What is recorded here

Caherloughlin is a large, poorly preserved oval stone ringfort on a gentle south-facing slope in County Clare, Ireland. Its name may honour Lochlain, chief of Corcomroe around AD 980, though Lochlainn became a common personal name and later a leading family name in the Burren. The low stony bank still marks a 63-metre enclosure beside improved pasture, with a rectangular house site near its centre and later field walls cutting across the interior.

On a gentle S-facing slope at the E end of a low E-W ridge in improved meadow and pastureland, c. 500m S of the foreshore. Indicated and named ‘Caherloughlin’ on the 1842 and 1915 OS 6-inch maps and named ‘Cathair Lochlainn’ on Robinson’s map (1977). The name of the cashel may be derived from Lochlain, chief of Corcomroe c. AD 980 (Westropp 1900, 415; 1901, 279). However, Lochlainn appears to have been a personal name of some popularity in the Burren during the 10th century and later became the name of the leading family there for many centuries (Ó Murchadha 1993, 68-9). A large, poorly preserved, oval enclosure (63.4m NNW–SSE; 54.7m ENE–WSW) defined by a low denuded stony bank (Wth 1.9–3.5m; H 0.3–0.5m). A 2.4m gap at S appears to be modern. A rectangular house site (CL002-018002-) of indeterminate date is located SW of the centre of the enclosure. A later field wall runs on the outer edge of the bank, SE–N, and a second wall runs NNW–SSE across the interior and over the site of the house. Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Ros Ó Maoldúin Date of upload: 2 December 2020

Caherloughlin, Muckinish West is a ringfort, likely dating to the early medieval period, situated on a south-facing slope near the coast. It is associated with local folklore referring to it as 'Cathair Lochlainn,' possibly linked to the legendary hero Cú Chulainn or early Irish settlers.

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