Cork County Council and Teagasc have been urged to resolve an impasse which has led to the closure of and deterioration of a historic ringfort site in West Cork.

It is believed that Lios na gCon ringfort is the only one of its type in Ireland reconstructed on a site originally housing a ringfort, which could date back as late as 400BC.

It was reconstructed by Clonakilty Macra Na Feirme between 1987 and 1989 on its original site and for many years was looked after by a voluntary group, The Friends of Lios na gCon.

They maintained and preserved the fort and operated open days, school tours and guided tours to allow public access.

They also worked closely with the history department at UCC to properly conserve the site which stands on land at Darrara, close to Clonakilty Agricultural College.

However, this came to an end a few years when concerns were raised regarding some issues, but primarily insurance, and the voluntary group was locked out of the site.

Lios na gCon, located at Darrara, Clonakilty, as it appeared in 2009 when it was maintained by a voluntary group, The Friends of Lios na Gcon. Picture: Larry Cummins

Fine Gael councillor O’Sullivan said Lios na gCon ringfort remains in the ownership and control of Teagasc.

“Discussions have been ongoing between Teagasc and Cork County Council for a couple of years as regard to the possibilities for the reopening of the fort, but no agreement or progress has been achieved,” said Mr O’Sullivan.

“Suggestions about the involvement of the OPW in developing the fort have been mentioned. But in the meantime, while discussions are at stalemate stage, a valuable historical and potential tourism attraction falls into disrepair and becomes overgrown.”

Lios na gCon, which translates as the Ringfort of the Hound, was a defended farmstead. Most ringforts were built between 400AD and 1,200 AD, in the early Christian and Viking periods.

The remains of 35,000 ringfort sites are known to exist in Ireland.

“As we prepare to celebrate the historic events of our recent history, a jewel of our ancient past lies in decay in West Cork,” said Mr O’Sullivan. “This is despite the existence of a voluntary group, the friends of Lios na gCon, who are passionate about saving the fort but are being locked out of the site.”

Finds at the site included iron slag and tool fragments, millstones, a blue glass bead and chared bones belonging to cattle, pigs and deer.

“It’s surely a tragic situation that a unique historical treasure remains out of bounds to the public and deteriorating through neglect,” said Mr O’Sullivan.

He has called for an urgent roundtable discussion to take place that will facilitate the maintenance, improvement and public access to the site.

“This is a real jewel from an ancestry, from a historical, from a tourism and a rural regeneration point of view,” he said.