Ecclesiastical enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

In pasture, on a gentle SE-facing slope, giving good views.
This enclosure not indicated on the 1838 OS 6-inch map but is shown on the 1919 edition, where it is named is named ‘Killerrikeen’.
Subcircular area (50.5m N–S; 52.5m E–W) enclosed by a stony scarp/collapsed wall (ext. H 0.8-1m), topped at SSW-E by a later drystone field wall (Wth 0.6m; H 0.8m).
The enclosing scarp is slumped and partly sod-covered, with the most pronounced external slope (Wth 2.6m; ext. H 1.4-1.8m) at SE–S where it is enhanced by the natural slope. At SW it has been revetted by a later stone wall. Two gaps allow access to the interior, one at W (Wth 2.2m) and one at E (Wth 2m).
The interior slopes down gently from the NW quadrant to E–SE. The E half of the interior is partitioned off by a sod-covered stone bank/collapsed wall (Wth 3m; H 0.4m at W, 0.8m at E) which curves SSE–NNE in a shallow arc. Gaps intervene at the SSE (Wth 3m) and NNE (Wth 4m) between the terminals of the partition wall and the enclosure wall, allowing access from one half of the interior to the other.
A small cairn of loose stones is located at the base of a hawthorn tree that grows midway along the partition wall, and there are two sod-covered stone heaps (max. dim. 3m; H 0.8m), in the W half of the interior, one at NW, the other to W of centre.
There is a souterrain (MA073-011003-) in the SW quadrant. According to local tradition, the enclosure was used as a graveyard (MA073-011002-) and there was a church (MA073-011004-) associated with it. An ogham stone (MA073-012----) and a holy well (MA073-013----) are located c. 250m to E, and a bullaun stone (MA073-042----) is c. 70m to SW.

Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 2 June 2021