Kane — Additional Researches on Black Pigh Dijke. 553 



more to Connanght."' Early Irish literature refers to the constantly recurring 

 invasions of Ulster territory from Leinster as well as Connaught, so much so 

 that at some periods the northern kingdom appears to have exercised merely 

 a suzerainty over much of her southern hinterland. It is therefore quite 

 probable that a time arrived when the power of Emania was weakening so 

 that the portion of Ulster territory east of the Shannon now represented by 

 the county Longford, had become either debatable territory or had been 

 virtually wrested from her by Connaught, and therefore it seems possible that 

 an auxiliary line of defences was constructed from Lough Gowna to Lough 

 Kinale, and thence east to meet the old frontier above described. Certain 

 passages in the Tain seem clearly to support this hypothesis, as I hope to 

 show later on. We will now pass on and describe the extension southward 

 from near Castlepollard through Westmeath toward Athlone. On the 

 southern end of Derravaragh Ijake, which is near the village of Multi- 

 farnham, in the wooded demesne of Ballinamona, S.W. of the house, are 

 some traces of earthworks from the lake shore, formerly extending south- 

 wards, but now largely demolished. About forty years ago a large 

 rampart was levelled, which ran to Soho House. They, no doubt, 

 joined those which run round Carrickgee hill (Hugh's rock), of which 

 presently. I may here mention a pass through the woods of the adjacent 

 demesne of Ballinaclonagh, called " Derreenahaugha " (the little oak wood of 

 the battle). My informant was not aware of any story in connexion with it. 

 On Carrickgee hill, at whose base the village of Multifarnham extends, a 

 well-preserved fosse runs along its eastern face, no doubt a continuation of 

 the entrenchments that were constructed from the Derravaragh shore through 

 Ballinamona. The height of the bank on the hill-side of the fosse varies from 

 12 to 16 or 17 feet. What rampart existed has doubtless been levelled. From 

 the back of the hill the depression of the fosse and remains of ramparts in the 

 townland of Eathganny continue well marked through the fields to the railway 

 (which there runs through a deep cutting), and again recommence on its far 

 side, and on thence to the boundary ditch of Wilson's Hospital, of which it 

 serves as a very ef5ficient boundary on the eastern side. Here some remains of 

 a rampart can also be identified, but no doubt the fosse on its inner side has 

 been filled up from the rampart. 



Passing out of the grounds of -Wilson's Hospital, the works recommence 

 on the far side of the high road, and run very well preserved through the 



' The "Tain" (Mrs. Hiitton's version), p. 434. 



Prof. MaoNeill also states that "the southern boundary of Uladh in the days of 

 Fiacha, south of Niall, in a.d. 515, was from Navan west to the Shannon, perhaps at 

 Athlone." — " Lectures on Irish History." 



