Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

On a low rise of karst pavement with patchy grass cover, land sloping to W and E, within a large multiperiod field system (CL009-059001-). Hachured and named ‘Cahernaspeekee’ on the 1842 and 1920 eds. of the OS 6-inch map. Labelled ‘Cathair na Spící’ on Robinson’s map (1977). The authenticity of the name was questioned by one of Westropp’s local sources (1915, 253, 256).

A subrectangular cashel (32.2m E-W; 31.9m N-S) defined by a double-faced stone wall (Wth at S 1.6m; int. H 0.9-1m; ext. H c. 1.6m; H 1.85m in 1895 [Westropp 1915, 256]). The outer wall-face is composed of large horizontally laid stones (L 1-1.5m; H 0.2m H; T 0.5m). Westropp (ibid.) described the masonry as ‘good, but open jointed’ and suggestive of a later date than some of the larger cashels in the vicinity. There is a vertical joint in the outer wall-face at E. A spread of wall rubble (H 1m) obscures the inner wall-face and the lower part of the outer wall-face (total Wth 8.2-9.5m). Westropp (1897, 119; 1915, 256) described a terrace in this wall, with ‘slabs set upright along the face of the wall like a veneer’ (Westropp 1915, 256). A later drystone wall (H 0.4m) is built over the outer wall-face. The entrance (Wth 1.1m), at S, is filled by wall rubble. Westropp (1915, 256) noted that in 1895 the entrance jambs were intact, but not in 1915. The lintel (L 1.35m) was in situ in 1915, but not during an inspection in 1997. The interior is level, except the NW quadrant where the surface is lower (D 0.3m) – probably due to later digging. Like the damage to the entrance and wall terrace, at least some of the digging in the interior seems to have taken place between 1895 and 1915 (Westropp 1915, 256).

An enclosure (CL009-178----) lies c. 22m to the ENE, a hut site (CL009-059-052-) lies c. 34m to the S and a cashel (CL009-059056-) lies c. 89m to the SSE.

Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Conn Herriott

Date of upload: 15 February 2022

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.

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.

Westropp, T.J. 1897 Prehistoric stone forts of northern Clare, part III. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries 27, 116-27.