68 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 



the sister of Richard de Clare.^ The Patent Rolls contain grants for 

 the general repair of castles throughout the county in 1334, and for 

 the repair of the walls and bridge of Limerick the following year. 



These years from 1332 to 1334 were disastrous to the English. 

 The unending hate of the O'Rriens and Macnamaras watched its 

 opportunity, captured and destroyed Bunratty Castle, the outpost of 

 Limerick and key of the river on Thomond side. In the same year 

 the hostages in the castles of Ifenagh and Limerick overpowered their 

 keepers and took the castles. At Limerick the Governor himself fell 

 into their hands, and the castle had to be stormed by the mayor and 

 citizens, the hostages being put to the sword. The prisoners of 

 ^N^enagh facilitated their own ruin by burning its gate, and the strong 

 round keep, with its occupants, was soon in the hands of the Govern- 

 ment. Disaster spread, "the castle of Totomay" was levelled, and 

 even the distant JS'ewcastle Castle in the far east of Leinster was 

 taken by the O'Tooles. More trouble arose near Limerick ; and TJfford, 

 the Lord Justice, had to invade the Earl of Desmond's lands and 

 captured two of his castles in Connello and Kerry, the last being 

 Castlemaine. 



After three disastrous years, quiet was restored. John Darcy 

 repaired the castle of Adare in 1334, and there is a grant for the 

 repair of castles in Estgrene the same year. Cahirconlish, which had 

 been utterly destroyed by Prince Torlough O'Erien about 1286, was 

 fortified with a stone wall in !N'ovember, 1338, being on the marches of 

 the Irish, who menaced the town. Doubtless the expulsion of the 

 Clan Brian, O'Kennedys, and others from Clare into Ara after 1318 led 

 to corresponding pressure on the English border. Other repairs of the 

 walls and bridge of Limerick and of various unnamed castles in the 

 county belong to this decade. 



Maurice de Rupefort, Bishop of Limerick, had a careful survey 

 made of the see lands in 1334. His manors were Mongareta ; Killoc', 

 or Kilmallock ; Clonshire ; Drochetarsna ; Ardacha and Lamkaill, or 

 Loghill, with lands at Dromdyle and Dissert Marrgeoin (Tomdeely 

 and Morgans). The only castles named are ''the Lord's (Bishop's) 

 in Mongaret" and Cregganein Kemy. Of places where castles stood 

 in later days, he names Leakdon (Lickadoon), Creweymaille (Balliclogh, 

 near Knocknegall) ; Ballycathan, Yillakeating (Cloughkeating), Baly- 

 nacloghy (Stoneville) ; Rathnaseer, Downmoylan, and Cnocpatrick.^ 



^ Grossi Fines, 14. 



2 A copy made in the Black Book of Limerick is partly legible. Of this, when 



