horses, out of the shore, all the seaweeds cast in daily, as long as they can get it, from Michaelmas till sowing time past; and sometimes on spring tide low waters, they goe as far down as they can, man, woman and child, and cut the sea weed with knives, to have it cast up again by the sea. With this they muck the land, and dig up daily, earth to cover it, out of watery furrows which serve for conveying away the water from the ridges. This mucking and digging keeps them in action till March, before which they sow not a grain of corn. In sowing, they give so small a measure of seed as can be immagined, being of unremitted offerings."-Hibernia Curiosa, Dub. 1769.—pp. 36-7. Some of these evils may be traced in this district at the present day. a Corn. In this curious account of the agriculture of the time, we incidentally learn that here the tenants paid their rent in kind, according to the ancient mode. This was general in many parts of Ireland in the seventeenth century. By inquisition taken at the town of Mayo, on 29th July, A. D. 1607, it appeared, that Eugenius, alias Owen O'Maly, chief of his name and nation, and his ancestors, had chief rents, of barley, butter, and money, out of several lands within the barony of Murrisk, and county of Mayo; that he was seised of the castle of Cahir-na-mart (now Westport), the castle and island of Carrowmore, and numerous other lands and possessions there, in right of tanistry; and that he, as chief, ought to have, as his ancestors had, "all fines for bloodshed, all skins of animals killed, or to be killed, within that barony, with all customs and other casu alties." By another inquisition, taken 11th January, A. D. 1610, it was found that Robert Bowen, of Castlecarra, Esq., as heir to his brother William Bowen (who purchased various lands in Mayo county, from Peter Lord Tremblestone, by deed of feoffment, dated 1st May, A. D. 1586, and who was the first of that name that came to Mayo), was seised of a rent-charge by mortgage from the Stantons, on the lands of Clan McCormick, of a certain quantity of "bread, drink, and flesh at Christmas; and a proportion of bread, butter, and drink at Easter, yearly."-Orig. Inquis. The best illustration of the mode of manuring with sea-weed, and the other agricultural processes above described, will be found in Mr. Nimmo's excellent Report on the Bogs west of Lough Corrib. It is observable, that the potato is no where mentioned by our author. He alludes to “a kinde of corn they call bwagh," but the name is now unknown. The houses were all covered with thatch. Even our author himself, being sure not a grain will fail to multiply. In summer, when it grows up, they goe, man, woman and child, and ly prostrate or sit upon the corn, to weed it with their bare hands, leaving nothing behind but pure corn. Twice, perhaps, they thus weed it before it comes to an ear. The soile bears not but for two years, till they muck it again. The first year it bears wheat, barly, ry, or oats; the second year oats only, but the increase is forty fold at the least. Here is a kinde of corn they call bwagh, the grain is like wheat, but more brownish and swarthy; the bread like barly bread but finer : two bushells of this corn is three bushells ground. This land hath no help for building but thatch, and plenty of rude stones that cannot be wrought. It is destitude of wood and lime-stone. Few places have any clay for mortar. It hath severall brooks and shallow rivers, falling from the mountaines to the sea, which bear some salmons, trouts, and eels, besides plenty of sea-fish and shell-fish; together with severall creeks and ship harbours. There is a shift of making lime of the shells for tanning leather. particulars. Now to descend to In this tract', near Galway, westward, is the town land of Barna3; very good arable land, where partly the plow, partly digging with the hereditary chieftain of Gnobeg, which was the best part of the barony of Moycullen, lived in a thatched house, in the district above described; and very probably in it he wrote his Ogygia, and the present treatise. Tract. The tract of land, as far westward as the barony of Moycullen extends along the bay, is known by the name of Cor fairge, or the sea tract. We find it so called in A. D. 1586. See the record quoted from the British Museum, in note, P. 44. spade $ Barna.-Bearna, literally a gap, but here a breach or opening in the coast. There was formerly a castle here, close to the sea side, about three miles west of Galway. Its ruins are shewn by the name of sean cairlean beanna, the old castle of Barna. It belonged to the ancient Irish family of O'Halloran, who before the twelfth century were lords of Clan Feapgail, a district in which Galway town was situate. "O h-allmuran Taiseaċ cerri m-baile ficet cloindi Fergaili." spade is used. It affords lime-stone and clay. Here is Blake's hill' over the sea, whither the young men of Galway were wont to come a horseback the third day of their May-game, and there dine between this hill and the castle of Barna. Sir Morogh Flaherty" of Aghnenure, defeated an army out of Clanrickard, the 22nd of June, A. D. 1564, on the strand of Traybane. -MS. Trin. Coll. Lib. H. 2, 17. I here take the opportunity of correcting an error in the History of Galway, p. 3, occasioned by adopting Vallancey's erroneous derivations of Clann Feapgal and Gaillim, neither of which means "tribes of merchants," as there stated: the former signifying the descendants of Farrell, a Christian name common among the O'Hallorans; and the latter the river which flows through the town. See note, p. 28, ante. For more of the sept of O'Halloran, see Additional Notes. Blake's hill.—In Irish Cnoc a blacaiz, is now called the White Cliff of Barna, and appears rather a conspicuous object on entering the bay. The May games, and other old customs, as "riding the ring," &c., formerly practised here, have long since fallen into disuse. The "young men" of the present day would be ashamed of those homely but manly amusements of their forefathers; although it is to be feared, that many of their modern pastimes are not altogether of so innocent a character. "Sir Morogh Flaherty.