Fairy fort / stone ringfort in Ballyganner South

On grassed-over karst limestone sloping to the S and W, within a large multiperiod field system (CL009-059001-). A ravine running WSW-ENE lies immediately to the S. Hachured on the 1842 and 1920 eds. of the OS 6-inch map. Listed as ‘Mound’ in the RMP (1996). Described by Westropp (1915, 265) as a 'cathair' built of ‘large fine masonry’; the wall was ‘7 feet [2.1m] thick and over 5 feet [1.5m] high’ and had a batter. The foundation of its gateway had recently been uncovered; it was ‘4 feet [1.2m] wide, without posts’. It faced SE and one foundation block of the N jamb survived. This subcircular cashel (ext. diam. 35m E-W) is now very poorly preserved. It is defined by a very denuded double-faced stone wall (Wth at S 2.5m; max. int. H 0.35m; max. ext. H 1m), which only survives from NE to S. A drystone field wall (H 1.3m; Wth 0.6m) overlies this between NE and SE. Between S and W the grass-covered uncut bedrock base (Wth 2.3-3m) on which the wall was built is visible. A farm track cuts across the site from NNE to WNW. Extending through the interior from NNW to SSE is what may be a natural cleft (Wth 10m; D c. 0.6m). The cashel wall overlies this feature at SSE. Another cashel (CL009-059071-) lies c. 45m to the NNE and there is a hut site (CL009-192----) c. 39m to the SE. Compiled by: Olive Alcock and Conn Herriott Date of upload: 7 April 2022