What is recorded here

Fairy fort, Oldcourt: a 30 m ring of earth and memory on a West Cork slope. O Cuileanáin cut through the myth and found hearths, two large oval houses, a wooden gate and a hidden passage. The fairies never lived there; people did, and they built the fort to keep the dark out.

In pasture, atop slight rise, on gentle W-facing slope. Circular area (diam. c. 30m) enclosed by earthen bank (max. H 3.6m), with shallow external fosse. Break in bank to N and E. Interior raised on W side to compensate for hillslope. Excavation by O Cuileanáin (Murphy 1961, 79-92) revealed true depth of fosse to be 6ft 6in; entrance to E with evidence for wooden gate and causeway. Interior contained 3 hearth sites; two overlapping oval house sites (33ft by 39ft; 34ft by 38ft); Man-made underground passage (CO141-118002-) in SW quadrant. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 1: West Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1992). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

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