Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Internal diam. c. 19m
Situated on a very gentle N facing slope immediately S of the level coastal plain that borders the S side of Brandon Bay. The site consists of a D-shaped earthen platform abutting the N side of the main Tralee to Cloghane road. A low bank extends along the upper edge of the platform to W and N only; to E it has been disturbed by a N-S running field wall. The platform may originally have been circular, but the S portion has been quarried away, possibly to provide material for the construction of the road. More recently this area has been used as a dump for clearance debris from the surrounding fields. The surface of the platform is raised c. 1.8m above the level of the field. The crest of the enclosing bank lies 2.2m above the external ground level and an average of .35m above the interior. The bank is mainly earthen, but a single stone, set on edge along its inner face, and the presence of some loose stones, may indicate the former presence of internal stone facing. However, much of the bank is densely overgrown and could not be inspected in any great detail.

The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 448. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 7 August 2013