Cush Earthworks

Earthworks in County Limerick, Ireland

Cush Earthworks

Native name
Créfort na Coise (Irish)

Location of Cush Earthworks in Ireland

Type| Earthworks
Location| Cush, Kilfinane,
County Limerick, Ireland
Coordinates| 52°22′52″N 8°26′35″W﻿ / ﻿52.381130°N 8.442962°W﻿ / 52.381130; -8.442962
Built| 1000 BC – AD 400
Owner| State

National monument of Ireland

Official name| Cush Earthworks
Reference no.| 663[1]

The Cush Earthworks are a series of earthworks, and a National Monument, located in County Limerick, Ireland.[2][3]

## Location

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The Cush Earthworks are located on the western slope of Slievereagh, 3 km (1.9 mi) northwest of Kilfinane, near the headwaters of the River Loobagh.[4]

## History

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The Cush region was occupied by an Iron Age community from c. 1000 BC to AD 400. Some of the burials are late Bronze Age, but the raths are thought to be no earlier than 3rd century BC.[5]

There were several cist burials, some with food vessels as grave goods.[6]

There were also some souterrains lined with timber and stone.[citation needed]

Excavated in 1932–34. Discovered items included rotary querns, glass beads, an urn, iron slag and burials.[7]

## Description

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To the south, six raths (each 20 m in diameter) were joined with a large rectangular enclosure located to the west.[8] To the north lie 6+ more ringforts. Around them are an ancient field system.

## References

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1. ^ "National Monuments in State Care: Ownership & Guardianship - County Limerick" (PDF). National Monuments Service. 4 March 2009.
2. ^ "Earthworks. Cush, 'Col uatrach', Limerick, Ireland – aerial photo".
3. ^ "Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society for ..." University Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. 1 January 1937 - via Google Books.
4. ^ Academy, Royal Irish (1 January 1937). "Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, linguistics and literature. Section C." Hodges, Figgis - via Google Books.
5. ^ "The Early Development Of Irish Society". CUP Archive. 6 November 2008 - via Google Books.
6. ^ Riordain, Sean P. O. (30 October 2014). Antiquities of the Irish Countryside. Routledge. ISBN 9781317600596 - via Google Books.
7. ^ "Historical Walk 2016". 24 May 2016.
8. ^ "Cush Earthworks – Cush, Kilfinane - Visit Ballyhoura".