gurnards, some quick, some dead, cast ashore every where for severall days, so as the like was not seen in the memory of any man before; yet the sea was not frose. The ocean towards the west hath no limits nearer than America.

From Slimehead seven leagues to Bofin', northward; and thence to Koelshaly Roe, the western ocean flows between the Owles in the county of Mayo, and the north side of the barony of Ballynahinsy. Full moon at four o'clock thirty minutes, causes high water in all these western coasts. So much of the borders of West Connaught, whence now to the continent.

The half barony of Rosses, commonly called Joyce Countrey from

f Bofin. Koelshaly-roe.-The Owles.Bofin island will be found noticed further on. Koelshaly-roe, in Irish, Caol fáile puao, means the narrow reddish brine; but now corruptly pronounced Caol ráipe puao, which has no meaning. This was occasioned by substituting the letter p for l, in the word ráile; and from the Irish mal-pronunciation, the place has been called in English the "Killary." This is a well known strait, or inlet of the ocean, much celebrated by modern tourists, which divides the barony of Ballinahinch, or Conamara, in the county of Galway, from the barony of Murrisk, in the county of Mayo. It is again alluded to towards the end of this treatise. The Owles are the present baronies of Murrisk and Borrishoole, in the county of Mayo. They are again mentioned further on, in our author's description of the barony of Ballinahich.

a Welsh Acta SS. p. 603, n. 11; and nemus by O'Sullevan, Hist. Cathol. fol. 188. The former meaning it generally bears in the north, and the latter in the south of Ireland. My learned friend Mr. O'Donovan informs me, that in a note from Ware's MSS. in Nomenclat. Hib. MS. by Archdall, it is translated boscus, as Ros da lon, i. e. nemus duarum merularum; and that in Cormac's Glossary it is interpreted fiobuide, a wood. It enters largely into the names of places in Ireland. Our barony was named from the old castle of Ross, which was itself so called from the land on which it stood, on the western banks of Lough Measg. It was originally a barony, but before our author's time was reduced to a half barony. See Appendix I. A document entitled the "Division of Connaught," dated A. D. 1586, preserved in the Cotton Lib., British Museum, places the barony of Rosse in the county of Mayo, and states it to contain "the Joyes, Walshes and Partrish

a Welsh family of Yoes, Joas, or Shoyes, which held that land from the O'Flaherties (formerly part of Partry-an-tslevy", which extended from St. Patrick's Hill in the Owles, to Lough Orbsen), hath the barony of Balynahinsy, Koelshaly Roe, and the Owles on the west of it, and by a high ridge of mountaines called Formna-mor, is divided on the north from the same Owles. From that mountain, Bruin River, falling into Lough Measg, separates Partry mountain in the barony of Kera, from Kilbridyl townland, the north side of Lough Measg,

Measg, in the half barony of Rosse, and yet belonging to the parish of Balynchala on the south side. In Kilbridy there is a chappell and well dedicated to St. Bridget. There is on the south of it an arm of Lough Measg, which shoots into the countrey westward about four miles to Glenntre[s]ky. On the west of Kilbridy townland is Lough-na-fohy Lake, out of which the river of Gairge comes into that arme of Lough Measg.

Within that arm of Lough Measg is the Earl's Island', where Edmond Burk*, second son of Richard the Red Earl of Ulster, Anno D. 1338, was put to death; which should be therefore rather called

an Chala, the townland of the Callow, anciently Cala Coca mearga. The chapel dedicated to St. Bridget is now in ruins. It gave name to the townland of Kilbride, on which it stands. The well, called Cpó brigoe, is near it; and also another "holy" well called Tobar Mhuire, Glenntresky, Gleann Treisge, is named Glantrague in Larkin's map of the county of Galway. Lough na fohy, Loc na Feozaio, is now called Lough na feoy, and is in the parish of Ross. Gairge, Gairge, river is now called the Finney.

The Earl's Island.-It is still known by the same name, Oileán an lapla. It lies in that arm of Lough Mask which runs up to Toorluggach, in the parish of Ross.

*Edmond Burk.-i. e. De Burgo, De Burgh, Bourke, Burke, but seldom Burk, as written by our author. The Earl of Clanricarde, in the "Pedigree of De Burgh" before referred to, p. 39, note, has omitted the above historical fact of

the

the murder of this unfortunate nobleman. In Lodge's Peerage of Ireland, the manner in which it was perpetrated is told correctly enough; but, as often occurs in that work, an error is committed by stating, that "the stone was fixed about his neck by his kinsman, Edward Bourk MacWilliam."-See vol. i. p. 121. By this "kinsman" was probably meant Sir Edmond Albanach, for whom see p. 39, note; but that he did not immediately perpetrate the deed, appears from the above narrative, which carries with it all the marks of truth. I find no trace on record of any commission appointing this Edmond Burke, conjointly with the Archbishop of Tuam, to the government of Connaught, as mentioned by our author; but many of our records have been lost since their time. For further particulars of him, and his father, the Red Earl, and also of the family of Nolan, for many years located at Balinrobe mentioned above, see the Additional Notes.

