468 Proceedings of the Royal Irhh Academii. 



to give the conclusions on which we came to agi'ee. Ascending the Red 

 Road up the flank of Sliabh riach, and climbing up a gully, the great plateau 

 of the mountain is reached with its outlook, magnificent in spaciousness, 

 across three counties. On the brow fenced to the north by the low sand- 

 stone cliffs called the " Benches," and abutting on their edge, is the 

 monument. From the analogy of the structures abutting on the unchanging 

 inland cliffs of Burren it is probable that the " circle " was not a ring-wall, 

 but was biult of a purpose to abut on the cliff, and this is supported by the 

 fact that, instead of being a true curye, it runs straight to the edge at the 

 eastern horn. The " circle " is from 45 feet to 47 feet across. The garth is 

 raised a few feet ; its wall has seventeen large blocks, from 2 feet to 4 feet 

 high, and packed filling behind ; so that, whether it was designed for sepulture 

 or residence, it was a dry-stone wall, not a cirde Like those west of Loch Gur. 

 Dozens of stone forts have blocks as large in their foundation-course, and 

 when the lighter masonry of the wall is removed they remain. There is an 

 inner loop, by no means unprecedented in rings, even in Co. Limerick ; I maj' 

 cite the Cooloughtragh north ring, and one near Old Abbey, given earlier in 

 this paper. Its blocks are barely 2 feet high, and its ends abut against the 

 outer wall, and are 37 feet across. 



Its si^e and its stormy position (1530 feet above the sea) do not disprove 

 its being residential. I need only refer to Caherconree in Kerry, AghagHnny 

 and Caherdooneerish in Clare, and Mac Art's fort near Belfast, standing 

 respectively 2,050 feet, 1,044 feet, 647 feet, and 1,181 feet above the sea.' I 

 incline, however, to regard it as sepulchral, and as the place rightly or 

 wrongly believed to be the grave of OilioU Olom by the author or authors of 

 the Agallamh na SenorachJ' 



East from it, not far away on the plateau, is a reputed dolmen, probably 

 what is called Labbanabiertha on the maps, from a reputed witch "Bheuitha," 

 supposed to be the cairn building CaiUeach Bheara. L'ndoubtedly this latter 

 person is traditionally remembered on the plain below at the casdn of 

 Knockainey. It seems to be a large block, placed over a cleft in an outcrop 

 of the rock and wedged imderneath with small stones. 



BalldsGAKKT Down (0. S. 49). 



For bett«r completion of my notes on the northern part of Sliabh 

 riach, I must allude to a dolmen and a few more earthworks roimd its 

 base; two conjoined forts at Griston opposite the Glen of Glenaree; a square 



' Dr. Christison gives several forts of Scotland on equally high ground ; four are 

 about 1500, one 1851, feet above the sea. Tieceiri, in Wales, is about 1500. 

 - "Silva Gadelica," vol. ii, pp. 129, 130 ; also p. 540. 



