Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

The site marked 'Cashelmacadowan Fort' on the three editions of the OS 6-inch maps is not now traceable. Three small grass-covered heaps of stone, on the NW, may have come from the enclosing wall. Old cultivation ridges run N-S in what was the interior. It was sited on a low rise in undulating ground, in pasture land. It seems likely from the name and topography that this was a cashel.
Pre-development testing was carried out by Richard Crumlish under licence No. 07E0013 on 8 January 2007 at a site in Carrowcanon, Falcarragh, Co. Donegal. The proposed development was located within the archaeological constraint for an enclosure site, marked on the OS maps as ‘Cashelmacadowan Fort’. The monument was located just outside the southern boundary of the site, with its northern limit just extending into the proposed development site. The proposed development (NGR 19411/43223), situated in a pasture field, consisted of the construction of a dwelling house, garage, septic tank and percolation area. The testing consisted of the excavation (by machine) of five trenches, located along the proposed driveway to and through the garage, through the centre of the proposed dwelling, along the east side of the proposed dwelling, from the proposed dwelling to the percolation area and along that section of the southern site boundary closest to the monument. The trenches measured 59.6m, 18.5m, 13.3m, 42m and 31m long respectively, 0.9–1.1m wide and 0.25–0.55m deep. Below the topsoil was orange/brown friable silt loam and blue/grey and rust-coloured compact boulder clay. Several sherds of modern pottery, mostly whiteware, were recovered from the topsoil. The testing revealed natural stratigraphy and nothing of archaeological significance (Bennett 2010, 76).

The above description was derived from the 'Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century.' Compiled by: Brian Lacey with Eamon Cody, Claire Cotter, Judy Cuppage, Noel Dunne, Vincent Hurley, Celie O'Rahilly, Paul Walsh and Seán Ó Nualláin (Lifford: Donegal County Council, 1983). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated.

Compiled by Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload/revision: 15 November 2011