56 H. C. Larvlor on 



Rathmore of Moylinny, celebrated in history, the entrance of the 

 souterrain, one of the rock hewn examples, is actually in the 

 trench, so that when the trench was filled with water the souter- 

 rain was filled to the roof. Here again seems proof positive that 

 the rath was made long after the souterrain, and that the preser- 

 vation of the latter for any useful purpose in many cases never 

 occurred to the rath builders, whose trench filled it with water. 

 In this connection I would also refer to a very interesting article 

 in the Journal of the R,H.x'\.A.I. by Mr. R. J. Usher on " Objects 

 found in the Kitchen Middens of Raths "* — In this case the Rath 

 dwellers actually used the cave which the rath enclosed as 

 their midden, the contents filling it up to a depth of some 30 feet, 

 the remains found being evidently of a later stage of civilisation 

 than those typical of souterrains, thus clearly proving that the rath 

 was much later than the cave it surrounds. There is no doubt that 

 in a few instances where forts were entirely built of carried soil, 

 as in the case at Ballyrickardmore, contemporary chambers are 

 found. A comparison of the mason work in them with that 

 of the ordinary rough built souterrains such as that in Bally- 

 edward, will sliow at once that they are of much later 

 type. The stones are all selected for size and shape, some of 

 them dressed, and the building perfectly neat and symmetrical, 

 almost resembling the examples found in Lecale, particularly- 

 those at or near Tyrella, and at Audleystown, where the stones 

 are dressed Silurian stor.e, fitting almost like bricks. 



Again, compare the domestic pottery found in the three 

 souterrains already described — I refer to that found in the very 

 bottom layer of the floor — with that found in the Ballykennedy 

 Foundry. I don't think anyone will deny that they are of about 

 the same period ; I would even go further and say that one can 

 almost trace the handiwork of one man in some of the pots found 

 in the several places. Now the Ballykennedy Foundry was mani- 

 festly of date long prior to the rath built upon its ruins, so that we 

 may again infer that the raths, of which so many of the Bally- 



* Vol. vii., 4th Series, pp. 362—368. 



