RATHS AND STONE FORTS.
RATHS AND DUNS--SUBTERRANEAN CHAMBERS--SOUTERRAIN IN GURTEEN
RATH--TARA--EMANIA--RATH OF DOWNPATRICK--HILL OF WARD--NAAS
RATH--CASHELS--CLOCHAUNS OR BEE-HIVE HUTS--STAIGUE FORT--
CAHERCONREE--CLARE FORTS--DUN AENGUS--THE DINGLE FORTS AND
CLOCHAUNS--DUNAMOE--INISMURRAY--GRIANAN OF AILEACH--GENERAL
CONSIDERATIONS.
The wooden huts or wicker and clay dwellings of the primitive
inhabitants of Ireland were quick to decay; but the raths, lisses,
duns, and cashels, the remains of their camps and fortresses, exist
all over the country, dotting many a plain or valley, and crowning
many a hill. Whatever distinction originally existed between the terms
_rath_ and _Lios_ or _Lis_, they are now commonly applied to fortified
dwelling-places. Though they were generally used to signify the earthen
rampart round the enclosure on which the dwellings were built, ‘both
are,’ says Dr. Joyce, ‘not unfrequently applied to the great high
entrenched mounds which are commonly designated by the word _Dun_.’[75]
* * * * *
_Raths and Duns._--Notwithstanding the destructive agencies of time,
and especially the reclamation and enclosure of land, the number of
raths still remaining is very great. The Ordnance Survey showed 10,000
in Munster, Limerick having 2191,[76] and the number for the whole of
Ireland may be taken from 28,000 to 30,000. Dr. Joyce states that the
term _Rath_ enters into the name of 700 townlands, and _Lis_ into 1400
townlands and villages. That so many of these structures remain, is due
largely to the fact that the peasantry have a superstitious reverence
for these ‘forts’ as the home of the ‘good people’ or fairies. They
are also popularly attributed to the Danes; but their very number and
distribution, and the fact that the Danes never established themselves
beyond the east and south-east coast of Ireland, are sufficient,
without mentioning other considerations, to show that the Danes had
nothing to do with their erection. Fort-building covered a long period
of time; and at whatever remote date it commenced, there is evidence to
show that the forts were built and restored for many centuries after
the introduction of Christianity into Ireland.
The general plan is circular and the construction simple. A deep ditch
or trench was dug and the earth thrown up, forming a steep enclosing
dyke or rampart, which was probably rendered further secure by a stake
fence. They vary in size from a few yards to a hundred in diameter, and
often consist merely of the circular entrenchment, the area of which
is slightly raised above the level of the adjoining land. These are
common in the central parts of Ireland, such as the motes of Granard,
Slane, and Clones. But in the case of many of the more important they
were enclosed by two, three, or more breastworks; and within the inner
rampart stood a steep mound, flat at the top, on which was erected the
house of the king or chief, overlooking the camp. On the verge of steep
cliffs, or rocky headlands jutting into the sea, and on the summit
of inland hills, these defences were generally erected. Sites were
chosen whose natural features afforded a ready means of rendering the
positions secure. The term _Dun_ is usually applied to this class of
fortification, and it enters into the composition of many place-names,
Dr. Joyce stating that it is used as a prefix to 600 townlands.
Alignments of forts are an important feature in Ireland, and will be
found especially on the sea-coast from Waterford, westwards, and round
to the north of Mayo, and also in many inland districts. Perhaps the
largest earthwork in Ireland is the Dun at Dorsey, County Armagh. It
is about one mile long and 600 yards wide, and consists of a great
embankment with a fosse on each side and outer ramparts. Portions still
remain sufficient to show the magnitude of this great earthwork when
originally constructed.[77]
* * * * *
_Souterrains._--Within the inner rampart, but not in the raised
mound as far as we have examined, underground passages and chambers
varying in plan have been discovered. These earth-houses, to which the
term _Souterrain_ is now usually applied, are generally similar in
structure to the sepulchral chambers already described, the passages
being lined and covered with stones, and the chambers of a bee-hive
shape, formed by overlapping courses. Where the earth was sufficiently
compact the excavation was sometimes made practically without the aid
of stone, which was used only in forming the entrance. It is evident
from the intricate nature of these underground structures, and the
readiness with which they could be defended from attack, that they were
designed as places of safety. They were probably used both as places
of temporary retreat and as storehouses, the want of ventilation, save
that derived from the narrow external entrance, rendering them unfit
for continued habitation. Tacitus says the Germans dug underground
dwellings: ‘These they use as winter retreats and granaries, for they
preserve a moderate temperature; and upon an invasion, when the open
country is plundered, these recesses remain inviolated, either because
the enemy is ignorant of them, or because he will not trouble himself
with the search.’
An examination of the kitchen-middens of some of these raths produced
the ordinary ‘finds’ of primitive dwellings, stone, flint, and bone
weapons and implements, the bones of animals used for food, fragments
of pottery, bronze and iron objects. The Whitechurch rath, examined
by Mr. R. J. Ussher, yielded a variety of these, including many iron
objects, which showed that its occupation probably covered a long
period of time. The rath had been deeply excavated to form the chambers
and an extensive system of connecting galleries.[78] Souterrains are
found apart from raths in isolated places in many parts of Ireland.
They are very similar to those found in Scotland, where they are known
as ‘eirde houses,’ ‘weems,’ or ‘Picts’ houses,’ and also to those found
in Cornwall, which seems to point to a common origin for all. ‘The only
slight difference between the Irish and the Scotch,’ says Dr. Munro,
‘is in the extent of curvature of the main gallery, which appears to be
less pronounced in the Irish souterrains.’ He also points out that they
differ in being so often found in connection with raths, as among the
Scotch examples ‘only one instance is known inside a fort--viz., that
in the ancient fort known as Macbeth’s Castle on Dunsinane Hill.’[79]
Underground dwellings have been used by primitive races everywhere--in
Asia, Africa, and America, as many travellers testify.
Gurteen Rath is situated about four miles from Mullingar. Within it
is an interesting souterrain, of which the accompanying figure is a
plan. The entrance is on the east side, and the passage is 17 feet
long, 3 feet wide, and 3 feet high. At the end a step of 10 inches, and
at the same time an additional rise in the height, give an elevation
to the roof of about 6 feet; to the right is another passage leading
to a circular chamber 7 feet high. The main passage takes a curve to
the west, and at 12 feet a short passage leads to another circular,
but smaller, chamber. Continuing, and making a full distance of 46
feet, the main passage ends in a third, and largest, circular chamber,
7½ feet high and 10½ in diameter. The chambers are of the ordinary
bee-hive pattern.[80]
[Illustration: Plan of Souterrain, Gurteen Rath, near Mullingar.]
The date of the Irish souterrains is as difficult to determine as
that of the raths themselves. From their similarity to the sepulchral
chambers it has been thought by some that they were constructed by the
same race of people and about the same time. But there are essential
points of difference between them: souterrains are generally much more
complicated in plan, and were evidently designed to be defended; they
are underground, whereas the sepulchral chambers are under raised
mounds; the latter are megalithic, while, as a rule, the former are
microlithic, although in the case of the Doon souterrain, stones 9
and 10 feet in length were used.[81] The presence of Ogam stones
in some, as has already been mentioned, would point to a period for
their construction subsequent to the use of these stones as monuments.
Whatever the date of the construction of these places of security may
have been, there can be very little doubt of the necessity for their
use at least in early mediæval times. When we take into account the
lawlessness, and the insecurity and indifference to human life during
the Norse period of invasion, which, as the Annalists fully testify,
were only too common under the rule of irresponsible petty kings and
chiefs, we can readily understand the necessity of refuges such as the
forts and underground chambers afforded, by which the construction of
some may perhaps be accounted for.
* * * * *
_Royal Residences._--Among the royal residences mentioned in early
Irish records, the Hill of Tara, in County Meath, is the most
celebrated. From the earliest period of which we have even traditional
history, down to the middle of the sixth century, it appears to have
been a chief seat of the Irish kings. Here, every third year, was
held the great national convention called the ‘Feis of Teamhair.’
