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



with water. This definition would apply to any mearing 

 formed of a wet trench between two raised banks of earth. The 

 dun and rath had sometimes small chambers excavated under 

 the ground within the enclosing rampart. These chambers 

 vary in size, but are usually nine or ten feet long, three or four 

 feet broad, and three or four feet high ; the entrance is very 

 narrow, and similar narrow passages connect the chambers with 

 each other. The chambers correspond with the earth-house of 

 the Norse, and were intended as places for hiding valuables 

 and, perhaps, as places of refuge. The fort is the conical mound 

 whose highest point is its centre. You hear these remains 

 commonly called Danes' forts ; now, this is misleading, for the 

 Danes never built the earthworks that are scattered so broad- 

 cast over our country, the time of their occupation was not 

 sufficient for such a purpose, and, besides, they only occupied 

 the fringes of Ireland and did not gain any permanent access 

 to the interior. The expression, however, may be a corruption 

 of the name of a primitive race that did build such dwellings, 

 namely, the Tuatha-de-Danaans, who occupied the land previous 

 to the introduction of Christianity, and whose name may have 

 become corrupted. The " Four Masters " record the building 

 of raths from the year anno mundi 3500 till anno domini 1100, 

 and their occupation till even more recent times. It has been 

 suggested that our round towers took their form from the shape 

 of the more primitive rath, for primitive ideas were not prone 

 to radical changes. The great fort of Rathmore, near Antrim, 

 has a written history from the second century, being the Rath 

 Mor Muighe-Line of the historians. In the seventh century it 

 was the residence of the Princes of Dalaradia, by whom it was 

 occupied in 131 5, when it was burned and looted by Edward 

 Bruce, brother ot King Robert. It is now " tilled by a Saxon 

 churl," which was prophesied of it long before its destruction. 

 It is easy to conceive how these erections were places of con- 

 siderable strength before the introduction of fire-arms. The 

 different circumvallations were skilfully planted with sharpened 

 stakes crossed and plaited together with wattles, the same as at 



