Fairy fort / stone ringfort in Acres (corkaguiny By.)

Internal diam. c. 28m Cahernanackree/Cathair na nAcraí: Situated close to the cliff-edge on the E side of Minard beach, directly opposite Minard Castle (KE054-063----), the very ruined remains of this circular bivallate cashel contain the foundation of a rectangular house and a souterrain, but the various other structures previously noted are no longer discernible. The outer bank appears to be composed of earth and is 2.3m wide and up to .75m high. The fosse is c. 3 to 9m wide. The inner wall is now reduced to a band of stone collapse up to 1.5m high. A 3rd bank, .75m high, 1.6m wide and 31m long, occupies the broad space or fosse between the wall and outer bank along the W sector. A 2.1m wide gap occurs in the outer bank at NW, but there is no corresponding gap through the debris of the inner wall. Two parallel stone walls which cross the fosse at NNW appear to be the foundations of a rectangular structure measuring 3.4m x 3.5m internally. The centre of the enclosure is occupied by a rectangular foundation measuring 9.8m NE-SW x 4.5m NW-SE; the drystone-built walls stand c. 0.75m high. Amongst the stone collapse to W of this is an accidental entrance to a souterrain chamber which measures 2.2m NW-SE x 1.5m NE-SW x .7m in height. The walls are of drystone construction and 5 slabs form the roof of the structure. Neither the original entrance nor the other chambers and passages which were visible in 1940 (UCC) are now accessible. A possible stone mining hammer was discovered in one of the chambers. Also visible at that time was a circular hut, about 1.8m in diameter, abutted by a triangular hut and 2 rectangular huts. A series of about 7 circular depressions, c. 1.8m in diameter, were also noted along the SW edge of the interior. The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 535. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 7 August 2013 This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 4/1991).