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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Ringfort - rath

Ballyallaban, County Clare, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Ringfort - rath, Ballyallaban, County Clare, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Townland
Ballyallaban
County
Clare
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Hachured
Latest-edition OS map
The Rath (1916)
Coordinates
53.09010, -9.15863
SMR number
CL005-040----

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1753 map "Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

Historical maps covering this location

  • 1753 · Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

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This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗

The National Monuments Service's description

On the N slope of a ridge in a slightly raised area with commanding views except to S and SSW. A well-preserved circular rath (int. diam. 37.2 N-S; 37.5m E-W) defined by an impressive steep inner bank (int. H 2m at E to 2.5m at SW; ext. H 3.6m at E to 4.7m at SW; Wth 5.5m at N to 7.2m at E), a flat-bottomed waterlogged fosse (Wth 2m at SW to 5m at N) and an outer bank (int. H 1.4-1.8m; ext. H 0.8m; Wth 4-5m) surviving only along the W and from NW to NE. The inner bank is partly faced with stone internally and has entrance (Wth 1m) at NE with a causeway (Wth 5m) across the fosse. Other breaks occur in the inner bank, notably at NW. Mature trees grow on the outer edge of the internal bank. A later field wall is built on the line of the outer bank at NE for a short stretch. An Rath is a national monument in State care, no. 648. (Westropp 1901, 284; 1915, 249-50)

The following images are attached:
CL005-040----_01.jpg Highest portion of the inner bank at SW.
CL005-040----_02.jpg Internal view of inner bank.
CL005-040----_03.jpg View of inner bank with mature trees on external edge.
CL005-040----_04.jpg View of flat-bottomed fosse.

Compiled by: Mary Tunney

Date of upload: 27 May 2015

References

Westropp, T.J 1901 Prehistoric remains in north-western Clare part II. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 31, 273-91.

Westropp, T.J. 1915 Prehistoric remains (forts and dolmens) in Burren and its south western border, Co. Clare. Part 12: North Western Part. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 5, 45-62, 249-74.

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Sites and Monuments Record data: National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Record text is reproduced unchanged. National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland · CC BY 4.0
All Ringfort - rath in Clare All County Clare records All Ireland Heritage registers Historical markers (US)National Register of Historic Places (US)
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