Ecclesiastical enclosure

The National Monuments Service's description

The ecclesiastical enclosure at Rattoo was probably connected to the one at Dysert (KE010-062002-) by an ancient roadway or togher (KE009-088----); according to the OSNB (1841) 'An ancient road now called White Horse ridge extends from the old church of Dysert, through the bog, as far as Rattoo'. Hurley (1982, 321) states that the enclosure can be recognised by crop marks from aerial photographs. However, no surface remains of the enclosure survive today, though the church (KE009-056003-) and round tower (KE009-056001-) are in a good state of preservation.

The ecclesiastical site of Rattoo was described in the Urban Survey of Kerry as follows; 'Although it is uninhabited today, Rattoo was the site of an ecclesiastical centre in the Early Historic period and of a borough which was probably founded in the thirteenth century. The placename is a corruption of Rath Tuaidh, or more fully, Rath maigi tuaidh, i. e. the fort of the northern plain. The presence of a round tower [KE009-056001-] indicates that Ratoo was the site of a wealthy early ecclesiastical site, but documentary information on it is very scanty. Gwynn and Hadcock (1970, 43) suggest that it may have been an early sixth century foundation associated with Bishop Lughach. It is likely that the church site continued to function into the thirteenth century because it is otherwise difficult to understand why it was chosen by the Anglo-Normans as a borough site [KE009-056----]. No trace of an enclosure is visible on the ground and the ruined church [KE009-056003-] is medieval in date' (Bradley et. al. 1987, 82).

According to Toal (1995, no. 970) In 1832, when William Morrison visited the tower [KE009-056001-], it stood on a circular earthen terrace with a causeway [KE009-088----] running below its doorway E for about 38.7m. This, however, is now only discernible from the air. The land around the tower belonged to the Gunn family who lived in Rattoo House, which is situated on the N side of the field. Around 1880, when Mr Wilson Gunn drained and planted the land, the causeway disappeared' (Toal 1995, no. 970). A slide in the Department of Archaeology taken by D.D.C Pochin Mould shows outline of most of the large ecclesiastical enclosure.

See attached Google Earth orthoimages

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 9 May 2022

References

Hurley, V. 1982 The early church in the south-west of Ireland: settlement and organisation. In S.M. Pearce (ed.), The early church in western Britain and Ireland, 297-332. British Series, British Archaeological Reports, 102. Oxford.

Gwynn, A. and Hadcock, R.N. 1970 (Reprint 1988) Medieval religious houses of Ireland. Dublin. Irish Academic Press.

OSNB - Ordnance Survey Name Books. Pro-forma books arranged by Civil Parish for recording townland and other name-forms and compiled in the course of the OS 6-inch survey 1824-1841. The name books also include minor names and incidental references to antiquities. National Archives of Ireland.

Toal, C. 1995 North Kerry Archaeological Survey. Dingle. Brandon in association with FAS Training and Employment Authority.

Bradley, J., Halpin, A., and King, H.A. 1987 Urban archaeological survey - county Kerry. Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.