472 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



the unfamiliar word Dovmc in his exemplar, and decided to render it " town."" 

 Of later mention FitzGerald,' in 1S27, calls it "one of the most perfect Danish 

 mounts in Ireland, surrounded with three strong ramparts and deep fosses." 

 The Ordnance Survey Letters, 1840, have — "a conspicuous green moat, sur- 

 rounded hy three circumvallations, 16 paces on top." The writer adds that 

 "the works are effaced to the north and east, about 14 feet high and 30 feet 

 asunder." Lewis. ^ with his usual gross inaceruracy, in 1836, describes " the 

 Dane's fort, a mound about 130 feet high, 50 feet at the base, and 20 feet 

 at the summit, encircled by seven earthen ramparts, about 20 feet apart . . . 

 the outermost, which is about 10 feet high and 2000 feet in circuit " ; nearly 

 every item is wrong 1 John Windele,* though he sketched the " moat " with 

 three rings, let himself be misled into quoting Lewis. As usual, we cannot 

 fix the exact date of his visit — perhaps 1833 to 1841 : he combines notes of 

 both years on the district. He calls it " a large rath "... '• encircled by 

 seven earthen ramparts," 30 feet high, the rings 10 feet to 13 feet high. 



Xothiug is implied by usage of the term " mote " in Co. Limerick, Clare, 

 and elsewhere ; it is used for any sort of fort, high or low, earth or stone ; so 

 in France the equivalent hutte is used as loosely, and, despite all assertion to 

 the contrary, there is no special height or form of fort implied by the name. 

 I have never heard it used by the peasantry for the high mote of Shanid ; I 

 have heard a modern heap in the corner of a field called "a small mote," 

 and " mote " is used for fences, stone- forts, and low ring- forts. 



The little town stands boldly at the end of the long ridge, the woods and 

 gorge of Cloghnodfoy running behind it towards Mitchellstown, imder Seefin.^ 

 Over the houses rises the dark cone of the earthwork. It is not the typical 

 smooth gi-een mound, but rough with a network of boldly marked cattle- 

 tracks. From the top is the usual noble view of the great brown and piak 

 Sliabh riach and the wide plains, the rounded hill of Mortellstown with its 

 fort, the green ridge of Ardpatrick with its ragged ruins of the church and 

 round tower, overlooking the old district of Fontymychil,* now Coshlea, " the 

 Mountain's foot." On one visit we even caught the silver flash of the Shannon 



'The local names " Ballingarry Down" and "Mitchellstown Down" support the 

 probability that there wasa •" KilfinnanDown " in 1655. Note " t" substituted for "d " 

 in " hordes " in Down Survey map 59, and in other manuscripts, ante 1700. 



- History of Limerick, vol. i, p. 390. 



^ Topographical Dictionary, vol. ii, p. 94. 



* Kerry Topography, &c. (MSS. R. L Acad., 12, C, 5), p. 370, and MSS. 12, C, 3, 

 p. 918 ; view and section, p. 926. 



^ Seefin and Glennossheen tell a tale of the great warriors of the later cycle of romance. 

 The district round Kilfinnan and BalmaUock recalls all the chief period of early legends, 

 and even of the altered gods like Aine and Eogabal. 



'^ For its identification see supra, vol. xxx, pp. 36, 37. 



