Souterrain

The National Monuments Service's description

Almost centrally located within the S half of the interior of a cashel (CL009-021002-). This souterrain (overall L 15.3m) is L-shaped in plan. The long arm (L 12.6m) of the passage runs N-S and the smaller arm (L 4.8m) extends off its S end and turns W. The N and S ends the long arm are unroofed but where the passage survives intact (L 4.8m; Wth 1.7m; H 1.42m) the side-walls are constructed of large blocks (L up to 1.4m; H up to 0.35m), particularly on the W side. It is unclear whether the blocks are fractured bedrock but bedrock is visible at the base of the E wall and the S end of this wall is rock-cut. The upper course of the side-walls corbels inwards and supports the roof lintels, which were probably originally flush with the level of the interior of the cashel. Loose stones are piled on top of them. The N and S ends of this roofed section were blocked with drystone walls; the S blockage is intact, the N one has collapsed. The short arm of the souterrain extends off the S end of the W wall of the longer one at a right angle and runs to the W to what appears to be its original end. Four roof lintels survive intact, two at either end. The passage (Wth 2.1m) is almost completely filled with rubble. Its S side is only 1m to the N of the outer wall-face of the cashel, so it appears that much, if not all, of this section was under the cashel wall. Robinson (1977) recorded another souterrain (CL009-021056-) outside the cashel at W.

The following images have been uploaded:
CL009-021014- from NW.jpg
CL009-021014- from N.jpg

Compiled by: Olive Alcock and Conn Herriott

Date of upload: 18 November 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.