Recent Antiquarian Explorations. 37 



church is built beside a Pagan cemetery, near to which is a very 

 peculiar stone containing nine basin-shaped cavities around a 

 larger central basin. There is an oval or rounded stone, with 

 evident marks of chiselling, placed in each cup. On the shore 

 of the lake Mr. Plunket, of Enniskillen, who was one of the 

 party, picked up a well-formed stone celt. We did not delay 

 here, but proceeded to the left of the Sligo road, up a precipitous 

 range of hills, which commanded a fine view of Lough MacNain 

 and the distant hills of Sligo and Donegal. 



Having visited this locality last year, I had obtained some 

 information which led me to believe that there was a fine 

 cashel here, the existence of which had not been recorded. 

 After many inquiries, and procuring the assistance of a young 

 man who lived in this locality, we at last found what we were 

 in search of. In the townland of Moneygashel, on the farm of 

 a man called Terence Coyle, who is a stonemason as well as a 

 farmer, we found this ancient Cyclopean fortress. The internal 

 diameter of the cashel is 85 feet by 83 feet, the wall is 16 feet 

 thick, and stands at present to a height of about 8 feet. We 

 obtained two photographs of it — one showing the ancient steps 

 leading up to the top of the wall, and the other the portion of 

 the wall that is best preserved. There are two pairs of steps 

 within it, having one large step at the bottom from which a 

 stone stair leads to the right, whilst another leads to the left. 

 These are particularly interesting, as very few of our ancient 

 cashels have the original stone stairs still in situ. The doorway 

 has been partly restored by the owner, who, as I have stated 

 before, is a mason, and has taken a great interest in the preser- 

 vation of the fort. On the lowest ground within the cashel 

 there is a small ope, only observable on the outside, about 

 12 inches high, and 18 inches wide. It was evidently the exit 

 for the drainage of the interior. We examined a fine cromlech 

 not heretofore described, detected in the distance by the keen 

 eye of Mr. Plunkett, around which were observable other 

 remains of a Pagan cemetery. 



On our way to examine a rocking stone and two giants' graves 



