Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

On a level terrace - at the juncture between improved pasture to the E and rough grazing to the W - on the W side of the Caher valley, within a large multi-period field system (CL004-016001-). Hachured on the 1840 ed. of the OS 6-inch map and hachured and named ‘Lisheeneagh’ on the 1916 ed. O’Donovan (https://www.logainm.ie/en/5808) gives the Irish version of the townland and fort as Lisín each, which he translates as ‘little fort of the horses’; however, the placenames commission records the Irish name as yet to be confirmed (ibid.). Westropp (1915, 251) recorded it as a ‘small rectangular fort of good masonry [with] boldly rounded corners... [and noted] there are no forts inside, and the north side is much injured, as a modern house lies in ruins near it. The walls are well laid slab work, and are 5 to 6 feet high in the south’.

A moderately well-preserved, square cashel (int. dims 26.4m N-S; 26.6m E-W) defined by an internally and externally faced wall (Wth 4.6m; int. H 0.4-1.5m), with an entrance through a fine lintelled doorway (Wth 1.5m; H 1.4m over 0.4m of rubble) in the chamfered SE corner and a small projection or outshot formed by another rectangular building (CL005-063002-) at the NW corner. A second rectangular building (CL005-063003-) is located c. 7m N, just south of which lies an earthfast, medieval, architectural fragment (CL005-063004-). An internal dividing wall runs N-S, W of centre, a later pen is built onto the exterior at E and the entire complex is set within a larger oval enclosure (CL005-063005-). Another enclosure (CL005-064----) is located c. 150m S.

The following images have been uploaded:
CL005-063----_01.jpg W wall of cashel from E
CL005-063----_02.jpg Entrance to cashel at SE corner (from NW)

Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Ros Ó Maoldúin

Date of upload: 27 September 2022

References

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.