-Our author here omits the prefix O (for the signification of which see Ogyg. p. 361) in the name of his celebrated kinsman Morough na d-tuadh, [Morough of the Battleaxes] O'Flaherty. But the omission in this instance I consider merely accidental; although in our author's time, when the Irish were broken down by the wars of the seventeenth century, many of them began to fashion their names, by omitting the prefixes O' and Mac, which were among the few remnants of national distinction that then remained to them. This they did to make their old Irish names more English-like, and consequently more palatable to their dominant neighbours; and it was a literal fulfilment of the wish of Spenser, expressed a century before, that "all the O's and Mac's should be utterly forbidden and extinguished." Many of the O'Flaherties, and chiefly the more respectable of them, then became mere "Flaherties." Our author never submitted to this mark of national degradation, like his kinsmen of Aghnenure, or Lemonfield. Then appeared, for the first time, “Bryan Flaherty, of Lemonfield, Esq. Morogh Flaherty, his son. Edmond Flaherty, of Tolly," &c.-Extract from the will of the first named, dated the 30th Dec. A. D. 1721, bane'. This strand yields plenty of cockles; and, with a drudge, oysters are to be found near it. Westward from thence, and from Galway four miles, the river of Forbagh runs to the sea; near which was a great fish cast, Anno 1667, another about a mile thence. at Koylagh, the 17th of May, 1674, thirty foot long and seaven foot high. Two miles from the river of Forbagh" to the river of Spidell*, on which the salmon cannot pass a steep salmon leap, a mile from the bridge on the mouth of the river, first built Anno 1670, by the publick charges. On the east-side of the river, by the high water mark of the sea, stands the church of Spidell, dedicated to St. Enna', patron of Aran, whose feast is kept the 21st day of March. Spidell is so called of Spittle, or Hospitall. From this river, which separates the parish of Moycullin here from the parish of Kilanhin on the west Prerog. Office. For valuable observations on Irish names, see Mr. O'Donovan's curious papers in the Irish Penny Journal, A. D. 1841, which it is to be hoped he may yet be induced to enlarge and give in a more substantial form to the public. Traybane. In Irish, Tpáig bán, liteterally the White Strand, as it is still called. Cockles are here found in abundance; but no oysters. The fishermen pleasantly relate, that the latter migrated to the opposite shore of the bay, to the great oyster beds of Poldoody, belonging to that excellent and patriotic gentleman, Burton Bindon, Esq. "Forbagh.-Fopbaċ, now pronounced Furrobagh. This river flows into the bay. In the Composition of A. D. 1585, Ballyneforbagh in Gnobeg, is stated to contain four quarters of land, which, with most of of that district, was granted by James I. to Hugh O'Flaherty, our author's father, by letters patent, dated 25th Jan. A. D. 1617. -Rot. Pat. X * Spidell. Spidéal, an hospital. Spital is an old English term for hospital, and is still used in Scotland. "Rob not the spital."-Jonson. In the Composition of A. D. 1585, the townland here is called Ballynspiddell. The river of Spiddle is nine miles west of Galway, and is much prized for salmon fishing. It flows out of a lake in the townland of Shannagarraun, and falls into the bay nearly opposite Ceánn Ŏoirne, or Black head. Y St. Enna.- For an account of this celebrated Saint, whose memory is still venerated here, and in the islands of Aran, see Colgan's Acta Sanctorum, p. 704. of it, to the river of Ally" are two miles; and in the midle way is the creeke of Crompan, a very secure harbour for boats, much frequented by the fishermen of Galway. Ally river divides Gnobeg on the east, from Gnomore on the west in those parts, whence to Cromlin river is two miles: not far from which, westward, 3rd June, 1682, was a fish cast on Miny shore, thirty foot long and seaven high. Near Near Miny is the castle of Inveran, where Walter Fada Bourke was murthered by the procurement of his stepmother Finnola River of Ally.-In Irish Ɑbainn na h-aille, so called from the townland of Aille, through which it flows. It is two miles west of Spiddle. "Gnobegg is bounded from Srawan I Garwane on the north side, to Galway, saving the liberties, and soe alonge the river of Donkelie (or Ally) to Galway aforesaid, by east."-Rot. Pat. 29° Eliz., quoted in Appendix. The name of this river may be traced to the O'Kealy's (O'Cadhla), the ancient chiefs of Conmhaicne-mara, of whom more will be found in the sequel. a Cromlin. Miny.—Inveran.-Cpuimlinn. This river flows into the bay between the townlands of Poulgorm and Cartronkeel, about three Irish miles west of Ally river. There are two portions of the parish of Kilcummin here insulated by the parish of Killannin.—Miny. Now called Minna.-Inveran. Inbepan. This castle stands a short distance west of Cromlin river, on a little cpompán, or creek, from which it takes its name. b Walter Fada Bourke.-Walter the Tall. He was the son of David Bourke (great grandson of Edmund na fesoige, for whom see Lodge's Peerage, vol. iv. p. 231), by his first wife. Finola O'Flaherty was the second wife of David. By her he had Riroeapo an lapain, called Iron Dick, and to secure the inheritance for the latter, his mother caused his elder halfbrother, Walter Fada, to be murdered, as above related. In this object the murderess succeeded, for her son, Iron Dick, did inherit all his father's vast possessions, and became one of the greatest men of his time. See Sir Henry Sidney's curious description of him, quoted by Lodge, vol. iv. p. 232, where, among other things, he says, "Surelye, my lords, he is well wonne, for he is a great man; his land lyeth along the west-north-west coast of this realme, where he hath many goodly havens, and is a Lorde in territore of three tymes as much land as the Earle of Clanrickarde is." He was father of Sir Tibbott na Long, first Viscount Mayo. The retributive justice. of Providence visibly pursued this foul murder, in the fate of that man's descendants. To pursue the subject further would |