Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Ringfort - cashel
Cuilsheeghary Beg, County Sligo, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Cuilsheeghary Beg
- County
- Sligo
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Indicated (1838).
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 54.03911, -8.34515
- SMR number
- SL040-162----
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1790 map "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Historical maps covering this location
- 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1922 · Ireland - northern section. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
In a strip of hazel woodland, located on a terrace on the E-facing slope of a NNW−SSE limestone ridge, on the lower E flank of the Bricklieve Mountains, overlooking Lough Arrow.
This cashel is shown on the 1837 OS 6-inch map, but not on the 1914 edition. It consists of a roughly circular area (c. 21m E−W; c. 19m N−S) defined by remnants of a stone wall. On the W arc, the wall consists of a substantial stone bank (Wth 2-2.5m; H 1.2m) of limestone boulders and large stones, which may incorporate field clearance stones. Elsewhere around the circuit, the wall is reduced to a low jumble (Wth 1.5-2m; H 0.3m) of moss-covered stones. On the E arc, the wall merges in a shallow curve with the natural break of slope of the terrace, where the ridge slope falls away steeply for several meters. Here the wall can be traced as a low, slumped scarp (Wth slope 1.5m; H 0.8-1m), covered with stone tumble.
The interior is split level, with the E third at a lower level. A low, gently slumped N−S stony scarp (Wth slope 1.5-2m; H 0.5-0.6m) marks the division between the two levels. Straddling this internal division is a souterrain (SL040-162001-), located in the SE quadrant of the interior. The visible remains of the souterrain consist of a simple length of passage (L c. 7-8m E−W) faced with drystone walling. No roofing slabs are evident. The E end of the passage projects to E of the N−S dividing scarp, and is banked up to compensate for the lower ground level.
A N−S field wall (Wth 0.6m; H 0.6m) extends across the W half of the cashel interior. The perimeter of the cashel is densely ringed with hazel trees, which grows in and on the moss-covered stones of the enclosing wall; hazel trees and dense pockets of brambles and undergrowth obscure much of the interior and the souterrain.
A possible cashel (SL040-247----) is located c. 200m to NW on the crest of the ridge, another cashel is located 240m to N, and two cashels (SL040-163001-; SL040-164----) and an enclosure (SL040-163004-) are located c. 300m to S towards the S end of the ridge.
Attached images:
SL040-162----_01: West side of cashel, viewed from NW
SL040-162----_02: Enclosing wall on W side of cashel, viewed from NE
SL040-162----_03: Enclosing wall on E side of cashel, viewed from N
Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy
Date of upload: 11 June 2018
Nearby in the register
- Souterrainunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - cashelunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - cashelunder 1 mi
- Enclosureunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.