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Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Cloonigny

Fairy fort / earthen ringfort

What is recorded here

Cloonigny holds an oval ringfort thirty-one metres across, marked by twin earth banks and a shadowed gap where stone still lines the way through. The outer bank has lost flesh to quarrying, yet the interior hides a probable underground passage, suggesting the site served more purpose than a simple boundary. People may have built the fort to keep out rain, invaders or forgetting, then lowered themselves into the dark when the work became serious. The grassland gives nothing away, but the shape resists dismissal because it still directs the body toward entry, descent and return.
In gently undulating grassland. Oval ringfort (E-W 31m, N-S 28.5m), in fair condition, defined by two banks and an intervening fosse. The outer bank has been quarried out at NNW. A stone-lined gap (Wth 3.3m) at SSE may be original. Within the interior is a probable Man-made underground passage (GA074-031001-) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. II - North Galway'. Compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999). Date of upload: 05 August 2010

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What survives
Recorded monument

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