Enclosure in Carran

At the edge of a N-facing cliff (H c. 15-20m) above Poulacarran Valley, with land also dropping away severely from E to W. In rough pasture and scrub within a large multiperiod field system (CL009-074001-). Indicated on the OS 25-inch plan (1897) and hachured on the 1920 ed. of the OS 6-inch map. This D-shaped enclosure (18.6m N-S) with straight N side (L 20.8m) is defined from E to NW by a stone wall (int. H 0.1-0.3m; ext. H 1-2m) with a well-made outer face. There is only a short section (L c. 3m) of low wall along the sheer cliff from NW to E. The wall has collapsed outward down the steep slope from S to SW. Stone spill (Wth 1.9-3.6m) obscures the very low inner wall-face. The cashel is surrounded on all sides by cliffs and steep slopes. The ravine at W may have been created artificially for defensive purposes. A level causeway of bedrock (L 10m; Wth 3.2-6.5m; H c. 1.5m) was left uncut at W, providing the only convenient approach. The entrance is at W, where the causeway (Wth here 6.5m) meets the enclosure wall (outer wall-face H 1m here). The entrance is marked by a large sill-stone (L 1.8m) at the base of the wall at the S side of the causeway, with vertical joints in the wall-face above. The interior is generally level but the NE corner is c. 1m lower than the rest, with a natural bedrock step between. There is a hut site (CL009-074004-) in the centre of the enclosure. There is a natural cave in the cliff immediately to the N of the enclosure, marked on the 1920 ed. of the OS 6-inch map. This cave is accessed by a path leading down from the E end of the causeway. Here a ramp (L c. 5m) extends down to W, along the very steep N-facing slope. The ramp then turns E back across the slope-face and continues down (L c. 10m) to a platform (c. 8m below the enclosure). Here the funnel-shaped entrance to the cave (Wth c. 5m, narrowing to c. 3m; H c. 2m, decreasing to c. 1m) leads to a chamber which is pear-shaped in plan (c. 8m E-W; c. 5m N-S; max. H 1m), with a substantial layer of sediment on the floor. The chamber narrows at the W (Wth c. 3m) where there seem to be two sediment-filled ‘escape tunnels’ extending to W. The roof of the cave is gently rounded, almost level. Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Conn Herriott Date of upload: 6 April 2022