Lisnaleagaun

Situated in rough pasture on a flat terrace between a higher ridge to the N and ground sloping away a short distance to the S with good views throughout. Named ‘Lisnaleagaun’ on all editions of the OS 6-inch maps, this fort was called ‘Studdert’s Fort in the mid-nineteenth century and ‘Lios an Chairn’ in 1835 by O’Curry (Murphy 1996, 33). An oval bivallate raised rath (int. diam. 28m; overall diam. c. 75m) defined by an inner bank (Wth 9.5-13m; H 0.2-0.8m), a flat-bottomed fosse (Wth at base 4-5m) and a lower outer bank (Wth 7.5-11m; int. H 0.8-2m; ext. H 0.6-1.2m). The inner bank is reduced to a scarp in places and the outer bank is considerably reduced in many places between NW and ENE. A gap at WNW (Wth 3.2m) with slight causeway may be the original entrance. Parts of the banks have been denuded by cattle exposing a considerable amount of stone. The interior is uneven and slopes significantly to the W. A Man-made underground passage (CL056-044002-) is in the SW sector. Westropp (1909, 116) notes that ‘Lisnaleagaun’ translates as the fort of the pillar-stone but that the standing stone (CL056-044003-) was no longer there. There is another standing stone (CL056-102----) in the adjacent field 100m to the NE. (Murphy 1996, 33-6) The following images have been uploaded: CL056-044----_01.jpg From NE. Overview of ringfort. CL056-044----_02 jpg From NE. Oblique view across banks and fosse. CL056-044----_03.jpg From ESE. View across the two gorse-covered banks. Compiled by: Mary Tunney Date of upload: 12 March 2019 This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 7/1978).

Lisnaleagaun is a ringfort, likely dating to the early medieval period, situated on a flat terrace with strategic views. Local tradition associates such sites with fairy dwellings, and similar forts in the region are sometimes linked to legends of hidden folk or ancient druidic activity.