Ringfort - cashel

The National Monuments Service's description

In sharply undulating grassland of knolls and low ridges, broken by rock outcrops. An oval area (14m N-S; 18m E-W), encompassing the top of a low knoll, enclosed by a ruined stone wall. The knoll has a steep slope to N and S but a more gradual incline to E and W. The enclosing wall appears to have faced a low scarp (H 0.6-0.7m) encircling the top of the knoll and is topped with a slight moss-covered stony internal rim (Wth c. 0.6m). A single hawthorn tree grows on the wall at N. The interior has a level but uneven surface. A line of moss-covered stones crosses the interior on a N-S axis, 2.7m from the wall at W. There is a possible entrance at E where there is a break (Wth c. 3m) in the wall and the interior ground level grades gently to the exterior. The scant remains of a wall are visible on the steep N slope of the knoll, 1.5m above the base. It follows the E-W contour of the knoll and is probably associated with two small rectangular fields to E of the knoll. Ruined moss-covered walls (Wth 0.5-1m; H 0.3m) enclose the fields. The smaller field (17.7m N-S; 7.7m E-W) is located at the base of the E slope of the knoll. Its SE corner is linked by a short E-W stretch of wall to the NW corner of a somewhat larger field that extends across the intervening space between this cashel and another (SL021-071----) c. 60m to SSE.

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo' compiled by Ursula Egan, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman with Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy (Dublin Stationery Office, 2005).

Date of upload: 18 January 2008