Fairy fort / stone ringfort in Rannagh West

On the SW shoulder of a ridge in good, rocky grassland with a steep rocky cliff to the W, good views from NE-WNW. Within an extensive multiperiod field system (CL005-160001-). Hachured on the 1840 and 1916 eds. of the OS 6-inch maps. Described by Westropp (1898, 361) as a ’rectangular caher’ with ‘straight and regularly coursed walls’ and with a gateway in the S lined with ‘stone gate posts’. A roughly square cashel (ext. dims. 32.5m N-S; 33m E-W; int. dims. 29m N-S; 28m E-W) defined by a partially collapsed drystone wall. The partially collapsed N wall has outer stone facing (H 2m) visible in the centre and towards the E end and is reduced in height towards the E and W ends. Elsewhere the N wall is reduced to a stone spread (T 3.3-3.8m; int. H 0.4-1.2m) with a later pen incorporated into it close to the centre. The outer facing of the E wall (Wth 2m; max. H 1.4m in W) is low with low inner facing (H 0.25m) visible at the S end. The inner face of the E wall has collapsed to a spread of rubble and the N side of an opening is visible near the centre. The stone facing at the E end of the S wall (ext. H 1.6m; int. H 0.7m; T 1.7m) is well preserved and the W end is reduced to a stony spread. A gap (Wth 1.3m) in the centre of the S wall is lined with jambstones (H 0.93-1m) and a build-up of stone to the E of this gap may be a collapsed structure. The W wall is practically levelled throughout though a short stretch of outer facing (H 1.6m) is visible at the N end. The interior of the cashel is stony and uneven and a house site (CL010-004002-) lies near the centre. The partial remains of a later structure are visible against the outside of the E wall. The following item has been uploaded: CL010-004----_01.jpg Entrance at S from the exterior. Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Lynda McCormack Date of upload: 15 June 2022