Shortly after the death of Dermot, the son of Fergus, in the year 563,
the place was deserted, in consequence, according to the _Annals of
Clonmacnoise_, of a curse pronounced by St. Ruadan, or Roadanus, of
Lorrha, against that king and his palace. After thirteen centuries of
decay and neglect, the chief monuments for which the hill was at any
time remarkable are still to be traced. They consist, for the most
part, of circular or oval enclosures and mounds, within, or upon which,
the principal dwellings of the ancient royal seat were situated. The
accompanying Plan of Tara is adapted from the Ordnance Survey map, upon
which the names were laid down by Petrie and O’Donovan, after a careful
study of some ancient Irish records. In these were found most minute
descriptions, with occasional plans of the various monuments as they
existed previous to the twelfth century.
[Illustration:
_Walker & Boutall sc._
Plan of Tara.]
[Illustration: The Forradh, Tara.]
The rath called _Rath na Riogh_, or _Cathair Crofinn_, appears
originally to have been the most important work upon the hill, and,
according to tradition, the oldest. It is of an oval form, and measures
in length from north to south 853 feet. The ditch is 4 feet deep; the
rampart, greatly reduced, is but 6 feet high, and appears in part to
have been constructed of stone. Within its enclosure are the ruins of
the _Forradh_, or ‘Place of meeting.’ The mound of the Forradh is of
considerable height, flat on the top, and encircled by two lines of
earth having a ditch between them; its greatest diameter is 296 feet,
and across the inner circle 88 feet. Set in its centre, as already
stated, is a very remarkable pillar-stone, supposed to be the Lia Fail,
or Stone of Destiny (see p. 8).
* * * * *
_Teach Cormaic_, lying to the south-east of the Forradh, to which it
is joined by a common parapet, may be described as a double enclosure,
the rings of which upon the western side become connected. Its diameter
is about 140 feet. To the north of these and within the enclosure is a
small mound called _Dumha na nGiall_, the ‘Mound of the hostages,’ a
characteristic example of its class.
Without the enclosure to the north is _Rath na Seanadh_, the ‘Rath of
the Synods,’ which derives its name from the synods held here by St.
Patrick and his successors, but it is of much older date. Among the
trees to the north-west of the hill are two forts, _Rath Grainne_ and
_Fothach Rath Grainne_, respectively. Rath Grainne is recorded to have
belonged to, and to have been named after, Grainne, a daughter of King
Cormac Mac Art, and wife of Fin Mac Coul, whose well-known story we
have already referred to. To the east of these is _Rath Caelchon_.
* * * * *
The ruins of _Teach Miodhchuarta_, the Banqueting Hall of Tara,
occupying a position a little to the north-east of _Rath Riogh_,
consist of two parallel lines of earth, running in a direction nearly
north and south, and divided at intervals by openings which indicate
the position of the ancient doorways. The entrances appear to have
been twelve in number, six on each side; but as the end walls, which
are now nearly level with the ground, may have been pierced in a
similar way, it is uncertain whether this celebrated hall had twelve or
fourteen entrances. It measures 759 feet long by 90 feet externally,
and 45 feet internally. It was probably divided into three sections,
and was evidently intended for the accommodation of a large number at
the same time. From the MSS. that have come down to us, we have reason
to suppose that the songs of the old Irish bards, descriptive of the
royal feasts of Teamhair, are not the fictions that many people are
ready to consider them. If, upon viewing the remains of this ancient
seat of royalty, disappointment is felt, and even the tales of its
former magnificence questioned, it should be remembered that, since
the latest period during which the kings and chiefs of Erin assembled
here, thirteen centuries have elapsed, and our surprise will not be
that so few indications of ancient grandeur are to be found, but that
any vestige remains to point out its site. It is a matter greatly to be
regretted that, such as they are, the remains have been much interfered
with in the last couple of years by the excavations of a small set of
irresponsible enthusiasts, searching for the ‘Ark of the Covenant’!
* * * * *
_Emania._--We can but briefly refer to a few of the many other motes
celebrated in past times. A residence of the Ulster kings was Emania,
better known as Navan Fort, two miles west of Armagh. It is enclosed
by a rampart, elliptical in shape, which covers an area of about
twelve acres. The east side of the great entrenchment is much cut
away, but the west side is fairly preserved. One of the inner mounds
is comparatively perfect; it measures about 220 feet in diameter,
and rises to a height of 138 feet from the lower base of the fort.
