8 The Bath of Drecn 



interesting to note that of all the great Norman families settled 

 in Connty Antrim after the wars of (\>i Courcy only one withstood 

 the reconquest by the Irish O'Neills, and the later English and 

 Scottish Chichesters, Hamiltons, and other Elizabethan ad- 

 venturers : I refer to the grant of the Glynns to the Bissets. 

 They, through their descendants, the MacDonnells, still remain. 

 Earls of Antrim, in the proud position of the only Co. Antrim 

 family of the Norman conquest of Ulster surviving in their 

 original lands. 



THE KATH OF DREEN, PAKTSH OF AHOGHILE. 



The townland of Dreen (the blackthorn) lies between the 

 villages of Cullybackey and Ahoghill, the Rath being one mile 

 S.S.W. of the former, but in the Parish of the latter name. 



The Rath where our investigations took place may be seen 

 on the O.S. 6" Map, Sheet 32, a little to the left of, a point l| 

 inches due south of the letter "C" in the townland named 

 Cardonaghy. There is another Kath a few hundred yards to the 

 east of that of Dieen, but it is in the townland of Cardonaghy. 



The Rath of Dreen is of the usual shape, but rather larger 

 than the majority, the airlis or fiat enclosure being 110 feet 

 in diameter. The circular vallum is built of the soil extracted 

 from the surrounding trench, and the height from the bottom of 

 the trench to the top of the vallum is about 17 feet. The airlis 

 is not raised above the level of the surrounding fields. As is 

 usually the case the Rath is built on a slight slope, which 

 facilitated the drainage of the enclosed dwellings. 



Almost in the centre of the airlis, outlined in the grass were 

 traceable two contiguous circular hut sites, each about 15 feet 

 in diameter, slightly raised al)ove the level of the immediately 

 surrounding ground ; to the east up against the inner side of the 

 vallum is a cloghan, or earth house of one chamber as shown in 



