Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

On slightly elevated ground on the NW slopes of a hill in good pasture, with commanding views to WNW–SSW. Higher ground to the W and SW limits views and offers some shelter. Hachured and named ‘Craggagh fort’ on the 1842 and 1915 eds. of the OS 6-inch maps. Westropp (1901, 10) referred to it as ‘the caher of Craggagh’ and recorded it as ‘defaced by the neighbourhood of modern houses [with] its walls… much gapped and overgrown’ in 1900, and noted its further destruction in 1914, when it ‘was being carted away for road metal’ (Westropp 1915, 59). In 1900 he also noted a bohereen leading from the caher to Killonaghan church. This is indicated on the 1915 ed. of the OS 6-inch map but not on the 1842 ed.
A large, poorly preserved, circular cashel (int. diam. 41m) defined by a wide stony bank (Wth 3.6–8m; ext. H 0.6–1.6m; int. H 0.4–1.75m) with no discernible entrance. Internal and external facing-stones visible at ENE suggest an original wall thickness of c. 2.1m. A circular hut site (CL004-016035-) is located in the centre of the fort and an E–W orientated souterrain (CL004-016045-), is located to its SW. An arcing bank of stone runs along the S side of the souterrain and later field walls subdivide the interior of the cashel.
Craggagh fort is at the SW extent of an extensive multiperiod field system (CL004-016001-), covering an area of c. 8km.

Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Ros Ó Maoldúin

Date of upload: 22 February 2021

References

Westropp, T.J 1901 Prehistoric remains in north-western Clare, part I. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 31, 1-17.

Westropp, T.J. 1915 Prehistoric remains (forts and dolmens) in Burren and its south western border, Co. Clare. Part 12: North Western Part. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 5, 45-62, 249-74.