What is recorded here

Promontory fort stands on a sharp triangular cliff above the river Awbeg in County Cork, where a shallow ditch still marks the boundary of an old stronghold. The Uí Laoghaire held this place before the Normans arrived, using the steep wooded rock and a narrow earth cut to control the bend below. A later medieval castle followed the same defensive line, suggesting the spot kept its purpose across centuries. The river floods the flat land at the fort's feet, but the cliff remains dry, preserving a boundary that water and time have never erased.

A triangular promontory located on the west side of a bend in the river Awbeg. The promontory is defined by a steep-sided wooded cliff, rising above the flood plain of the river from north clockwise to south-west, the point of the triangle pointing south-east. The outline of a ditch (width c. 5.4m; depth c. 0.4m) appears to cut-off the promontory, running north from the southern cliff-face for c. 90m before turning at a shallow angle to the north-north-east for c. 125m to the northern cliff face; this latter section is barely evident on the ground as a scarped edge. The area enclosed measures c. 300m north-west to south-east and has a maximum width south-west to north-east of c. 200m. The line of the outer later medieval bawn of the castle (CO026-089001-; CO026-089004- & CO026-085----) appears to follow the line of the fort’s defenses. According to Power (1932, 111) the pre-Norman name for this site was Dún Cruadha. Ō Murchadha (1988, 206) identifies this as a stronghold of the Uí Laoghaire, who controlled this area before the arrival of the Normans. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 4: North Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2000). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of revision: 23 December 2019

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