Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

On a level karst plateau in rough pasture, within a large multiperiod field system (CL009-001001-), with higher ground c. 300m N and c. 325m S. To the S and SE there is a shallow gully running ENE–WSW. Hachured on the 1842 and 1920 eds. OS 6-inch maps. Westropp (1915, 54) and Robinson (1977) identify this as ‘Cahermaan’ (‘Cathair medhoin’ [Westropp]; ‘Cathair Meáin’ [Robinson]), ‘first named in 1390’ (Westropp 1915, 54).

A poorly preserved subcircular cashel (42.1m E–W; 41.4m N–S) defined by a stone wall (est. Wth 2m; ext. H 1–1.2m; int. H 0.4–0.7m), the outer face of which can be traced almost all the way around, behind some outward tumble. The W–NW arc of the wall survives best; it has fallen out at the NW–N, and is in poor condition at the S. The top of the wall is overgrown with grass and is flush with or lower than the cashel interior. There is a gap at the SSW (est. Wth c. 8.5m) but this appears to be modern; no original entrance can be discerned. Just N of the cashel’s centre, at the highest point of the interior, there is a hut site (CL009-001041-).

The interior of the cashel appears to have been quarried, leaving a long, shallow U-shaped depression (20m NE–SW; 10m NW–SE; D max. 0.9m). This may have destroyed the SSW section of the cashel wall. A drystone wall (L c. 18.5m) is built over the SSW–W arc of the cashel wall. A rectangular structure (L c. 7m; Wth c. 4m) is built against the ENE exterior of the cashel. A drystone wall extends ENE–WSW through the cashel, over the possible quarrying marks. This wall was not yet built in 1839 when the area was surveyed for the 1842 ed. OS 6-inch map, but was in place in 1895 (survey for the 1897 ed. OS 25-inch map) following a substantial reorganisation of rundale field systems in the N of Cahermaan.

A smaller enclosure (CL009-001007-) is located c. 350m to the SW. It is named ‘Cahermaan’ on the 1920 ed. OS 6-inch map and 1897 ed. OS 25-inch map; however, Westropp (1915, 54) is probably correct in assigning the label to cashel CL009-001008-. The Ordnance Survey Letters (1839) describe ‘Caher-Maan (Cathair Meadhoin), i.e. the Middle Caher’, as a ‘large fort’ (Comber 1997). Westropp (1915, 54) suggests the name originated from the cashel’s location approximately half-way between Cahermakerrila (CL009-001005-) and Cahermacnaghten (CL009-001010-) cashels, which lie 945m to the SW and 1.38km to the ENE respectively.

Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Conn Herriott

Date of upload: 12 October 2021

References

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.

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