Enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

In rocky pasture and scrub woodland on the NW-facing slope of Knockadoon Peninsula on a terrace between two low rock cliffs. Located looking NW towards Knockfennell 75m SE of Lough Gur. Located to the N of a complex Neolithic and Bronze Age settlement that was discovered during a campaign of archaeological excavation over 18 seasons led by Professor Seán P. Ó Ríordáin at Lough Gur (Cleary 2018). Archaeological excavations were conducted by Ó Ríordáin at Circle K (LI032-022028-) 265m to SSW and at Site 12 (LI032-022007-) 340m to SW. Archaeological excavations were conducted by Cleary at a C-shaped enclosure (LI032-022008-) 210m to SW. An unexcavated enclosure (Site 11, LI032-022019-) is located 20m to W.
The site is not depicted on historic OSi maps but is faintly visible on both OSi orthoimages taken 2005-12 and on Digital Globe orthophoto taken 2011-2013 as a curving S-shaped enclosure (ext. dims. 75m NE-SW; 20m NW-SE). Grogan (1989) described how ‘the N side of the site is formed by a double kerbed wall the platform [presumably within the enclosure] has max dimensions of 35m x 25m’. The site is illustrated by Cleary (2003, 99) and described as a double stone row with infilled bank at the N where the enclosure is C-shaped and is open to the S. A single curving stone wall extends from the SW side of the enclosure along the top of a cliff edge for 60m forming the W side of the enclosure. The enclosure is partially visible on Google Earth orthoimages taken 05/04/2006; 25/03/2017; 28/06/2018 and 20/09/2020.

See attached Google Earth orthoimages

Compiled by: Edmond O’Donovan

Date of upload: 24 November 2020

References

Cleary, R. 2018 The archaeology of Lough Gur. Dublin. Wordwell.

Cleary, R. et al. 2003 Enclosed Late Bronze Age Habitation Site and Boundary Wall at Lough Gur, Co. Limerick. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 103C, 97-189.

Grogan, E. 1989 The Early Prehistory of the Lough Gur Region: Neolithic and Bronze Age settlement patterns in North Munster, south of the River Shannon, 3 Vols. Doctoral PhD Thesis submitted to the Dept. of Archaeology, University College Dublin.