9Fisher, Mary Jane Leadbeater. Letters from the Kingdom of Kerry, in the Year 1845. Dublin: Webb and Chapman, Great Brunswick St., 1847. 76-78.
In the author's interview with the customs agent, he goes on to remark on the shell-heaps found around the castle ruins: "...he believed the people in those times lived very much upon 'bornocks, 'Anglice,' 'limpets,' for they had found wagon loads of these shells in one corner, under the rubbish of stones and mortar. Poor feeding for such giants! Perhaps the castle was besieged, that the defenders had only those shell-fish for food, and that, while they lasted, they held out against the foe till grim hunger carried the day..."
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