Westropp — Ancient Castles of the County of Limerick. 75 



Inq. . Inquisitions, Exch., Exchequer ; Chan., Chancery ; 



the two series temp. James I. are lettered A and 

 B. 



Len. . Lenihan. History of Limerick. 

 O.S. . Ordnance Survey Maps. 

 O.S.L. . Ordnance Letters, R.L Acad. 

 P.R.O.I. Public Record Office, Ireland. 



R. . Rolls, i.e.^ Pat., Patent; Close; Mem., Memoranda of 



Exchequer; Plea; and Acct., Account Rolls. 

 R.I.A. . Royal Irish Academy. 



R.S.A.I. Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, under its 

 various names. 



S. . Survey, i.e., C.S. Civil; D., Down; 0., Ordnance. 



Besides these we may note — 

 Wars G.G. Wars of the Gaidhil with the Gaill (ed. Todd). 

 Wars Tori. Cathreim Thoirdhealbhaigh. 



Rentals. 1336, of De Rupefort. 1452, of Oconyll. 1540, of 

 the Burkes. 



A SURVEY OF THE CASTLES IN COUNTY LIMERICK. 

 Limerick City. 



Little need be said on this subject. " Luimneach," an ancient 

 name for the Shannon Estuary, and a tribe along its southern 

 bank from the Maigue eastward, suggested to the Norsemen of the 

 ninth century the name Hlimrek for their most western town. The 

 Dalcassians held it more or less in subjection from the late tenth 

 century for 200 years. It was then taken by the Normans, lost, 

 retaken, and incorporated about 1195. Its subsequent history, its 

 capture by the Irish in 1197, 1200, and 1369, and by the English in 

 1649 and 1691, is well known, and may be learned in the Histories 

 by W. Ferrar, 1767 ; Rev. P. Fitzgerald and J. J. Macgregor, 1827 ; 

 Maurice Lenihan, 1867 ; and the Rev. James Dowd, 1896, "Limerick 

 and its Sieges." 



1. King's Castle (Ordnance Survey Map 5). Stanihurst says 

 that King John built an " egregium castellum" and a bridge there. 

 The north-west or " Bridge " Tower is believed to be the oldest part. 



