Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

On a gentle W-facing slope in rough pasture on a broad semi-karst plateau, within a large multiperiod field system (CL009-032001-). Hachured on the 1842 and 1920 eds. of the OS 6-inch map. Listed as ‘Rectangular enclosure’ in the RMP (1996). This large subrectangular cashel (52.3m N-S; 40m E-W) is defined by the remains of a double-faced stone wall (Wth c. 2m; H 0.2-0.5m) at W, N and E; there is no extant original wall or rubble at the S perimeter, but this wall appears to have been intact when the cashel was visited by Westropp (1901, 286). There are spreads of wall collapse (total Wth 3-4m; H c. 0.3m) against the inner and outer wall-faces at W and E, and against the inner wall-face at N. A later drystone wall (H 3m; Wth 1m) is built along the S perimeter; others (max. H 0.8m) are built over the E and W walls. The N wall is partially rebuilt (H 0.5-2m). In the cashel centre there is a souterrain (CL009-064002-) and a rectangular structure (int. dims. 7m N-S; 3.5m E-W) occupies the NW corner.

Possibly associated with this cashel by a shared field system are an enclosure (CL009-069001-), which lies c. 163m to the ENE, and a cashel (CL009-069002-) which lies c. 229m to the ENE (Bowmer (2019, 73). Burial cairns (CL009-066001- and CL009-213001-) lies c. 68m to the NE and c. 139m to the NE respectively. A wedge tomb (CL009-067----) lies c. 76m to the SE.

Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Conn Herriott

Date of upload: 4 April 2022

References

Bowmer, T. 2019 Rectilinear drystone cashel and enclosure settlements in the Burren, Co. Clare. The Journal of Irish Archaeology 28, 59–84.

Westropp, T.J 1901 Prehistoric remains in north-western Clare, part I. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 31, 1-17.