Enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

In flat scrubland. Recorded by McCaffrey (1952, 10, no. 6, 81, 222-3, plate 3) who classified it as a rectangular 'stone fort (?)' (42.7m E-W; 26.5m N-S). Only the lower courses of the enclosure wall survived beneath a modern wall and most of the E and part of the N sides were destroyed. It was best preserved at SW where a double row of large 'foundation blocks' was visible. A laneway ran directly outside the wall along the W side and there was an entrance at the NW corner. The interior contained a 'chapel' (GA104-092003-), a children's burial ground (GA104-092001-) and a megalithic structure (GA104-092002-). Furthermore, 'two stone basins', possible bullaun stones (GA104-092005- and GA104-092006-), were also noted in the field to the S (not located). On inspection in June 1992 almost all of these features were
impenetrably overgrown with dense blackthorn and briar growth. The enclosing wall was similar to the surrounding field walls and no obvious older foundation line was visible at its base. The possible souterrain (GA104-092007-) noted by McCaffrey (ibid.) at the bottom of the laneway is in fact a lintelled field drain.

Compiled by: Galway Archaeological Survey, UCG

Date of upload: 29 January 2020

References

McCaffrey, P. 1952 A contribution to the archaeology of the barony of Dunkellin, Co. Galway. Unpublished MA thesis, National University of Ireland, Galway.