Cliff-edge fort

The National Monuments Service's description

At the W edge of a NE-SW shelf covered by hazel wood, overlooking the Poulacarran and Eanty valleys from SW to NE. Hachured on the 1842 and 1920 eds. of the OS 6-inch map. This cliff-edge fort (23m NW-SE) backs onto a cliff (H c. 20m) at NW (L 30.7m) and is defined by a stone wall (est. Wth 2-2.6m; int. H 0.6-1m; ext. H 1-2m) on all sides except at the cliff edge. It is surrounded by an outer enclosure (CL009-081002-). The outer wall-face, best preserved at N, is made of large horizontally laid blocks. However, both inner and outer wall-faces are denuded, largely covered by stone spill (total Wth 7-9m; int. H 0.6-1m; ext. H 1-1.5m) and overgrown. During an inspection in 1997 there were no visible remains of a slab-lined and lintelled entrance at SE which had been destroyed shortly before a visit by Westropp (1911, 360), nor of two vertical joints he observed in the outer wall-face at N (ibid., 359). A modern drystone structure (c. 4.7m NE-SW; 4m NW-SE) is built on the wall spill at NE. A modern drystone wall (H 0.5m; Wth 0.8m) is built along the cliff-edge at NW.

Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Conn Herriott

Date of upload: 12 April 2022

References

Westropp, T.J. 1911 Prehistoric remains (forts and dolments) in the Burren, Co. Clare (continued). Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 1, 343-67.