KA^E—T/ie Black Fig^s Dyke. 305 



on the Ordnance Sheets as "Ancient entrenchment." I learn at the 

 Ordnance Survey Office that the name " Worm Ditch " was noted by 

 O'Donovan as having been attached to this fragment, which name, however, 

 was not entered on the maps. From Drumgristin the Ditch turned east- 

 ward ; and traces of it are found through the parish of Creggan, not far 

 from the boundary of the Co. Armagh, and near to the station of Cullo- 

 ville on the Great Northern Eailway ; and pointing to a very remarkable 

 fortiiied encampment further to the east called the Dorsey, in Irish 

 " the Town of the Gates," and sometimes " the Gates of the Fews." A 

 careful description of this remarkable camp is given in a paper by the 

 Eev. Canon Lett, a copy of which he has been kind enough to send to me.' 

 In the old 6-inch Ordnance Survey maps of Armagh, not far from Forkhill, 



The Dorsy in 1836. 



^ ; ^ettiv_e . . / 



\^.;;/' Bog ■',•.-•;'-'' Pi\&^ - 

 ^^^:;--''Piies " " Bota "- 



■fe 





.;;■;;■ ....•-•••.•.•..:'-.»nmniv^'^'^ ^^ 

 iiv.;...... Bog ■•■•;:.. 







^ J 



■rnmiTnmTaTt^'^ 







Fig. 1. 



on the western spurs of Slieve Gullion, the Dorsey camp is set out as an 

 irregular trapezoid in outline, of one mile and a quarter in length by about 

 600 yards in width. The western end is semicircular in shape, while the 

 eastern end is rectangular. (See fig. 1.) This remarkable ground-plan 

 must have been deliberately adopted ; for the contour and embankment seem 

 to have been very well preserved at the date of the original survey ; and the 

 ground has no special configuration which would account for this peculiarity 

 of outline. The character of the entrenchments is exactly similar in 

 section to that of the Worm Ditch, except as to size. Those of the 

 Dorsey far exceed , the former both in height and width. Its vast 

 enclosure is defended by a high rampart of earth, with a fosse on each side 



' Journul of tlie lloyal Society of Antiquai'ies of Ireland, vol. xxviii., ^luroli, 189S. 



