caiseal

Caiseal is an Irish noun meaning a stone fort or stone-built fortress. In Irish place-names the term is the source of many toponyms; the English name Cashel is derived from it.

Historically, caiseal referred to stone forts or fortified enclosures. It is used in archaeology to describe stone-built defenses rather than earthen or timber works.

In archaeology and landscape history, a caiseal denotes a stone fortification, often a hillfort or citadel, dating from late prehistoric to early medieval periods. This is often contrasted with ráth, an earthen ringfort. Forts called caiseal vary in size and masonry, from simple enclosures to substantial stone works.

Notable examples include the town of Cashel in County Tipperary, whose name derives from the stone fortress that once stood there, and the Rock of Cashel, a major historic site on a limestone hill.

See also Cashel (disambiguation); forts in Ireland.