Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

On a slight rise, within a large multiperiod field system (CL009-001001-), on an undulating upland karst plateau in rough pasture, with views of Slieve Elva to the NW and an ENE–WSW ridge c. 325m to the S. Hachured on the 1842 ed. of the OS 6-inch map, and named ‘Cahermaan’ on the 1920 ed. and the 1897 ed. OS 25-inch map. Noting this cashel’s relatively small size, Westropp (1915, 54) and Robinson (1977) disagreed with the Ordnance Survey’s assignation of it as Cahermaan cashel (or ‘Cathair medhoin’ [Westropp]; ‘Cathair Meáin’ [Robinson]), ‘first named in 1390’ (Westropp 1915, 54). Both reasonably associate the name with a larger levelled enclosure (CL009-001008-) c. 350m to the NE.

A suboval enclosure (22.9m N–S; 21m E–W) defined by a double-faced drystone wall (Wth c. 1.3–1.6m; H c. 1m) of uncoursed medium-sized stones (L 0.3–0.6m; H 0.3–0.4m). The inner facing is mostly concealed by a grass-covered deposit of stones (Wth c. 1.5–2m; H. 0.8–1.1m), except where the cashel wall is broken through by a modern entrance (Wth 1.3m) on the SSW side. The original cashel entrance is not discernible and there are no visible remains in the level, grass-covered interior, which appears to have been cleared. Westropp (1915, 54) described it as being under cultivation.

A drystone wall (Wth c. 0.6m; max. H 0.6m) is built over the outer facing of the cashel wall. A rectilinear structure (c. 20m NNE–SSW; c. 2.5m WNW–ENE) with an entrance at its SSW end abuts the SE exterior of the cashel. This is marked as a sheep fold on the 1897 ed. of the OS 25-inch map, and is also drawn on the 1920 ed. of the OS 6-inch map.

Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Conn Herriott

Date of upload: 12 October 2021

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.

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.