TreeAlive
‹ Sites and Monuments Record, Ireland

Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Ringfort - rath

Earlspark, County Galway, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Ringfort - rath, Earlspark, County Galway, 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
Earlspark
County
Galway
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Hachured
Latest-edition OS map
Hachured
Coordinates
53.18449, -8.54291
SMR number
GA105-080----

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)

Get directions ↗

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

The National Monuments Service's description

On a rise in undulating pastureland. This circular rath (diam. 49.6m), in fair condition, is defined
by an inner bank (base Wth 1.9m; Wth across the top 1.25m; int. H 0.95m; ext. H 2.18m), intervening fosse (base Wth 1.9m) and an outer bank (base Wth 4.25m; Wth across the top 0.8m; int. H 1.58m; ext. 0.4m). Traces of internal stone-facing are visible on both banks. There is a causewayed entrance gap at E. A geophysical survey of the site revealed an inner fosse and what may be some buildings in the interior (Beglane 2014, 313-14). Beglane (ibid.) suggests that the rath may have been modified and reused when the high medieval deer park (GA105-236----) was established. Another rath (GA105-081----) lies c. 325m to the SW; there is an enclosure (GA105-208----) c. 95m to the S, a hillfort (GA105-205----) c. 75m to the W and a standing stone (GA105-237----) c. 460m to the SSW. (ASGAP 193:36A)

Compiled by: Olive Alcock

Date of upload: 15 October 2020

References

ASGAP - Archaeological Survey Galway Aerial Photograph.

Beglane, F. 2014 Theatre of power: the Anglo-Norman park at Earlspark, Co Galway, Ireland. Medieval Archaeology 58, 307-17.

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 Galway All County Galway records All Ireland Heritage registers Historical markers (US)National Register of Historic Places (US)
See your own family's places on a living map