58 [Proc. B.N.F.C, 



chief residence. The noble family of Taylour, who have their 

 residence there, deriving two of their titles from this word, 

 viz., Earl of Kenlis and Marquis of Headfort ; while we find at 

 Dromore, the townland on which the great mount stands called 

 Ballymaganlis, evidently a corruption of Bally-na-cen-lis, the 

 town or place of the head fort. 



On this subject Dr. Joyce states that the word rath or ra 

 occurs in the names of upwards of noo townlands, while the 

 form lis begins 1400 of such names. This is not to be 

 wondered at when we remember the great abundance of these 

 raths in Ireland. As many as 2 191 are marked on the six inch 

 ordnance maps of Co. Limerick alone, while the province of 

 Munster contains io,coo. We must not assume, however, that 

 the raths themselves date from the time when these places 

 received their names, but being then prominent landmarks 

 they served to distinguish the various localities, just in the 

 same way that the physical features, such as the shape of a hill 

 or valley, river or ford suggested the great majority of such 

 names. 



Some years ago, when in the West of Ireland, I entered one 

 of those subterranean crypts, or souterrains, found in these 

 raths. It was the first of such that I had seen, but my guide 

 (who had assisted Sir W. Wilde in his excavations in that 

 district) informed me that of some thirty-five raths opened by 

 them, a souterrain was found in every one that was surrounded 

 by a deep trench or moat, and Mr. Brash, who had a large 

 experience in the pursuit of ogam inscriptions in the South of 

 Ireland, confirms this statement. He says — " As a rule, every 

 rath has a souterrain." My curiosity being thus aroused on 

 the subject, I was led to observe these raths more closely, to 

 become impressed by their appearance of great antiquity, and 

 to arrive at the opinion that in these we have the remains of 

 the most ancient structures intended for habitation in Western 

 Europe. 



You are all, no doubt, familiar with the traditions of the 

 various invasions of Ireland in remote ages by the Nemedians, 



