Enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

Located in hilly pasture, with expanses of damp lowlying pasture to W and rising ground to NE.
Large roughly oval enclosure (c. 60m N−S, c. 55m E−W) incorporated into a system of field walls is shown on the 1838 OS 6-inch map; by the time of the 1920 edition the enclosing element on the N arc has been removed.
An irregular C-shaped area (c. 51.5m E−W; c. 51.4m N−S) curving NE−W is defined by a drystone wall (Wth 1.6m; int. H 1.7m; ext. H 2m at W). The wall on the E side is almost linear gradually becoming a curve at SE−W. A section of the wall at S is lower (H 0.5-0.7m) than elsewhere. There is no trace at ground level of the NW arc of the enclosure, and straight field walls now define the NW and NE part of the field. The enclosed area slopes down from S to N and NE, and is crossed by later field walls on a NW−SE axis.
There is no convincing evidence that this is the remains of a ringfort/cashel or an archaeological enclosure. It is probably a field enclosure of 18th/early 19th century in date, which predates the current rectilinear NW−SE field layout. The curving shape was probably dictated by the naturally undulating ground.

Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 9 December 2020