Ringfort - unclassified

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on elevated rocky land with commanding views from E-S-W, higher ground to N. Good view of S shoreline of Lough Gur 300m to WNW. New Church (LI032-024001-) and graveyard (LI032-024002-) located 280m to the WNW with Ballynagallagh Nunnery (LI032-043002-) visible 690m to SW.
Large rock outcrop depicted on 1st ed. OS 6-inch map as a circular shaped enclosure annotated as 'Carriggalla Fort'. On the revised 1927 ed. OS 6-inch the name of the rock has been changed from 'Carrigalla Fort' to 'Carriganaffrin' meaning the 'Mass Rock'. Probably the remains of a stone fort or cashel that was reused as a mass rock (LI032-028001-) by local people in penal times. It has been suggested that this fort was one of the Royal forts of Ireland and was identified by Crofton Croker as the site of Uillcan Eatan (Barry 1900, 374; Croker 1833, 109).
The top of the rock outcrop is covered in scrub vegetation and is not accessible, there is a small cave like recess on the SW face of the rock which may have served as a shelter for the altar. There are no surface remains visible of any enclosing element around the base of the rock that would correspond with the depiction of the 'fort' on the first edition OS 6-inch map.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 5 July 2018

References

Croker, T.C. 1833 Druidical remains near Lough Gur,
Co. Limerick. Gentleman's Magazine (February
1833), 105–12.

Barry, J.G. 1900 Report from the Hon. Secretary, East County Limerick. The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 374-5.