Founded, according to the usual authority, by Queen Macha in 300 B.C.,
it remained for over 600 years the seat of royalty. Here, too, the
Red Branch Knights, whose deeds are celebrated in Irish romance, were
established under King Conor Mac Nessa in the first century.
* * * * *
[Illustration: Rath of Downpatrick.]
_Rath of Downpatrick._--This was known in past times as ‘Rath
Celtchair,’ after a hero of the Red Branch Knights, who dwelt here. It
is one of the finest motes in Ireland, and consists of a mound 60 feet
high, 2100 feet in circumference, surrounded by triple ramparts, one of
which is 30 feet wide.
* * * * *
_Hill of Ward._--The Hill of Ward, near Athboy, was the site of the
Palace of Tlachtga, where the great festival of Samhain, the end of
summer (Nov. 1st), was celebrated. Here the sacred fire was lighted,
and sports and games held for three days before the eve of the festival
and for three days after. At Teltainn, now Teltown, was another great
palace where, from a remote period, a great fair was held on August
1st, instituted, it is said, by Lewy, in honour of his foster-mother,
Taillte, daughter of the King of Spain. Games of all kinds were
celebrated, and chance marriages made, some of which practices came
down to modern times.
* * * * *
_Naas Rath._--The great rath at Naas was the ancient seat of the kings
of Leinster, the place of assembly of the chiefs of the province, and
continued so until the tenth century. The Hill of Allen, about eight
miles to the west, was another seat of the Leinster kings. Here, we
are told, dwelt Fin Mac Coul and his companions in the reign of Cormac
Mac Art; but the remains of the old mound were nearly destroyed when
erecting the modern monument on the summit of the hill. About the same
distance south-west of Naas was Dun Aillinne, a third of the royal
seats of Leinster. This crowned the Hill of Knockaulin, and the earthen
rampart of the fort still surrounds its summit. Many of the motes were
used also as places of burial, and we find recorded instances of such
within the mound. Remains of burials have frequently been discovered;
and these have a special significance to which we have referred in the
previous chapter.
* * * * *
_Caher or Cashel._--Where stone was abundant, as in Kerry, Clare, the
Arran Islands, Mayo, Sligo, and other districts, the defences consisted
of walls of dry masonry called _Cathairs_ (Cahers), or _Caiseals_
(Cashels). Many of these are found on projecting headlands, or on
steep precipitous cliffs, the line of defence crossing and enclosing a
portion of land that had a natural protection seawards. Cashels existed
too in exposed situations on hill-tops and bleak uplands. The walls
usually show that two faces were built many feet apart with a batter,
and the interior filled up with a mass of rough rubble which, in
settling, often brought destruction on the walls. Others, however, were
constructed of two or more walls lying close together and apparently
forming one mass, reaching a thickness of 16 to 18 feet. The inner
wall was formed into flights of steps leading to a platform lower than
the outside wall, and on which a stand could be taken for defence. The
gateways are of particular interest and of varied features; the more
general kind have inclined sides, a heavy lintel, and a regular course
of masonry through the wall. Passages and chambers exist within some of
these cashels, intended, no doubt, like the souterrains, as places of
retreat in time of danger. These stone forts were sometimes defended by
outer works, as in the case of Dunbeg (Kerry) and Moghane (Clare), or
by a _chevaux-de-frise_ of sharp stones set in the ground, as at Dun
Ængus and Dubh Caher in Aranmore, Ballykinvarga in Clare, and Dunamoe
in Mayo.
Many of the cashels contain small stone-roofed buildings called
_Clochauns_, or bee-hive huts. These are circular or oval in plan,
and the walls converge upwards by the gradual approximation of the
horizontal layers of stones until the top is reached and closed by a
single slab, as in the case of the chambers in the tumuli. Examples
of these singular structures are to be found in Kerry, Aranmore,
Inismurray, and elsewhere. They are of especial interest, not only as
dating from pre-Christian times, but because they were adopted by the
early missionaries, with such modifications as necessity required, as
models of the monastic cells and oratories. The circular bee-hive hut
was necessarily of very moderate dimensions; but the difficulty of
space was sometimes overcome by connecting two or three together by
short passages, as in the clochauns in the neighbourhood of Dingle.
