Friday 13 February 2015

Previously unpublished O'Curry letters on the antiquities of County Clare

Seven letters of Eugene O’Curry were recently published on Clare County Library's website. The letters were written while O’Curry was working in the Limerick Lunatic Asylum. He was employed by the Ordnance Survey shortly afterwards. Previously unpublished – apart from letter V, which was published in the Ordnance Survey Letters – the originals are held in the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin and in the National Library of Ireland and have been transcribed and edited by Brían Ó Dálaigh. In them O’Curry briefly describes castles near Limerick, Sixmilebridge, Newmarket-on-Fergus, Miltown Malbay, Doonbeg and on the Loop Head peninsula. He also discussed forts on Loop Head and the naming conventions relating to them. Finally he writes on the origins of the land divisions Triúch-céid; Bailte; Ploughlands and Townlands and discusses his native ploughland of Doonaha West in detail. See http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/archaeology/ocurry_letters_antiquities.htm

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