Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

On the S-facing slope of a wooded knoll, with land rising c. 100m to the N and falling steeply from E-S. Indicated and named ‘Mullagh Fort’ on both the first (1842) and Cassini (1920) editions of the OS 6-inch map. This well-preserved but overgrown subcircular cashel (c. 42.5m N-S; 40m E-W) is defined by a double-faced stone wall (Wth 1.4-2m; int. H 2.6m; ext. H 2-2.5m) and associated interior wall rubble (combined Wth 6.3m). The well-preserved outer wall-face has a batter and is built of large, well-set stones (max. L 0.9m; H 0.4m), the largest at the base. The inner wall-face is poorly preserved from S-W-N but a terrace (max. Wth 1.3m; H 0.8-1.2m over wall collapse) is visible on the inner wall face from S-W-NNE, and probably originally extended for the full wall circuit. Westropp (1913, 253) mentioned recesses (‘perhaps for ladders’) in the inner wall-face at N (L c. 2.74m; D c. 0.25m) and NW (L c. 2.9m; D c. 0.98m – NOTE these depth measurements are reversed on his plan (ibid., 255, Fig. 10). These recesses were not identified during an inspection in 1999. Similarly, whilst Westropp (1896, 367) had noted that ‘two defaced sets of steps lead up the terrace and wall at the N’, in 1999 only a rough gap (Wth 0.8m) in the terrace at NNE was visible, which may have marked the position of former steps. There is an entrance at ESE, the lowest part of the cashel. Westropp (ibid.) noted a ‘rock-cut tank’ or possible souterrain (CL017-036002-) in the SSW sector of the interior.

See attached images:
• CL017-036001-_01 Aerial view from W (Photo. Markus Casey, 1999)
• CL017-036001-_02 Snip of Westropp’s plan of the monument (1913, 255, Fig. 10)
• CL017-036001-_03 Snip of Westropp’s photo of terraced inner wall face (1913, 252, Fig. 8)

Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy and Conn Herriott

Date of upload: 20 July 2023

References

Westropp, T.J. 1896 Prehistoric stone forts of northern Clare, parts I & II. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries 26, 142-58, 362-9.

Westropp, T.J. 1913 Prehistoric remains (forts and dolmens) in the Corofin district, Co. Clare (no. 11). Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries 43, 232-60.