Westropp — Forests of the Counties of the Lower Shannon Valley. 275 



lake and on its great ridge, abundant plantations, chiefly planted by William 

 Burton, of Clifden, before 1808. Bindon Blood about the same time planted 

 some 80 acres of land at Eockforest with oak, elm, beech, birch, Scotch fir, 

 and spruce, alder, sycamore, larch, and other trees. Eockforest still justifies 

 its name, though large old timber is not to be seen ; its old name was " Clanchy's 

 Forest," Coill bFlanchada ; through it ran the ancient road Bealach Fidhail, 

 called by MacGrath in 1311 " the way of Fidhail's wood," and, in 1314, " the 

 strong wood of Fidhail." The same author, under 1278, mentions " the shady 

 and in-sweet-birds-abounding woods of Brentir," in Inagh,^ in the southern 

 part of Inchiquin, and the woods between TuUy O'Dea and Inchiquin, through 

 which Mahon O'Brien and his routed army fled after their crag-ridge was 

 stormed by Prince Murchad. A wood near Dysert O'Dea played an impor- 

 tant part in the decisive battle near that place in May, 1318. A century 

 later — in about 1420 — the topographer, O'Huidrin, speaks of Ui Flaithri, 

 near Corofin, as at " Finnchoradh, land of Ui Cathail, " land of the yew," and 

 of Tully O'Dea, then, as now, " Tealach of the plain of brown nuts." It will 

 be remembered that when Hugh Eoe O'Conor invaded Clare in 1599, he 

 entered this barony by Eockforest, marching through Coill bFlanchada, and 

 Bealach an Fhiodfail in Kinel Fermaic. That same year Sir Conyers Clifford 

 sent soldiers, under Eichard Scurlog, the Sheriff of Clare, to pursue Torlough 

 O'Brien through Bealach an Fhiodfail.^ The place-names connected with 

 trees in the barony commemorate the alder at Gortbofarna in Inagh ; the 

 tree is also named among the timber of the barony in a grant to Donough, 

 Earl of Thomond, in 1622. The oak appears in the names Derryharriff, 

 Knockaderry in Eath, Derrola in Kilnamona, and in Kilkeedy at Derry- 

 lumman, also at Derryowen Castle (Doire Eogain in 1599). Kylea seems 

 to be a wood-name. The hawthorn was evidently noteworthy at Skagh- 

 vickencrow, with its legend of the treasure buried under the roots. ^ The 

 sloe was, and is, found at Drinagh; the ash at Drominshin, and osieries, 

 we may add, at Cloonselherny in Kilkeedy. The last was Cluain-sailcher- 

 naigh in 1599.* Kylederryangheen at Crossard and Garraneafuinsheog 

 (Ashfield) are to the north and west of Corofin. In 1655 the only timber 

 woods lay in Kilkeedy ; they are named in nearly every townland, amount 

 to 2,100 acres, and probably formed one of the largest woods in Clare. Of 



1 Inagh is itself an ivy-name, "Eidnagh"; it seems to be first named in connexion with 

 St. MacCieehy, about 580. See Limerick Field Club Journal, vol. iii., p. 210. The ivy was too 

 common (like the hazel) for distinctive naming ; it is, therefore, a rare place-name— e.g. Cahereiny 

 in Kilraghtis, Knockaneena, and Killaueena in Feakle, and a few others. 



- Annals of the Four Masters. 



^ See a paper by Dr. G. U. Macnam.na in the Journal of the Limerick Field Club, vol. i., 

 Part iv. 



Annals of the Four Masters. 



