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Cahercommaun
Cahercommaun
Triple Stone Fort (stone fort of Comin)
is dramatically situated on the edge
of a cliff, all three of its concentric walls abutting the cliff edge.
Built around 800 AD and remarkably similar to the great fort at Dun Aenghus
on the Aran islands, the inner wall alone used 16,500 tons of stone and
was almost a complete circle before the north wall fell down the cliff.
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connected to each other by subsidiary walls. The outer wall measures 350
ft East West by 245 ft North South. The second rampart or inner wall is
5ft thick and about 4ft high and around 30ft from the inner caher. The Fort
was excavated in 1934 by the Harvard Archaeological Expedition which showed
the enclosure had at least twelve stone buildings at varying times and a
number of these had soutterrains. |
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In the top picture you
can see the inner caher walls rising up to some 12 to 14 feet above the
cliff. It is almost impossible to photograph such large forts from ground
level. The drawing below best illustrates the size and layout of this amazing
monument. Other sites of interest in this area include Cashlaun Gar, Creevagh,
Poulaphuca and Parknabinnia.
Other stone forts on this web site include Caherdooneerish. |
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Situated:Take the R476 north from
Kilnaboy then take the first right, after 3 kilometres you will come to
a crossroads go straight through and at the next right stands a large
house,to the right of the house is a pathway winding its way around the
glen for about 1/2 mile towards the Fort.
Discovery Map 51: 283 965. Last
visit August 2002.
Photos: Jim Dempsey.
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