Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

In hazel wood and pasture at the edge of a plateau that slopes gently to the E and S. Hachured on the 1842 and 1920 eds. of the OS 6-inch map. Described by Westropp (1911, 361) as a coarsely built fort with a terraced wall; an internal flight of steps rose from a recess in the terrace platform. At E a lintelled gateway and associated passage had been ‘recently overthrown’ but on the basis of the remains, Westropp (ibid., 360, fig. 5) based a plan and elevation.
This subcircular cashel (ext. dims. c. 33.5m NE-SW) is now defined mainly by a stone spread (Wth c. 6m; int. H 0.4-1m; ext. H 0.2-1.2m) but the original wall (Wth 2m; int. H 1.4m; ext. H 1.6-2.4m) is best preserved at N. The stone spread probably marks the level of the terrace. The outer wall skin survives virtually all the way round and rises up to 0.8m above the stone spread. A later drystone wall overlies it from NW to NE. The S side of the entrance is clearly visible at E but the N side is not as well defined and is obscured by tumble. Two fallen lintels are visible in the passageway. The flight of steps noted by Westropp (ibid.) was not visible. The interior of cashel was completely overgrown with hazel and blackthorn bushes and there was also heavy growth on the enclosing wall from N to E to S; the W half was clear. Two other cashels (CL009-0117---- and CL009-115----) lie c. 140m to the NE and c. 105m to the SSW respectively.

Compiled by: Olive Alcock and Conn Herriott

Date of upload: 17 June 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.