74 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



their families, to be given along with the account of their old homes. 

 Others have expressed hopes of finding thrilling accounts" of the 

 " heroic last stand of the Desmonds," and the undescribed deeds of 

 war round our ancient towers." Others, more reasonably, expect 

 "full histories of the native Irish,"^ among whom they often appear 

 to confuse the old Englishry. None of these can we fully satisfy in 

 a survey such as this. 



The needs of the antiquarian student and topographer must be 

 first considered and supplied. Field lists are a most pressing want to 

 Irish antiquaries ; these we strive to give, while many will find new 

 facts relating to their families and to the old buildings of their 

 neighbourhood, which may form in their hands the basis of fuller and 

 more interesting papers possible in a study of a single castle and its 

 owners, but impossible in a general survey. 



For the rest, we leave our work to the charitable opinion and the 

 practical criticism, correction, and addition of all who may use it as a 

 stepping-stone to better things. 



Abbreviations and chief Authoeities. 



Acct. E., . Account Rolls, P.R.O.I., Limerick district, 1650-58. 

 Ann. . Annals, viz., Ult., Ulster ; F.M., Four Masters ; 



Inisf ., Inisfallen ; Clon, Clonmacnoise ; L. Ce, 



Loch Ce. 



E.B.L. . Black Book of Limerick — Maynooth. 



B. D. . Book of Distribution and Survey, P.R.O.I. 



C. . Castle. 



C. S. . Civil Survey of 1657— P.R.O.I. 



D. S. . Down Survey — "A," unburned ; and " B," burned 



maps. " Petty " refers to the Vallancey copies of 



the maps taken to Paris. 

 Dep. . Depositions, County Limerick and Clare, T.C.D. 

 Des. R. . Desmond Roll, 1583— P.R.O.I. 

 Dub. Reg. Registry of Deeds, Dublin. 



Fi. . Fiants. The date shows the reign ; the numbers refer 



to the Appendices to the Report of the Deputy 

 Keeper of the Records, Ireland, ^^"os. 1 1 and suc- 

 cessive. 



FzG. . Fitzgerald and Macgregor's History of Limerick. 



^ The Irish Annals are practically hlank, so far as the history of the lesser 

 Limerick castles is concerned. 



