Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

Caherdaniel/Cathair Dónall: Internal diam. 25.2m N-S, 24.5m E-W. This imposing circular caher is located on the W side of the Coomnahorna river valley and overlooks Darrynane Bay to SW. It is built on an area of rock outcrop which falls steeply away from the N sector of the site. Its massive enclosing wall consists of a rubble core faced internally and externally with well-built drystone masonry. Collapse abuts the external wall-face from NE to SW and is also present along much of the inner wall-face. Sections of the latter have been rebuilt, and, apart from obviously secondary stretches of walling, such as those at E and S, it is difficult to distinguish the original from the later walling. Windele noted, in 1848, that the inner face of the enclosing wall was modern and that the site has been adapted for use as a pound (RIA MS 12 C 11).

The external wall-face is well-preserved, particularly at N where it survives to a maximum height of 5m and displays a pronounced batter returned to the full height of the wall. At S it is obscured by brambles and thicket, and at SE it has a minimum external height of .7m. The wall has an average basal width of 3.6m and stands 1m high above the raised interior of the caher. A 5m long-entrance passage, 2.5m wide, is located at SW. A stone field boundary overlies its E side and severely modifies its outline. A large slab, 1.75m x .9m x .2m, leans against a modern wall 2.3m E of the passage and may have served as a lintel. Immediately N of another overlying field wall at E is an infilled, 1.45m wide, gap. A 4.8m long recess, .7m deep, occurs in the inner wall-face at N and appears to be an original feature.

A number of upright slabs and traces of drystone facing occur in the NW quadrant of the interior of the caher and possibly represent the foundations of a hut (KE106-063003-). The holed stone noted by Westropp at this site (1912, 295) cannot be identified.

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

Date of upload: 29 July 2013