Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Towards the W end of an E-W ridge with a gentle slope to the N and W; the land falls to the S where there are wide views. Hachured and labelled ‘Ballykeel Fort’ on the 1842 and 1920 eds. of the OS 6-inch map. Listed as ‘Enclosure’ in the RMP (1996). This subcircular rath (ext. diam. 37m) is defined by an earthen bank surrounded by a fosse. The bank (Wth 5-6m; int. H 0.2–0.3m; ext. H 0.8–1.4m) is evident all round, although damaged at S. The flat-bottomed fosse (Wth 3.3-5.5; Wth of base 2.3-4.2; ext. D 0.3-0.5m) is destroyed at S where an attempt to construct a silage pit was abandoned. Both bank and fosse are more substantial at W. There is a later gap in the perimeter at WNW. The interior is heavily overgrown with furze and briars. A narrow roadway, running roughly N-S, is visible c. 8m to the E of the rath and a more recent trackway is visible c. 10m to its N.

Compiled by: Olive Alcock and Conn Herriott

Date of upload: 24 May 2022

References

Record of Monuments and Places as established under Section 12 of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, County Clare. Issued by National Monuments and Historic Properties Service 1996. Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands.