Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated in rough pasture on a flat terrace between a higher ridge to the N and ground sloping away a short distance to the S with good views throughout. Named ‘Lisnaleagaun’ on all editions of the OS 6-inch maps, this fort was called ‘Studdert’s Fort in the mid-nineteenth century and ‘Lios an Chairn’ in 1835 by O’Curry (Murphy 1996, 33). An oval bivallate raised rath (int. diam. 28m; overall diam. c. 75m) defined by an inner bank (Wth 9.5-13m; H 0.2-0.8m), a flat-bottomed fosse (Wth at base 4-5m) and a lower outer bank (Wth 7.5-11m; int. H 0.8-2m; ext. H 0.6-1.2m). The inner bank is reduced to a scarp in places and the outer bank is considerably reduced in many places between NW and ENE. A gap at WNW (Wth 3.2m) with slight causeway may be the original entrance. Parts of the banks have been denuded by cattle exposing a considerable amount of stone. The interior is uneven and slopes significantly to the W. A souterrain (CL056-044002-) is in the SW sector. Westropp (1909, 116) notes that ‘Lisnaleagaun’ translates as the fort of the pillar-stone but that the standing stone (CL056-044003-) was no longer there. There is another standing stone (CL056-102----) in the adjacent field 100m to the NE. (Murphy 1996, 33-6)

The following images have been uploaded:

CL056-044----_01.jpg From NE. Overview of ringfort.
CL056-044----_02 jpg From NE. Oblique view across banks and fosse.
CL056-044----_03.jpg From ESE. View across the two gorse-covered banks.

Compiled by: Mary Tunney

Date of upload: 12 March 2019

This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 7/1978).

References

Westropp, T.J. 1909 Ringforts in the barony of Moyarta, County Clare, and their legends. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 39, 113-126.

Murphy, I. 1996 'Sheedy's Fort', Kilkee. North Munster Antiquarian Journal 37, 33-6.