Ringfort (Cashel), Tullymore (Ballyshannon Ed), Co. Donegal
In the pastureland of Tullymore, County Donegal, the remnants of an ancient cashel lie almost hidden beneath centuries of moss and sod.
Ringfort (Cashel), Tullymore (Ballyshannon Ed), Co. Donegal
This circular stone enclosure, measuring roughly 22.5 metres east to west and 20 metres north to south, sits on level ground scattered with limestone bedrock and old field walls. The site commands excellent views across the surrounding countryside to the south, whilst to the north, the land rises sharply towards Twomile Stone ridge.
The cashel’s walls have been reduced to little more than low, stony rises, barely one and a half to two metres wide, that curve gently from east to west-northwest. Time and weather have levelled much of the structure, making its full outline difficult to trace without careful observation. Several relict field walls radiate outward from the enclosure like spokes from a wheel; at the southwest, west, and north-northeast corners, whilst another ruined wall cuts directly through the interior on an east-northeast to west-southwest line.
The most intriguing feature of this site lies in the eastern half of the interior, where a partially collapsed souterrain provides a tantalising glimpse into the cashel’s past. These underground passages, commonly found in Irish ringforts, were likely used for storage or refuge during times of trouble. The combination of the cashel’s defensive walls and hidden souterrain speaks to a time when such fortified homesteads dotted the Irish landscape, providing both protection and prestige to the families who built them.





