1891-92.] 359 



stately tower of the parish church, and the graceful modelling 

 of Cole's monument on the Fort Hill. The towers of the old 

 castle at Portora, long the stronghold of the Maguires, were 

 admired ; but alas ! for the changes of time, the crumbling walls 

 only now speak of the troops of kernes and gallowglasses who 

 once surrounded this spot ever ready to serve their chieftain 

 either in peace or war. 



An old, picturesque flat-bottomed cot, embedded amongst the 

 reeds at Devenish, made an excellent landing-place, and the 

 party were soon scattered about inspecting the ruins of this 

 sacred spot. The round tower, cross, and abbey, from an 

 artist's standpoint, make a perfect picture ; but the antiquarians 

 of the party were not satisfied until every minute detail of 

 architecture was carefully examined, and in many cases photo- 

 graphed or sketched, thus forming a lasting record for the Club's 

 albums. The beautiful cross lately conserved by the Board of 

 Works, under the guidance of Mr. Plunkett, was the centre of 

 an animated discussion on the question lately raised by Mr. 

 Wakeinan and others as to whether the head of the cross was 

 originally a piece of tracery from a window of the abbey or a 

 memorial erected to a departed abbot or chieftain. After a 

 most careful examination of the cross by the chief archaeologists 

 of the Club, it was unanimously agreed that the cross as at 

 present erected serves its original purpose, and the beautiful 

 carvings on the terminals of the arms and other appearances 

 conclusively prove that the whole is an excellent specimen of a 

 mediaeval memorial cross. The priory church and dwelling 

 were examined, and a rubbing of a grave-slab bearing the date 

 1449 was made by the President. The arches supporting the 

 tower are very fine, and the corbels and capitals are peculiarly 

 Celtic. 



Some fine old stones bearing interlacing ornament were 

 observed built into the walls of the priory, and of these rubbings 

 were also made. The clochteac then attracted attention. Its 

 imposing size and beauty, and the skilful chiselling of its 

 masonry, clearly place it in a premier place amongst our 



