Enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

In pasture/silage, located on a rise, on top of a ridge, with extensive views N-E over lowlying coastal grasslands, and beyond to Rathlacken Bay and Killala Bay. To S–SW the land rises to another ridge.
This rath, named ‘Mullaghorn Fort’ on the 1838 and 1922 OS 6-inch maps, is shown on the 1838 edition as a circular enclosure, and on the 1922 edition as a penannular enclosure truncated on the E edge by a quarry. The 1838 OS Letters record that the name is derived from the Irish name ‘Mullach Chairnn, that is the Height or Hill of the Carn’ and describes the enclosure as follows: ‘This is built like an earthen fort (lios) and has round stones of very great size placed circularly on its border, where the parapet of the fort would occupy. The diameter within this circle of large stones, which are placed very contiguous (not closely) to one another is twenty six yards = seventy eight paces and around the circle immediately outside measures eighty paces = two hundred and forty two feet.’ (O’Flanagan, 1927, 137)
It survives as a slightly raised, semi-circular area (29.7m NW–SE; 17.6m NE–SW to quarry face) defined SE–NW by remnants of a bank consisting of a low scarp (ext. H 0.4m) topped with a broad, low internal lip (Wth c. 4m). There is no trace of the circle of large stones mentioned in the OS Letters. The straight side of the enclosure at NNE-E is formed by a quarry pit which has truncated approximately a third of the enclosure. The quarry pit is dug to a depth of c. 2m below level of the rath interior, and extends for c. 45-50m to NNE and E of the enclosure, with the deepest part to NNE-NE.

Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 6 December 2018