Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 27, 1916.djvu/256

 2 28 Collectanea.

believe that there is a vast treasure in the Diin^ but no one is able to get to the summit and recover the riches.

Otway, however, gives a legend how a Danish ship came to the rock about 1740, and flying a kite over it the captain got a rope across the summit, and guided by a parchment removed the hoard of the old sea king.^

On my visit in 191 1 an old farmer in the neighbourhood gave me a fragmentary version, which was also familiar to some of the boys present. He said that the headland fort was later than that on Doon bristha (wherein he is evidently right), and that its owner kept great herds of cattle, but in constant risk of a sea raid from County Donegal, whose mountains show faintly blue on the northern horizon. The chief accordingly kept watch from the lofty headland, and if he saw any fleet approaching his fort, or that of a friendly chief on the great rock platform of Dunminalla fort (visible some seventeen miles to the west), he used to blow a horn, and his cattle, being carefully trained, would gallop from all directions, and, forming in line,^ pass through the narrow gate- way into the safety of the fort. As to Dun Bristha, "Johdhrick" and his family used to come out, when the place joined the land, to spit at St. Patrick when he was celebrating the Mass. " The saint punished and perhaps killed him by splitting the rock." I was then told a story practically identical with the throwing of the spear, but in this version it was a great rock that was hurled by the impious giant.

Since I published my description of this most interesting and beautiful site I am only aware of one contribution to the lore of Dunbriste.^ Citing the accounts of O'Donovan and O'Connor, as well as that of Otway, Mr. T. O'Rahilly '^ gives a version by Mr. Michael Rogers (Micheal Mhag Ruaidhri), where for the first time

^ loc. cit. p. 239. Told by G. Crampton.

"I have seen them do this and pass without hustling through the very narrow doors of the ancient gate-house of Dunworley promontory fort in Co. Cork. So the touch is a true one. Perhaps the eastern fort was used as cattle pen down to very late times.

'^Gadelica, vol. i., No. 3, p. 171, by Mr. T. F. O'Rahilly.


 * Lub na Caillighe agus Sgealta Ecle, 1910, pp. 33-40.