I really didn't know what to expect here. I have only been to one stone fort before this and that was a sad affair. How different two place can be! As you cross the field towards the fort all you can see is the tree covered outer ditch and bank. As you get nearer you begin to see that it is actually an outer bank around a ditch, which is in turn around an inner stone wall some 6 ft high. A small opening in the ditches leads you into the inner sanctum ... prepare yourselves for what you see inside. As you enter the inner courtyard there is the fort itself sitting amongst the heather and knee high weeds. A round enclosure, possibly 50 m in diameter, with a single entrance. This wall reaches thickness' of up to 6 meters. Climbing on top of this is the only way to appreciate the immensity of the structures involved.
I noticed that the outer field is also round. This appears to be a further enclosure around the main site. I think this may even have been a stone circle . The hedgerow itself is dotted with standing stones , just visible through the uncut grass. In a neighbouring field is a solitary standing stone.
We saw so much this day that I'd actually forgotten that we'd been here until I got the photographs back. This site always makes me want to visit some of the more substantial cashels on the west coast.
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_Follow the R725 from Tullow and take the first left turn after about 2 km The fort is signed about 2 km on the right. Look out for the stone circle 400m further along and the hill fort to the left [Now visited and disappointed].
This is an explanation of (and a bit of a disclaimer for) the coordinates I provide. Where a GPS figure is given this is the master for all other coordinates. According to my Garmin these are quite accurate. Where there is no GPS figure the 6 figure grid reference is master for the others. This may not be very accurate as it could have come from the OS maps and could have been read by eye. Consequently, all other cordinates are going to have inaccuracies. The calculation of Longitude and Latitude uses an algorithm that is not 100% accurate. The long/lat figures are used as a basis for calculating the UTM & ITM coordinates. Consequently, UTM & ITM coordinates are slightly out. UTM is a global coordinate system - Universal Transverse Mercator - that is at the core of the GPS system. ITM is the new coordinate system - Irish Transverse Mercator - that is more accurate and more GPS friendly than the Irish Grid Reference system. This will be used on the next generation of Irish OS maps. |