Kane— 7'/;e Black Pig's Dtjke. 319 



parts of its course the alterations that have taken place from time to time 

 have rendered it impossible to lay down certainly what was its exact original 

 contour and section. All that can be done is to carefully examine a large 

 number of the best-preserved portions, and set down the size and contour of 

 such parts of each as appear uninjured by interference, and thus build up the 

 whole plan from a series of the best-preserved fragments. Very generally the 

 farmer has contented himself with filling one of the fosses, and levelling the 

 ground up to the middle of the rampart, leaving one fosse and the face of the 

 rampart as a fence. This applies to every portion of these earthworks I have 

 been describing. It was subsequent to my visit to Granard and Mohill that 

 I came across a letter of O'Donovan written from Longford. Struck by the 

 coincidence of these ditches with the ancient Meath frontier, he awoke to the 

 conviction that his former hypotheses as to the Dane's Cast and the Worm 

 Ditch were erroneous. 



" Ballinanmck, the mouth of the pig's ford," he writes. "What pig?" 

 " The black pig who rooted up the Dane's Cast in the Co. Armagh! The 

 trench begins at L. Kineel (Kinale), and extends through the townlands of 

 Springtown, Cartronbore, Toberfelim, Ballymulty, and on to the island of 

 St. Columbkille in L. Gowna, which it crosses." " It is said to extend 

 further, but the people who informed me [O'DonovanJ have no further 

 acquaintance with it. Ancient Meath comprised all this country; and it 

 would be hard to deny that this was its boundary with Ulster." And 

 again — " That famous boundary of ancient Meath, as it is now proved to be 

 without any question, appears here also under the name of Duncladh, or 

 Barrier." We have now, therefore, only one link wanting to complete the 

 eastern alignment, namely, the junction between L. Kinale and L. Oughter ; 

 and since lakes were always utilized as sufficient barriers when they occurred 

 on the line of boundary, it seems probable that L. Sheelin, whose western 

 extremity almost meets L. Kinale, must have been connected with it by a 

 short ditch. The line of the entrenchment connecting L. Sheelin (or 

 L. Kinale) with L. Oughter has not as yet been ascertained. It probably, 

 starting from near Farnham, enclosed a portion of the baronies of Clanmahon 

 and Upper Loughtee in Cavan, as without doubt those of Clankee, Castlerahan, 

 and Tullygarvey were included in old Meath. ^ 



Note in Press. — Since reading this Paper at the Eoyal Irish Academy, Mr. Thos. J. 

 Westropp has most kindly called my attention to a portion of the works which had escaped my 

 notice. More than a mile of the " Worm Ditch " is to be traced in the parish of Denn, about 4 miles 

 S.S.W. of Cavan (Ord. S., 31). It tiikes a curvilinear course, and is stated to be connected with a 

 ring-fort. Its position through the Barony of Upper Loughtee is exactly what I have above indicated 

 to have been the probable line of frontier, namely, S.E. from Farnham towards BallyjamesdufF, and, 

 running to L. Sheelin. It is to be hoped that some traces of both extremities may be found still 

 extant. Cf. Westropp's " Ancient Forts of Iieland," p. 716, Trans. R. I. Academy, xxxi., part. rAy. 



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