106 
THE ARAN ISLANDS. 
May, 1891. 
The medieval antiquities are not so numerous, the most 
striking example being Furmina Castle on the south island. 
There are none on the middle island, and on Ara Mor are 
to be seen the ancient foundations of a small square castle 
of the sixteenth or seventeenth centuries, near the Seven 
Churches, the walls of which are of uncommon thickness; 
St. Martin’s Tower, on the south cliff, about which I could 
get no information; and finally Arkin Castle, which faces the 
sea at Killeaney. This requires some notice, as it enjoys the 
distinction of being the last stronghold which held out for the 
Boyalist cause during the Parliamentary war; it was not 
reduced until something like six months after all resistance 
had ceased elsewhere. 
Arkin Castle, now a ruin, was originally built in the time 
of Elizabeth, but was enlarged and strengthened after it fell 
into the power of the soldiery of Cromwell, at the expense of 
the material procured by the destruction of the Monastery of 
St. Eany, the only remains of the latter to be seen at the 
present day being a handsome cross placed in the middle of 
a field. This was one of the most important positions in the 
west of Ireland, giving to its owner the command of the 
whole trade of Galway, then one of the most important sea¬ 
ports in the kingdom. An attempt has been made to restore 
Galway to this position by making it the point of departure 
for America, instead of Moville and Queenstown, but after 
the loss of one or two of the steamers the attempt col¬ 
lapsed. 
About the 18th century these islands were in the posses¬ 
sion of the O’Briens, of Tourea, in Thomond, and in 
subsequent years they were a source of continual warfare 
between this sept and that of the O’Flaherties of West 
Connaught; until, in the time of Queen Elizabeth, Sir 
Murrougli Q’Flalierty succeeded in expelling the O’Briens 
and obtained possession of the Great Island, after which 
the Queen declared both parties to be traitors, and seized 
Aran as her own. After that time all patents for land in 
Jar-Connaught were granted to be held as tenants of the 
Queen’s Manor of Arkyn. 
I now come to the last subject of archaeological interest on 
which I shall say a few words, viz., that of sepulture and the 
memorials of the dead. Of prehistoric burial there is little 
trace ; all I saw were a few menhirs, or standing stones as 
they are called in Cornwall, in the vicinity of the Church of 
the Four Beautiful Saints; and I believe that no cromlech, 
kistvaen, or barrow, is known to exist on any of the islands. 
Of course, when the old churches were in daily use, there 
