What is recorded here

Indicated, named Caherduff on maps since 1842, crouches on the leading edge of a narrow terrace above Galway Bay. Its thick two-faced wall still rises ten feet in places, though gaps and displaced stones scatter the hollow interior. The fort sits where the land thrusts north into open water, commanding a view so wide it feels less like a home and more like a watchtower built for gods or anxious kings.

Prominently sited at the N, leading-edge of a high (between 500’ and 600’ contours) narrow terrace on the NW slopes of Knockaunsmountain (OD 983’), with extensive views to W and over Galway Bay to N. Indicated and named ‘Caherduff’ on the first edition (1842) of the OS 6-inch map and similarly recorded on the later Cassini edition (1915) of that map. Described by Westropp (1905, 352) as, ‘Built on a well-selected low knoll. The wall is 9 to 10 feet [c. 2.74-] thick and is of remarkably good masonry … It is over 10 feet [c. 3.05m] high where best preserved, i.e. to the south and north-east, in parts 9 feet [c. 2.74m] high; but great gaps occur, and the north and north-west parts ae greatly defaced. The wall has two faces, and large filling, and has traces of a terrace, 28 inches [0.71m] wide. The batter is 1 in 12, and well carried out; much of the inner face has been destroyed. The garth [interior] is slightly hollow and very irregular, 96 feet [c. 29.3m] across (north and south); the fort measuring about 116 feet [c. 35.4m] over all. There are large rocks about the garth, and a slight, oblong hollow, as if the rock-surface was quarried out, and the space fenced with large blocks at intervals. Westropp also includes a sketch profile of the enclosing wall (op. cit. 351) and a fine sketch of the monument (op. cit. 349) – see image attached. An almost circular area (est. ext. diams. c. 34m N-S; 32m E-W) is defined by a partially collapsed drystone wall which is best preserved at W and S (T 0.5-2.5m; int. H 1.6-1.7m; ext. H 1.3-2.6m). The wall facing is best preserved externally (H 2.4-2.6m) in SW and S but the inner wall facing is poorly preserved and only intermittently visible (H 0.7-1.6m). A terrace (Wth 0.75m; int. H 0.35m) is visible on the inner wall face in the W sector. A later field wall has been incorporated into the cashel wall along the N face, from NW to NE. The interior is an overgrown and uneven and hollow area and contains a copious amount of displaced blocks and stones which may both be the remains of and obscure internal features such as house or hut sites? See attached image: CL004-031----_1 Westropp’s sketch of ‘Caherduff’ Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy and Lynda McCormack Date of upload: 24 October 2022

This remains an important historical record, but the official description says the monument is no longer visible or has been destroyed. The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.