in the country, as alsoe in wast islands, diverse litle chappells of lime and stone; the remaining monuments of the multitude of saints antiently in Ireland in St. Patrick's days and long after, whereof Jocelinus (Cap. 174, Vitæ S. Patricii): "Nulla eremus, nullus pene terræ angulus, aut locus in insula tam remotus, qui perfectis monachis aut monialibus non repleretur, ita ut Hibernia speciali nomine, Insula Sanctorum, ubique terrarum nominaretur."

The greatest number of cattle in this countrey is of cows', the soil being for the most part good only for pasture and grasing, and very fertile of all kinde of herbs. The chiefest product therefore, and greatest commodity is beefe, butter, tallow, hides, and of late cheese out of the Isles of Aran; yet it yields as much corn, of wheat, barly, oats, and ry, as is enough to sustaine the inhabitants', and furnishes the market besides.

facts might be adduced to the same effect, but here they would be quite irrelevant. The subject is merely noticed with a hope that some of our learned associates may be induced to investigate it fully.

The. This paragraph seems out of place here. It would be more in order immediately before the three paragraphs which precede it.

i Cows.-Cows and small sized ponies form the staple stock of Conamara, but sheep are now become numerous. To this day, cows and sheep compose the best part of the marriage portion of most females here. O'Halloran, in his History of Ireland, vol. ii. p. 146, calls this portion "callp an spre, or the marriage cattle." On 15th November, 1648, Silye O'Flaherty, alias Burke, wife of Colonel Moragh na doe (na

The

d-tuagh) O'Flaherty bequeathed by her last will as follows: "to my daughter Margaret, forty cows of English and Irish breed, and four skore sheep; to my second daughter, Onora, twentie cows and forty sheep; to my third daughter, Bridget, twentie cows and forty sheep; and to my fourth daughter, Mary, twenty cows and forty sheep."-Orig. in the Registry of Tuam. The "Conamara ponies" are much in request; they were a useful and hardy breed, admirably adapted to the mountain districts; but it is said that they are now deteriorated, in consequence of the introduction of English sires, by the late Richard Martin.

i Enough to sustaine the inhabitants.— From this account it appears, that the people of Iar-Connaught were much bet

ter off towards the close of the seventeenth century, than they were at the beginning of it; for our author's friend, Gratianus Lucius, in Vita Kirovani, relates that about A.D. 1620, "Quamvis illæ regiones annonæ difficultate semper elaboraverint, et raris humilibusque tuguriolis se invicem longo intervallo dissitis habitarentur et saxetis glabræ; uliginibus sic humectatæ fuerint, vt humus aratro findi non potuerit, licèt tumulos aliquot solidiores ad parum avenæ, vel hordei ferendum, incolæ sarculo subinde sciderint; quæ agricultura ne sufficientem quidem panis (quem pro maiori anni parte non viderunt) copiam ipsis suppeditabat."-p. 17. From the productions above enumerated, as articles of food, potatoes do not appear to have been known here in the time of our author.

The inhabitants are so observant of law, that now for above thirty years of peace, there was not one body executed out of the whole territories for any transgression; and scarce any brought to the bar for misdemeanour. They dwell for the most part next the borders coalesced with the Joyces, who were of Welsh descent, and even admitted them to all the priviliges of citizens; but the " mere Irish" the O'Flaherties, &c. they always treated as aliens and enemies. Thus in A. D. 1484, they represented the latter to Pope Innocent VIII. as "mountainous and wild people" (montani et sylvestres homines), by whom "they were sometimes robbed and killed" (nonnunquam bonis spoliabantur et interficiebantur). See that Pope's Bull, A. D. 1484, in Dutton's Statistical Survey of the County of Galway, Appendix, 26. In the 17th century, these mere Irish were at length subdued, and their forfeited inheritances, 560,000 acres, were granted, for the most part, to the "English" merchants of Galway, the Brownes, Blakes, Darcys, Martins, Lynches, Frenches, &c., by whose descendants these inheritances are held to this day. But the descendants of the old inheritors were reduced to a state of poverty, in which most of them still continue. Our author, however, bears testimony, that in his time they were" observant of law," and the observation may be extended even to the present time, although the county gaol is some fifty miles distant from the extremities of the district. It is a well known fact, that a late respectable and popular

Misdemeanour.-This was not the character of the "inhabitants" of West Connaught in more ancient times, when the very names of the O'Flaherties, the Clan Donoughs, and the gigantic Joyces, used to strike such terror into the hearts of the good people of Galway, that they had inscribed over the western gate of that town, "From the ferocious O'Flaherties, good Lord deliver us." It is curious to observe how naturally the old Galweygians, who were mostly of English origin, afterwards

borders of the countrey where commonly is the best land; and in Summer time they drive their cattle to the mountaines', where such as looke to the cattle live in small cabbins for that season.

Thus far of the countrey in generall; whence I will descend to particulars, and first of all describe the borders.

Lough Measg lake, besides the arms stretched out of it, is six miles long from Partry" in the county of Mayo and barony of Keara, to Balyndeonagh in the west, and four miles broad from Partry mountain in Keara, to Lough Measg Castle in the barony of Kilmayn;

magistrate of Iar-Connaught, when obliged to commit offenders to prison, usually accompanied his mittimus with a hint to give the "poor fellows" an opportunity of escaping by the way; so that in his time it might be truly said, "scarcely any one was brought to the bar for misdemeanor."

