Hillfort

The National Monuments Service's description

In commanding position, enclosing Corrin Hill at the E end of the Nagle Mountain range, overlooking the Blackwater and Bride river valleys to the N and S respectively. This heavily overgrown hillfort is defined by a roughly oval area (c. 250m N-S; c. 180m E-W; 2.92ha) narrowing slightly at the S, enclosed by a substantial bank or rampart of dumped rubble construction (max. H 1.6m; average base Wth 9m). Forestry comes within c. 20 m of the bank. In the centre of the hillfort is a bronze-age burial cairn (CO035-04902-) which when investigated in 1832 was found to contain two burials, one of which was later identified as a probable food vessel burial (CO035-04903-). Directly to the E of the cairn is a stone cross erected in 1933 to commemorate the 19th centenary of the death of Christ, probably using stones from the cairn (Doody 2008, 548). Carntierna hillfort is one of three sites in North Cork which conforms to Raftery’s definition of a ‘hillfort’ (Power et al. 2000, 205). Ó Murchú (1978, 46-51) noted that in 1949 'the remains of three great embankments were clearly visible'; it was possible to trace the complete circle of the outer 'embankment' with a wide opening to W, 'one end of which curled in while the other end overlapped it on the outside - giving the appearance of a gate-way or entrance'; he noted a 'middle embankment' from SW to NE and an inner embankment only on the NW side for 'several yards'; each separated by fosses, and all subsequently disturbed by forestry.

The site is crossed WNW-ESE by townland and barony boundaries. The bank is quite ruinous in places, and topped with a modern stone wall (L c. 50m) to the E. In the NW quadrant is a sunken passage (Wth 2m), identified as the fort’s entrance (see plan in Doody ibid., 549). The bank curves inward from WNW to N to accommodate earthen outworks of 2 to 3 banks with intervening fosses ‘possibly indicating a greater need for defences/fortification on this more accessible side’ (Doody ibid., 551). To the N of the NW quadrant, another entrance feature was recorded comprised of a passageway (Wth 5m) cutting perpendicularly through the outworks and flanked by two parallel banks (c. 0.2m H). It is offset c. 35m N of the entrance through the main bank (ibid. 554-5). There are three breaks in the main bank, in addition to the entrance. One is located in the WNW where the barony boundary and a trackway come through; the latter runs parallel to and on the S side of the barony boundary and breaks through it on the E side of the cairn to access a stone cross to the N; the barony boundary exits across the bank to the ESE. There are two further breaks in the bank to the SE and to the SSE. There are some traces of an outer bank to the SW and W. The interior slopes steeply down from the cairn on the hilltop and is very disturbed and overgrown.

This is a National Monument in State Care (no. 592).

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 4: North Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2000). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

References

Ó Murchú, S.S. 1978 The storied hill of Corrin - facts and fairytales. Fermoy. Éigse na Mainistreach Publications.

Power, D., Lane, S., Byrne, E., Egan, U. and Sleeman, M. 2000 Archaeological inventory of county Cork, vol. 4: North Cork, parts 1 and 2. Dublin. Stationery Office.

Doody, M 2008 The Ballyhoura Hills Project, Discovery Programme Monograph No. 7. Wordwell. Bray.