The bee-hive cells in this district are among the most remarkable now
remaining; some of them contain souterrains with a trap-like entrance
from the floor.
* * * * *
[Illustration: Staigue Fort, Co. Kerry.]
_Staigue Fort_, the most perfect example of the caher or cashel now
existing in Ireland, is about fourteen miles from Waterville, on the
road to Kenmare. The plan is nearly circular; it measures 114 feet
exterior diameter, and the enclosed space is 88 feet from east to west.
It is built of schistose slate, and the spaces between the blocks are
filled with spawls of the same rock. The wall varies in height from 10
to 18 feet; it is 13½ feet thick at the base, and about 7 feet at the
top, and this is due to the batter or incline of the inner and outer
faces. The doorway is 6 feet 2 inches high, 5 feet 2 inches wide at the
bottom, and 4 feet 3 inches at the top. In the wall, and with small
entrances opening to the court, are two chambers, one measuring 10 feet
by 4 feet and 6 feet high; the other 8 feet by 4 feet. The main face
of the wall presents a series of ten sets of stairs, leading to narrow
platforms, the highest reaching nearly to the top of the rampart. The
steps are not uniform; some rise from the base, and some from a few
feet above the ground. The plan and execution exhibit great skill in
this primitive style of architecture.
One of the most elevated forts in the British Isles is that on
_Caherconree_, the most westerly height of the Slieve Mish mountains.
It stands on the shoulder of the mountain, about 10 miles south-west
of Tralee, in a commanding situation, at an elevation of 2050 feet,
and with a magnificent outlook. The cashel is about 350 feet long, and
forms the base of a triangular spur of the mountain, the sides of which
descend in steep cliffs for about 200 feet. The rampart is terraced,
but is now in a ruinous condition; its present thickness is 16 feet 9
inches at entrance, and its greatest height 10½ feet. It was defended
by a fosse and vallum of earth and stone, the top of which ran at about
40 feet from the rampart.[82]
Clare is very rich in stone forts, the remains of about 400 of which
are known. Most of these are in the Burren district; they are akin to
the great duns of the Aran Islands, and were evidently built by the
same race of people. One of the most remarkable of the Clare forts,
and one of the largest fortifications of any class in Ireland, is
_Moghane_, which crowns a low hill in the demesne of Dromoland, a
few miles south of Ennis. It is much defaced, and has been greatly
neglected in the past. It consists of three stone ramparts; the
innermost and the second are nearly circular, and their greatest
diameters are 380 and 650 feet respectively. The outer is oval, and
was adapted to the contours of the hill; it measures 1500 feet north
and south, and about 1100 feet east and west. The united length of the
walls is about 7850 feet, enclosing an area of 27 acres. According
to Mr. T. J. Westropp, who has made a special study of these forts,
and to whom archæologists are indebted for his valuable survey,[83]
the estimated contents of the Moghane walls amount to about 1,177,000
cubic feet of stone. The inner cashel had two entrances, east and west;
the second three, the south-west entrance being defended by a small
circular fort; the outer wall had three entrances on the north and
one on the south, and it was defended without by a small fort, while
another within defended the wall on the west. There are no traces
of terraces or steps in the inner face, though this may be due to
defacement, yet the probability is, as Mr. Westropp says, that they did
not exist here. He is also of opinion that this great fort was hardly
built before the coming of the Dalcassians about 370 A.D.
On the south coast of Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands, is
_Dun Ængus_, described by Petrie as ‘the most magnificent barbaric
monument now extant in Europe.’ It is built on the very edge of sheer
cliffs 250 to 300 feet in height, forming the south and east sides;
it is of a horse-shoe shape, and some archæologists think that it was
originally oval, and that it acquired its present form from the falling
of portions of the cliffs. It consists of three enclosures, and remains
of a fourth. The wall which surrounds the innermost is 18 feet high and
12 feet 9 inches thick; it is in three sections--the inner 7 feet high,
with ranges of steps similar to those in Staigue fort. This enclosure
measures 150 feet from north to south, and 140 feet from east to west.
