Fairy fort / stone ringfort in Kimego West

National Monument No. 414. Internal diam. 23.3m N-S, 22.8m E-W. Known locally as Leacanabuaile/Leaca na Buaile, this site is one of a group of three cahers located between the Valencia river estuary and Cooncrome Harbour. Depicted on the first edition of the OS map as a circular enclosure, it is not shown on subsequent editions. It is situated on a massive rock eminence with steep ascents on its N, S and W sides. It was excavated in 1939-40 and was subsequently conserved and restored to its present condition. Much of the following description of the site is based on the report of that excavation (Ó Ríordáin and Foy, 1941). Prior to its excavation the site consisted of a subcircular area defined by a slight, sod-covered bank. Drystone facing could be traced around most of the bank's external circuit, and two short stretches of internal facing were also visible. The bank was poorly preserved at E, where the top of an upright stone marked the location of the entrance. The outlines of two structures, one circular (1) and one rectangular (4), were visible in the site's interior, which was largely filled with sod-covered stone collapse. The excavations revealed that the site was enclosed by a substantial caher-type wall which contained two wall chambers and featured a terraced inner face. The foundations of six stone-built houses, three circular (1-3) and three rectangular (4-6), were revealed in the interior. A souterrain (KE079-016003-) ran from the interior of the best preserved of the circular houses (1) to one of the chambers in the caher wall. Stratigraphic and other evidence indicated that the three circular houses were the earliest to be built on the site, and that the largest of the rectangular houses (4) was built during the period of use of circular house (1), which it abutted, but subsequent to the use of houses (2) and (3), whose foundations it overlay. House (5) was constructed later than (4), and house (6) was considered by the excavators to be probably of similar date to (5). Among the finds from the occupation levels of the site were iron knives and nails, quantities of iron slag (KE079-016011-), bone comb fragments, whetstones, fragments of rotary querns, a ploughsock, a sickle and a bronze ring-headed pin. Cattle were well represented in the bone assemblage from the site, though bones of sheep, pig, deer, grey seal, fish and sea-birds also occurred. The excavators proposed a ninth to tenth century date for the construction and occupation of the caher. Caher Wall: The shape and sloping upper surface of the rock eminence on which Leacanabuaile is built appears to have dictated the rather irregular outline of its enclosing wall. The wall has a non-uniform batter and comprises a rubble core faced internally and externally with thin shale slabs. A foundation layer of large slabs projects beyond its external face in places. It averages 3.3m in basal width and 1.5m high. A .8m wide terrace runs along its inner face, and a second terrace occurs below this at the wall's NE sector. Short series of steps or projecting slabs occur at ten locations around the internal circuit of the wall, giving access to these terraces or to the wall-top. The entrance is located at E, where the ascent to the caher was easiest, and measures 1.4m in average width. Midway along the sides of the entrance passage, which may have been lintelled originally, projects a pair of opposed upright slabs or portals. The entrance to a small wall chamber is located just outside the SE corner of house (6). Measuring .45m high. 4m wide, this gives access to the S end of the chamber which is 1.3m wide and 3.3m long, NW-SE. Its lintelled roof is .7m high. Houses: (1 - KE079-016010-) Abutting the face of the enclosing wall at W, the wall of this circular house, 4.7m in internal diameter, averages 1.5m wide at base and is preserved to a height of 1.8m. It is well-faced internally and features a strongly corbelled incline. Excavation revealed several postholes in the interior of the house, which indicate that its roof may have been a thatched or sod-covered timber construction supported on posts set in the floor. Another posthole, found just inside the 1m wide entrance at E, presumably held a door-post. The entrance to a souterrain is located close to the opposite side of the doorway. The souterrain (KE079-016003-) is stone-built and comprises two passages linked by a short creepway. It terminates in a chamber contained within the caher wall just SW of house (1). The first passage is 6.2m long and averages .8m wide and .75m high. It curves gently downwards from the entrance at NE, beneath the wall of house (1), to SW. Its side-walls are drystone-built and are slightly corbelled in their upper courses. In places they overlie the rock-cut sides of the souterrain's construction trench. The passage is roofed with large slabs. A creepway, .8m long x .4m wide, which is fitted with a neatly cut arch stone, leads from the SW end of the passage to the E end of the second passage. The latter passage is 3.8m long, .9m in average width and .8m high. Aligned E-W, it is constructed in the same manner as the first passage. Its W end underlies the caher wall and here a space, .5m x .4m, was left in its roof to allow access to the overhead wall chamber. Of subrectangular form, this chamber measures 4.8m N-S x 1.2m E-W and is 1m high. It is roofed by a series of large slabs, some of which are supported by a modern concrete pillar. During the conservation work carried out at the site a low opening to this chamber was built through the external face of the caher wall. There is a number of incised carvings on the N side-wall of the first passage, close to the creepway. It is unclear whether these were incised into the face of the bedrock or only into the layer of dried mud which adheres to it. Of uncertain date, they include a number of concentric circles and a quadruped animal. (2) (KE079-016005-) Only the lower courses of the wall of this circular house, which was overlain by the SW side-wall of house (4), is preserved. This averages 1.2m wide. (3) (KE079-016006-) The poorly preserved remains of the N sector of the wall of this circular hut were noted beneath the NE side-wall of house (4). (4) (KE079-016007-) This, the largest of the Leacanabuaile houses, was built against the E face of house (1) thus incorporating the entrance to the latter in its structure. Rectangular in plan, it measures 7.15m x 6.15m internally and features a 1m wide doorway at ESE. Its side-walls, preserved up to 1.5m high at W, average 2m in basal width and are battered inwards on both faces. The walls are well-faced internally and are neatly bonded at the corners. Externally, the corners are somewhat rounded. Excavation revealed four large postholes in the interior of the building, which indicated that its roof may have been a thatched or sod-covered timber construction supported on posts set in the floor. The excavators suggested that a large holed stone, found over-lying the occupation layers in the house, may have been set in the roof to serve as a smoke-hole. A slab-covered drain (KE079-016002-) ran from just inside the doorway of the house across the interior of the caher and out through its entrance. (5) (KE079-016008-) This poorly constructed building is located between the S angle of house (4) and the enclosing wall of the caher, which forms its S side-wall. Of subrectangular internal plan, it has average dimensions of 7m x 3.4m. A .9m wide entrance at NE leads through a 1.2m wide wall, which narrows to .3m in width at the building's NW corner to allow access between it and house (4) to the S portion of the caher's interior. (6) (KE079-016009-) This rectangular building is located adjacent to the wall chamber at NW and utilises the caher wall as its NE side-wall. Measuring 4.2m x 3.3m internally, it features a .6m wide entrance in its SE end-wall. Its walls average 1m wide and were preserved to a height of .6m. The exc