What is recorded here

Indicated is a circular stone cashel on the west slope of Slieve Elva, large enough to hold a small household yet modest enough to disappear into the field system around it. Its outer wall still stands with a clean stone face, while the inner side has given up material to neighbouring buildings. A lintel lies open in the north-west sector above a shallow hole, perhaps marking a passage now buried or forgotten. The cashel does not claim to be grand; it waits beside other rings and enclosures, preserving the shape of a place where people lived, defended themselves and let go.

On a slightly raised area of terrace on the W-facing slope on the NW side of Slieve Elva, with commanding views to WSW–NE. Hachured on the 1842 ed. of the OS 6-inch map and indicated with a solid line on the 1915 ed. Listed as ‘Enclosure’ in the SMR (1992) and the RMP (1996). Westropp (1901, 10) recorded it along with the other cashels in the vicinity. A roughly circular cashel (ext. diam. 29m) defined by a stone bank (Wth 3.1–3.6m; int. H 0.3–0.5m; ext. H 1.1–1.8m) with well-preserved external facing but a largely robbed-out inner face. The remains of a rectangular structure (CL004-016037-) are located in the N sector, abutting the NW wall. An exposed lintel in the NW sector covers an ope (2m NW–SE x 1.2m NE–SW; D 0.8m) potentially indicating a Man-made underground passage. Westropp (1901, 10) noted the, now likely obscured, jambs of a gateway (Wth 0.86m [34 inches]) in the north wall. He also noted ‘the foundations of a late oblong building’ which are likely the noted rectangular structure mentioned above and an ancient circular hut (CL004-016047-) in the SW, of which there are now no visible remains at ground level. An area of robbed cashel wall in the SSW might be related. This cashel lies within an extensive multiperiod field system (CL004-016001-), covering an area of c. 8sqkm. Two cashels (CL004-016011- and CL004-016013-) and an enclosure (CL004-016008-), also within that field system, are located c. 30m NNW, 90m S and c. 85m SSW respectively. Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Ros Ó Maoldúin Date of upload: 28 April 2021

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