Old Fish Pond Hachured — Caherass

In level pasture at the base of a slight E-facing slope, with moderate views to the S and E and poor views to the N and W. A woodland plantation annotated 'Morrisey Wood' lies 40m to E, which is associated with the landscaping of the demesne of Caherass Court located 850m to S. Ringfort (LI021-085----) lies 110m to W and and enclosure (LI021-087----) is 360m to S. The site is not depicted on the 1840 ed. OSi 6-inch map. Shown on the 1897 ed. OSi 25-inch map as a D-shaped enclosure (ext. diam. 135m N-S; 115m E-W) with straight side (L. 100m) at S surrounding a small raised platform (ext. diam. 27m N-S; 23m E-W) or island defined by a scarped edge that is annotated 'Old Fish Pond'. Inspected by the ASI in 2000 and described as a D-shaped area enclosed by a flat-topped earthen bank (Wth 7.2m; int. H 0.6m, ext. H 0.3m) visible from W, N and E and intersected at S by a modern road, a small circular-shaped platform (int. diam. 12.2m) in the centre of the drained pond. The road was built along the line of the S bank of the fishpond. The platform is level with the external field surface. The interior of the drained pond is level, clear of scrub vegetation, waterlogged and only slightly lower than the surrounding field surface (D 0.4-0.6m). A concrete square pump house (diam. 3m) is visible in the NW corner of the pond. The omission of the fish-pond on the 1840 OSi 6-inch map and its inclusion on the 1897 map suggests a mid to late 19th century date for its construction. Possibly associated with the landscaping of the demesne of Caherass Court. However the annotation 'Old Fish Pond' on the 1897 map suggests that the earthwork may have been constructed in the 17th or 18th century. The earthwork is clearly visible on Google earth orthophotos taken 05/02/2009, 28/06/2018 and 14/02/2000. See attached sketch plan by the ASI and Google Earth orthoimages Compiled by: Edmond O’Donovan Date of upload: 16 August 2020