Cahercommaun

Situated on the NW-facing edge of a deep ravine (D 30m) in a commanding location within a large field system (CL010-064001-) and 350m NE of Cashlaungarr (CL010-057----) which is at the SW end or ‘entrance’ to the ravine. A trivallate cashel (total area 0.81ha) excavated by Hugh O’Neill Hencken in 1934 as part of the Third Harvard Archaeological Expedition to Ireland (Hencken 1938, 1-82) and reassessed by the Discovery Programme (Cotter 1999, 41-95). According to Cotter (ibid., 44) ‘whilst most commentators support a date in the second half of the first millennium AD for the main occupation of the fort, the date of its construction and the possibility of an earlier horizon of activity at the site remain a matter of debate.’ Prehistoric artefacts were recovered such as four stone axes, three or more saddle querns, three or possibly four flint end-scrapers and a blade-like flake of chert. However, there is no stratigraphic evidence linking these to any of the walls or features discovered during excavation and the artefacts may belong to a phase predating the extant monument (ibid., 53-4). According to Ó Floinn (1999, 78) the datable metalwork artifacts from Cahercommaun span a period of as much as half a millennium, from the fifth to the 9th centuries. A silver annular brooch was recovered from a layer of ashes on the floor of one of two souterrains (souterrain B) (CL010-064078-). Its condition suggests a deposition date late in the 9th or early in the 10th century (ibid.).

This well-preserved cashel was defended by three concentric stone walls enclosing an area of 0.81ha. At the time of excavation the less substantial outer and middle walls terminated at the cliff along the NW, but the massive inner wall (max. T 8m at E) continued as a slighter wall (av. Wth 3m) along the cliff edge enclosing a roughly oval area (diam. 32.5m E-W; 28.6m N-S). The wall had a rubble core faced internally and externally with coursed limestone flags. The entrance was at E and consisted of a paved pathway flanked by sidewalls. The remains of an upper and lower terrace were visible along the SW sector of the inner wall and five niches were visible on the interior face of the inner wall along the SW sector. Only two of the niches are visible at the site today. The middle wall (H 1.7m; T 1.5m) at a distance of c. 10m was extensively robbed out at S and W and a number of subdivisions were extant in this area between the inner and middle walls. The outermost wall (T 1.25-2m; max. H 2m) enclosed a maximum area of 116m (E-W) x 69m (N-S). It had nine vertical joints along its length which Hencken (1938) suggested may represent the points where one team of builders finished and another began. Two radial walls extended across the outer enclosure and four hut sites (CL010-064094- to CL010-064097-) were visible.

Excavations revealed several buildings (CL010-064076- and CL010-064089- to CL010-064092-) in the interior, two of which had souterrains (CL010-064077- and CL010-064078-), both reached by flights of steps. The main buildings were interpreted by Hencken as houses for the ‘chief occupant’ (CL001-064090-), those ‘second in command’ (CL010-064089-), a guard house (CL010-064091-), kitchens and servants quarters (CL010-064092-). He estimated that the fort could contain 40-50 inhabitants. The most enigmatic find at Cahercommaun was the number of human bones scattered all over the habitation and mixed with the kitchen debris. All of the bones were broken and some showed signs of having been chopped (Ó Donnabháin 1980, 6-7). Cahercommaun is a national monument in State care, no. 270. (Westropp 1896, 142-58; Hencken 1938, 1-82; Ó Donnabháin 1980, 6-7; Cotter 1999, 41-95; Ó Floinn 1999, 73-9)