Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

In pasture, located on a rise in an undulating landscape of mixed pasture and bog. There is a derelict farmstead c. 60m to N.
Circular area (int. diam. 23.4m NNW−SSE) defined by a dilapidated, partly tumbled drystone wall. The interior is not noticeably raised above exterior ground level.
The exterior wall face remains largely intact (H 1.6m at W and E, 2m at NE) on the N half of the circuit. It is constructed of large and medium-sized stones in rough courses, with the largest blocks in the basal courses. The upper parts of the wall here consist of loose heaps of smaller stones, and the inner wall face has collapsed to a slumped slope (Wth c. 2.5m; H 0.9m), which drops to a broad, lower spread of loose rubble (Wth 4-5m; H 1.4m) spilling into the interior.
On the S arc, the exterior wall face has collapsed to a low jumble of stone, but the inner wall face (H up to 2m) is still standing, rising proud of the exterior slump, but some sections appear to be at least partly rebuilt.
Interior is flat and grass-covered. The original entrance is not clear. There is a partial break or collapsed section (Wth 4m) of wall at N, and at NW a possible gap or break (Wth c. 2m) appears to have been blocked up. An unusual flight of three small steps (Wth 0.55m) is built into the exterior wall face at NE; this may be a late feature.
A trackway, bordered by a drystone wall, skirts the E half of the cashel, leading from the vernacular farmstead at N. A rectangular building, which is shown on the 1838 OS 6-inch map, abutting the E side of the cashel has been removed. At SE a rectangular space (10.8m NE−SW; 5m NW−SE) abutting the exterior face of the cashel is enclosed by a drystone wall.

Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 6 May 2021