What is recorded here

Indicated is a fairy fort on a high Clare plateau where two grass-covered stone banks circle an empty oval above a deep ravine. A modern fieldwall cuts across the ancient lines, and a pen has taken root in the inner bank, turning the fort into a place where human usefulness and fairy ownership both make claims. The gap at the south still points to an entrance, but neither gate nor room remains clear enough to judge whose kitchen, prison or temple it was.

On a high plateau under rough pasture, overlooking a deep ravine to the W, with views from SE to NE, but elsewhere restricted by slightly higher ground. An oval bivallate enclosure (60m SW-NE; 43.8m SE-NW) defined by widely spaced (c. 17m apart) grass-covered stone banks. The inner bank (H 0.8-1.3m; Wth 2m) encloses an oval area (23m N-S; 19m E-W) and stretches of outer wall-facing survive from N to S. A gap (Wth 1.4m) at S defined on one side by an orthostat (H 0.6m; L 2m) marks the site of the probable entrance. The outer bank (Wth c. 2.7m) is traceable on OSi Aerial Premium (2013-2018) from NW to NE and from S to SW. A mound wall radiates off this at NE. A modern fieldwall crosses the site from E to W, following the line of the inner bank at N and forming a small enclosure between the banks at S. A pen or shed is built into the inner bank at NE. Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Ros Ó Maoldúin Date of upload: 22 February 2023

Aillwee is a likely early-medieval oval bivallate ringfort, situated on a high plateau and offering strategic views. Local folklore associates the name "Aillwee" with a cave of the same name in the area, which is linked to tales of fairies and ancient druids.

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