Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Internal diameter 25m N-S, 29.4m E-W
This site is a circular bivallate rath situated in the corner of a low-lying pastoral field. The circular inner area is enclosed by a well-defined earthen bank which rises to .8m above the interior and .8m- 2.3m above the intervening fosse. The fosse encloses most of the inner area, except for c 26m along the N sector, due to a fieldbank cutting through it in an E-W direction. The fosse varies from 1.6m-2.4m in width. The outer bank encloses most of the site, except to the SW through W to NW; it is 4m-12m wide at the base, .3m high above the fosse and .7m high above the surrounding land. On its S side the bank is much wider at the base, and extending out of the bank in an E direction is a c4m wide bank. This bank travels for 43m before touching a sub-rectangular enclosure. The entrance would appear to be to the SE in the inner bank, where it measures 5m in width. There is no corresponding break in the outer bank.
The overall diameter of this site is 54m N-S and E-W.
The sub-rectangular enclosure (KE005-085----) is aligned NW- SE on its long axis and is 31.2m x 14.8m x .6m high. This enclosure could be a bawn connected to the fort for the protection of animals.

The above description is derived from C. Toal, ‘North Kerry Archaeological Survey’. Dingle. Brandon in association with FAS Training and Employment Authority (1995), no. 277. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 2 August 2013