Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

Internal diam. 17.8m N-S, 19.5m E-W
This ruined caher is located in an old forestry plantation on the S side of the Inny river, close to the head of its valley. It is situated on a natural terrace in land that otherwise slopes down to N. Trees grow within the roughly circular interior of the site and on its enclosing wall. Much of the wall has collapsed outwards, particularly at S, but it is otherwise well-constructed of horizontal courses of small boulder-like slabs which face a rubble core. It survives to a maximum external height at N of 1.2m, averages .6m high above the interior and is c. 3m wide. Though no gap occurs in the enclosing wall it seems probable that the entrance was located at E, where the wall is poorly preserved. Here, two upright slabs, set 1.2m apart, flank the inner face of the wall; they average 1.15m x .65m x .2m. Opposing them, at the outer face of the wall, is an upright and a prostrate slab, also set 1.2m apart and of similar dimensions.

A lintelled opening to a souterrrain (KE081-029001-) is located in the NE quadrant of the caher's interior. Measuring .55m x .2m, it gives access to a blocked passage which is aligned N-S.

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

Date of upload: 29 July 2013