Caherdorgan North

National Monument No. 10038. Internal diam. c. 30m. Caherdorgan/Cathair Deargáin: A roughly circular cashel within which are 5 well-preserved clochauns and 1 or possibly 2 souterrains. It is situated on a WNW facing slope and commands an excellent view over much of the N side of this W end of the Dingle Peninsula. An impressive, univallate rath (KE042-069----) lies 300m to SW, the Saint's Road (KE034-112001-) passes immediately to E, and the early church site at Kilmalkedar (KE042-026006-) lies about 600m to N. The impressions gained of the site from earlier accounts differ not only from the present remains but also from each other, and the site has probably been considerably tidied-up and cleared of collapse since the early and mid-19th century. There may also have been some reconstruction work carried out.

The site is built on a level terrace in an otherwise sloping field, and consequently the external height of the cashel wall varies from 2.65m on the downhill NW side to .75m on the uphill side. Internally it is a maximum of 1.13m high but the inner face is not visible for much of the NW sector. Its thickness varies from .8 to 2.1m, but as the wall is described as 2.7 to 3.9m thick in 19th century accounts (OSL; Windele 1848, 426; Westropp 1902, 675) it seems likely that the inner wall-face has been re-built. A mound of grass-grown collapse, abutting the wall along the S sector, may conceal the original inner face of the wall. A 5.5m long section of stone facing at NW may be part of this latter. If so, it indicates a wall thickness of 4.45m. Westropp mentions an entrance gap but this is not now evident and access is provided by a modern stile at SE.

The 5 huts are all circular or sub-circular in plan and of corbelled, drystone construction.

(1) The easternmost hut is 4.5m in diameter internally. The wall is up to 1.2m high and c. 1.5 to 2m wide. The doorway faces NW and splays from .6m wide internally to .8m externally. A possible souterrain passage, partly contained within the thickness of the wall of the hut, opens onto the surface immediately outside the structure at N. It extends only .9m SE from the opening before being blocked.

(2) Three conjoined huts extend in a roughly N-S line across the centre of the cashel. The northernmost measures 3.35m x 3.48m in diameter internally. The wall stands to a maximum height of 2.24m but some of the upper courses on the inside appear to have been re-built. The lintelled doorway faces SSE and is 1.2m high and .5 to .78m wide. It opens onto the NNE side of hut (3). A small annex, built against the ESE side of the hut, is probably a later addition. It measures 1.2m x 1.95m internally and the wall is 1.2m high. The lintelled doorway faces SSE and is .7m high and .38m wide.

(3) This is 6.05 x 5.4m in diameter internally and the walls stand to a maximum height of 1.52m. Huts (1) and (2) open off its NNW and S sides and the main entrance, .49m wide, faces NNE. The latter is unroofed. This hut is considerably larger than the others and its outline less regular. It is possible that it was an unroofed courtyard and not a hut but the walls are slightly corbelled like those of the huts.

(4) The southernmost of these 3 conjoined huts measures 4.65m x 4.75m in diameter internally and the wall is a maximum of 2.5m high. The lintelled doorway faces NE and is 1.22m high and .85m wide. The well entrance to a short souterrain passage is located at the base of the wall at W. From here the passage runs 2.2m to W under the wall of the hut and lm to E under its floor. It is .82m wide, .55m high and is mainly of drystone construction, but parts of the walls are earthen.

(5) The westernmost hut measures 4.9m x 4.4m in diameter internally and the wall is a maximum of 2.4m high. The lower courses, up to a height of 1.1m, are more neatly constructed than the upper courses and are comprised of smaller stones. This suggests that the structure was reconstructed at some time. The lintelled doorway faces NE and is .75m high and .4m wide. A 2m long stretch of stone-walling, 1.4m high, links this hut to hut (2). Similar walling links the N side of the hut to the possible inner wall-face of the cashel.

On a plan drawn by Windele (1848, 425), a pointed oval structure is marked at the present location of hut (1). He describes it as measuring 3.5m x 1.5m internally and 1.8m in height. In the OSL, however, this structure is placed in the S sector of the cashel. It was described as being roofed by 7 large flags. Westropp states that it was attached to the S side of one of the other huts and he also mentions a small oval hut or kennel near a gap in the cashel wall. These features are no longer evident.