What is recorded here

Tonakilla Fort in County Kerry is a levelled cashel, about forty-one metres across, now hidden beneath a children's burial ground. The fort became a graveyard, and the graveyard became a neighbourhood memory, while the Gallauns stones nearby still mark the older shape of the place. What was built for defence may have ended as a holder of small lives, strong enough to be remembered but changed beyond recognition.

No surface remains visible of levelled cashel (diam. c. 41m) annotated 'Tonakilla Fort' on 1841 ed. OSi 6-inch map. On this map a 'Burial Ground' is annotated inside the levelled cashel indicating that the monument was reused as a children's burial ground (KE038-003006-). The 1841 ed. OSi map also shows the presence of 'Graves' to the immediate S of the cashel and a cluster of stones annotated 'Gallauns' (KE038-003007-) immediately S of cashel which may be the remains of a megalithic structure. Cashel depicted on 25-inch OSi map as a roughly circular-shaped area defined by a scarp with 'Graves' and 'Gallauns' (Site of) immediately to S. Annagh church (KE038-003001-) and graveyard (KE038-003002-) 370m to E. See attached Google Earth orthoimages Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 28 January 2022

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