Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Gort Na Gcuileannach

This site was marked on the 1st edition of the OS map as a circular ring of dots. It is known locally as a fort and was identified by Hitchcock (1853, 401-3) as a rath. The field in which it is located is named 'Páirc an Leasa'. A cross-inscribed ogham stone formerly acted as a lintel over the doorway to a D-shaped clochaun which stood within the enclosure. This was removed by Hitchcock and presented to the Royal Irish Academy, along with a quernstone also found at the site. The ogham stone is now preserved in the NMI. Ringfort: The site is severely disturbed and has been used as a quarry for road metal. Its E half is now occupied by an amorphous group of pits and mounds, but a curving bank of earth and stone can be traced around the W half of the site. The area covered by these features measures 23.5m N-S and 23m E-W. Windele (1848, 468-70) was locally informed that the site had been used as a burial ground for children but not within living memory. Some quartz stones scattered about the site today could have been introduced to mark burials. Ogham Stone: A roughly rectangular, sandstone slab measuring .9m high, .27m wide and .1m thick. The inscription is carved along the 2 edges of one face and reads: MAQQI-DECEDDA MAQQI CATUV(........) The V is followed by 3 vowel notches but beyond this the stone is damaged and no definite scores are preserved. There is no consensus amongst earlier researchers as to the termination of the final word. Macalister (1945, 177-8) suggests that the name should be CATUVIQQA. A simple Greek cross is inscribed on each face of the stone. The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 699. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 7 August 2013