Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

At the edge of a plateau within a large multiperiod field system (CL009-059001-), in an area that is overgrown with hazel and blackthorn; the ground falls steeply into a ravine (max. D c. 10m) to the W and N. Hachured and named ‘Caheraneden’ on the 1842 and 1920 eds. of the OS 6-inch map. Named ‘Cathair an Éadain’ on Robinson’s map (1977). Westropp (1897, 119) attests that this name derives from its location at the edge of a ravine.
This subcircular cashel (ext. dims. 32.7m E-W; 30.5m N-S) is defined by a double-faced stone wall (Wth c. 1.9-3.1m; int. H 0.3-0.6m; ext. H 0.8-1m). The outer wall-face is visible all around and is composed of large stones laid horizontally. The inner wall-face and most of the lower part of the outer wall-face are covered with rubble (total Wth 6-8m). At W a drystone wall is built on the original outer wall-face. Half of the interior is overgrown with blackthorn. A megalithic structure (CL009-059068-) lies c. 22m to the E and there is a court tomb (CL009-059063-) c. 85m to the WNW.

Compiled by: Olive Alcock and Conn Herriott

Date of upload: 7 April 2022

References

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

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.