25© [Proc. B. N.T. C, 



to drink. The cloisters are perfect. The way in which the 

 abbey is dilapidated shows the little care taken of it by the 

 inhabitants of the district, and yet if a person were to touch it 

 they would cry out as if they were hurt. The roof of Moyle 

 Abbey was in existence in 1750, when a farmer in the neigh- 

 bourhood, who was building a house, took off the roof of the 

 abbey and put it on his house. Moyle Abbey has now been 

 renovated. At Killala, where the French landed, there is a round 

 tower, eighty-four feet high — one of the most perfect in the 

 country. The stones of which it was built are what is called 

 " Cyclopean." A "cyclopean" structure was one in which large 

 stones were used, and as a rule without mortar. On the Arran 

 Islands, cyclopean walls are frequently met with. At KilcummiDj 

 which is about 4|- miles north of Killala, there is the ruin of an 

 ancient chapel, probably built in the fourth or fifth century. 

 When they went back to such dates as this they must allow 

 considerable margin for imagination. Perhaps the sixth century 

 would be nearer the truth. " The temple," as the chapel is 

 called, is said to have been built by a saint who died in 679 ; 

 but some peculiarities about the structure have led inquirers to 

 conclude that the building is of an earlier date than the saint. 

 The building is of a cyclopean construction, there being stones 

 in the wall as large as a table. Evidently when it was built the 

 method of erecting arches was unknown, as one of the windows 

 is surmounted by an arch cut out of a solid stone. On the 

 outside there is a single stone with an arch cut into it, while on 

 the inside the arch is made of two roughly-hewn stones. While 

 sketching this window he noticed a remarkable natural phe- 

 nomenon — a wonderful display of perihelion. The sun was 

 shining over the south window, and he was surprised to observe 

 a rainbow with the arch downwards and the " horns" pointing 

 upwards. This he noticed for nearly two hours. At Rathfran, 

 in addition to there being an abbey which contains several 

 remarkable stones, there is a very large number of stone circles — 

 commonly called "Uruidical" circles. Near this place, at 

 Mullancrusha, is one of the finest Ogham stones in the country. 



