FOUR ANCIENT STOi\J'E FORDS tr:anc2 which hlas a traibe:at:.:d ct.nor- negle.ct of this i~rba.nt a1nd inteTway w:tih La,rge boulder as lintel, the e.sting site even by seir:ious archaieolobnu1d1er h:avinrg b:.:•en re-erected by Dr. g.lsts and remarks tihat 1hialf the cirBernard. cumf:eren.ce of tihe wall is oxtlgil.nia.l 'I!h.e wen ft.s noted as being called work, made up of dry bould·ers of St. F:atrick's W<~ll a:nd as be'ing be·- local s.~aty ro_.ck-.sihJaggy, wiitih. a; cora;t s1~dre a: ;pia.tihi riu.nmdng down the hill to of grey lrichein: oval, not cd.r:cuiliair, the sornth. T:he b~arck res.toration th2 gm.s:sy spa,ce ins1:de: 150 fre·e·t lonig line· is nrQIW ill-delfin2d. Tlhe interior ·bY 100 fe1e1t, by rule wiaU 12 ft. hi.glh, of t'he fort is .covered with grass. battered on outsL.de, .s1ti;pped. Oillr insiid~, T'herie ds a, standing .s;ton.s1 on t:he low- 12 ft. trhtck at base, 8 ft. a:t to!P, wa·bh er s:lopre of tihe h!Ul Oln! wh1ch the fort a cree;p p:alSis1a.g.z·. i.s er1erct·ed. Local pe:o;ple seem t-0 call My note:s of a first v,i~;i.t to the tlhe Fort 'CasUe" for I was asked, island, on the, 29th June, 195·2, tell of "Were, you up a.it tihe- cast~c?" by a. two s13ts of .sitep,s insi'..de, opposite e:ach work!ing man ju1S1t as I r,etached the ot!hier: trrac·es of outs.id1e ledgeis whicth !'1oad near Svi:;en1 ·cih;urch. mlglbt iha.ve be,21ri. steps but which I According to the Four Masters! have s:ince1 com,e to bellie1ve are venGrianan of Aile1aie1h wias budlt c~rca j tHat-0·r plruigs for tJhey are now mov1700 B.C. It wias a one-t:me res:id,2nce ab1's· ailld cleiarly aldmit a current of of tihe O'Nerillis of U1srter. Its .status a:ir into tlhe crciep passaige if removed. as a royal seat was known to Ptolemy Tlhe wiaHs arie much f:allen, the reasarp in t1hie ,s.e1cond century. be1ing, a10corrctiing to the1 race local boy, W:hlile the Gr~anan of Ailerach who, be~ng found fishdnig wttlh a stands up from ths s:urroun9ing younger brother, w.as imrprizssed fu·to p]ah1 and lis cle1arly vis:ilble from the taking me over to the is.~am.d, th.a:t, 40 rorad, L.octh Doion, tJhe fQrtifi.ed isl!and or 50 years a.go, a n;umber of Jo.cal f or:mr:n1g t:he sie:cond fart undrer pre·- p121oiple pulled 11he WlallJs: a1bout to .s.eie sent survey, ls d:istinc:tl'Y ddficult to if there werie anytJhcing ins~d;e, Cerfi.nd though the fort:ftc:atJon . mak'es tainly stones ar.3 strewn a:bou:t outit 1E:ais1ily r~cogni,:;1a;ble w~rnn fo;und. side the fort e~peic(,a.lly to uhe south. One pass£1s a loch, Loch Birroge, The walls stiU 1S1ta1I1d1ing are- much on tlhe left of tlhe macn road 12a.cting covered wit1h Kcihen a:nd ivy: t:here from Portnoo to Ro~1beg. Ju~t af;·ber is much high gr.ass inside: entr.ance t·h5.s. there is a boris:en to 1the le:ft. :s on the €R&t side, and the cree:p Oni:~ turns down tihi-s bore1e'n, wh::.ch p1a.s~1a.g12s are to be seen Qin ea.ch s.td·e h.a.s a low rldge on the r.Lght, unto of it and :a;p:pariently go r1igJht round on~ come's to a cart trac1k on the the walls although now coUa.pised in ri,g1ht. 'T'hJ"s c1a.rt tr:alck runs alioing the pla:ces so that. d·ire·ct progreSIS. r:olt.lnd eiaste•rn €Xtre1Jnity of the rJdge and is prev·ented. .Just to the left of the J.mds on up to a !rarm house' sC1tuated entr:ance, ins:~de, d.s, a rectanguJar directly a.bove: the· liQch. On · p. 28 of structure conitiguou.si to the wall, the Dr. Ra.ft.ery's1 'Prehistoric Ireland' is j purpose of which is. uncextain. a view (fig. 20) of. t'he f.ort where it W'.h.dl1e the fort pr:a.ctilciaUy suris des1crlibed a.s 'of drystone m!a~onry'. rounds the isfand there is space ou-~ Tihis site re:pre:s12nts a compromise sid:e for a rect.angu1:ar st,ructrure right be'..ween .a 1a1ntd c1a.E1hiel aind a cra.rin:og'. on tibe w.ate,r's edg.:~ and contiguous T'h~ on~y otihe·r reif1eren.ce -·to it in to the wall on the ea:s:t si:de, south of print witrh wh1ch I am a.cqu1a1nted t1hie liMl!d!ing-pl'.aiee, which is pr01ba:bly is in Dr. Praeger's 'The Way I Went' recent and a.rtLfioiial. ilil. which 1he· exprie·sses surpris.e a.t the ln this same loch is another i.s49:3.
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