Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

This site is depicted as a circular enclosure, titled 'Burial ground' (KE070-067----), on both editions of the OS maps. It was described in the OSNB as a fort with a burial ground, which was locally known as the 'White Fort' (Killinane, 37). It is located on the N bank of the Ferta river on the lower W slopes of Teermoyle mountain, and may be an ecclesiastical site. It survives as a D-shaped enclosure, 20m in diameter N-S. Its straight W side is overlain by a field boundary which runs along the crest of a low ridge, and a second field boundary runs adjacent to the site at NW. The enclosing wall is faced internally and externally with coursed drystone masonry with a rubble core. It survives only two to three courses in height, and is 2.4m wide. An eroded gap, 1m wide, is located at NE and may represent the original entrance.
The interior of the site is divided into two levels by a .6m high revetment of crude drystone masonry which incorporates some exceptionally large boulders along its base. On the upper, SW, level are three large upright slabs, averaging .5m high x .75m wide, forming a right angle, and two adjoining rectangular structures. The roughly coursed walls of the latter survive only one to two courses high, and average .9m wide. The internal dimensions of the structures are 5.3m x 3.5m and 2.9m x 2.8m.
On the lower, NE, level of the site is a subrectangular area enclosed by a crude stone wall, one to two courses high. It abuts the enclosing element at N and measures 3.3m x 2.3m internally. There are a few upright slabs within its stony interior, which may relate to the site's use as a burial ground. The foundations (KE070-067003-) of a suboval structure, open at its W end, are located 1m to SE. Its roughly coursed walls are .4m high and .6m wide, and enclose an area 2.1m x 1.6m.
Abutting the external face of the enclosing element at S is a curving stretch of apparently contemporary walling. It may represent the remains of a circular structure.

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. 624. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 29 July 2013