The doorway is 4 feet 8 inches high, and 3 feet 5 inches wide, very
slightly inclining; and the lintel is 5 feet 10 inches long. In the
north-west side is a passage leading into the body of the wall. The
second rampart, which is not concentric, encloses a space about 400
feet by 300 feet. Outside the second wall is a _chevaux-de-frise_,
30 feet wide, formed by sharp stones placed on end, seemingly to
hinder the approach of an enemy. Surrounding all is a rampart, nearly
destroyed, enclosing a space of 11 acres. Of the same class are Dubh
Caher, Dun Onaght, and Dun Eochla, and on Inishmaan Dun Conor.
* * * * *
_The Dingle Forts._--For variety and profusion of prehistoric and
early Christian remains, that district of Corkaguiny lying west of
a line from Dingle to the north-east entrance of Smerwick Harbour,
has no equal in the British Isles. Scattered over its surface is an
extraordinary number of cashels, clochauns, pillar-stones, early
churches, crosses, and other remains. The fine fortification of
_Ballyheabought_, two miles north of Dingle, consists of a stone-faced
earthen rampart 12 to 14 feet thick, enclosing an area of about 100
feet in diameter, with a continuous narrow platform about 3 feet above
the present level of the court. It is surrounded by a fosse 25 feet
in width, the greatest depth being 20 feet. Beyond this is another
breastwork, 10 feet thick, faced on the exterior with stones, with
a second but smaller fosse without. The entrance was from the west;
and the remains show that a massive stone doorway once existed in the
ramparts. In the inner area are the remains of several clochauns;
the principal one is 18 feet internal diameter; a portion is cut off
into a separate chamber; and a low passage connects this with a small
semicircular compartment to the south. Without the group to the north
is a row of upright flagstones forming a passage to a round oblong
clochaun to the west. A wall to the south connects the circular group
with the rampart, thus shutting off what was probably the women’s
portion of the fort.
The primitive remains, numbering from seventy to eighty, lying between
Ventry and Mount Eagle, which rises over the Blasket Sound to the
north of Slea Head, were, for the first time, fully described after a
proper survey by Du Noyer in 1858. Of these the Fahan group of forts
and stone huts is the most remarkable, and shows that a considerable
population must have inhabited this wild and remote spot at a very
early date. At Coumenoole are ten clochauns. Glen Fahan has six forts
containing eighteen clochauns, a triple clochaun, and twenty-three
others detached. The triple clochaun is known as _Caher Fada an
Doruis_, the ‘Long fort of the door.’ It has been cleared out in recent
years. The east and central chambers are connected by a passage 8 feet
long; they are circular, and measure 13 feet and 18 feet in diameter
internally. The west cell is semicircular; it is connected with the
central by a passage 6 feet long, and measures 10 feet by 14 feet.
The main cell is entered from the south-east by a sloping passage;
and a winding flight of steps, now imperfect, ran round the roof to
the top. In Fahan are four forts containing ten clochauns, a group
of seven clochauns, and twelve others detached. These by no means
exhaust the remains of the settlement, which has been called, by way of
archæological pre-eminence ‘The ancient City of Fahan.’
The fort of _Dunbeg_, about two miles east of Slea Head, was formed by
erecting a massive stone rampart 15 to 25 feet in thickness across an
angular headland. It curved slightly to the east and touched the cliff
at both sides; it was no doubt originally of greater length, as the sea
has, in recent times, noticeably gained upon the coast. Near the middle
the wall is cut by a passage, the entrance of which is 3½ feet high, 3
feet wide at the bottom, and 2 at the top. The passage widens to about
8 feet, and becomes corbelled. The original entrance was 7 feet wide;
but it was thus reduced, and a barricade about 4 feet thick added,
leaving a space between it and the original wall to the right and left
of the entrance for defence with a heavy timber log. The recess to the
right was longer than that to the left, to receive the log when not in
use. A hole in the top of the wall opened into the recess, in order to
wedge the block when in position. About half way through the wall were
similar recesses for a like purpose. Two guardrooms in the walls opened
into the court within. These had interesting features in the shape of
‘squints’ formed in the stonework communicating with the passage. A
clochaun stood inside the fort close to the cliff on the south-east.
