Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

On slightly elevated ground on a narrow coastal strip of pastureland between steeply rising, rock slopes immediately to the S and Galway Bay a short distance to the N. Indicated on the first edition (1842) of the OS 6-inch map and partially hachured on the later, Cassini edition (1915). Described by Westropp (1901, 11) as ’oval and overthrown’.
An oval area (int. diams. 34.3 E-W; 28.5m N-S) is mainly defined by a stony bank (Wth 1.5-2.3m; int. H 0.3-0.55; ext. H 0.5-0.45m) which is heavily overgrown ESE-WSW, but with occasional surviving wall facing stones visible. External facing stones (H c. 0.5-0.7m) are best preserved from WNW to NNE and to a lesser extent from NNE to ESE, while inner facing stones (H 0.3-0.55m) are visible sporadically between N and ESE. A substantial, later field wall (Wth 1.3m; int. H 0.25m; ext. H 0.7m). has been built just outside the perimeter (at a distance of 2.9m) from WSW to W. The interior of the monument is level and contains a very large pile of stones (L 10m NW-SE; Wth 5m; H 0.9m) in the ENE sector.
A hut site (CL004-029003-) stands immediately outside the cashel at NE and there is a second hut site (CL004-029002-) opposite, outside the monument at WSW.

See attached image CL004-029----_1 ASI aerial photo, monuments viewed from NW, March 2007.

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

Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy and Lynda McCormack

Date of upload: 20 October 2022

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.