This the eight letter in the series is from O'Donovan's colleague, Thomas O'Conor, who had been working in the Edenderry district.

EISCIR RIADA

From Terence O'Toole's Tour to Connaught, Letter III, Dublin Penny Journal, Vol. I., p. 151.

Proceeding onwards for a mile or two from Clonard, the road reaches along a continuous line of gravel hills, along which it runs for a considerable distance and which is, perhaps, one of the oldest lines of road in Europe. These long lines of gravel hills are all through Ireland called Aisgirs or properly Eiscirs; this one is that which formed, in ancient times, the grand division of Ireland.

I think I could trace this Eiscir from Dublin Bay, by the green hills of Crumlin, and so along by the Eskir of Lucan; then south of the Liffey, near Celbridge and so across the river near Clane, onwards by Donadea until it strikes the line of road we are now travelling; then trending southwards of the Hill Cloghan [Croghan] until, near Philipstown, another line of road takes advantage of its elevation to run between two bogs; then, passing through the Barony of Garrycastle in the King's County, in a very distinct line, it stries the Shannon in the exact centre of the Island of Clonmacnoise. This very curious natural vellum, just as distinct as the great Roman wall dividing South Britain from Caledonia, was adopted as the dividing line between the two parts of Ireland and was called Eiscir Riada, extending from Dublin to Galway, the northern portion being called Leath-Con and the southern Leath Mogha.

ORDNANCE SURVEY LETTERS KING'S COUNTY

[Letter no. 8 from Thomas O'Conor ]

Tullamore,
January 1st 1838.

Sir,

Monasteroris according to Archdall, who cites Ware. Mon; War. Bps., p. 610 as authority, was founded in the year 1325 for Conventual Franciscans at Totmoy or Thetmoy in Offaly, by Sir John de Birmingham, Earl of Louth, and was called from his own name in the Irish tongue Monasterfeoris or the Monastery of Mc Feoris.

Here it is useful to remark that the Bermingham family, after they became Hibernicised, were called Mc Feorais, after Piaras De Bermingham, a celebrated character among them. A similar instance is found in the family of the De Burgos being called Mc Williams.

The original Irish name of Monasteroris must, then, have been Mainisteair Mhic Fheoruis, commonly pronounced Mainisteair Fheoruis, which was Anglicised Monasteroris, according to the local Irish name.

The Annals of the Four Masters record at the year 1511 that:-

"O'Conor Faly (Cathaoir, the son of Con, who was son of Calbhach) general patron of the learned, a select leader of a party of English and Irish, was slain near the Monastery of Feorais by a party of his own tribe viz., by the sons of Teige O'Conor and the sons of John Ballach O'Conor."

Near the north boundary of the Townland of Monasteroris, and within an English mile of the Town of Edenderry, is Monasteroris Churchyard with the ruins of an old Church within it, which (Church) fell into disuse at some period earlier than fifty years back, as tradition says. A short distance from this Church at the east are ruins which are, in common, said to be the ruins of a castle, but which may with more probability be those of the Monastery.

Edenderry Town is said to have been originally named Ardanderry, of the first name of which the signification is the front or face of the Wood, and of the latter, the height of the wood. The town is not situated on a height, but there is a high ground adjacent to it on which stand the Church of Edenderry and the ruins of an old castle, which belongs to the ancestor of the Blundell family, of whom the present Marquis of Downshire is descended.

In Dromcooly Townland in this Parish is a burial ground, within which there is not a vestige of a Church ruin. And in Shean Townland is a burial ground of the same description.

In Ferganainim Mac Eochadh's poem celebrating the victories of Hugh O'Byrne, among other places plundered by him, Monasteroris is mentioned thus:- ...

"He plundered the noble Monastery of Feorus."

The Territory of Totmoy or Thetmoy, in Irish Tuath Da Mhaighe, was coextensive with the Baronies of Coolestown and Warrenstown, Upper Tuathmaighe with Coolestown and Lower Tuathmaighe with Warrenstown.

This fact is borne out from the circumstance of castles, which appear on an old Map of Leix and Ophaly within the district of Totmoy, being found partly to exist in ruins and partly by tradition to have existed within the present Baronies just made mention of.

Of these castles I enumerate the ruins, limiting myself at present to the number of them I have seen.

1stly. Edenderry Castle in ruins in Monasteroris Parish, in Coolestown Barony.

2ndly. Ballyleakin Castle in ruins in the Townland of Ballyleakin, in the Parish of Ballinakill and Barony of Coolestown.

3rdly. Ballybrittan Castle in ruins in the Townland of Ballybrittan, in the Parish of Ballymacwilliam and Barony of Warrenstown. Blackcastle in ruins in Ballyheashill Townland, in the same Parish and Barony.

4thly. Kinnefad Castle in ruins in the Townland of Kinnefad, in the same Parish and Barony.

5thly. The Castle of Clonmore in ruins in Clonmore Townland, which is described in the Namebook of Castlejordan Parish as "situated on the east boundary of the Parish and County joining the Parish of Carberry, County Kildare."

Your obedient servant,
T. O'Conor.