Ringfort (Cashel), Murroe, Co. Donegal
On the elevated ground overlooking a valley in Murroe, County Donegal, the remnants of what appears to be an ancient cashel can still be traced in the landscape.
Ringfort (Cashel), Murroe, Co. Donegal
The surviving northwest arc of a low bank or wall, now largely grassed over, stretches approximately 14 metres from its northeast to southwest tip. Though time and weather have taken their toll, keen observers can spot the edges of a few stones poking through the earth along the external face of this curved structure.
The site occupies a strategic position with sweeping views across the valley to the west, whilst the land rises gradually to the east. This placement, typical of early medieval defensive settlements, would have offered both protection and surveillance advantages to its inhabitants. The immediate surroundings consist of rough grazing land, though the valley below contains more fertile ground suitable for cultivation; a pattern that suggests this location was carefully chosen for both defensive and agricultural purposes.
Whilst the fragmentary nature of the remains makes definitive identification challenging, the circular form and elevated position strongly indicate this was once a cashel, a type of stone ringfort common throughout Ireland during the early medieval period. An old field fence now cuts across the southeastern portion of the site, adding another layer to the palimpsest of human activity in this corner of Donegal. These modest ruins serve as a quiet reminder of the farming communities who once shaped and defended this landscape over a millennium ago.





