Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

On a gentle S-facing slope at the E end of a low E-W ridge in improved meadow and pastureland, c. 500m S of the foreshore. Indicated and named ‘Caherloughlin’ on the 1842 and 1915 OS 6-inch maps and named ‘Cathair Lochlainn’ on Robinson’s map (1977). The name of the cashel may be derived from Lochlain, chief of Corcomroe c. AD 980 (Westropp 1900, 415; 1901, 279). However, Lochlainn appears to have been a personal name of some popularity in the Burren during the 10th century and later became the name of the leading family there for many centuries (Ó Murchadha 1993, 68-9). A large, poorly preserved, oval enclosure (63.4m NNW–SSE; 54.7m ENE–WSW) defined by a low denuded stony bank (Wth 1.9–3.5m; H 0.3–0.5m). A 2.4m gap at S appears to be modern. A rectangular house site (CL002-018002-) of indeterminate date is located SW of the centre of the enclosure. A later field wall runs on the outer edge of the bank, SE–N, and a second wall runs NNW–SSE across the interior and over the site of the house.

Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Ros Ó Maoldúin

Date of upload: 2 December 2020

References

Ó Murchadha, D. 1993 Nationality Names in the Irish Annals. Nomina 16, 49–70.

Westropp, T.J. 1900-02 The cahers of county Clare: their names, features, and bibliography. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy Series 3, vol. 6, 415-49.

Westropp, T.J 1901 Prehistoric remains in north-western Clare part II. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 31, 273-91.

Robinson, T. 1977 (revised 1999) The Burren: a two-inch map of the uplands of north-west Clare. Map scale 1:31680. Roundstone: Folding Landscapes.