Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Lisgortaphuca/Lios Gort an Phúca: Located on the E side of the entrance to Gleann na hUaighe, about 40m E of the river. From here the deep glaciated valley extends almost 2 miles southwards. In the OSNB (Stradbally, 19) the site is described as 'circular, and about 1.5 chains (c. 30m) in diameter and four feet (c. 1.2m) high composed of earth'. On the 2nd edition it is marked as 'site of' and the only remains appeared to be a slight curve in the field boundary to N. A natural scarp extends across the field in a N-S direction, the land to W falling steeply to the river, that to E rising more gently to the mountains. The level interior of the fort was created by artificially raising this scarp and, though now disturbed in parts, much of the W half of the enclosure is still defined by a 3.7m high drop to the field below. The curving field wall has been replaced by a straight one, but from NE through E to S a very slight bank is still discernible though no measurements are possible. The approximate overall diameter of the ringfort is at least 34m.
The remains of 2 hut-sites are traceable in the interior. The northernmost is roughly circular, its wall reduced to a bank of earth and stones up to .8m high. The entrance was probably at S. The 2nd hut is roughly oval, measuring 3.7m x 3.2m internally. The enclosing bank rises 1.1m above the interior but only a few cms above the external ground level.
A large earth and stone mound, about 22m to E of the site, may be composed of the debris from the levelling of the ringfort.

The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 695. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 7 August 2013