Annual Meeting. 109 



trenched fi-om sea to sea." How long or how continuously they 

 camped here, or how soon their headquarters were removed to 

 the stone and lime built fortifications in the centre of the present 

 town, the documentary evidences forthcoming do not say ; 

 tradition indicates that de Courcy built four strong stone towers 

 joined by curtain walls, one of these towers only now surviving, 

 in the tower of the parish church ; another stood on the site now 

 occupied by the post-office ; the two others, long since pulled 

 down, would, with the curtain walls, have foi-med a large square 

 with a strong tower at each angle. 



The plan and section drawn out by Mr. Stendall, the 

 former fi-om the O.S. map, the latter from my measurements 

 taken in conjunction with the map, will give an idea of the 

 mound as it now stands. I have ma.de a dotted line on 

 the plan showing roughly where the tidal waters came to before 

 the Quoile flood gates were made, as the place was in de 

 Courcy's time. From these the importance of the particulars 

 mentioned in the annals of Innisfallen will be apparent. The use 

 of "the wall and ditch from sea to sea" will become evident 

 especially to those who have studied the place in situ, bearing in 

 mind the ancient level of the water. 



It must be remembered that the Normans under de Courcy 

 were well armed, mail clad soldiers, expert in deadly archery, 

 while the Irish used no armour and were ignorant of the use of 

 the bow and arrow in warfare. The absolute impregnability of 

 of the fort under these circumstances can be imagined. To this 

 impregnability of the mound, scarped and counterscarped and 

 surrounded on all sides by deep water, is probably due to the 

 ultimate conquest by de Courcy and his knights, of the whole of 

 Dalaradia. 



In accordance with the resolution of the Executive Committee 

 passed on 20th June, 1920, I made arrangements for excavations 

 to be conducted in the mound. Through the active interest of 

 I)r. T. M. Tate and Mr. S. R. Hastings of Downpatrick, a loc^l 



