What is recorded here

Half-buried in bramble and forgetfulness, the ringfort at Brackloon still holds its shape on the western slope beneath Knockafeehane. People once lived inside that circle, raised children or kept fire there, and later called it a fairy fort because the truth had slipped away. The ogham stone may have fallen from this same ground, its name chipped off to build a chimney, leaving only a single letter behind.

Estimated internal diam. 15m This univallate rath is situated on a W facing slope, in undulating pasture land at the base of Knockafeehane mountain. It was shown on the 1st edition of the OS map as a circular enclosure, but the site is now very densely overgrown and interfered with by field fences, and the earthen enclosing bank can only be traced around the SE half of the site. The bank survives to a maximum height of .9m externally and c. 1.25m internally. Some drystone walling and piles of stone collapse are present in the interior but the dense vegetation prevents an overall view and their origin is not clear. Ashe (1954, 20) noted a possible Man-made underground passage (KE045-081001-) at the site. Ogham Stone KE045-081002-: It is possible that this rath was the find-place of the Brackloon ogham stone though the evidence is not altogether clear (Macalister 1945, 166-7). Hitchcock discovered the stone acting as a chimney-breast in a cottage in Ballintermon and was informed that it had been found in the Man-made underground passage of a rath in a field called Páirc an Leasa in Brackloon townland. There are 2 known raths in this townland. Hitchcock was informed that the one from which the ogham stone came had been levelled and this rath corresponds more closely to that description than does Lisnagrave (KE045-060----). The field in which this rath is located is known locally as Páirc na Claishe, not Páirc an Leasa, but it is possible that Hitchcock confused the 2 names. The confusion is increased by the fact that Windele (1848, 385-6) was informed that the stone came from a rath in Ballintermon townland. The present whereabouts of the stone is not known. All but 1 letter of the inscription were chipped off to prepare the stone as a chimney-breast. The pieces were presented by Hitchcock to the Royal Irish Academy but were subsequently lost or mislaid. The main stone, with its single letter, was later broken up for walling (Macalister 1897, 53). In 1891 a fragment of an ogham stone was found on a fence in Brackloon townland and it was suggested that this was part of the same stone. It is now in the grounds of Ballinagroun House, near Inch. The inscription reads: (MA)QI MUCC(OI) Macalister also suggested that the Annagap ogham stone (KE044-065001) may have been a part of the same stone, but this now seems unlikely. The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 352. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 6 August 2013

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