Westkopp — Types of the Ring- Forts and similar Structures. 219 



describing the gold ornaments found near it in 1854 ; so did Mr. E. O'Brien 

 in his notes on Dyneley's tour; while some, with disregard for the plain 

 facts of the case, identified it with the earth-works with which the Danes, 

 and later on Sir Thomas de Clare, fenced Tradree "from the river to the sea" 

 (Fergus Estuary). Mr. W. Wakeman in 1900 described it as " two large 

 raths," in a Guide of the Eoyal Society of Antiquaries. The only antiquaries 

 who condescended to examine it were John Windele and his friend Mr. W. 

 Hackett about 1856 ; but Windele's notes in the Library of this Academy 

 are as yet hardly known. They traversed a section of the outer wall, being 

 at times unable to establish its artificial character (a strange confession), 

 though its piled heaps and ditch are unmistakably artificial all round their 

 circuit. Windele notes that " Moghane " means " place of smothering," and 

 suggests that this was from brutalities practised by its ancient occupants. 

 Of course it is the name of the townland,^ not of the fort, and refers to the 

 marshy lowlands. The peasantry did not recognize the great lines as being 

 a fort,^ but said the castle was built out of the ruins ; they knew that the 

 small ring-walls were forts : these had been recently repaired for sheep-pens 

 by an O'Brien, but were newly planted at the date of Windele's account, 

 though, apparently, the trees were few, small, and sickly. He adds : " It may 

 be hoped that it [the plantation] may not thrive until a delving may be made 

 by the souterrains." Hackett noted the wall 6 feet high, but found no facings ; 

 the ditch is given as 8 to 12 feet wide ; and there are only two out of the three 

 main rings mentioned. Elks' horns and antlers were found near it; but 

 Windele's inquiries as to the gold-find were evidently frustrated by the 

 jealous suspicions of the natives of Newmarket. Strange to say, this feeling 

 had not quite died out in our time, and 1 had no little difiiculty in establishing 

 the actual scene of the " find." Windele then visited William Halpin, who 

 had (so Windele thought) sold some ornaments to Dr. Todd and Dr. Neligan ; 

 but he was told little, and deliberately misled as to the site " at the foot of 

 the hill where it is precipitous" (i.e. to the north-west, far from the 

 railway).^ No doubt, fear lest the O'Briens of Dromoland should renew 

 their claims for more than the one or two bracelets that came into their 

 possession was long an obsession on all the discoverers of the gold, and led 

 not only to silence, but to misleading statements. 



In fact, this discovery — one of the most sensational in Irish archaeology — 

 took place in making a cutting for the railway then in course of construction. 



1 1 noticed in "Waterford, near Cappagh, that a heap or sheet of stones on a mountain side was 

 called " Meilian," which is the phonetic of the local name of the Clare hill. 



2 As in Windele's time so in 1887, " the great heaps of stones " were not recognized as a furt. 



3 See Windele's Topographical Manuscript, Appendix, vol. i., p. 73, &c. 



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