Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

On the W edge of a slightly raised area of partially overgrown limestone pavement, overlooking a small S-flowing stream c. 50m to the W. Hachured as a roughly circular ringfort on the first edition (1842) of the OS 6-inch map but recorded as a more rectangular-shaped structure labelled ‘Sheepfold’ on the slightly later OS 25-inch plan (1893), and similarly recorded but not labelled on the Cassini edition (1916) of the OS 6-inch map. Classified as an ‘enclosure’ in the RMP (1995). An oval cashel (int. diams. 36.6m NE-SW; 26.8m NW-SE) is defined by a double-faced drystone wall (Wth 1-1.3m; H 0.2-0.8m) that has been rebuilt in sections with poorer quality masonry. No original entrance is obvious. The interior is stony and partially overgrown with hazel scrub and contains a D-shaped enclosure (4.5m N-S; 3.5m E-W) defined by a drystone wall (H 1.4m; Wth 0.5m) in the W sector, abutting the cashel wall. This enclosure appears to be an original cashel subsequently reused as a sheepfold/agricultural enclosure. Curving field boundaries extending E may be contemporaneous with the original cashel. 

 

Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy and Eve Campbell

 

Date of upload: 20-10-2025