The plan of the chamber, three sides forming that of a regular
figure, and the fourth curved, is said to be unique. When repaired in
recent years, a subterranean passage was discovered from the entrance
outwards. A series of three earthen mounds with intervening fosses
formed an outward defence. A passage ran through stone gateways in each
vallum, the remains of two of which exist.[84]
About half a mile to the west of Dunbeg is _Cahernamactirech_, the
‘Fort of the wolves.’[85] The walls vary from 11 to 18 feet in
thickness, enclosing an area of about 100 feet in diameter. Three
sections of the wall, occupying the greater portion of it, were pierced
by narrow passages, and a number of clochauns occupied the area
within. This was a most interesting fortification, and had some unusual
features; but it has fallen into great dilapidation.
Du Noyer was of opinion that the Fahan settlement dated from the
Firbolg occupation. O’Curry combated this in supporting the theory that
it was of primitive Christian origin and a monastic establishment.[86]
Mr. Stewart Macalister is of opinion that ‘the clochan period of the
settlement probably extends from a little before the introduction of
Christianity into Corkaguiney, down to a comparatively recent date in
the Middle Ages.’[87]
[Illustration: Dunamoe Fort, Co. Mayo.]
At Dunamoe Point, on the north-west coast of the Mullet peninsula, are
the remains of a fine cashel, which crosses the neck of the headland.
The wall is 210 feet long, 8 feet thick, and 18 feet high in places;
but it is in a state of dilapidation. Without is a fosse and a slight
abatis. Within the wall are the remains of three clochauns, and a
ruined circular fort, about 100 feet in diameter.
[Illustration: The ‘School House’ (Bee-hive hut), Inismurray.]
[Illustration: Section of an ordinary underground beehive-shaped hut.]
The _Island of Inismurray_, lying about 4½ miles off the coast of
Sligo, contains within its narrow limits an extraordinary collection
of antiquarian remains. These are enclosed in an area measuring 175 by
135 feet, formed by a cashel of rude stones, which varied in height
from 7½ to 13 feet, and from 7 to 15 feet in thickness. In 1880 the
Board of Public Works undertook the restoration of these remains. The
features of the cashel were much interfered with; it was made of nearly
uniform height, parts being pulled down to build up others which had
fallen; the traces of the interior steps were converted into niches to
hold cross-inscribed stones, and the southern entrance was entirely
rebuilt. There were four entrances to the cashel, with probably a fifth
on the south-west face. Two of these in the north-west side are of
special interest. The approach from without is through a low doorway
about 2½ feet high and 2 feet wide at lintel, but slightly more at
bottom. Passing through 3 feet of a passage, a dome-shaped chamber is
entered 6 feet in diameter and 7 feet high. Across the middle the floor
rises with a perpendicular face of earth 2½ feet high, the original
elevation being probably greater. From the chamber the passage inwards
is the same as the outer. These are similar in plan to the passages
and chambers of many souterrains, and were probably constructed for
defensive purposes. The interior of the wall showed that it was stepped
similar to Staigue Fort. The area of the court was divided into four
unequal sections by stone barriers. There are several chambers in the
walls; but for what purpose they were originally intended it is now
difficult to determine. In the area are three clochauns. One is 13
feet in diameter, and from floor to top of vaulted roof 14 feet. There
is a projecting ledge on one side, intended for rest or sleeping. The
doorway is massive, and measures 3 feet 8 inches high, with sides
inclining from 2 feet 2 inches to 1 foot 9 inches. The shape is oval,
and the walls commence to slope a short distance from the ground,
and approximate by overlapping in the usual way. It is known as the
‘School House’; and as it evidently belongs to the primitive class of
structure, it forms an interesting link of pagan days with the first
missionary residents on the island. Here, as on the Island of Aran and
elsewhere, as Petrie points out, the early Christians utilised the
pagan forts in founding their religious establishments. The walls they
raised around others differ materially from the primitive cashel in
strength, height, and the characteristic features we have described.[88]
* * * * *
The _Grianan of Aileach_, the ancient seat of the O’Neills, kings of
Ulster, is a fort on the summit of a hill 803 feet high, about 5½ miles
from Derry, overlooking the east shore of Lough Swilly. It consists of
three extensive circular ramparts, greatly dilapidated, formed of earth
mixed with stones, the outer enclosing an area of 5½ acres. Within the
inner breastwork is a cashel, a circular wall about 17½ feet high,
enclosing an area of 77 feet in diameter. It has an average thickness
at the base of 13 feet, and is not quite perpendicular, but has a
curved terrace-shaped slope, like Staigue Fort in Kerry. On each side
of the entrance gateway are passages within the thickness of the wall,
extending in length to one-half of its entire circuit. These do not
communicate with the gateway, but have entrances from the area at their
northern and southern extremities. The passages are 5 feet high, and
over 2 feet wide, with sloping sides, the roof being formed of stones
laid horizontally. The entrance gateway is 4 feet 3 inches wide at the
base; the sides are inclined, and the original height was probably
6 feet. On each side is a reveal intended to receive the doors which
barred the passage. This great residence was destroyed by Murkertagh
O’Brien, king of Munster, in 1101. The Cashel was restored by Dr.
