Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

Internal diam. 23.5m N-S, 23m E-W
The greatly disturbed remains of this circular caher are located in a farmyard on the N bank of the Ferta river, on land which slopes down to S. The enclosing wall is best preserved along its W sector, where it is very carefully constructed of regularly coursed thin slabs. Here, it measures 3.5m wide on average, is 2m in external height and stands up to 1m high internally. The upper section of the wall has collapsed in the SW sector and from NE to SE, where it is now sod-covered. A field wall runs adjacent at E, and stones from the enclosing element of the caher were probably used in its construction. Lecky recorded a 'fairly perfect' entrance through a 'curve in the thickness of the wall' at S (1914, 50-1), but collapse and overgrowth now completely obscure the wall at this point. The interior of the caher at S, however, is raised at least 1m above external ground level, and for a stretch of 2m the upper portion of the enclosing wall has been rebuilt with an outward curve. This probably represents the location of Lecky's entrance.

In the SW quadrant of the caher's interior is the blocked opening to a passage of a stone-built souterrain (KE070-062001-), aligned E-W (local information). Loose spreads of stone nearby may be the remnants of the 'cloghans' (KE070-062002-) referred to by Lecky.

The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 564. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 29 July 2013