Cairn

Cnoc na Fola is a low, sub-rectangular cairn located on the low ridge overlooking Minard to S. The level field in which it occurs is named Páirc na Fola and was traditionally the scene of a bloody battle in ancient times. The cairn reputedly marks the graves of those slain. It measures 7.4 x 8.2m and is .6m high. The cairn material is a mixture of earth and stones many of which are quartz. Four low standing stones occur along the perimeter and 3 further prostrate slabs may formerly have stood upright. Two of the standing stones bear ogham inscriptions. (1) A rounded boulder, measuring .8m high and 1.3m in circumference, bears the inscription: GOSSUCTTIAS (2) The standing stone immediately S of the latter is .8m high, .45m wide and .24m thick. The inscription reads: GAMICUNAS An outlying standing stone occurs 38m to ENE. It is .65m high, .9m wide and .8m thick. Windele (1838, 155) was informed that a cave containing bones had been found nearby and that graves and bones were frequently revealed during ploughing. The cave may have been a Man-made underground passage but, in the context of the site, is more likely to have been a grave. An Seabhac (1939, 173) mentions that 3 of the standing stones mark the heads of large graves about 15 feet long (4.6m). No traces of these features survive on the surface today. (See KE054-034----) The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 807. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 7 August 2013

A sub-rectangular cairn, likely dating to the Bronze Age; its location on a prominent ridge and association with a traditionally significant battlefield suggest possible ritual or commemorative function.