the Earl's Son's Island. But the male line of that house being, all to him, extinct, most likely he was reputed and commonly called Earl of Ulster; there being but one girle, then about seven years old, his nephew William, Earl of Ulster's daughter, after Dutchess of Clarence, apparent heir generall. During whose nonage, Edmond was joyned in commission with Malachias, Arch-Bishoppe of Tuam, for the government of Connaught; until he was seized upon by Sir William Bourk, aforementioned, his sons, on Low Sunday, the 19th of Aprill, in the Fryer's house of Balinrobe; Roger de Flet, Seneschall of Connaught, and Nicholas Lienot', and other nobles of his company, being killed on the place. He was that night carried to Lough Measg Castle, the next night to BallyndeonaghTM Castle, and the third night to that island on Lough Measg; whither the ArchBishope of Tuam came to bring him and his kinsmen to a reconciliation and as they were on points of agreements, the villains who had the custody of his body, a certain family of the Stantons", dispairing

1 Lienot.-Mac Firbis, in his account of the Welsh tribes contained in the Book of Hy Fiachrach, states that the Lienots, or Lynotts, a family long settled in Tirawly in Mayo, came to Ireland with the descendants or followers of the Red Earl of Ulster: "Zionóidig do żeaċt i n-Erinn le slioct an Iarla púaio." That part of the book alluded to concludes with the narrative of a barbarous occurrence which took place between the Barretts of Tirawly and those Lynotts, which strongly marks the ferocity of these Welsh adventurers, as well as the uncivilized state of the times. For barbarity similar to that there recorded, see Wynne's History of

Wales, book vi.

m Ballyndeonagh.-Called Ballynonagh in the document of A. D. 1586, before quoted, p. 44, note . This castle still retains its ancient name. It stands, in ruins, on the townland of Cappagh na gapple, alias Petersburgh, near the demesne of Ross.

The Stantons.-Among the "Englyshe greate rebelles of Connaught,” A.D. 9.1515, were "Syr Myles Stauntons sonnes," i. e. his descendants.-State Papers, vol. ii. part iii., p. 26. A branch of this family of Staunton, in Irish Stondun, settled in Mayo County, under the "Red Earl;" chiefly in the territory afterwards called the barony

pairing their own safety if he were set at liberty, miserably turned him into a bag, and cast him out of the island into the lake, with stones tyed to the bag; for which fact they were called Clan Ulcin ever since. Hence followed great combustions and wars in Connaught after. Of this Edmond and his wife Slany, daughter of Tordellvac O'Bryan, L. of Tuomond, lineally descended the lords of Castleconnell and Bretas, with the rest of the county of Limerick Burks.

From that arm of Lough Measg, towards Cong" and Lough Orbsen, for three miles in length, and three half miles breadth, there is good destruction of the English of Connought, and of their own family of Burk's: which did enable Terlogh O'Connor to take the power and superiority of Connought, and banished Edmond Mc. William Burk from out of all Connought, destroyed the spirituall and temporall lands of all the West parts of Connought. Edmond Burke assembled a fleet of shipps, barkes and boats; betook himself with them to the islands of the seas, a long time, in exile." This last passage explains a subsequent one in the Additional Notes, which states, that this Edmond was twenty-two years in Scotland; whence he was called Albanach, or the Scot.

of Crossbohine, or Clanmorris. After the
murder of Edmond Burke, most of them
changed their name to M'Evilly, Mac a
Mhilío, the son of the knight. In A. D.
1585, "Myly M. Evily of Kinturk, other-
wise Mo. Evilly," was "chief of his name."
See the Mayo Indenture of Composition,
in Appendix, p. 331. Several of the M'Evil-
lys are now beginning to re-assume the
original name. There are at present in
Mayo several families of the name of
Culkin, who
be descended from
may
the Clan Ulcin branch of the Stauntons
mentioned above; but this is mere conjec-

ture.

• Combustions and wars. —See the Annals of the Four Masters, at A. D. 1338. The Annals of Clonmacnoise, as translated by Conly Mac Geoghegan, give the following

account of these "combustions and wars:" "Edmond, the earle of Ulster's son, was taken by the other Edmond Burke, and did putt a stone about his neck, and afterwards did throw him into the poole of Loughmeaska; whereof ensued the confusion and

P Cong. See p. 7, note ". And for further historical notices of this ancient place, see the Annals of the Four Masters at the years 1114, 27, 28, 37, 50, 68; 1201, 23, 25, 26, 45, 47; 1590, 98. Pococke, the traveller, has stated, that the seat of Mr. Macnamara, near Cong, was the most delightfully situated place he saw in the course of his extensive travels.