486 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



forgotten princes of Cragliath to lord it over them ? One may blame 

 Donnabhan's perjury, but not bis hostility. The strong hand of King Brian 

 was on them now ; he repaired Dun Eochair Maighe at Bi-ughrigh about 

 A.D. 1002 and other forts in their neigbboui-hood, a tangible proof of his 

 position over them. Little more is to be told of them ; Caii-bre, son of^ Cleir, 

 Donnabhan's successor, died in 1013: Euadhri Ua Conchobhaiv, King of 

 Connacht, in 1084, plundered Emly, Loch Grur fort, Dromin, Luimneach, and 

 Brughrigh before he destoyed Kincora.^ In 1178 Domhuall mor, the last 

 Dalcassian King of Munster, very foolishly cleared a road for the Xormans 

 by expelling the Ui Donnabhain and Ui Chonaill- from Bruree to Shauid, 

 and they fled into Kerry for protection to MacCarthy, who planted them 

 round Mangerton and Killarney. Domhnall's fatal act bore fruit after his 

 death in 1194, when the Xormans took possession of his kingdom south of 

 the Shannon. 



Hamo de Valoignes granted Brughrigh to John and Mabella de Mareys 

 before 1200. Xorman ecclesiastics recorded Brugrighursi among their 

 churches in that year, and the Marsh family resided there (probably in the 

 Castle of Lotteragh) during the thirteenth century. There seems no reason 

 to accept the late family tale that the Lacys built and held the castle ; it 

 probably arose from some stupid confusion of the name " de Lacy " with 

 the " de Lees " family which succeeded the de ilariscos by 1289. I will not 

 repeat its late history. O'Huidhi-in calls it Dun Chuirc about 1418. The 

 Lords of Desmond held and lost the place, the de Lacys being their tenants 

 in at least 1580, and holding it till the confiscation of 1655. The church was 

 dedicated to St. Mainchin of Limerick, a cleric reputed as a disciple of Patrick, 

 but a contemporary of King Dioma's son about a.u. 650.^ The rectory had 

 been granted to Keyusham Abbey in England by 1237.' 



FoETs AT Bruree (0. S. 39). 



Lotteragh Upper Fort. — Just below the church and Ballynoe Castle 

 lie two interesting earthworks. The upper one, nearest to Bruree, is 

 evidently the earlier and more important ; there is, as we saw, some 

 reason for regarding it as the fort of Aedan, son of Mellau, a sweet singer 

 whose lay has perished, though his name remains. It is situated just below 



' Chrooicum Scotorum. 



- Dublin Old Annals, called "of Inisfallen." 



^ Dioma's son Ferdomhnach granted him Inis Sibthond, where the older Limerick 

 and St. Mainchin's church stand, '• and Mainchin gave an honourable blessing to the 

 man Ferdomnach " (Tract on the Dal gCais, N. Munster Arch. Soc, vol. i, p. 16b). 



^ For fuller notes see supra, vol. sxv, p. 230. 