Cattle to the mountaines.-See note at p. 42, Statute of Kilkenny, Volume of Tracts published by the Archæological Society, Dublin, A. D. 1843.

m

Lough Measg.-Now always called Lough Mask. It is popularly said to have been so named, because its waters flow into, meascadh, mix or mingle, with those of the neighbouring lakes, Carra and Corrib. Our author has not given the derivation of the name of Lough Measg. He does not appear to have indulged to any great extent in tracing the derivation of these names, which, considering the puerility and error displayed by Irish antiquaries in that way since his time, is to be regretted, from his profound knowledge of our history, language, and antiquities. This IRISH ARCH. SOC. 15.

fine lake lies almost wholly in the ancient territory of Partry, now comprehended within the barony of Kilmain, Co. Mayo; but two arms from it stretch into the barony of Ross, Co. Galway. It is noticed at an early period of Irish history. See the Annals of the Four Masters, A. M. 2533, for its origin, which is above alluded to by the phrase "broken up ;" or, as better expressed elsewhere by our author, "Loch Measg e terræ visceribus eructavit."-Ogyg. p. 167.

"Partry.-Panzpaige, latinized Partrigia. Mac Firbis, in his book of HyFiachrach, states that there were several districts of this name. See our author's Ogyg. pp. 174–5, for these, and their ancient possessors. Also, Harris's Ware, ii. p. 53. The Partry above alluded to was Partry of Carra, which Mac Firbis has described in the book already referred to.

mayn; having on the north a piece of the half barony of Ross and Partry mountain; on the east Partry, by which the lake hath conveyance to Lough Keara lake; on the south, Kilmayn barony (as being part of the county of Mayo-in margine), where I omit HagCastle", an impregnable castle on the lake, Lough Measg Castle, Cong Abbey, dedicated to St. Fechin, and the field of Moytury, where the Danann nation, from the north of Great Brittain, invading Ireland, in a memorable battle overthrew the Belgians, who then swayed Ireland, and slew their king Achay, last Belgian king of Ireland; 325 years after the general floud this lake is said to have broke

up.

The salmon hath no access thereunto, because under ground only' it hath recourse to Lough Orbsen; but it breeds eels and seve

barons" about A. D. 1238. It was burned in A. D. 1413 by O'Conor; and here Mac Feorais Birmingham was imprisoned in A. D. 1416, by Edmund Burke.-Four Musters. In 1584, this castle was confirmed to Sir Richard Bourke, Mac William Eighter. See Appendix I. It is now in ruins.

P Hag-Castle.-In Irish, Caislen na Caillighe. This castle, built before the English entered Connaught, on a small island towards the eastern border of Lough Mask, was for a long time after deemed "impregnable." See the note at the word dingna, p. 135, of Mr. Petrie's valuable Essay on the History and Antiquities of Tara Hill, Trans. Royal Irish Academy, vol. xviii. part ii.

Belgians. See our author's Ogygia, p. 174; also Mac Firbis's History of the Firbolgs, for an interesting account of these ancient colonists of Ireland; their

rall

several defeats at southern Moytury, above alluded to, and at Traigh Eothuile and northern Moytury, in the present county of Sligo. This curious treatise of Mac Firbis, which yet remains in MS., has been overlooked by modern essayists on Irish history, or perhaps it was altogether unknown to them. Its value, however, was duly appreciated by the venerable Charles O'Conor, whose curious extracts from it, concerning the inhabitants of Ireland, about the commencement of the Christian era, may be seen in Vallancey's Collec

tanea.

Under ground only.-Lough Mask has no visible outlet for its waters. It communicates with Lough Corrib by subterraneous channels, which appear in several large caverns near Cong. It has been observed, that but for the barrier of granite which extends from Lough Mask to Lough Corrib, the

rall kinds of good trouts, specially that which they call the lough trout, which hath very fair red and azure spots; it is as big as any salmon, and far more dainty. There are alsoe medicinall leeches on the south side of the lake. Here is one rarity more, which we may terme the Irish crocodil', whereof one as yet living, about ten years ago, had sad experience. The man was passing the shore just by the waterside, and spyed far off the head of a beast swimming, which he tooke to have been an otter, and tooke no more notice of it; but the beast it seems there lifted up his head, to discern whereabouts the man was; then diving, swom under water till he struck ground; whereupon he runned out of the water suddenly, and tooke the man by the elbow, whereby the man stooped down, and the beast fastened

his

waters of both lakes had long since, like kindred drops, been mingled into one. If these two lakes were connected by means of a canal, it would tend considerably to the improvement of the west of Ireland. "To open a communication between Killala and Galway, by means of the Moy, Lough Mask, and Lough Corrib, was one of the practicable projects of those who were employed to survey the navigable rivers of Ireland in the early part of the eighteenth century, and, if carried into effect would have proved a most important addition to the internal navigation of this country."-Hist. Galway, p. 4.

$ Medicinall leeches.-Ir. Dallog. The leeches found here are stated to be of a good kind, but whether they are used or approved of by medical men, for topical bleeding, I have not ascertained. The country people in the neighbourhood use

them with good effect.

t Crocodil. This was rather a formidable class of animals, wherewith to rank a beast" of the pitch of an ordinary greyhound." But the story seems to have been introduced by our author, to enliven his subject, as painters introduce a tree or a ruin to give variety or effect to a barren landscape. That animals, such as that above described, or somewhat similar, inhabit the lakes of Ireland, is believed by the people in their vicinity. All have heard of them, and believe in their existence, but none can be found who have ever seen them. In these western parts, this animal is generally called Each Uisge, which means a water horse, and he is described as having "a black shining skin," and a switch tail "without hair." The story related by our author is yet told in the neighbourhood of Lough Mask.