What is recorded here

Clahereen, the little stone fort in Farran, stands forty-eight metres across on a Kerry rise, its earth-and-stone bank still casting a shadow over the land it watched. The entrance faces east, wide enough for a cart or a thousand desperate people, while the interior sits higher than the fields below, as if the ground itself refused to let go. A cave appears on the old map, perhaps a passage cut beneath the fort where people hid when storms or enemies came. What is certain is that the site remained visible, defensible and alive long after most such places faded from memory.

Internal diameter 47.2m N-S, 48m E-W Clahereen/Cathairín (little stone fort). Situated on a rise, this univallate cahir has an excellent view of the surrounding area. The site is enclosed by a well-defined earth-and-stone bank which rises to a maximum internal height of 3m and an external height of 4.8m. Originally an exterior fosse was present but this has been completely ploughed out, except for a small section SE to E, and this has been distorted by the digging of a quarry. Access to the interior is provided by a c 6m wide entrance to the E which has been widened in recent times. The interior is at a higher level than the surrounding land. 'Cave' is marked on the 1841-42 OS map, suggesting a Man-made underground passage (KE015-003001-). When first visited, the interior displayed three large house-sites, but all had been completely ploughed out when we returned to survey. The above description is derived from C. Toal, ‘North Kerry Archaeological Survey’. Dingle. Brandon in association with FAS Training and Employment Authority (1995), no. 824. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 3 August 2013

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