Fairy fort / earthen ringfort in Cush

In rough pasture, in S of an archaeological complex (LI048-034006/042-) located on the 'Supposed Site of Temaír Erann', which was the ancient cemetery of the Ernai tribe on Slievereagh (Sliabh Riabhach) (Westropp 1919, 9; Westropp 1917-19, 179; Westropp 1918, 111). Bivallate ringfort listed by Ó Ríordáin as 'Ringfort 5, Southern Group' which stands inside a large field system (LI048-034001-), the S earthwork of three conjoined ringforts (LI048-034028/027/041-). A souterrain (LI048-034035-) was recorded in the NE quadrant of the ringfort, four urn/cist burials (LI048-034017-/018-/019-/020-) and cremated remains (LI048-034021) were also recorded in the interior of the ringfort. Excavated by Ó Ríordáin (1940, 104-109) between 1934-5, the results of which were described as follows; ‘This ring-fort is the most southerly of the group on excavation proved to be the most interesting. It is enclosed by two banks and two fosses. The fosses, it will be noticed, do not complete the circle on the northern side. At first we were inclined to believe that the explanation of this was that Ring-Fort 5 [LI048-034016-] was earlier than No. 4 [LI048-034028-] and that its defences were cut through by the building of the latter. Excavation showed this to be wrong. On investigation the northern ends of the inner fosse of the fort we found that it did not join, and never had joined, that of Ring-Fort 4 [LI048-034028-]. The construction of these ends of the fosses showed then (in three cases) to end so as to leave a ridge of undisturbed boulder clay between them and the fosse of No. 4 [LI048-034028-]. It will be thus seen that although the inner bank of Ring-Fort 5 [LI048-034016-] is complete on the northern side, the fosses are incomplete because of the existence of No. 4 [LI048-034028-] when they were built. No other explanation as regards the relative ages of the two forts seems at all tenable because we cannot conceive the building of a fort and the leaving of a considerable gap in the fosses defending it. This point has been stressed because the burials found in Ring No. 5 [LI048-034016-] provided dating material for it and it is important to note that the construction of No. 4 [LI048-034028-] is somewhat earlier in date. Excavation showed, as stated, that in three instances (inner and outer fosses on the western side and inner fosse on the eastern side) the fosses of No. 5 [LI048-034016-] failed to connect with the fosse of No. 4 [LI048-034028-] but the end of the outer fosse on the eastern side did cut into the side of the fosse of No. 4 [LI048-034028-], though it was not cut so deeply as the latter fosse. The entrance [at W] to Ring-Fort 5 [LI048-034016-] was flanked on either side by a large post-hole in such a position that the posts which they supported must have been set into the bank. In order to find out the relationship of the defences of the rectangular enclosure to the fort we excavated the area outside the entrance. This led to some interesting results. The inner bank of the fort was found to have been built upon a kerb of large stones placed at the foot of the bank and so upon the edge of the fosse. Though our section through the ramparts did not, in other places, reveal this kerb, it would appear that such had originally encircled the fort because similar boulders were frequently met with in the filling of the inner fosse. An interesting difference between the fosses at either side of the approach to the entrance was revealed by the excavation. The outer fosse on the southern side was the type which was normal around the ring-forts. Somewhat shallower than on the eastern side of the fort but of the same breadth. On the other side of the approach, however, the outer fosse was no more than a narrow drain about 2 feet [0.6m] in width. This narrow portion of the outer fosse is a peculiar feature and seems to suggest that soon after its being dug fort No. 6 [LI048-034041-] was constructed and so defence on this side was no longer necessary. The narrow trench would, however, served the useful purpose of continuing to drain off into the fosse of the Enclosure [LI048-034042-] the water which ran off the outer side of the outer bank. Each of the fosses, except the outer narrow fosse on the northern side already referred to, terminated in a setting of stones which was high enough to be termed a wall in one case only, at the end of the inner fosse on the northern side of the entrance. This wall not only acted as a termination for the fosse but was continued westwards in a straight line to a total length of about 10 feet [3.04m]. This extension of the wall was due to the fact, an important one in the relative dating of the earthworks, that the fosse of the Enclosure was turned in to join the inner fosse of the ring-fort and the wall was built at the side of the Enclosure fosse. That the western part of the wall was a later extension to that which terminated the ring-fort fosse was shown by the upper portion of the wall being backed against loose humified clay and not against a setting of boulder clay, as one would expect if the wall had been an original feature. The end of the fosse of the fort at this point was also filled with a deep deposit of stratified refuse-burned clay, fragments of calcined bone and decayed organic matter. As we shall see, Ring-Fort 5 [LI048-034016-], when no longer used for habitation, was used as a place of burial and it would appear that at the time of the building of the Enclosure [LI048-034042-] this must already have taken place, since the method of connecting up the fosse of the Enclosure with the fosse of the ring-fort had the effect of causing No. 5 [LI048-034016-] to open outside the Enclosure, thus shutting it out from the group on general. As had been already stated Ring-Fort 5 was protected by two banks and two fosses. The outer fosse was much shallower than the inner and was filled with a very dark silting. In the fort were found evidences of several successive stages in its occupation and, later, of its use as a cemetery. The earliest structure seems to have been a dry stone wall so built as to be backed against the cut away rock at the centre of the fort. This was only a fragment of the original structure which must have been a house of circular outline, but of which only this portion of the wall remained, the remainder having been removed and the whole area having become filled up to the level of the top of the wall mentioned, which was of a height varying from 2½ feet [0.76m] to 3½ feet [1.06m]. Evidence of later occupation of the fort are afforded by the charcoal-marked dark bands which evidently represent the position of the walls of wooden houses. These lay in general upon a sand and clay filling which covered the central area of the ring-fort; they have been shown on the plan and apparently represent two houses, the one being roughly circular (about half the circle remaining) the other rectangular, one side and part of two others being shown, the third, more doubtful, is nearer to the edge of the excavated area and would also seem to be the remains of a circular house. Portions of paving occur in various places throughout the ring-fort; that near the centre of the fort may be part of a pacing contemporaneous with one of the wooden houses, that further to the south-west is lower than it by over 1 foot [0.3m] and can hardly have been in use at the same period, although it is approximately the same height as the two stones to the north-west of the ring-fort which are all that remain of paving in that area. They may have been part, with those on the south-west, of the paving covering the fort interior at some period. Immediately underlying the turf was a considerable quantity of charcoal under which in turn lay the sand and clay filling already referred to. This was reddened in such a manner as to show the effects of heat and it was evident that over a considerable portion of the ring-fort fires must have been ligh