Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

On a natural flat platform at the top of a low but prominent knoll, in an area of rough pastureland and limestone pavement with wide views of the coast to the NW as well as over a local relict field system (CL008-016001-), which lies within a larger multiperiod field system (CL008-109001-). Hachured and labelled as 'Cahermaclanchy' on the 1842 and 1920 eds. of the OS 6-inch map. Labelled as 'Cathair Mhic Fhlanchaí' on Robinson's (1977) map. This subcircular cashel (46.6m N-S; 45.4m E-W) is defined by a much-collapsed wall (Wth 2.5-6.5m) consisting of core material with outer wall-facing. The latter survives intermittently and is two to three courses high (H 0.6-0.7m); no trace of it is visible from E to S where a later field wall has been built outside cashel. Some of the material of the cashel wall may have been reused the construction of this wall. The interior rises towards the centre and varies in height from the outer ground level from 2m at SW to 1.1m elsewhere. From E-SE the inner edge of the wall has been quarried away and large slabs and intermittently visible lengths of drystone walling in the ground suggests the presence of a possible collapsed souterrain (CL008-016008-). A roughly NNE-SSW running line of boulders in the SE quadrant may be the remains of an internal division or the field wall shown on the OS 6-inch maps. There is another cashel (CL008-016005-) c. 74m to the N. (Westropp 1905, 355; 1915, 55)

The following image has been uploaded: CL008-016004-_01.jpg View from NNW

Compiled by: Olive Alcock and Conn Herriott

Date of upload: 24 August 2022

References

Westropp, T. J. 1905 Prehistoric remains (Forts and Dolmens) along the borders of Burren, in the county of Clare. Part 2 - west Corcomroe. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, vol. 35, 342-61.

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.

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.