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Killeen Fort (Site of)

Fairy fort / earthen ringfort

What is recorded here

Killeen Fort was a living fairy fortress in mid Cork until human hands dragged its breath out and buried the door. It still stands inside the land, waiting for the day the tables overturn and the forgers become the forged.
In pasture, on S-facing slope. Depicted as hachured oval enclosure (c. 40m N-S; c. 28m E-W) on 1842 OS 6-inch map; marked 'Killeen Fort (site of)' on 1904 and 1938 OS 6-inch maps. Levelled; no visible surface trace. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 3: Mid Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009
Killeen Fort is a likely early-medieval ringfort, indicated by its oval shape and historical map depictions, though now completely levelled with no surface remains. Local tradition may associate such sites with fairy folklore, as many ringforts in Ireland were later believed to be entrances to the Otherworld or homes of the fairies.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.

What survives
Recorded monument

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