Fairy fort / stone ringfort in Caherconnell

Situated on karst limestone in the ‘high’ Burren at the crossing point of two adjacent routeways in a sheltered area on a S-facing shelf. A cashel (CL009-030008-) is c. 40m to the N and Caherconnell cashel (CL009-030010-) is c. 120m to the N. A sub-square drystone enclosure (37m x 34m) with straight sides and slightly rounded corners. The walls (Wth c. 3m) were built with large blocks laid horizontally to form faces with slightly smaller stones in between. Some external wall-facing survives and a possible entrance lies mid-way along the S wall. A modern drystone wall runs along the top of the earlier wall. Remains of three structures and a number of subdividing walls were excavated in the interior which is 1-2m lower than external ground level at N and higher than the external ground level at S. Associated deposits were rich in faunal remains and a quantity of artefacts was also recovered. Bronze dress pins and glass beads were imported to the site. Radiocarbon dates indicate that the enclosure was used from the 7th to the 9th centuries AD which may suggest an ancestral link with 6th/7th-century burials found under a mound beneath Caherconnell Cashel. (Comber and Jones 2008; Comber 2016) Compiled by: Mary Tunney Date of upload: 31 May 2017

A stone ringfort in Caherconnell, likely dating to the early medieval period, is situated in the high Burren landscape, reflecting the strategic and agricultural importance of such sites. Local tradition associates it with fairy lore, common in the region where such forts were often believed to be the homes of supernatural beings.