56 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



O'Conyll, 1452, and the Eurkes, 1410 and 1520. In these and the 

 nearly unknown Account Eolls and Books of the Cromwellian 

 Government lies the key to the identity and history of the castles. 

 The history (though often broken by the scarcity of documents from 

 1420 to 1530)^ is more satisfactory than that of the churches; but we 

 have not been able to -vdsit so many of the remains of the lesser 

 towers, or to get so much help from the kind friends- who helped us 

 with their field notes on the former occasion. 



I. TOPOGEAPHICAL jS'OTES. 



The County of Limerick in its present form represents no very 

 definite early divisions of the country, and (where not fenced by the 

 Shannon and the great masses of hills) it has at times undergone no 

 little modification. The parishes of Kilmurrily, Tullylease, Cullen, 

 and Kilcolman, have all been removed ; of the encroachments of Clare 

 we have written in former papers. Its partition between the ancient 

 sees of Iniscatha, Limerick, Killaloe, and Emly, shows its composite 

 character; Owney and Coonagh extend into Tipperary, and also 

 mark how conventional was its applotment. It may perhaps be 

 defined as oldest Thomond " or Korth Munster ; but, by about 380, 

 Thomond had been extended far to the north of the Shannon by the 

 conquests of the warlike kings of Munster, Lugad Meann, and his 

 son, Conall Eachluath. As the centuries passed, the term Thomond 

 got more and more identified with the present Clare. Let us there- 

 fore rather note the constituent parts of the present county called 

 after the city of Limerick. The four western baronies — Shanid, 

 Glenquin, and Upper and Lower Connello — formed only the two 

 Connelloes in 1800,^ and the single barony of Connello in 1655. 

 They represent the tribal group of Ui Chonghaile Gabhra, and Ui 

 Fidgeinti, with the Corcoithe (Gortcoyth), Corcomuicheat (Corcomo- 

 hide), Ui Baithin (O'Meehan), and other lesser tribes.^ Kenry includes 



1 The number of places held over that period by the same famiUes marks it as 

 of little "history" and less change. The place-names, also, have hardly ever 

 altered. 



2 1 must specially thank Mr. J. Grene Barry, Dr. George Fogerty, Dr. Henry 

 Molony, and Mr. John AVardell for help at the castles, and Mr. M. J. McEnery no 

 less for his topographical knowledge than for his constant help and advice as to 

 the records, he being the first to appraise the archaeological importance of the 

 Desmond Surveys. 



3 It is even so shown in Lewis's Map, 1836. 



* E.g. Cliu mail mic ugaine, as in the Mesca Ulad" ; but this evidently ran 

 into Cosmagh. 



