Kilclooney Monuments

Pauline Connolly

Kilclooney Townland Stone
Milltown Heritage Group

Kilcloonly

Monuments in Kilclooney

 

The first ringfort is situated on a ridge summit in grassland. It is a poorly preserved D-Shaped rath defined by 2 banks and an intervening fosse. The inner bank and is overlain by a field bank and the outer bank survives. Local tradition suggests there is a children’s burial ground (GA016-059001-) within the interior.[1]

The second ringfort is located on a rise in level grassland. It is a poorly preserved subcircular ringfort defined by a bank of earth, stone and an external fosse. No visible surface trace of the enclosing elements survives elsewhere.[2]

The third ringfort is located 150m west-north-west of a castle (GA016-062001). It is a poorly preserved circular rath defined by 2 banks and an intervening fosse. The inner bank is present at north and south-west; elsewhere a scarp forms the enclosing element. The fosse and outer bank do not survive at south-east or north-west.[3]

A children’s burial ground is situated within a ringfort (GA016-059—-). All that survives is the rough outline of 2 unmarked graves defined by flat stones, and a few irregular stones on the bank.[4]

A second burial ground is located on a south-west facing slope in grassland. It is marked on the 1st edition of OS 6-inch map as a roughly square area delimited by a broken line outside of which is a line of trees. There are a number of small uninscribed set stones within the older west section.[5]

A souterrain is located within a ringfort. It is represented in name only on the 3rd edition of OS 6-inch amp (1932). Apart from a circular hollow, no visible trace survives. It is referred to as a two chambered cave of the usual’. According to local information, it was destroyed in the late 1970s.[6]

The church is situated on a slight rise in undulating pastureland. It is a poorly preserved rectangular church and only the low grassed-over foundation lines now survive. There are gaps towards east end of south wall and west end of north wall, either of which could mark the site of a doorway. No architectural features survive. A curving earthen bank which encircles the foot of the rise from east to south west appears to be part of the landscaping associated with Quarrymount House to north north east. A castle (GA016-062001-) lies 280m to south.[7]

A castle (tower house) is located within a field system. Just 2 storeys of this poorly preserved rectangular tower survive. The robbed-out doorway was defended by a gun loop. It opened into a lobby with the guardroom to the south and the spiral staircase in the east corner. A stone vault exists between the 1st and 2nd floors. Windows consist of rectangular slits and a blocked-up single light with an ogee head. The tower lies in the north west of a rectangular bawn defined by wall footings. Remains of rectangular structures occur in the north east corner and south sector of the bawn and a possible outer rectangular enclosure extends off the south east wall. A church (GA016-061—-) lies 280m to the north.[8]

A field system is situated in undulating grassland surrounding a castle (GA016-062001). There are traces of a rectangular building with an internal division defined by a low grassed-over foundations, lie east of the castle.[9]

An earthwork surrounds a graveyard (GA016-063001). No visible surface trace survives of those to the north of the graveyard.[10]

 

[1] GA016-059001—-(Archaeological Survey of Ireland, Record Details). http://www.archaeology.ie compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling. Uploaded 05th August 2010 (11th April 2014)

[2] GA016-060—-(Archaeological Survey of Ireland, Record Details). http://www.archaeology.ie compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling. Uploaded 05th August 2010 (11th April 2014)

[3] GA016-064—-(Archaeological Survey of Ireland, Record Details). http://www.archaeology.ie compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling. Uploaded 05th August 2010 (11th April 2014)

[4] GA016-060—-(Archaeological Survey of Ireland, Record Details). http://www.archaeology.ie compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling. Uploaded 05th August 2010 (11th April 2014)

[5] GA016-063001—-(Archaeological Survey of Ireland, Record Details). http://www.archaeology.ie compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling. Uploaded 05th August 2010 (11th April 2014)

[6] GA016-060001—-(Archaeological Survey of Ireland, Record Details). http://www.archaeology.ie compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling. Uploaded 05th August 2010 (11th April 2014)

[7] GA016-061—-(Archaeological Survey of Ireland, Record Details). http://www.archaeology.ie compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling. Uploaded 05th August 2010 (11th April 2014)

[8] GA016-062001—-(Archaeological Survey of Ireland, Record Details). http://www.archaeology.ie compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling. Uploaded 05th August 2010 (11th April 2014)

[9] GA016-062002—-(Archaeological Survey of Ireland, Record Details). http://www.archaeology.ie compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling. Uploaded 05th August 2010 (11th April 2014)

[10] GA016-063002—-(Archaeological Survey of Ireland, Record Details). http://www.archaeology.ie compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling. Uploaded 05th August 2010 (11th April 2014)

 

This page was added on 23/01/2015.

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