Loher Cashel

Loher Cashel
Native name
Cathair an Lóthair (Irish)
Typestone ringfort
LocationLoher, Derrynane,
County Kerry, Ireland
Coordinates51°47′10″N 10°09′56″W / 51.786111°N 10.165556°W / 51.786111; -10.165556
Elevation60 m (200 ft)
Height3 m (9.8 ft)
Builtc. 9th century AD
Architectural style(s)Gaelic Ireland
OwnerState[1]
Official nameLoher Cashel[2]
Reference no.611
Location of Loher Cashel in Ireland

Loher Cashel is a stone ringfort (cashel) and National Monument located on the Iveragh Peninsula, Ireland.[3][4][5]

Location

Loher Cashel is situated on the western edge of the Iveragh Peninsula overlooking Ballinskelligs Bay, 3.9 km (2.4 mi) northwest of Derrynane.[6][7] This location may have been chosen for its view of Skellig Michael.[8]

History

The cashel was built around the 9th century AD as a defended farmstead. It was recently reconstructed.[9][4]

Description

This is a circular stone ringfort (caiseal) of internal diameter 20 m (66 ft) with outer walls over 2 m (6 ft 7 in) high and 3 m (9.8 ft) thick accessible by stairways. It is built of drystone with gaps filled in with rubble.

In the interior are a large round house and a smaller rectangular house; archaeology has shown that these were preceded by wooden buildings. A souterrain was located in the circular house.[10]

The entrance has a stone-lined passage similar to that at Staigue stone fort.[11][12]

References

  1. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 November 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ "National Monuments in State Care: Ownership & Guardianship" (PDF). Ireland: National Monuments Service. 4 March 2009. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  3. ^ "megalithomania: Loher (Kerry) :: Stone Fort :: Visit notes". www.megalithomania.com.
  4. ^ a b Moody, Theodore William; Martin, Francis X.; Byrne, Francis John; Cosgrove, Art (27 August 1976). A New History of Ireland: Prehistoric and early Ireland. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198217374 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Meeting, European Association of Archaeologists; Henderson, Jon C. (1 January 2000). The Prehistory and Early History of Atlantic Europe: Papers from a Session Held at the European Association of Archaeologists Fourth Annual Meeting in Göteborg 1998. Archaeopress. ISBN 9781841710624 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Henderson, Jon (1 December 2007). The Atlantic Iron Age: Settlement and Identity in the First Millennium BC. Routledge. ISBN 9781134076130 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Weir, Anthony. "County Kerry - selected monuments". www.irishmegaliths.org.uk.
  8. ^ Harbison, Peter (1 April 1995). Pilgrimage in Ireland: The Monuments and the People. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9780815603122 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ "Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Celtic studies, history, linguistics and literature". The Academy. 27 August 1995 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ "Loher Stone Fort".
  11. ^ "Loher Fort". irishantiquities.bravehost.com.
  12. ^ "Loher Fort, County Kerry". timetravelireland.blogspot.ie.