Bernard, of Derry, during the years 1874–8.
Out of the mass of myths and legends concerning primitive times in
Ireland, it is invariably difficult, if not impossible, to disentangle
the slight threads of fact from the web of romantic fables of bards
and chroniclers. These have their value, however, when supported or
tested by the evidence gleaned in the actual field of archæological
investigation. Isolated geographically as Ireland was, she was yet the
shore upon which the successive waves of influence sweeping over Europe
spent themselves. She was, as a rule, not only late in being brought
under the sphere of new influences, but some had especial opportunity
of development, and many retained their hold and flourished long after
they had ceased to exist elsewhere. The extent of the forts of Ireland,
and the length of time they remained in occupation, is an example of
this.[89]
Most writers in the past have attributed the stone forts of the west
of Ireland to the Firbolgs of the first century of our era, basing
their conclusions on a bardic legend recited a thousand years after
their invasion. But the forts are too numerous, and many of too vast
proportions, for the stricken remnants of a race to have raised
in their defence when driven to their last extremity on the wild
shores of the Atlantic. The far-fetched theory, too, like many other
such, that they were erected by sea-rovers to hold their spoils, is
equally untenable for the same and other very apparent reasons. The
absence of water-supplies within the forts, which has puzzled some, is
paralleled in the British and other European forts, and was no doubt a
precautionary measure to prevent the pollution of springs and wells.
It is an indication, also, that the forts were not intended to stand
a prolonged siege, a practice in warfare of a later time, but were
raised as a protection against raiding and sudden assault. Their height
above the sea was to give greater security, and their commanding sites,
with due precaution in watching, prevented the dwellers being taken
unawares. When life and property were unsafe, the desire for security,
as well as social habit, gave rise to these works. The dwellers
fortified their camps for themselves and their cattle, moving about
freely in times of peace, and withdrawing to these strongholds in times
of danger. They were as much a necessity in early days as the walls and
bastions defending the towns in the Middle Ages. Their extraordinary
number, out of all proportion compared to Scotland with its 1300,
testify to the fact that the land was not a peaceful land long before
the coming of the Dane. It is difficult in the present state of our
knowledge even to approximate the date of their first introduction,
as it is difficult, if not impossible, to assign a definite date to
any archæological period in Ireland. The Irish forts are among the
finest of a type of primitive defences extending across the continent
of Europe from the Atlantic to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean
shores of Greece. The construction of the walls in sections, and the
passages and chambers, link the western forts through similar, though
more perfect, features with the cyclopean walls of Tiryns, Mycenæ, and
the Punic cities of North Africa. The cashels, the mounds, and the hill
forts with their encircling ramparts have their counterpart in the
middle latitudes of Europe, in the lands once dominated by the Celt,
and which cover a period from the Bronze Age, at least, to the days
of the Roman occupation. In Ireland their use ranges from prehistoric
times down to the Middle Ages; and some were occupied for ordinary
dwelling purposes down to modern times.