280 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



and fort. But turning to our subject of the trees, we find not a few 

 represented — a venerated tree may have grown at Kilvilly, near Inchicronan 

 Lake. Knocksalla is from the sallows, the two Cullenaghs from the holly, a 

 CuUenagh fort, near Quin, is named in 1543, in one of the Hardiman Deeds^ ; 

 the rarer arbutus is commemorated at Feaghquin (Faywhinny locally), the 

 well-known Quin (Cuinche in 1112, Quinhy locally), with its fine convent and 

 Norman castle, its church and peel- tower. Mr. M. J. McEnery^ first unearthed 

 from the Desmond Survey a most interesting notice of this most beautiful 

 shrub, under the name " Crankany " (crainn Caithne). Though not referring 

 to the actual Shannon valley, we cannot refrain from giving the extract to a 

 wider circle of readers. The entry in 1584 relates to Killarney and other 

 lands of Eory the " O'Donougho moore, a rebel and of high-treason attainted," 

 and, after enumerating the well-known Kosse or Kosidonough, Kyllarny, 

 Ennesfallen, Mockeruss, &c., it turns to the wood of Kyllonaughte : " A great 

 part of these woods consist of oak-trees great & small : but there are other 

 woods and underwoods in the island of Loghleane & elsewhere in the 

 islands, where grow certain trees called Crankany, which bear fruit every 

 month throughout the entire year. This fruit is sweet, the size of a small 

 damson, & of little value, except for its beautiful appearance, & there 

 also grow there many yew-trees otherwise ' ewe-trees,' good for making 

 bows, as is said."'* As we see, all three trees were found in ancient Clare. 



In 1651, Ludlow passed by the woods near Inchicronan on his advance 

 to Limerick ; finding his way stopped by Conor O'Brien of Lemeneagh " in 

 a pass leading to some woods," he routed the Irish, mortally wounding 

 their leader.* The oak was found at Curraderra in Kilraghtis, Derry in 

 Templemaley, and Durra in Inchicronan ; wood-names at Knocknacullia in 

 Clooney, Creevagh near Quin (so called at least as early as 1543), and Bally- 

 kilty, the Ballyquilty of the grant of 1666, under the Act of Settlement. The 

 district once contained a " bili," or sacred tree, used as a place of inauguration 

 of the Dalcassian princes of Thomond. Perhaps from the time of their con- 

 quest of the district by a.d. 377, at least from before 877, when Flan Sunagh, 

 king of Cashel, invaded Thomond and played in bravado a game of chess on 

 the green of Magh Adhair, the very place of inauguration^ — a game unfinished 

 by the assault of the indignant local king Lorcan and his ally Sioda, ancestor 

 of the MacNamaras. The " bili" was cut down by Malachy, the Ard Eigh of 

 Ireland, in 982, and " its roots dug out of the earth," an act remembered and 

 avenged by king Brian Boru when he deposed Malachy. The succeeding" 



1 Trans. E.I. A., xv. 



^ He published a translation in Journal Eoy. See. Antiquaries (Ireland), xxxvi., p. 433. 



3 Desmond Eoll, m. T^d. * Ludlow's Memoirs, vol. i., p. 358. 



5 Proc. E.I. A., 3id Ser. iv., p. 58. 



