Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

On a S-facing slope in rough pasture, interspersed with hazel woodland, within a large multiperiod field system (CL009-059001-). Hachured on the OS 25-inch plan (1897) and 1920 ed. of the OS 6-inch map. Initially described by Westropp (1897, 119) as a ‘ring wall, surrounding a sort of cairn’ but, following a revisit, he subsequently described it as ‘a very puzzling structure’ (1901, 287-9). It consisted of a well-built irregular enclosure (45.7m by 36.5m) built of blocks ‘laid as stretchers’. A gateway (H 1.5m; Wth 1.4m), partly buried in rubbish and hidden by the growth of hazel internally, was evident at SE. Its outer lintel had fallen but the inner one was intact. The cairn comprised a wall of large blocks with a batter that rose to a height of 1.8m and was filled up with similar blocks. The wall was nearly buried in a mass of fallen stones.
On inspection in June 1997 only the central cairn-like feature (ext. dims. 16.2m NW-SE; c. 14m NE-SW) was noted. It was defined by a stone wall or revetment (H 1-2m), the outer face of which was partly visible from NW to SE. Behind this and filling the interior up to the height of the wall was a solid mass of stones, which had also spilled outside the wall-face, obscuring most of it (basal dims with spill 24m NE-SW; 21m NW-SE). No trace of the outer wall was noted. It is difficult to classify this monument. Based on Westropp’s (ibid., 287) description of the outer wall and gateway, it appears to have been a cashel. The cairn may have been subsequently built up in its interior.

Compiled by: Olive Alcock and Conn Herriott

Date of upload: 12 April 2022

References

Westropp, T.J 1901 Prehistoric remains in north-western Clare part II. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 31, 273-91.

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