Fairy fort / stone ringfort in Tully (corran By.)

In pasture, located on a level terrace on the steep W-facing slope of a limestone ridge, on the W flank of the Bricklieve Mountains. The slope rise immediately to E of the cashel to a low exposed limestone cliff face, then rises again in a series of terraces and limestone escarpments to the ridge summit, which is crowned by a cairn (SL040-103----), c. 375m to SE. The terrace overlooks a small valley of damp pasture, with extensive views beyond to SW−W of a broad sweep of undulating countryside. Kesh Corran looms at NW. One of two conjoined cashels; the second cashel (SL040-083002-) lies immediately to N. This cashel consists of a broadly oval area (28m E−W; 21.5m N−S) defined by remnants of a wall. The wall is evident as a low, moss-covered stony rise (Wth 1.5-2m; H 0.2-0.4); stones can be glimpsed or felt beneath the moss and sod, but no intact section of wall structure is visible. The cashel encompasses the full E−W width of the terrace, with the E arc cut into the rising slope, creating an inward-facing scarp (H 1-1.2m), and the W arc merging with the break of slope at the edge of the terrace, where ground falls away steeply. The N arc of the enclosing wall, which is shared with the second cashel (SL040-083002-), appears more substantial (Wth 3m; H 0.5m), but this is largely because it is overlain by a later E-W field wall, which is also ruined and moss-covered. The interior has a very slight slope down to W, reflecting the natural incline of the terrace. There is a souterrain (SL040-083001-) in the SW quadrant. The souterrain consisting of a length of collapsed passage, evident as a linear depression (L 10.5m), with several exposed and displaced roofing lintels tipping into it. It extends on a NE-SW axis from close to the cashel wall at SW to the centre of the interior. Immediately to W of the souterrain there is a slight rise in interior ground level. Remnants of a wall, visible as a low, moss-covered stony rise, extend from the NE end of the souterrain to the cashel wall at E; this wall may post-date the cashel. Adjacent to the enclosing wall in the SE quadrant there is a line of moss-covered stony hummocks (L 2-3m E−W), possible a wall remnant of some kind of structure or internal division of the cashel –but this is very uncertain. There is another moss covered concentration of stones (c. 2m across) close to the enclosing wall at S, also of uncertain significance. Barely discernible linear cropmarks, on an E−W axis, are visible throughout the interior, and are suggestive of ridge and furrow cultivation. The location of the original entrance is unclear: there a small break (Wth c. 1m) in the enclosing wall at S and another at SW, and at NW there may have been a gap allowing access to the other cashel, but all are poorly defined and uncertain. Two large close-set slabs, one clearly edge-set in the ground, are located 2m outside the cashel wall at S; it is possible that they are related to the cashel, but they may simply be remnants of an E−W field wall. Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 24 April 2018