Field system in Coole Demesne

During the course of tree-felling operations in Incha Wood in Coole Park in November 2014 a cashel (GA122-144001-) came to light. Following a preliminary inspection of the site on 17 November 2014 it was decided a revisit should be carried out following the completion of the tree-felling to see if any further features would be revealed. The re-inspection was carried out on 8 April 2015 when a series of field walls (GA122-144003-) were noted to the S (from roughly SE to SW) and to the W of the cashel. Like the cashel wall, they are all in a very dilapidated state and are overgrown with moss. In some places they are obscured with tree-felling waste. It is unclear whether they are associated with the cashel or are part of a later field system. The walls are mainly composed of single boulders but in some places double walling is evident. In all traces of six walls were noted. Wall 1 (L 12m; Wth 0.9m; H 0.35m) is visible to the S of the gap in the SE quadrant of the cashel wall. Due to its collapsed nature it was not possible to determine whether it abutted or was bonded into the cashel wall. It consists of a single line of boulders and is aligned N-S. At its S end it runs into Wall 2 (L c. 32m; Wth 1m; H 0.4m), which is aligned east-west. This wall is much obscured and tumbled, and is only visible intermittently towards its W end. A gap (Wth 3m) towards the middle of the wall is related to tree-felling operations. At its E end this wall meets Wall 3 (L c. 31m; Wth 1-1.2m; H 0.3-4m), which curves roughly from SW to NW. It is composed mainly of single boulders but double walling is also evident. At its SW end the wall meets Wall 4 (L 19m), which kinks south-eastwards (L 7m) and then curves towards the south-west (L 12m) where both very collapsed and moss-covered single and double walling is evident. Approximately 2m to the west of the cashel wall traces of Wall 5 (L 6m) are evident running roughly from north-east to south-west. At its north-east end it runs into Wall 6 (L c. 30m; Wth 1.4-5m; max. int. H 0.5m,) which runs at a right angle from it and curves towards the north-west. A gap (Wth 3m) towards the south-eastern end of this wall is also related to tree-felling operations. Compiled by: Olive Alcock Date of upload: 9 April 2015