Cathair — Baile An Chnocáin (tc Cill Chuain)

National Monument No. 10033. Internal diam. 29m. Situated on the lower W slopes of Brandon mountain, this circular cashel contains the remains of at least 7 stone huts and a souterrain. Both the enclosing wall and the internal structures have been rebuilt, repaired and added to at various times. The enclosing wall is 1.8m wide and stands to a maximum height of 2.8m; at least .9m of the upper courses are the result of rebuilding. The later walling is generally easily distinguishable from the earlier masonry below. The original entrance is on the SW, the 3 entrances to N, E and S being secondary features. It is 1.3m wide and is now blocked by later walling. The outer section of the passage is lined on either side by an upright slab, 1.32m and .7m high. A dividing wall extends across the interior of the enclosure from NNW to SE. The sections adjoining the cashel wall at either end are relatively recent additions, but the remainder is formed by the surviving walls of a series of huts, only 1 of which is well preserved. (1) A circular hut lying NE of centre and measuring 4.8m x 4.4m internally. The wall stands to a maximum height of 1.65m internally and 2.25m externally but the upper courses, 1.1m of the outer face and .45m of the inner face, represent later rebuilding. A break in the wall at E may simply be due to collapse of the wall here, but there is a lintelled entrance at W, now partly blocked by collapse. This is .59m wide and .76m high above present ground level. A lintelled recess at the base of the wall, a little S of the entrance, marks the well entrance to a souterrain which is not now accessible. The lintel also forms the base of a wall-cupboard, and a 2nd wall cupboard overlies this again. A similar wall-cupboard occurs .42m above present ground level, a little N of the entrance. It is .5m wide x .4m high x .5m deep. (2) Conjoined to the W side of hut (1) are the remains of the N half of a 2nd hut. The wall is 1.3m high but the upper .8m is apparently rebuilt. The entrance to W is faced on its S side only. The remainder of the S wall has collapsed and its outline is unclear. The present remains define a narrow oval area, 5.3m E-W x 2.4m N-S, but the S limit may represent later modification. If originally circular then the entrance in hut (1) would have opened directly onto the E wall of this hut. (3) This hut lies towards the NW end of the internal dividing wall and only the portion incorporated into this latter survives. It stands 1.4m high internally and 1.15m externally. A lintelled recess at its inner end is.7m wide and .4m high above present ground level; it is now blocked by collapse. (4) One of a pair of conjoined huts in the SE part of the site. Only its W and SW wall is traceable, the remainder being obscured by a heap of stones cleared from the fields outside. The interior is at least 4.4m in diameter and the wall is a maximum of .75m high. An entrance passage at SW is now blocked by collapse. It is 1.4m long, 1m wide and leads into hut (5). (5) The internal diameter of this circular hut was about 5.5m, but precise measurement is not possible because of later modifications to the W portion of the interior. The inner face is preserved to a height of 1.22m and the outer face, where visible at NW, is c. 1.35m high with a further .8m of later walling on top. To SE there is a wall-cupboard at present ground level. The main entrance lay in the SW sector where the wall no longer survives. (6) The enclosure wall at SSW forms the inner face of a hut which has undergone substantial modification. The E wall has been rebuilt but not along the original outline. To S a wall-cupboard occurs at present ground level and W of this the wall stands 1.6m high. (7) Adjoining the E side of hut (6) is a sub-rectangular structure with a possible entrance at E. The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 538. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 7 August 2013