 expressed to me, seems now to be remembered of the annual patron. Mr. Westropp has 



given me a legend which he heard in 1878, about one B and his foster-brother, who 



knocked holes in all the boats on the island to prevent pursuit, and carried oif a country 

 girl from the assembly by force. But St. Caimin raised a terrible storm, which upset 



their boat. B and his accomplice were drowned, the girl and the boatman, who was not 



in the secret, clung to the boat and were saved. The bodies were recovered and " waked " ; 

 that of the foster-brother was left for the night in an outhouse, and in the morning was 

 found devoured by rats and beetles. 



B.I.A. PKOC, VOL. XXXni., SECT, c. [25] 



