448 



Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



PREVIOUS Surveys. 



The surveys earlier than 1897 were extremely defective. In 

 1808 Hely Dutton noted, briefly enough, but with some curious 

 notes, eight dolmens — Deerpark ; Cotteen, or Commons ; Tully- 

 naglashin, or Slievenagiasha ; Ballykisshen, or Eallycasheen ; Mount 

 Callan ; and three at Bally ganner.^ 



The Ordnance Survey Letters of 1839 mention (and usually only 

 mention) the monuments of Cooleamore, Cragballyconoal, Ballyganner 

 (two), Deerpark, Slievenagiasha, Reabachan, and Cotteen in Burren 

 and Inchiquin ; Kiltumper, in Ibrickan ; and, in the eastern half, 

 Cappaghbaun, Drummin, Ballykelly, and two at Miltown, with 

 what the authors consider the "well" of Tobergrania. The maps 

 of that period give 34 in the west, 42 in the east — some 76. Miss 

 Stokes next published lists, one- "drawn up by the ladies of the 

 Alexandra College Archaeological Class, who have commenced 

 by using the Ordnance Survey Letters," in 1874. This only gave 

 14 dolmens (11 named). The second^ is less accurate, and gives only 

 13 names ; and neither of these lists gives a single monument to 

 the east of the Fergus. "We published a tentative list of 83 

 dolmens in 1884,* and another, with 116 names, in these pages in 

 1897 (as noted) ; while it was in the jn-ess, there appeared the great 

 work of William Copeland Borlase, on " The Dolmens of Ireland," 

 giving 96 of the Clare dolmens.* The present paper raises the 

 number to over 170 for all Clare. It is too probably incomplete, 

 like its predecessors ; many cists may lie concealed in the crags and 

 the hazels of Burren and Inchiquin, or the deep heather and furze 

 of the eastern hills, or may be buried in cairns or built into 

 fences. The deadliest delusion that can seize an Irish antiquary 

 is that his work is complete, even after many years of unsparing 

 labour. Let us leave that fallacious, pleasing belief to those who 

 have touched the edge of Irish Archaeology, and believe that they 

 have secured "the spoils of the conquered ocean" thereof. The 

 joy of beginning and furthering the work is ours ; let us not 

 grudge the joy of harvesting to those who come after — " Quo non 

 possum corpore, corde sequor." 



1 Statistical Survey of Co. Clare, p. 317. 



2 " Early Christian Architecture of Ireland," p. 146. 



3 "Revue Archeologique," vol. xliv., 1882, pp. 19-21. 



4 R. S. A. I. Journal, vol. xxiv., p. 287. 

 ^ Log. cit., pp. 65-102. 



