530 [Proe. B,N,F,C,j 



divergent opinions, and comes to the conclusion that the real 

 landing-place of St. Patrick was on the shore of Strangford 

 Lough, just below the village of Raholp, and not far from the 

 present Church of Saul, on the site of the original church 

 founded by St. Patrick. 



Since 1874 the sand dunes of Dundrum Bay have been the 

 happy hunting ground of antiquarians, and many thousand 

 vestiges of early man in the shape of broken flints, pottery, &c, 

 have been collected here. These forms are prob.ably of the 

 pre-Celtic origin. The late Dowager Marchioness of Downshire, 

 as well as the present Dowager, were among the most active 

 investigators in this field, and the family seaside residence at 

 Murlough contains a most valuable and varied collection of the 

 typical form, mainly collected by members of the Downshire 

 family. 



The site of Dundrum Castle, as its name (the ridge fort) 

 indicates was one of the Celtic Hill forts, and as in many other 

 cases was adapted by the Anglo Normans to their own 

 requirements. The character of the structure was in accord- 

 ance with the style of fortress built by the most skilled Norman 

 military engineers of the early part of the thirteenth century. 

 Full particulars relative to this castle are given by Mr. J. J. 

 Phillips, architect, in a paper published by him in 1883. (See 

 proceedings of the Royal Historical and Archaeological Associa- 

 tion of Ireland, Vol. VI., Series IV.) 



After exploring the castle and its surroundings the party 

 split up into different sections, each taking up its own subject 

 for investigation, Some members explored the sand dunes, 

 and collected several worked flints, flakes, scrapes, and pottery; 

 another division visited, sketched, and photographed the 

 cromlech and standing stone at Slidderyford, also the round 

 tower and ancient church at Maghera. The grand outline of 

 the Mourne Mountains looked its best, and Slieve Donard, the 

 last visiting place of the first Firbolg, King of Ireland, stood 

 out conspicuous in the slanting rays of the secting sun, when 

 the party returned to meet their fellows at the hotel. As 



