Fortification in Illauncarbry

This enclosure is situated towards the centre of Illauncarbry, a small island in a sheltered inlet close to the E shore of Lough Corrib. The entire island has been planted with hardwoods which have reached maturity. It consists of a well-preserved inner subcircular enclosure (35m N-S; 30m E-W) defined by a mortared masonry wall. This is surrounded by a deep wide fosse filled with collapsed rubble which in turn is enclosed by a low counterscarp outer bank. A narrow opening in the inner cashel-like wall at ENE appears to be modern which together with the remnants of two walls projecting from the interior at the ESE may date to the late 18th/early 19th century when the island was inhabited by a recluse named Carbry (from whom the island takes its modern name) (Naessens & O’Conor 2012, 117). A sample of mortar from the inner enclosing wall returned a radiocarbon determination indicating a construction date ranging from AD 1020-1180 (ibid., 118). The remains of the 13th-century Cargin Castle (GA055-028----) lie 450m to the NE. The monument has been identified by Naessens and O’Conor (ibid., 117) as a possible pre-Norman fortification dating to the 11th/12th century. (Wilde 1872, 89-90; Kelly 1897, 387; Killanin and Duignan 1967, 304-5; Gosling 1993, No. 177) Revised by: Paul Walsh Revised date of upload: 18 April 2017