What is recorded here

Boolacullane holds three forts, but this is the one named for wild cats and hidden caverns. The earth rampart still stands twenty-nine metres across, marked by a field boundary and a dark underground passage cutting through the western bank. Cats may have danced there or people may have lived there; the stone ledge and sloping floor remember both.

In pasture, on a N-facing slope. A raised roughly circular area (29m E-W; 24.4m N-S) defined by slight traces of a bank (ext. H 1.5m) W-SE and by a field boundary, which may incorporate the bank, SE-W. Some field-clearance stones have been thrown onto the bank SE-W, making inspection difficult. However, along the S arc the bank is clearly topped by a field boundary (H 0.55m), creating a ledge internally (H 1.4m; Wth 1.1m). There is a possible external fosse along the N and NE arcs. The interior slopes down to the N. The opening to a Man-made underground passage (KE048-087001-) is in the bank at W. In the 1940s it was recorded that 'great stones had been used as well as clay in the building of the surrounding rampart' of this rath (Minutes of the Co. Kerry Field Club, 1946, vol. 2, 702-3). This is probably one of three forts in Boolacullane, mentioned in the 1840s as 'Lissnacrath, Lissoughter, and the other not known by any particular name' (OSNB, Molahiffe, no. 1, 20). This may be 'Lissnacrath' fort which was recorded as having a 'cavern' and being a 'few chains North of Lissnaclinna' (ibid.). The rath is said to derive its name from 'Wild Cats which used to be formerly seen there' (ibid.). (Castleisland District Archaeological Survey) Compiled by: Elizabeth Byrne, Ursula Egan and Sheila Ronan, Archaeological Survey Unit, University College, Cork. Date of upload: 31 January 2011

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