Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

On high ground with excellent views in all direction, overlooked by a hill from NW to N with lower ground to the E and S and within a large field system (CL008-053001-). Hachured and named ‘Cahermoyle’ on the 1842 and 1915 OS 6-inch maps. Referred to by O’ Donovan (1839) as ‘Caher-Mael in the Townland of Cragreagh’ (Comber 1997, 71). Described by Westropp (1901, 16) as ‘featureless and much dilapidated’ (27.7m N-S; 29.2m E-W) with coarsely built walls (T 2.1m; H 2.4m).

A roughly circular cashel (int. dims. 30m N-S; 28m E-W) defined by a drystone wall. The inner wall-face is best preserved in the N (int. H 0.9m; Wth 2.1m; ext. H 1.1m) and decreases in height and width in the W (int. H 0.5m; Wth 0.9m; ext. H 1.1m). The wall is best preserved externally (H 1.1m in N; H 1.8m in S) where it is composed of large regular blocks set on their sides. At WSW one stone set on edge (L 1.8m; H 0.8m) is much larger than other stones in the wall. A gap in the NNW where the cashel wall thickens is an original entrance (Wth 1.8m) and has an original rock floor. The interior is level.

The following image has been uploaded:
CL004-078----_01.jpg Cashel exterior and entrance from NW

Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Lynda McCormack

Date of upload: 30 November 2022

References

Comber, M. (ed.) 1997 The antiquities of County Clare: John O’Donovan and Eugene Curry: Ordnance Survey Letters 1839. Clasp Press. Ennis.

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