Ringfort (Cashel), Rathcosgry, Co. Galway

Co. Galway |

Ringforts

Ringfort (Cashel), Rathcosgry, Co. Galway

In the farmland of Rathcosgry, County Galway, there is a site that exists almost entirely as an absence.

A cashel is a type of ringfort built from stone rather than earth, typically a circular or oval enclosure used in early medieval Ireland as a farmstead or place of refuge. This one, subcircular in plan and measuring roughly 37 metres east to west and 30 metres north to south, was recorded on the 1838 edition of the Ordnance Survey six-inch map, making it a documented feature of the landscape at that time. Today, nothing visible remains at ground level.

The paper trail is thin but telling. When a researcher named McCaffrey surveyed the site in 1952, his note was blunt: 'Not present.' That phrase carries a certain melancholy weight in the archaeology of rural Ireland, where centuries of land clearance, field improvement, and agricultural intensification have quietly erased countless early medieval enclosures. A structure substantial enough to appear on a nineteenth-century map had, within little more than a century of that mapping, vanished entirely from the surface of the ground. Whether it was dismantled for building stone, levelled to improve pasture, or simply worn away, the record does not say.

Rated 0 out of 5

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of Pete F
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Ringfort (Cashel), Rathcosgry, Co. Galway. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 100 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Advertisement