64 



Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



Each has a ring fort, the latter an unusually large rath 300 feet 

 in diameter, overlooking the glen eastward and having lesser forts 

 on the opposite ridge. Glenagragarach^ in these hills (hut too far 

 northward to claim a place in the legend) shows hy its name how the 

 cry and cackling of wildfowl in these valleys impressed itself on the 

 people. Doubtless, the valleys at Portrinard were equally full of 

 "sturdy geese, rapid swans, starlings, ducks, and cranes," with 

 the glen in the legend ; and its oak- clad eastern ridge has an 

 analogy in the name Glendarragh, to the east of Tooradoo. 



Finally we may note that the Cladhruadh, the ancient road of 

 Cleeroe, ran over Knockanure Hill almost to Athea, and, perhaps, led to 

 Knocknasnaa in the neighbourhood of that village. 



3. The Earliest Castles (1192-1290). 



The " encastling" of Munster was a deliberate and slow process.^ 

 The appointment of a Governor of Limerick City by Henry III. 

 followed (and was as real as) Donald O'Erien's submission — a mere 

 nominal assertion of Norman power. Even the capture of the town 

 in 1176 gave but a short foothold to the foreigners. Eeymond and 

 M^eylerhad forced their way over the river and " the Danish walls of 

 the Island City " in vain. Donald blockaded them all the winter, 

 and, despite his severe defeat near Cashel, waylaid them at every 

 turn. On the death of Strongbow, Eeymond was anxious to go to 

 Dublin to look after his own interests. I^one of his men would 

 accept so undesirable a command, and so he took the incredible step 

 of "swearing in" Donald O'Brien. As soon as the Kormans filed 

 out of the town the inevitable result of their foolish act ensued. 

 Donald saw the last man over the bridge, which he then broke 

 down and bui-ned the town before their eyes. They watched the 

 fire in helpless disgust and retired to Dublin. In 1194, however, 

 the fierce old Dalcassian had died in peace and been buried within the 

 new Cathedral under his lion-guarded slab. John Earl of Mortain 

 appears to have secured Limerick to the English by building a castle 

 with a bridge into Thomond. He incorporated the place by charter 

 before 1197. The Irish seem to have taken it again. That year and 

 in 1200 Cathal O'Conor ravaged its market-place, which probably lay 



^ See Dr. Joyce," Names of Places," Series II., p. 318. 



2 For views on the early Norman Castles refer to a paper R.S.A.L, xxxiv., p. 337, 

 and a list of the earUest recorded Castles, pp. 344, 345. 



