Ringfort - rath

The National Monuments Service's description

Internal diam. 18m N-S, 16.5m E-W
This univallate rath KE037-037---- commands an extensive view from the E slopes of the valley of the Finglas river. A circular hut abuts the outer face of the bank and a now inaccessible souterrain occurs in the interior. The earthen enclosing bank is poorly preserved. On the downslope side it rises 1.7m in height externally and .5m internally; on the upslope side it rises 1.4m internally but only .15m externally. Browne et al (1911, 50) describe a 'zig-zag passage' through the bank at W but this is not now evident. Though there is no internal height to the bank at this point, any entrance passage would have had to slope upwards from the level of the field to the higher level of the interior. There are also breaks in the bank at N and WNW.
A circular hut KE037-037001-, 3m in diameter internally, abuts the outer face of the bank at W. It is defined by a 1.1m wide bank of earth with some stone which reaches a maximum height of 1.7m on the side it shares with the main enclosing bank; on the opposite side it is .5m high. The 2.5m wide entrance gap faces W.
The souterrain KE037-037002- which lies immediately inside the E section of the bank is infilled to within .2m of its roof. The collapse or removal of one of the roofing slabs near the S end has revealed a drystone-built passage c. 3.5 to 4m long NNE-SSW and a maximum of 1.1m wide. The S end wall is typically curved, but it is not clear whether the N end is blocked by a wall or by collapse. A breach in the N end of the W wall is visible in the side of a surface depression which extends .6m to W. This may mark the location of a 2nd passage as suggested by Browne et al. At the time of their visit the interior was densely overgrown, as it is today, but a bare track leading from this point to the bank at W may have been due to the presence of the roofing slabs of a souterrain passage a little below the surface. A subsidiary passage was similarly marked on the N side. One of the openings to the visible passage was at that time marked by a porthole slab.

The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 431. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 7 August 2013