Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

On a gentle S-facing slope in pasture, within a large multiperiod field system (CL009-059001-). Hachured and labelled ‘Lismoher’ on the OS 25-inch plan (1897) and the 1920 ed. of the OS 6-inch map. Labelled ‘Lios Mothair’ on Robinson’s map (1977). This subcircular cashel (int. dims. 19m N–S; 17.6m E–W) is defined by a grassed-over stone wall (Wth 1.5–2m; int. H 0.2m; ext. H 1–1.5); the outer wall-face is constructed of large horizontally laid limestone blocks. Some stone has spilled outside the wall, especially at S and W. At N the wall has been clipped by a modern laneway, resulting in a straight E–W truncation (L 13m). On the outer wall-face at ENE there is a tall upright stone (H 1.85m; Wth 0.6m; T 0.2–0.3m), oriented E–W, with its top sloping to the E. It is possibly the lintel stone of the ‘ruined doorway’ noted by Westropp (1915, 255), which faced E, as its dimensions are similar. Just to the N of it, an entrance gap (Wth 1m) may mark the original one. The interior is level and high, reaching almost to the top of the cashel wall. Archaeological monitoring c. 70m to the W uncovered no archaeological remains (Grant 1999, 18 no. 60). A hut site (CL009-240----) lies c. 120m to the WSW.

The following image has been uploaded: CL009-059021-_01 upright stone from SE.jpg

Compiled by: Olive Alcock and Conn Herriott

Date of upload: 22 March 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.

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.

Grant, C. 1999 Lismoher, Clare. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2008: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 18, No. 60. Bray. Wordwell.